licenseartistic May Prompt: Sea
sea || 325 words || k
The sand felt cool beneath his bare back as he lay there in the dark, his head turned just slightly to gaze out from under the pier, past the wooden pilings and up at the stars in the inky black sky. Kate was curled beside him with one arm draped over his chest, her hand near his shoulder so she could absently trace shapes on the side of his neck with a fingertip. Her head rested against his collarbone and her breath was only slightly warmer than the August breeze as it ghosted across his skin.
"James?"
"Mmm."
"We only have a week left before you leave for school."
There was a slight pause before he repeated himself. "Mmm." He tried to ignore the anxious note in Kate's voice, choosing to turn his attention to the cool water of the incoming tide beginning to lap at their entangled feet.
"I'm going to miss you," she ventured.
James kept silent. He was going to miss ... something. But he didn't think it was Kate. He suspected it was the ocean. Sure, Ithaca had Cayuga Lake, which was great in its own right but it was certainly no Atlantic.
"I said I'm going to miss you," Kate tried again when the silence had stretched to the point where she was pretty sure James was lost in his thoughts and had forgotten that she was even there.
He wrapped an arm around her tightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Hey, we'll call and write and stuff, and I'll be back for holidays before you know it. Plus," he added encouragingly, "it's your last year of high school. You'll be so busy with college applications and all that, you won't even have time to miss me."
"I'm going to miss you," Kate insisted, burying her face against his neck.
"Mmm. And I'm going to miss you." It sounded truthful enough, but he hadn't really been talking to her.
The sand felt cool beneath his bare back as he lay there in the dark, his head turned just slightly to gaze out from under the pier, past the wooden pilings and up at the stars in the inky black sky. Kate was curled beside him with one arm draped over his chest, her hand near his shoulder so she could absently trace shapes on the side of his neck with a fingertip. Her head rested against his collarbone and her breath was only slightly warmer than the August breeze as it ghosted across his skin.
"James?"
"Mmm."
"We only have a week left before you leave for school."
There was a slight pause before he repeated himself. "Mmm." He tried to ignore the anxious note in Kate's voice, choosing to turn his attention to the cool water of the incoming tide beginning to lap at their entangled feet.
"I'm going to miss you," she ventured.
James kept silent. He was going to miss ... something. But he didn't think it was Kate. He suspected it was the ocean. Sure, Ithaca had Cayuga Lake, which was great in its own right but it was certainly no Atlantic.
"I said I'm going to miss you," Kate tried again when the silence had stretched to the point where she was pretty sure James was lost in his thoughts and had forgotten that she was even there.
He wrapped an arm around her tightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Hey, we'll call and write and stuff, and I'll be back for holidays before you know it. Plus," he added encouragingly, "it's your last year of high school. You'll be so busy with college applications and all that, you won't even have time to miss me."
"I'm going to miss you," Kate insisted, burying her face against his neck.
"Mmm. And I'm going to miss you." It sounded truthful enough, but he hadn't really been talking to her.