The Summer I Met You || ✔︎

F o u r t e e n

"Hey Ella why don't we have a beach day and start reading these new books?" Beth suggests pulling me out of my trance of admiring my new book, I nod in agreement and we leave Reader's Galore with our books in hand. We head back to the boat and get in so we can head back to the beach. 

~*~

Docking the boat when we got back didn't take very long and we were already on our way to the beach. Getting there we grab out the lawn chairs and sit down starting to enjoy the newest additions to our collections.  I open 'Royal Burden' and get captivated in by the first sentence.

"Princess Talia, it's time I'm afraid," Linda tells me softly, her frail voice a whisper. Her kind, old eyes were weak and dull, unhappy with my fathers choices. She has been my personal servant since I was a baby. She was specially signed to me as my caretaker while my parents took care of the kingdom.

The first paragraph read, roping me into the enchanting tale instantly. Reading along I barely even hear the world go on around me. My parents always said that whenever I start a book nothing around me can bother me, I get so stuck into my own head having the story come to live within my mind. Beth has said since we got older that it was a problem since I couldn't ever notice when a boy was talking to me, I always knew though that she was only teasing me and never actually serious.

Feeling a flick of something hit my head I look up and over to Beth.

"What I was just getting into chapter two?"

"Grady is coming this way."

"Oh," I say looking over to the opening where people are able to enter the beach from the path. He notices us and gives us a small smile and wave walking closer to us.

"Hey Grady," Beth says waving back.

"Hey Beth, Hey Ella what you girls doing?" He asks us.

"New books that Clarissa gifted us," Beth tells him.

"Nice, I'm guessing a mystery for you and a fantasy romance for miss nose stuck in a book over here?" Grady asks her nodding over to me.

"You got it," Beth says smiling and laughing, sticking my tongue out at them they laugh more.

"He isn't wrong Ella, you practically always read a romance fantasy book and I never catch you without a book in your bag let alone one that includes princesses and princes."

"Well what can I say, living in a fairytale is so enticing that I sometimes wish it was real."

"Yeah I know, but come on reality isn't all that bad. You have me, Grady, Daniel, and Abby," Beth comments. At the instant mention of Daniel's name the smile that I was starting to have from joking around with my friends disappeared and the pang of hurt I was feeling earlier on in the day was back. Beth notices and gives me a reassuring semi smile that everything will be okay. Grady doesn't really notice the change in my mood which I am thankful for.

"So Grady tell me about math camp this year. How was it?" Beth asks to redirect his attention.

"It was fun," Grady starts.

While Grady and Beth talk for a while I decide to stick my head back inside my book to help make me feel better.

~*~

A few hours pass by before it starts to get a little darker outside. Beth suggests that we invite Grady to have a movie night at my place, in which him and I both agree. Grady helps Beth and I pack up the lawn chairs before we start making the walk back to my cottage to set up movie night. When we get back to my cottage I tell both Grady and Beth that I'll be right back and to pick a movie without me.

Walking upstairs to put my book on my nightstand to read later and to change out of the grimy clothes that I was wearing I start to think more about what Abby was saying to Daniel earlier today, I hadn't really thought much about the fact that she said Grady likes me, more focused on the fact that Daniel would agree that he's better off not dating me at all. I decide while changing that I should probably talk to Grady about it, just to make sure that its one hundred precent true and not just a lie from Abby.

"Yo, helpless romantic hurry up, up there the movies gonna start without you," Beth calls.

"Coming," I call back and rush downstairs to join my friends in our movie night.

"So what movie did you guys pick?" I ask once I'm seated on the couch with Beth beside me.

"We ended up deciding on Catching Fire since math camp over here has never seen it," Beth tells me with a smile.

"In my defence I wasn't a big fan of the first movie so I didn't see a point in watching the second one," He comments.

"You did not just say you didn't like The Hunger Games, Grady," Beth says in complete shock.

"I did, got a problem with it?" He questions.

"I don't but miss helpless romantic over here is in love with the movies and she does not accept anyone who says they don't like them," Beth explains. Grady looks over to me and I nod signifying that what Beth was saying was all true.

"I'm unsure if we can be friends anymore Grady," I saying teasingly.

"Well then lets just see what I have to say about the second one then shall we?" Grady asks.

"We shall," I say smiling pressing play to the movie.

Just before we get to the really good part of the movie we decide that we need snacks, so Beth and I get up and go to the kitchen to get us all some.

"Hey Beth?" I whisper quietly.

"Yeah?"

"This morning when I went to your place I over heard Abby and Daniel talking. And well um Abby said that Grady likes me. Well actually more like in love with me."

"Ella, you should talk to him about it. It's better than just keeping this information bottled up, who knows Abby could've lied."

"You're right," I respond as we finish getting the rest of the snacks.

We get back into the living room and hand Grady some snacks before pressing play to finish off the rest of movie night.