Page 108 of It Couldn't Be You
anytime.
Thirty-Eight
Iwoke up the next morning before the sun rose. I was still reeling from yesterday. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, threw on some clothes, and knocked on Gabriel’s door. A few minutes later, a sleepy-eyed and shirtless Gabriel opened the door.
“Hi,” he said, his voice thick with sleep.
“Hi.” I waved.
“You’re very cute, but it’s also very early,” he shook his wrist to look at his watch. “Yeah, it’s six a.m.”
“Let’s go walk on the beach. We can watch the sunrise.” I placed both hands on his chest, gripping his shirt in my hands and giving it a little pull.
“You can’t watch the sunrise on west coast beaches.” He said gently.
“The sun will still be rising, though. The sky and ocean will still be worth looking at.”
“True,” he yawned. “Okay, let’s go.”
We walked downtown. The early morning fog was still heavy over everything. The world was slowly lighting up. A café easy to walk to was open.
“Thank God, let’s get giant coffees,” I said as we walked inside, instantly hit with the dark, roasted smell of espresso.
“And scones,” Gabe said, pointing to the counter full of fresh baked goods. “And donuts. And whatever that is.” He pointed at a bear claw.
“Yes, please,” I said beside him.
We got two big coffees and a bag full of treats. We found our way to the beach and ate them as the sky over the sea went all berry colored and sweet. I let the glazed donut melt in my mouth, still warm from my coffee.
“It feels like we’re hidden away here,” Gabe said, looking at the fog surrounding us.
“I can’t believe we have the entire beach to ourselves.”How was this my life?
“Well, most people are still asleep, Em.”
I took a big drink of my coffee.
“I’m glad you got me up,” he said with an earnestness that tugged on my heart. “I used to fantasize about moments like this with you.”
There was a question forming in my mouth, but instead, I said, “Me too.”
“I remember getting jealous of Katie, my brothers, and everyone who got all this time with you. It was like I was always trying to sneak it in. I’d wish something would happen that would make us wind up spending time together, let alone a whole day. Or a whole weekend,like this.” He ran a hand over the sand. “Did you have any idea what you were doing to me?”
“I didn’t know, but I hoped. It’d send me over the moon to find out you were going to be hanging around when I was over. I’d stick around your house for hours to see if you were going to show up orfinallycome downstairs,” I admitted. Keeping to myself that only weeks ago, I was waiting around downstairs at the Hernandez home, hoping he’d come downstairs to me.
“I remember being a freshman in college and wondering why my mind was still hung up on the senior girl back home. I should be flirting and dating, and I tried, but… I was still just waiting to run into you. Waiting for our paths to cross. Waiting for you to walk in the door. Waiting for you to make fun of me,” he said. The two of us laughed at his last line.
“Meanwhile, that senior girl at home was just so heartbroken sitting in your living room like holding my breath, just wishing for Christmas break to get here so I could exhale.” The waves were a bruised blackish blue as they crashed at the shore over and over, relentless.
“I get that feeling. It permeates everything, even when I’m at work. Everything I write, I imagine what you’d say, what you’d think.” Gabe took a long sip of his coffee. “I didn’t realize how good I had it in high school, in junior high, sharing all our work. No one reads me like you do.”
“Can we do that again?” I begged, turning to him. “It’s never been the same. Why did we ever stop?”
“You used to make me read it back to you. Remember when you wrote short stories and wanted me to do voices?” He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.
I fell back on the sand in laughter. “Your voices were horrible. But I still appreciated the effort. You really tried.”
“I did really try,” he said. “For you.”
