The Summer I Met You || ✔︎

E l e v e n

Waking up the next morning, I wake up with a huge smile on my face. The memories of last night flooding back to me and I instantly bring my hand up to the necklace around my neck. Remembering that I have no idea who really gave me the necklace I get a little sad inside really hoping that it was Daniel who gave it to me after all.

Getting out of bed and getting ready for the day I keep thinking about last night and dancing with Daniel all night long. Going downstairs I grab a bowl of cereal and eat it quickly before meeting up with Beth and Jack at her house. Finishing my cereal I put it in the sink and start my walk to Beths.

Walking over to Beth's I take in the nature that surrounds me and the pure beauty of it all. Just before I reach Beths cottage I hear someone's footsteps behind me crunching on the ground, turning around I see Grady and give him a small smile.

"Hey Grady."

"Hey Ella, pretty necklace."

"Thank you," I respond smiling and fiddling around with it.

"How did you enjoy your party last night?"

"I had a lot of fun."

"That's good, who was the guy that you were dancing with last night?" Grady asks me nervously.

"Oh, that's Daniel he's new to the lake," I explain slightly smiling remembering last night all over again.

"Are you guys a thing or something?"

"No, we aren't, just friends."

"Oh cool."

"Yeah, well I gotta go meet up with Beth. I'll see you around Grady," I say smiling and waving walking away towards Beths.

Before opening the door I hear voices inside that isn't my best friend and her boyfriend. I hear Abby and Daniel talking, instead of just barging in like I normally would do I decide to just stand there for a minute or two and find out what their talking about.

"Daniel, I'm telling you, there's no chance she'll go out with you now that Grady is back," Abby tells him.

"Why do you say that Abby, Grady is just a friend to her nothing more."

"Grady's in love with her stop being so naive and open you're fucking eyes. He watched you guys like a hawk last night, you're better off just dating me."

"Maybe your right Abby."

When I hear Daniel say this I start to back away slowly from the door, but as I'm backing away I knock over one of Beths moms plant causing a loud crashing sound. Abby and Daniel come rushing out when they hear the noise to find me looking over at the fallen plant.

"Ella," Daniel starts.

"Don't," I say before running down the steps of the cottage and back to my own. While I'm running back I don't hear any noises behind me so I know Daniel isn't following me. I decide that I didn't want to go back to my cottage just yet so I set off for the tree house my dad built Beth and I when we were kids.

It wasn't a very big tree house, just big enough for Beth and I to fit into as we grew older. Climbing up the rope ladder I remember all of the memories Beth and I shared coming up here and playing house almost every day when we were little.

Reaching the top of the ladder the stuff that Beth and I had brought up there when we were kids was still there just really faded from the sun and winter. I smile at the little kitchen my dad brought up here when we were seven. I decide to sit down by the corner that I called my own and look out the window thinking about everything that I just overheard. Did Grady really like me? No he couldn't we've been friends for so long. Could he really? I breathe a heavy sigh and reach up for my necklace twirling it around my fingers, feeling a sense of longing. Longing for last night and a longing for his touch out of everyone else in the entire universe. I sigh again knowing he wouldn't feel the same way I do no matter how much I hope I'm not right.

~*~

It doesn't take very long for someone to find me at the tree house. I hear someone climbing up the ladder and I don't bother looking down knowing that it's probably Beth coming to talk to me.

"Go away Beth I don't really wanna talk about it."

"It's a good thing I'm not Beth then." Hearing the deep voice instantly makes me gasp slightly turning my head to face the one person who I didn't think would find me in the tree house.

I don't say anything to him, shock just stuck to my face wondering how the hell he found me up here and why he even bothered to come here in the first place.

"Nice necklace E-Squared," is the first thing he says to me after I realized it was him.

I don't respond not knowing what to say to him, or even wanting to be near him right this moment.

"You just gonna sit there or can we talk?"

Still I don't respond looking at the opposite end of the tree house avoiding his eyes meeting mine because I know once they do I'll crumble at his gaze.

"Ella please can we just talk."

"Fine," I whisper out so quietly that its shocking he can actually hear me.

Hearing me he scoots a littler closer to me but not by much.

"She isn't right Ella," he says looking down to the ground.

"What?"

"Abby isn't right." I just stay silent not knowing what to say next.

"Ella are you up there?" I hear Beth yell from below us.  I look up at Daniels eyes waiting to see if he says anything else to me but he doesn't.

"Yes she's up here Beth," Daniel calls down looking right into my eyes.