Sixteenth Summer

Lunch

    As I was putting the table, my mom and my grandma were cooking as if we were expecting the whole town to attend lunch. I just stared at the dishes in horror because I knew I was going to end up offering to do the dishes at the end. I guess I won't be able to finish that book by today as I had planned, but I really hoped that my father would do the dishes this time. However, I knew that wasn't going to happen. I just sighed in despair and turned to finish setting the table.

    Later on, the food was finished and the house smelled wonderfully. It was as if the house was the bakery by all the smells that entered my nose. My stomach growled and I couldn't wait to eat. Ash and my father were in the living room talking.

    "Sweetie?" my mom called out to me.

    "Yes, mom?"

    "Can you go call your dad and Ash to the table? Your grandmother and I are finished and ready to start eating," she said with a chuckle.

    "Sure, mom!"

    I started to the living room when a thought came to my mind. What if mom had told dad about what happened with Ash the other day? My face paled. I'm so going to be dead when my dad catches me alone.

    I quickly went to the living room and told them to come eat. For my sanity, I say that I walked back to the kitchen as quickly as I could possibly walk, but I might as well be running. I went over to my grandma and told her to go sit and that I would help my mom serve. She was going to protest, but I gave her a look that said I would tell her later. She understood and went over to the table with the men. On the other hand, my mom stared at me as if I was crazy, and I might as well be.

    We were all seated at the table with our food, and to my luck, I was sitting in between my mom and my grandma. Ash and my dad were across from us. I started to eat and my mom started to talk about when Ash and I were younger.

    "You guys were so adorable back then. I wasn't even surprised when Alex was so depressed when I told her that we wouldn't be able to come back for awhile. She would always stay up reading her books and I would find her asleep with a book on her face. Ash would be beside her near the fireplace in the living room, shivering because he would give up his blanket to Alex. I always had to be looking out for the boy myself!" my mom told all of us with a  fond tone in her voice. I could remember perfectly those moments during the winter here.

    I still remember how he would read to me when I couldn't sleep those nights. I wonder if he remembers those nights. I looked up across the table to find him staring at me with those grey eyes. Those same grey eyes that would stare at me with fondness, even if I had done something wrong. I, with my boring brown eyes, would always wish I had been granted colored eyes. Maybe then Ash would think of me as pretty. Ha, you wish, my conscious told me.

    After we were done eating, I was going to stand up to do the dishes when my dad stops me. "Honey, I'll do the dishes tonight. I think you and Ash have to talk since it has been years since you last saw him. Go catch up on your lives," he says. I was so surprised that I didn't even protest when he started to was the dishes.

    "I guess," I told him. I stood up and told Ash to follow me. We went to my room and I just stood there awkwardly. Ash, on the other hand, was looking at my bookshelf. I looked over and saw that I still had that picture of us two that my mom had secretly taken when Ash was reading to me from years ago. In the picture, I was sitting in Ash's lap while he had his head on my shoulder while he read. I could remember what book it was because it was one of our favorite books. I looked over at Ash and he was staring at the picture with so much intensity.

    "What's wrong?" I softly asked.

    "I missed you," he said just as softly while he turned to me.

    I saw how much he meant that and I couldn't help but hug him. His arms came around me and held me tightly against his chest. I hid my face against his chest and at that moment I couldn't help but feel complete. All those years still had not changed how I felt about him. Maybe now I can finally have the courage to tell him to I feel. If only I knew how he felt for me......