Water's Edge

Chapter 1

I sat in the shade in my usual spot dipping my feet into the water. The cool breeze left ripples on the creek as little drops of rain started to dance on the surface. From where I was sitting I could hear the laughter of my parents in the office and the sound of cars pulling onto the road as our last customers left for the day. My family owns this small canoe livery here in my small hometown in Ohio, I have worked here for around 6 years now. I started out cleaning the boats when I was only 14 years old. All of my summers were spent here. While all of my friends went on summer trips... I was here... working. Most teenagers would complain or want for more. But not me- because this is where I met him. When he walked in the office all of those years ago I felt like my heart had stopped. He was looking for a job and I couldn't quit looking at him. He was tall at 6'2" with an athletic build and a tan that made him look like he just came in from a day of surfing. His shaggy, caramel colored hair just barely kissed his neck and he had that, I don't even try but I'm sexy look. "Hi, I'm Laney" I offered as I reached out my hand toward him. When he reached out and grabbed my hand that's when I knew I was in trouble. It was like a whole field of butterflies had found their way into my stomach and they were fighting for space to flutter around. I could feel the heat coursing through my veins, making its way to my cheeks which I knew were red as fire- which in turn made them heat up even more. "Mason" he said. "I was wondering if you guys need any help this summer? I am new in town and looking for a summer job." He and his family had just moved here from Virginia, his dad had taken a position at the paper mill that our little town was famous for.
  "Umm, yeah, ummm.. we... we do" Oh. My. God Laney find your words I thought to myself. So before I could embarrass myself any further I yelled for my dad.
Once the season started at the end of that April, working together Mason and I became inseparable. I was only 14 and even though he was already 16 he didn't mind hanging out with me. We became really close, he was essentially my best friend, although I would have never told Hannah that. She and I had been besties since kindergarten and I didn't want her to think she had any competition. It was a couple months into the season when I turned 15. I had my birthday party down at the creek and Mason decided to give me the best present ever.. my first kiss, right there on the waters edge. That was the beginning of it all. Since that night on the bank of the creek my heart belonged to him. I could feel it leaving my body and floating softly into the palm of his hand. Some people will argue and say I was too young to fall in love but there was no doubt in my mind that I loved him and as the years went by there was no doubt in my mind that I was gonna love him forever. I haven't been here, at the creek, since the accident 10 months ago. I had successfully avoided coming. Although no one pressured me. I just focused on keeping myself busy because I knew that coming here too soon would be more than I could handle. There are too many memories, all of our "firsts" happened here. It's not only where we first met but our first kiss, our "first time", the first time he told me he loved me and here on the waters edge, right where he kissed me for the first time, he proposed to me on my 20th birthday. It was also unfortunately, here, where most of our "lasts" took place. Of course if I would've known they were our lasts I would've taken them in more- wrote them down. If I would've known what the future had in store for us while he was down on one knee pledging his love to me.. if I would've known that 2 months later he would be gone I would've wrapped my arms around him and never let go, I would have soaked in his scent, the taste of his lips, I would've committed his voice to my memory because it's only been 10 months but it's getting harder to remember all of these things. I let my mind wander to the last time I sat here. I felt that all too familiar pain in my chest as I pictured his face smiling back at me with the sunlight beaming off of the water adding an extra sparkle to his sky blue eyes. When I snapped out of it I noticed that without even realizing I was gripping my shirt in the center, so tight it was like I was on my way to my heart to rip it completely from my chest. "Laney?" My dad said.
Startled and quickly breaking the death grip I had on my shirt,  I raised my hand to brush my hair out of my eyes before looking over,  "Yeah Dad".
"Your mom and I have been hollering for you for a couple minutes, couldn't hear us down here, huh Kiddo?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I must not have been able to hear you over the water" I lied.
I am sure that if I wouldn't have been completely zoned out I would've heard them just fine. My parents have already been concerned about me, I didn't want them to think I was getting lost in my own head again. I have been making so many steps to recover, to heal, I didn't want them to think I was moving backwards. I was trying to find my way back to my normally outspoken, bubbly, happy self but I was beginning to believe that unfortunately that me was lost forever. That those parts of me, all of the happy things, left this world when he did, he must have had them stored in his soul and took them with him as he drifted away from here.