Just after school started again, Eric and I went to the beach for one last perfect day of warm sand and sunshine. We were sitting there, watching a man fish, talking about books, travel, and all the dreams we held for the future. He was going to be a great novelist — the next Louis L'Amour. Me? I was going to get through high school. I wanted to be a great artist. I wanted to see the world.

As we talked, I started to feel flushed. I couldn't figure why, exactly. I just had an eerie calm fall over me. There was a sudden warmth in me that began somewhere in my chest and it began to swell within me. It drove me to my feet and I looked at Eric, smiled, and then began to walk. He jumped to his feet and ran to catch up to me. I felt lighter than air. I was floating down the beach.

I suddenly stopped, looked at him, and said, "I love you." It seemed to bubble up from my toes, through my heart, and out my mouth. I laughed a little and began to float down the beach once more. Yeah. I loved Eric. More than anything else, I knew that. I knew that the warm feeling I had in my heart was him. The warm feeling I had in my head was him, too. That floating sensation I had was him. It was my love for him.

Then, I floated right into fishing line.

I looked at Eric and I laughed. I called up to the man fishing and apologized. He gave a friendly holler of "no problem!"

Eric wrapped his arms around me and told me he loved me too. He'd wanted to tell me for a long time. He was afraid he'd scare me off if he told me. He was waiting to see if I felt the same way.

"I love you, too. I love you. You!" And then he shouted so that everyone on the beach could hear. "I LOVE HER!"

We ended our last perfect day of warm sand and sunshine by starting something new and fresh. Something that carried us through the next 10 months.

We hadn't heard the last from his ex-girlfriend, but we faced her together and told her — together — to get lost. When she told him that a "little girl" couldn't ever give him all the joy in bed that a grown woman could, he laughed and told her that it took more than sex to keep his attention. Eventually she got sick of the game and disappeared. At least we didn't see her lurking around. That was enough for us.

The next summer, Eric had the chance to go work in Tahoe with his best friend. With tears shed, we parted ways. It was a heartbreaking time for me. I wasn't ready to let him go, but it was what he wanted to do. I had no choice. He needed to go and try new things.