Summer Skin | Teen Ink

Summer Skin MAG

By Maria Diaz SILVER, Phoenix, Arizona
Maria Diaz SILVER, Phoenix, Arizona
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The cool breeze sifts through my limbs, slipping and sliding through unexplored parts. For a moment the rest of the world slips away, scrubbed clean and absolved by the waves. I’d like to dive into that ocean, feel the water crash down on me, suppress me, remind me that I’m not the only thing that matters. But I can’t. Not now. Not yet. I should be here when you wake up, because that was the one sincere promise I made you.

I don’t even want to try leaving right now – not when it was you who looked at me in that way that taught me what it was to feel the ground beneath my feet disappear. Tiny rivulets of water slither down your temple, and I’m tempted to brush them away. I hold back, remembering what my father always told me: “The one you mark is the one you keep.” And I don’t want to mark you because I’m not sure if I’ll keep you. I’m not sure if I’ll keep you, and I’m even less sure about whether you’d survive it. Maybe it’s because I know you feel me slipping away despite your desperate clutching, like the grains of sand you held so tightly in your palm not two hours ago. Or was it years? It doesn’t matter.

The past has passed, and what’s left of it except a few recollections that’ll be buried beneath a surface of newer memories? Maybe you don’t feel the same way, and you’ll wake believing that the past is the segue to our future. Oh, what I wouldn’t give so that you’d wake to think about your next encounter instead. A part of me – the part that wishes this would never end – wants to convince me that I should stay, because you’re too bruised and too vulnerable and too fragile to do this on your own. The part of me that knows it’ll just be later rather than sooner overpowers the other.

The sand shifts slightly and, without looking, I know you’re reaching out for me. I bite down on my tongue gently, forcibly swallowing a groan of frustration. Against my better judgment, I offer you my hand and feel yours slip into it, entwining and tangling. Your hand is as familiar to me as my own, the leathery feel of your skin and long-dried salt strangely comforting. How could it not be, when I can recount thousands of paths traced upon the lines of my face with the wandering pads of your thumbs? Every trail embedded on your palm tells of every secret meeting we’ve had, all testaments to our fairy-tale story.

Fleetingly, I wonder if I’ll have the courage to stay when the silvery tones are replaced by glowing warmth. Then you stir again and it’s not hard for me to remember why I can’t stay within fields of golden scenery and humid, still air.

You exhale and I inhale. The moon is bright, illuminating the sky and shining like a large quarter in the expanse of navy blue above us. I tilt my head and glance at you, carelessly sprawled out. Surely you wouldn’t be so nonchalant if you knew. Your sunset skin and long limbs make me think of our summer, brightness and oceans bursting behind my eyelids. Your face is all angles and planes, like a high school geometry lesson. You’re squirming again, and I know that it’ll be only a matter of minutes before you wake.

“You’re leaving?” Your voice is rough with sleep, but somehow it’s still like warm molasses.

“Well, you’re awake now,” I say neutrally. It’s not a direct answer, and I know you hate it.

Your hand slips from mine and you rub your eyes, so blue they put the spring sky to shame. “Are we ever going to talk?”

“There’s nothing to say.” I shrug and promptly wince, remembering why I hate the sun. My shoulders are red and achy, sensitive even against the thin fabric of my shirt.

“Okay.” You nod slowly. “Okay.” We’re quiet for a few moments before you reach out and brush a strand of hair from my face. I know there’s more to this. “Things get lost without anyone noticing on the way, you know.” Your tone is quiet. Not angry. Not sad. Quiet.

“We’re a mistake we knew we were making,” I reply. “Four weeks isn’t enough to make something real. It’s not like we could have had forever.”

“Love that’s real doesn’t need to have forever,” you say, just as quietly.

I contemplate my words carefully. In the end, honesty wins over tact. “This isn’t real.”

It takes another long, steady moment before you decide to speak again. When you do, I sigh with weariness.

“You were the loneliest place I’ve ever been in.”

“And you thought you could fix that?”

“I wish I could have.”

We are both looking up at the sky, wondering why the stars aren’t out. Maybe they’re hiding behind a veil of thin clouds. Your arm is barely brushing mine, almost inconceivably. I think of how many times I pictured this moment, this ending point. It’s nothing like the dramatic scene in my mind. It’s almost as if the strings connecting us had been snapping one by one, softening the final blow.

I’ll miss you, your broad smile and loud laughter. I can close my eyes and almost picture you bounding up the stairs to my family’s summer home. I’ll miss the days we spent on the dock, playing that stupid game where we name the passing boats. I’ll miss your black leather jacket that always smelled of humid afternoons and sunshine. I’ll miss your golden hair and the small freckles that dot the bridge of your nose and the tops of your cheeks. I’ll miss the birthmark right below your left shoulder blade, the one shaped like Italy. I’ll miss your family. I’ll miss your dog. I’ll miss your room. I’ll miss your car.

