My Summer Love Story

The Summer of 2020 is the summer I met Colton Ray. Although that year had so much negativity surrounding it, it was the best summer of my life. The 15-hour trip from Texas to St. Augustine, Florida didn't even seem that bad. It was something new and exciting and anything other than quarantine would have sufficed. So, as all five of my family members drove down to chase pipeline money for the next few months, we prepared for our endless summer.

Since we had all summer, there was no way my dad wasn't being close to the water with his newfound love of surfing. Our beach house was seemingly perfect. It was a short walk to the beach, the neighborhood was eerie quiet, and it had a large kitchen big enough for everything from boiled A grade blue crabs to making guacamole on margarita nights. The three flights of stairs and our overly judgy neighbor Gary were only minor inconveniences. I didn't even care that the house was painted the ugliest color of lime green I've seen. No of it mattered because I fell in love in that house.

At the time, my dad had been working in the town over before the rest of the family could meet him. At his campground, he reunited with old work buddies and met new ones. Consequentially, I had heard about the 23-year-old, surfing cowboy before meeting him. As my mom and I tried to beat boredom while still stuck in Texas, we asked for pictures, and giggled with possibilities of a summer fling without any real expectations of it lasting.

Not three days, after arriving in Florida, I met Colton Ray. The day before he met my older brother to go surfing. Unfortunately, I declined the invite due to pressing matters of a sale at the local mall but was very nice in my text back. I even wrote, I'll be there next time. So, that Friday, my brother and I set out for a long overdue night out to meet up with his newfound friend. Not going to lie, the massive mountain beard, threw me off, but his blonde curls hidden behind his baseball cap, and piercing blue eyes, the same eyes that stared at me all night, made up for it. Although quite different from the college boys I was used to seeing, I thought I can handle a little ruggedness. He was a man, and I liked it.

Stogies Cigar Bar had its own unique charm, with very little seating and only a few drinks served. After unironically deciding on a Corona and fighting Colton to pay for it, I quickly drank to catch up with the crowd around me not nervous at all. The men smoked and drank, and I began chatting with Colton's sister who was also in town visiting. Two minutes into our conversation, she asked me if I like her brother and I replied with well I don't know him very well. She let it slip that he was interested after seeing a picture of me from undergrad graduation in a tightly fitting red dress that my dad apparently and embarrassingly showed off. I looked at his sister, and then I looked at him staring at me from across the room and I knew he was done for. Not because it is that great of a picture, but that night his eyes just told me that this could be something.

Our next encounter just a few days later was a little more laid back. Both my brothers and I loaded up the surf boards and met Colton and his sisters at Vilano beach. My dad also taught Colton how to surf so he was very ready to show off his new skills. My own rusty surfing skills needed a few practice tries but I knew I wasn’t that bad. That day however, Vilano beach kicked all of our asses and threw massive waves up our throats. We were clearly not ready for that but tried our best in hopes of impressing the other. As I tried desperately to keep my bikini top in place, Colton attempted a few waves even slightly cracking his board on one major wipeout. Finally, when the waves deiced to give us a break, it just so happened to be Colton and I sitting out farther than the rest. I could tell he had something to say. A little ahead of me, he looked out at the oncoming waves, looked back at me, and asked,

"You got a man?"

I laughed and shook my head no. As he paused to make sure, he just smiled back, nodded his head and returned to focus on the waves. At first, he was a man of few words, but they were important ones.

To this day, I believe Colton decided I was going to be his girlfriend before we even met, or at least to pursue it. He listened to my dad talk about me and it just so happened to line up with what he was looking for. Meeting me only reassured his decision. In his words, he was tired of kids our age just surviving and not living. He was tired of the girls he would meet with no motivation, who would be happy to do absolutely nothing but to sit at his camper all day. He was ready for someone he could grow together with, and according to him, I had depth.

