Til Summer Comes Around
Prologue
Another long summer’s come and gone
I don’t know why it always ends this way
The boardwalk’s quiet and the carnival rides
Are as empty as my broken heart tonight
But I close my eyes and one more time
We’re spinning around and you’re holding on tightly
The words came out, I kissed your mouth
No Fourth of July has ever burned so brightly
You had to go, I understand
But you promised you’d be back again
And so I wander round this town
‘Til summer comes around
I got a job working on the old park pier
And every summer now for five long years
I grease the gears, fix the lights, tighten bolts, straighten the tracks
And I count the days ‘til you just might come back
And then I close my eyes and one more time
We’re spinning around and you’re holding on tightly
The words came out, I kissed your mouth
No Fourth of July has ever burned so brightly
You had to go, I understand
But you swore that you’d be back again
And so I’m frozen in this town
‘Til summer comes around
And it comes around
Oh and I close my eyes and you and I
Are stuck on the ferris wheel rockin’ with the motion
Hand in hand we cried and laughed
Knowing that love belonged to us girl, if only for a moment
And “Baby I’ll be back again” you whispered in my ear
But now the winter wind is the only sound
And everything is closing down
‘Til summer comes around
-Til Summer Comes Around, by Keith Urban
Edward, present day
When I was in Med School, I knew I wanted to match in the Boston area; my parents and closest friends were all here, so it only made sense. But when I met Jasper, it cemented my decision.
Jasper.
It’s been two and a half years since he left, and it wasn’t long after that when he cut off contact with me altogether. And yet, here I am in Boston, still waiting for him to come back. The beginning of the summer always brings back the pain of his loss. My friends and family have all tried to convince me to move on, and I understand their concern. I’ve never been someone who stayed alone for very long.
But ever since Jasper, I feel stuck. Our relationship was different than others I had before him; I loved him. I still love him, and so I find myself once again visiting the places we went to during the early part of that summer. It’s a ritual of sorts that I have repeated each year, hoping to maybe find some closure, but it never comes.
I make my way on foot down to the pier where we spent the Fourth of July and my heart aches as the memories of that night so long ago come flooding back. It was the first time we expressed our love for one another; we stood amongst the crowd holding each other tightly, as the fireworks flashed in the sky above. It was quite possibly the single most romantic moment of my life, and remembering it now brings tears to my eyes again. Will it ever get easier? I wonder. It’s not like he died- he left. I know things were hard for him, but I would have done anything for him if he had let me.
I stand there for awhile, trying to convince myself that there was nothing I could have done to keep him; he made a choice, and we would both have to live with it. I hear footsteps on the pier behind me, and I decide that it’s probably time for me to head back home. I take a deep breath to calm myself, and realize the footsteps have abruptly stopped. I turn around then, and am surprised to see the one person that I wasn’t sure I would ever see again.
Jasper, present day
Being back in Boston is a dream come true. Well, sort of, anyways. My dream of coming back here always included Edward, but he can’t be a part of it anymore. We’ve been here for a month now, and as much as I want to see Edward, I’m not sure that it’s a good idea. I called him once when we first got here- it took me a week to gather the courage to do it- and a strange man answered his phone, sounding very at home doing so. I never expected him to just wait around for me, but it still stung. Still, I made the choice to cut myself off from him, and I would have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life.
When Momma died, it felt like everything else died with her. I stopped calling Edward and cut him out of my life in every way I could think of. I still am not sure why I did it. I told myself then that Rosalie needed me and I had to focus on the only family I had left. So we stayed in Austin ‘til Rosie finished undergrad, and then we decided to head to Boston, since there was nothing left for us in Texas anymore.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since I moved back here. Every Sunday I find myself visiting all the places that make me feel connected to Edward; the restaurant I was working in when we first met, our favorite bar, and countless other places we shared. Today is no different. It’s windy and unseasonably cold for early June, but I can’t keep myself from walking down to the pier. The closer I get, the more my heart pounds, and the memories of that night so long ago threaten to crush me. I’ve never loved anyone like I loved Edward. If I’m being honest with myself, I still love him; it’s as if time stands still for me, and I am forever stuck in a replay of a warm summer night nearly three years ago.
As I approach the boardwalk, I notice that I am not alone. I stop when I notice the shock of bronze-colored hair on the man leaning against the railing. My breath catches when he slowly turns and I am face to face with the ghost that has been haunting me for the last two years.
Edward.
