never be the same | grayson dolan

thirteen

The fourth of July is probably the biggest event in my town. Everybody throws one big barbecue along the beach while patiently waiting for the firework show to start. It's always super hectic, you can barely walk down the beach. My father usually gets his own set of fireworks to light off during the show. This year he seemed to get more than usual. He carried an extra box into the kitchen and placed it near the sliding glass door.

"How many boxes of fireworks did you get?" I look at the door.

"Three." My father laughs. "We're planning on setting off a lot this year."
"It's gonna be insane." I smile at my father.

"Yeah, this day gets crazier and crazier every year."

"You could say that again." I chuckle and grab a cold water bottle from the fridge.

Grayson appears in the kitchen doorway, looking at the box of fireworks. "Damn, that's a lot."

I look at him quickly before taking a sip of my water. It's been a few days since we went on our date at the pool. Nothing too crazy has happened since, my father has been needing his help at the marina a lot more so neither of them are home a lot. We never talked about my bold decision to kiss him, I'm kind of nervous about bringing it up to him.

"Yup." My father grins. "I'm gonna start the grill up now. What do you guys want? Hamburgers or hot dogs?"

"Cheeseburger for me." I state before looking back at Grayson.

"Same for me." He smiles lightly at me.

"God, you guys are so easy to cook for." My father laughs. "You eat the same food." He shakes his head before heading out onto the deck.

Grayson turns back to me. "Up for another surfing lesson today?"

"You really wanna go surfing on the most crowded beach day of the year?" I can't help but giggle at his idea.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Yeah, I thought it could be fun."

"Then I'm down." I smile at the thought of getting back on a surfboard. "I just need to change."

"Okay, I'll grab the boards outside." Grayson grins before exiting the kitchen.

I change into a bathing suit and apply sunscreen on before walking onto the deck. My father is still in front of the grill, his cellphone plastered against his ear as he chats away with the person on the other end of the line. I walk down the steps and feel the burning sensation of the sand against the bottom of my feet. Grayson awaits with two surfboards placed perfectly next to each other.

"Basically the goal for today is not to fall." He laughs while standing next to his board.

"I did pretty good last time." I hold my hand above my eyes to shield myself from the blinding sun.

"Yeah, but today we're gonna make you better." Grayson smiles while looking down at the sand.

"Also, I'm sorry I haven't really been around much lately. Work has been busy this week."

"It's all good." I smile awkwardly at him.

"I've been wanting to talk to you about what happened the other night."

"You mean me randomly running up to you and kissing you?" I break our eye contact in case things get awkward between the two of us.

"Yeah." I can hear a slight smile in his voice. "I was actually planning on kissing you at your door, but I kind of chickened out." His smile turns into a heavy laugh.

My head shoots up at his words. "You were?"

"Yeah, I was just nervous because I didn't want to rush you into anything. You just got out of a relationship and I didn't want to-"