ASHTON.

Waking up to a great mood on a Monday morning? A rare occasion for someone like me.

I glance at the beautiful figure sleeping peacefully on the other side of the bed, breathing slow and steady. As much as I didn't want to wake her up, I had to because her parents will surely be up in a few hours and I have to open the car shop before my dad realizes that I was gone the whole night.

I look at my surroundings and notice picture frames hanging on the wall. I see Rena's graduation photo hanging beside Skye's new frame. I remember the whole campus being so shocked at Rena's sudden death. No one knew that she was terminally ill because she never showed it. She continued being active in the student council and still performed during pep rallies. Then one day, the principal announced that someone would be appointed new president and the cheering squad had to open an audition for new captain in the middle of the year.

I didn't notice that Skye was already awake and she's been looking at the photos too this whole time. I look at her with remorse and she smiles at me weakly. I sit beside her and kiss her on the forehead, "what did your family do after she passed away?" I hope she doesn't mind me asking.

"We helped each other cope, I tried to stay strong for them, for myself. Every day that passed felt longer and lonelier, my mom didn't handle it so well, but we couldn't really do anything. I kept on telling myself that Rena's in a better place now, she doesn't have to suffer the pain anymore."

I wrap my arms around her and rub her back, "thank you for telling me."

"You have to get back before your parents wake up." I whisper as she stands up from the bed.

"What time is it?" She asks, looking for her phone, making her realize that she left it inside her bedroom last night.

Good thing I was wearing a watch and I answer, "it's almost 6, is your dad up by this time already?"

"Mom usually gets up first, then she wakes me up so I can help her cook breakfast. I guess I do need to get back now before mom notices I'm gone. Thank you for last night, Ash. I had a good time." She kisses me on the lips and I kiss back, savoring our cute little moment right before I leave.

SKYE.

"Radiographic interpretation?"

"Radiolucency at the apex of the root, discontinuity of lamina dura and widening of periodontal ligament space."

"Diagnosis?"

"Chronic apical periodontitis."

"Very good, very good."

Dad has been bringing me to his office to help me prepare for my internship in Toronto. I've been reading a lot of books and he sometimes shows me procedures, and teaches me how to interpret radiographs too.

"I have an odontectomy surgery later and I'd love for you to watch." Dad says.

"I can't, I have plans today with Ashton. Maybe on another day?" I answer.

"He already knows that you're leaving soon, right? That this friendship is just temporary?"

"Y-yeah, of course he knows. That's why I'm going to spend time with him before time runs out. I'll see you at dinner, dad."

\\

I meet Ashton at the outside of one of my favorite coffee shops, "Java Loco." He was wearing a white tank top and board shorts. He didn't tell me where we were going today, but he just told me to bring a bikini and extra clothes.

"Are we going to the beach?" I ask.

"I was planning on blindfolding you until we get there but that would be too Christian Grey of me, so I'll just keep my mouth shut to not ruin the surprise." I giggle at Ashton's humor and he escorts me to a red pick-up truck, windows rolled down and a lot of stuff compiled at the back of the vehicle.

"Now are you ready for an adventure of a life time, babe?" Babe?  I like it. I get all giddy inside after he calls me that.

Ashton drives out of town and I was already lost. I haven't left our area in such a long time and leaving now scares the hell out of me. What more if I leave an entire city? Will I be able to survive in Toronto alone? I think about the number of times I'll just call my mom so she could pick me up, or FaceTime with Patrick and I would just cry my eyes out.

"We're here," Ashton breaks my train of thoughts and a mesmerizing lake house stands in front of us.

"Welcome to Lake Irwin! I just called it that but the real name is Ox Blue or something."

"You mean Eaux Bleues? It's French for blue water."

"Alright whatever, smarty pants."

"Vous êtes mignon, Ash. You are so damn cute." I laugh and he rolls his eyes. He unloads the big bag from the back of his truck and I follow him with my small bag. I literally only brought extra shorts, underwear and t-shirt since I was already wearing my bikini underneath my dress.

The lake house was huge and not a lot of people were checked-in. Ashton told me to bring the stuff to the wooden table near the lake to settle down.

"Wanna go for a swim?" Ashton asks as he offers his hand to me. I thought he was taking me down the lake but we walked to the other direction instead. We kept walking until I heard water splashing, a waterfall. Ashton described it as a hidden gem, not a lot of people knew about this place because they stayed at the main part of the lake. He removed his shirt and ran to the calm part of the water, signalling me to get in since the water was warm. I removed my dress and ran into his arms like a little kid.

He caught me and carried me to the deeper part of the lake, my arms and legs firmly wrapped around him. He looked into my eyes, as if he was reading my thoughts. I leaned in to kiss him and it was sweet at first, our tongues just playing around, until he kissed me harder. His hands gripped tightly on the back of my thighs and I cup his face with my hands to steady his head. The kiss was so passionate, yet still sweet.

"I care so much about you, Skye." Ashton whispers against my lips.

"I care about you too, more than you know."

"Please don't leave. Spend time with me instead."

I pulled away to break the kiss and frowned, "I want to but I can't. This internship is so hard to get into, and it's my only chance to get into a top university."

Ashton sighs, "I don't care. I'm willing to spend every single day with you. Two weeks? One week? One day left? I don't give a damn, because I will spend all of my days right by your side. I'm going to make this the best summer you'll never forget."

And so my real summer starts.