July

The two figures ran, silhouetted against, and then briefly illuminated by the street lights above them. A small trail of water droplets jumped off of their bodies and splattered to the ground, to a puddle underneath the smaller of the two, a young woman, no more then twenty who had stopped, and was bent over panting, her hands on her knees.

The water forced her blue long-sleeved shirt to hug to her frame, giving away the slight curves of her body, which were even more articulated by the light above. Her hair hung over her face, hiding her forehead and eyes until she stood upright, as she pulled it behind her shoulders. Her breath dictated the speed of her words being spoken, as the grin across her face subtracted from what would otherwise be serious words.

"Do you think anybody actually saw us?"

"Honestly, I don't think so.", came the reply from her counterpart, an average-height young man with blonde hair that hung halfways down his neck. His voice was lighthearted, and of eager spirits, but with an air of leadership and caution. He was equally as soaked as the young woman next to him, and although several years younger, he appeared somewhat more in his element. He scratched his chin and cocked his head to the right and looked off into the shadowy distance.

"So... Now what?" He asked to the crisp night air, relishing in the confused delight of his companion.

"Well, if we don't have anything that needs to be done, I'm starting to feel a little thirsty..." Came a quiet reply from the girl.

Without warning, the young man grabbed her hand and began running along the sidewalk, with a small yelp, she tried to keep up with him. Her sandals making uneven slapping sounds against the concrete, whereas the young man's stride was more even, and his footsteps nearly silent against the ground.

"That pool thing was quite the stunt!" She said o him, their moderate pace perfect for a disjointed sort of conversation, the type where body language and movement says even more than the words that are actually spoken. "Do you take all the girls out here?"

"Only the cute ones," He laughed as the sticky-sweet words poured out his mouth, and he consciously realized that he was the ironic portrait of a modern romantic. "Ah, there it is, just up ahead.' The two slowed their pace as they approached the parking lot of a twenty-four hour convenience store. The place looked grim at best, the florescent lights on the ceiling casting a sickly green glow onto them as they entered the store. Silently, the walked to the cooler in the back, no longer holding hands, but both halfways wanting to, not out of romance, but of comfort in such an unfamilliar environment.

"So, I didn't actually get your name" Said the girl absentmindedly, her body mostly dry by this point, but still somewhat damp to the touch. She reached inside of the cooler and grabbed a Coca-Cola that expired two days ago, which she noticed as she checked the label. She held it up for the boy to take, and he did as she simultaneously grabbed a second one for herself. "Care to elaborate?"

"Hmm..." He thought out loud. "Tell you what, I'll make you a deal- for tonight, for just a couple more hours, if you can keep up with me, I'll let you in." A genuine smile crept across his face as he held out his hand in some excessively formal gesture, seeming somewhat prone to the symbolic nature of things.

"You've got it" She replied, taking his hand again, and looking him straight in his brown eyes. "I'm Meagan"