Chapter 6

Diane turned and faced me. “You’re still a tourist, going to leave at some point in time.”

“If you’d asked this morning, I’d have said yes. Now...” I shrugged. “My dad loves the ocean; he and Mom love each other. When I asked if we could stay longer than two weeks, he made up his mind almost instantly. Mom agreed, and if asked about that yesterday, I’d have said she wouldn’t. She and her sister have always been close, and she’s always wanted to live close to her.

“I don’t know, Diane. I don’t know how it’s going to go. But I do know how I’m going to vote.”

Sean and CC appeared, headed our way. “And I know how CC’s going to vote too.” That was with a laugh, the heavy matter gone from my head.

Not for Diane. “You’re really cool with Sean and CC?” She asked me as our siblings continued to walk on.

“Yes. CC’s her own person.”

“Young,” Diane opined.

“And we’re not?” I said with a laugh. I waved at the hotels and beach. “Ask anyone over the age of twenty how old sixteen is. Every last one is going to say, young. Except for our parents who’d say we’re too young.”

Diane laughed. “I suppose.”

“My dad is eight years older than my mom,” I told her. “They met when he was 23 and she was sixteen. Mom had just turned eighteen when I was born. Sean is just five years older than CC.”

I squeezed her hand. “You and me ... not so much.”

Diane giggled and then squeezed back.

Our siblings have stopped ahead of us, and Sean waved at the beach when we caught up. “It’s going to start here in a few minutes.”

Diane and I walked hand in hand down to the beach, where a group of people, perhaps fifty or so, sat in a big ring. For the next two hours, there was music and conversation; not boom box music, but people with guitars, even a pair of girls with fiddles who played Irish jigs. About nine thirty of a very mellow evening, Sean appeared with CC.

“We’re going for a walk on the beach. Want to come along?” I nodded, and we started off, leaving the lights and music behind. I knew Sean was aware of when CC had to be back. I was surprised he wasn’t walking just with CC. Still, he walked quickly down to where the pilings led into the water. Without a word, his and CC’s shadows merged, then merged again with one of the pilings.

Diane turned to me, and our shadows merged as well. I was hesitant, but Diane was less so. I kissed her gently, and her lips pressed against mine harder. After a bit, she pulled back. “You haven’t done this much,” she told me. I blinked, wishing it wasn’t true.

She read my mind again and smiled. “Neither have I, Zim. Most guys...” She sighed. “Like I said, they don’t even come to bat, much less get to first base.”

She kissed me again, and I kissed back more firmly, and my arms went around her. She made a contented sound, and her arms went around my waist. This was a much longer kiss, and there was more passion in it than before.

There was a quiet murmur from a short distance away, and both of us pulled back. “I have to take CC back,” Sean said. “I can find the way myself. You two stay here.” I contemplated how much trouble I could be in if CC came back without me. I decided that CC would fib about who’d been with her when she got to the hotel. I leaned close and kissed Diane again, my arms tightening around her shoulders.

It was some time before I came back up for air, at least ten minutes. Diane looked at me steadily, a small smile on her face. “Can I tell you something?”

I nodded. “I’ve kissed a boy twice before. The first time it was like this. We just kissed. It was nice, and we kissed for a long time.” Her eyes seemed to bore into mine. “The second time...” She sighed. “I wasn’t sure. I know now to go with my instincts. Two minutes after we started kissing, he was feeling me up. A minute later, he was trying to get his hand inside my jeans. A second later, I was on my way home without him.”