Hayden finishes packing twenty minutes before he's supposed to meet everyone. He takes a quick shower and throws on a t-shirt and shorts before making his way down to the parking lot with his suitcase.
"Hey asshole," Caspar calls when he see Hayden.
"Hey jerk," Hayden replies, a smile tugging at his lips. He always loves when he gets to spend time with his best friends, even if he would never admit it.
"Hey." Annie suddenly jumps out from behind the van, her hair tied back and a sundress hanging off her shoulders. She moves to give Hayden a kiss and ruffles his still wet hair with a scrunched up nose.
"Annie!" They all turn around to see Jacob waltzing out of the dormitories, his arms outstretched and his smile wide. She walks forward to give him a hug, muttering something about his big entrance.
Over the few months that Annie and Hayden had been dating, she had quickly settled into his group of friends, texting them constantly and having weekly movie nights. Of course, her friends were still there.
Hayden had met Katie, Dylan, and Spencer at a party a few weeks ago. They had been talking about Annie's newfound relationship when the subject of the discussion walked up and wrapped his arms around his girl's waist.
"Speak of the devil." Spencer had said, holding out her hand and introducing herself. From then on, Hayden had crashed many slumber parties and late night study sessions. Annie had put the phone on speaker sometimes, letting Hayden listen to the girls argue about whether they wanted him and his 'stinky boy odour' around for the day.
Annie's apartment was littered with Hayden's t-shirts, and every so often he would notice one of them in the wash, knowing it wasn't him who had worn it. He simply shook his head and smiled at the thought of Annie curled up at night with his shirt hanging loosely around her.
They were in love.
Annie told him in the middle of a fight. It was stupid, and she couldn't remember what it was about, but she did remember stopping to scream "I love you, idiot," and then turning around and slamming the door in a huff.
Hayden had come back to her apartment an hour later. The sun had set, and the stars were twinkling, but all he could think of was her. Hayden found Annie wrapped in her comforter, tears falling down her cheeks and gentle sobs escaping her lips.
"I love you," He said, crawling in beside her and wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry."
There were days when Annie couldn't get out of bed. Where her eyes were glued shut and her breathing was so rigid that Hayden wanted to cry. He would call the library that she worked at and tell them that she was sick, and then feed her chicken noodle soup and cuddle her the rest of the day.
Some days were better. Some days they would stay inside and drink tea and watch movies. They would laugh about anything and everything. They would watch the sunset and hold each other when it got cold. They would lie in bed sharing small kisses and hushed declarations of love.
There were moments. Moments where Hayden would get lost in Annie's eyes, and moments where Annie's mind would wander to Hayden. It was a shared reverie. But, between reverie and reality, they always chose reality. Even if it was broken, or small, it was theirs. And that was enough.
They had made it.
So the sand got between their toes, and the laughs almost cracked their ribs, and the sea rushed up their bodies and made them feel alive. The kisses were deep and breathless, and the looks were long and loving. And when everyone piled into the van and left the week behind, they clung to each other as if it was all they had. Because, in a way, it was.
a/n
well, that's it folks. that's the end. i hoped you enjoyed it, because i had a lot of fun writing it!
thank you to everyone who has read and voted and commented, it really does mean the world. i love you all so much!
shay xx