Somehow, despite all of this, I still say, “See you around.”



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This article has 136 comments.


on Dec. 16 2009 at 3:48 pm
OnyxDivine PLATINUM, Scarborough, Other
22 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Take chances"
"never regret something that made you smile"
"Forever isn't infinity. It's the time two people spent together, be it a few seconds, five minutes, an hour, days, months, or more."

its this quiet sort of sweetness but its sad at the same time. i love the mood of it and the descriptions. great job.

JHale_44 GOLD said...
on Dec. 16 2009 at 11:40 am
JHale_44 GOLD, Roseville, Michigan
18 articles 0 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Love is a mystery, and a lot of mysteries dont get sloved."

- Ivory Tears

Amazing. It was really beautilful.

on Dec. 4 2009 at 9:01 am
Lover_that_Hates DIAMOND, Reynolds, Georgia
76 articles 0 photos 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
"She was fascinated with words. To her words were things of beauty, each like a magical powder or potion that could be combinded with other words to create powerful spells." From: Lighting(By: Dean Koontz)

This peace is...amazing. left me breathless. Magic...

on Nov. 27 2009 at 12:03 am
bamboom212 PLATINUM, Chestnut Ridge, New York
23 articles 0 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The truth with a bad intent, is worse than any lie you can ever invent."
"You are smarter than you think. You are stronger than you look. You are braver than you feel."

luv it luv it. gr8 ending

reader:) said...
on Nov. 24 2009 at 8:43 pm
i agree. ditto.

CaeCae said...
on Nov. 24 2009 at 4:11 pm
I thought this was a beautiful piece of work and I can't wait to read more of the authors work.

on Nov. 24 2009 at 2:45 pm
Vylet.Mxoxoxo, Watford, Other
0 articles 0 photos 25 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Love is patient, Love is kind"

This is Really really good. you're very talented, and your work is soo compelling. love it! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Navygal said...
on Nov. 24 2009 at 10:05 am
This was a wonderfully written story, great job!

haley1103 said...
on Nov. 7 2009 at 6:02 pm
i dont realy get it but i like it. good job

on Nov. 2 2009 at 10:02 pm
AquariusSunandMoon SILVER, Sublette, Illinois
8 articles 17 photos 69 comments
I like this but I think you could improve it by shortening the first half.

on Nov. 2 2009 at 4:05 pm
bamboom212 PLATINUM, Chestnut Ridge, New York
23 articles 0 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The truth with a bad intent, is worse than any lie you can ever invent."
"You are smarter than you think. You are stronger than you look. You are braver than you feel."

I love this. It's very good. I didn't completely understand the plot, but I love the descriptions and mood. Gr8 job!!

beli said...
on Nov. 2 2009 at 11:41 am
very nice thogh it dosent make sense you could improve a lot!

on Sep. 18 2009 at 5:41 pm
chartothalatte GOLD, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
10 articles 1 photo 62 comments
wow, this is great. 5 starts.

on Sep. 18 2009 at 5:39 pm
costarican93 GOLD, Washington, Louisiana
14 articles 0 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The city looks so pretty do you want to burn it with me?"- Hollywood Undead

Wow....... I actually have that song but just found out i had it when you mentioned it... it almost made me cry. beautifully written. You should write a book with that somewhere in there you know. :)

Bex24 BRONZE said...
on Sep. 18 2009 at 11:44 am
Bex24 BRONZE, Toronto, Other
3 articles 21 photos 79 comments
That was amazing. So lyrical and deep. I really felt the emotions. Incredible job!

jazzijax said...
on Sep. 18 2009 at 9:57 am
Wow- as soon as I started reading I was pulled in and couldn't look away! Great job

Maria D. said...
on Aug. 21 2009 at 10:14 pm
Hey, guys. I'm the author of this story. Thank you all so much for your feedback! I wrote this story while listening to "Summer Skin" by Death Cab for Cutie, so I guess it would make sense to you if you listened to that song, haha. Thank you again!

santogold said...
on Aug. 15 2009 at 11:03 pm
great job!

leena.k SILVER said...
on Jul. 31 2009 at 2:04 am
leena.k SILVER, Doha, Alaska
5 articles 0 photos 12 comments
bittersweet. i thought this was beautiful i hope you write more, it really was written beautifully!

earthgil said...
on Jul. 21 2009 at 3:48 am
oh!! that is so sad! that sounds really similiar to something i would write!! that definitly got my attention!! Oh!! that just about broke my heart!!!! That was really good!!! keep writing!!