As the days went on, it was just easy. It was working. On days he would conveniently miss work or casually get off early, we would surf in the sunlight, and drink and laugh at night. Not to be cliche or anything, but we talked about our hopes and dreams as we carried our surfboards in from the surf. We discussed big goals and future plans sharing meals at night. I explained what I'm doing in school and what I want to do with my degrees, and he elaborated about how he enjoys the pipeline and the good money but wants to create and manage successful businesses and be able to travel world. We encouraged each other and shared things that would have been difficult to tell anyone else. We indulged ourselves and tried to live that summer to the fullest. We ate UFO giant taco burritos from our new favorite taco place, tried every martini at the fancy martini place, boarded downtown carriage rides, and even experienced glow in the dark plankton around our feet late one night on the beach. It was fun at every turn, but it wasn’t just Florida that I loved, it was him. It wouldn’t have been that way with anyone else.

He was one of a kind and a pleasant surprise that summer, but I know I was difficult to win over.

From the start that boy was all in, he made up his mind and that was it. I, on the other hand, was wary. Not about him though, it was my own insecurities that were getting in the way. I realized my feelings for him early on and knew they were growing every day. That however was the problem. What if he moves to Montana or Minnesota or Ohio or wherever for the next job? How will that work? Will he want to make it work? Isn't it better to just end it now, rather than later? I simply didn't believe him. Not that he was purposely tricking or playing me, I just didn't believe he was that good. That this could happen so quick. I pushed these feelings aside, but he could tell something wasn't right.

As summer flew by, Fourth of July snuck up on us quickly and with four days off from pipeline work, we took off to the Florida Keys. All I can say was that it was perfect. We fished, snorkeled, tanned, ate, a lot, and may or may not have caught illegal lobster before season, or spearfished a grouper out of the limit. We may or may not have been yelled at my an extremely rude older gentleman that claimed we were too close to his land and that he owned the part of the ocean we were in. Colton may or may not have wanted to punch that guy in the face.

Overall, we had a great time with lots of laughs and the best part was, we didn't kill each other. We made it through a whole trip with bumps and fatigue and everything was better than okay. Even minor disagreements, we calmly talked out, fixed, and moved on, which is something I had very little experience with before. He may have even slipped out an I love you, that I pretended not to hear.

Back in St. Augustine, as we were continuing to sneak around the house at night, I finally gave in. I wanted to say it. I wanted to make sure I felt it and was ready, but now I was. Finally, we made it to where we could stop sneaking around the house. My family are not a bunch of prudes or anything, but respect rides a fine line and he agreed.

The morning my dad woke up early for work to find the boy asleep on the floor in the middle of the living room after I snuck back to my room, was the day my mom told me,

"Do what you got to do with,” a sly smile on her face.

I liked that couch, but it was uncomfortable and ultimately sucked so there were no complaints from Colton. The next night, lying in the very orange room that had been mine for almost two months, he hugged me tight. Without even looking at him, I said

"Hey Colt? "

He sleepily replied a muffled yeah.

"I love you," I said.

He opened his eyes wide and was quiet for a minute. He said I love you too and as I fell asleep I don't think he sleep at all that night.

July wrapped up quick and it was time to head out. We all said goodbye to the house, packed up our way too many belongs and that was that. The job was over, the summer was over, and it was time for us to leave St. Augustine. It was time for me to go back to school and a new adventure for him. Colton and I said our goodbyes, with lots of plans ahead. It was not a sad goodbye but a hopeful one. I knew he worked a lot and didn't always know his schedule or next move, but I knew he was serious and had every intention of making it work. I knew this, but still. Still, the malice and self-destructive thoughts crept into my head that night. Was I wrong? Was I right to trust him? Will he break my heart?

In one of many surprises to come, the boy showed up. The next day from leaving the beach, he drove the five hours to Louisiana to meet me with a bright smile, clean shaven face, and a camper full of the memories we had made with room for plenty more. If any doubts were still lingering in the background, the moment I saw that fun-loving, goofy, gorgeous, stubborn, big-hearted man that had shaved off that incredibly large beard, I knew he loved me, and I knew this was it. My endless summer may have ended but my summer love story was just beginning.