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began to speak. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. I was out of line and… um… I didn’t mean anything I just said… or screamed.”
    His face turned several shades of amused . “Azaleigh, I do apologize that I cannot stay. However, I do have somewhere I must be. Do you think it would be acceptable that we reconvene tomorrow?” So he was mocking me. I guess it was a lot better than him saying get over it, you crazy psycho.  
    “Yes, tomorrow would be nice,” I agreed. He turned to leave, but then stopped.
    “Azaleigh.”
    “Yes?” I asked, sounding a little more hopeful than I wanted.
    “Isn’t this weekend your birthday?”
    “Yeah,” I tried to remember me mentioning my birthday to him, but I couldn’t.
    “If it would be okay, I have made some arrangements for us. That is, if you are alright with leaving for the weekend?” He wouldn’t smile, but I knew he wanted to.
    “Yes, that would be great.”
    “Perfect, I’ll see you later.” I watched him as he walked down the hall to the stairwell.
    Only after I was sure he was completely gone, did I start doing my victory dance. I had three days before the weekend; all I could do was hope that I would make it until then. Luckily, Tannah had already scheduled me off for the weekend, insisting that I take some time for myself even though I had argued that I didn’t need any. This was a good thing, since I didn’t want to explain why I would need it off now.  
    ***
    We lay on the beach in front of the house we were staying at. The sun wore hot on my skin. Kale laid next to me motionless, wearing sunglasses and shorts. I had worn my favorite two-piece bathing suit that bordered between flirty and classy. The white beads from it caused the sun to glint tiny flickers of light on Kales skin. Trying to be discrete, I peered under my sunglasses at him. He didn’t budge, and I couldn’t help but stare at him as he lay there. He was so content. I started to pick out all of my favorite features about him, like how his jaw line was slightly squared and came to a peak at the tip of his chin, and how his lips filled out into a perfect oval shape.
    One arm was used to rest his head on and the other lay by his side, and as I stared at it close to my thigh, I prayed he would brush it against me. He, being only inches away was too far for me, and as if he had read my mind, using the knuckle of his index finger, he ran it down my leg one time. His touch tormented me. I wasn’t sure how he could control himself. If he felt an ounce of what I did, he would have rolled over and latched on to me never letting go.    
    The smell of the salty air was infectious. Birds cluttered the sky while they danced in a synchronized motion. Waves crashed on the beach relentlessly, one after another, pulling the sand back with each retreat. The sound was more relaxing than any drug could induce.
    “I don’t want to leave,” I said lowly.
    “The sun won’t go down for another hour,” Kale replied nonchalant.
    If it was possible, my voice seemed lower. “I mean, ever.”
    The sand shuffled, making a crunching sound as he rolled onto his side and set up on his elbow. He placed his hand on my stomach, running it across my bare skin. My chest heaved in and out, and, for the first time, I was nervous. There was something about his face–so serious yet so gentle.
    “We can’t stay forever …, but we can stay tonight .” The way he said it made me want to fold myself around him.
    I sat up, pushing him back down to the warm sand. I placed a leg on either side of him and sat down easily on his abdomen. My hands ran the length of his torso and spread out to his arms. My face was within an inch of his when I removed his glasses.
    “What is it that you want from me, Kale?” I was pretty pleased with how seductive my voice sounded.
    “Everything.”
    He kissed me what felt like a thousand times, but I still couldn’t get enough. It was like he was a part of me, breathing my