I pushed past all the other girls cluttering the sinks in the bathroom and made my way down the hall. Almost every ones' door was opening, and girls and guys could all be seen straightening outfits and fixing hair; there was a buzz going around the senior dorm, and it was understandable considering what today was. Slinking off into the recesses of my room, I let my door close behind me as I picked out an arbitrary outfit. Already I was feeling uncomfortably warm, and judging by my morning run having to get cut short because of the oppressive humidity, it was only going to get worse as the day went on. If we didn't get a breeze off the ocean soon, all the graduates and (more importantly) my hair were going to suffer for it.

        Maybe I should be more sociable, but some weird mood had descended over me the past few weeks and I felt distant from the celebration of my peers. Maybe it was the fact that I was going to leave the place I had lived for four years straight. Or it could be the fact that in a few weeks I'll be leaving the country I had lived in for twenty-one years straight. It wasn't exactly overwhelming, for I've had my permits, visa, passport, and working papers ready for weeks, but it felt almost like I was observing it instead of living it. Maybe if I were more poetic I could explain how I felt so disconnected and describe the lack of nostalgia I felt for my college and my country.

        Shaking out of my thoughts, I threw on a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top. My hair was next, and and a few minutes of trying to tame my curls with heat and gel, I quickly gave up and threw it up in a twist. I didn't really have to look very presentable today, considering no one was here for me. My mother had a meeting in Finland yesterday so she wasn't able to make it, though I couldn't be too mad since she visited last week and spent a few days in Miami shopping and celebrating in honor of today. Mike said that we would celebrate when I got to his apparent, and my brother also promised to visit me before I left for England.

        Realizing that I was ready about three hours before I needed to be in the lecture hall, I took the opportunity to slip on a pair of canvas sneakers and throw my cap and gown unceremoniously into a backpack. Most of my things, including all my art supplies, paintings, audio and video equipment, and computer were tucked safely away in a ridiculously expensive, air-conditioned storage unit in Austin, so I grabbed the one thing I hadn't trusted to be shipped over. Maybe it would be a hassle to fit my long board into the one suitcase I owned, but right now I was glad I had it.

        I weaved around students and their families as I boarded across campus. I passed a few other underclassmen also on longboards, and even a few carrying surfboards on their way to the beach. I knew there were many other people like me that came from desolate, landlocked, northern towns, so I didn't blame them for getting in as much sun and surf as possible. I stopped in at the studio to make sure I had taken all of my things from there, and had a quick chat with some other graduates that were still working on projects. As much as I don't like to admit it, I will actually miss the 2 am parties we had in here the day before critiques or finals; you tend to bond with the people you have sleep deprived and almost drunken conversations with at 4 am while you paint dragons or sculpt something made entirely out of duck tape.

        The wind I got from longboarding was a welcome respite, so I made the quick decision to head towards the beach like many of my fellow classmates were. I hardly ever went to Tampa Bay because of how rigorous the course work was, but I realized too late that I would never have this kind of opportunity again once I graduated. Of course another reason I didn't like to go was because it was always stupidly packed with tourists and perpetual spring breakers, but Ringling's had an unwritten private section on the other side of the board walk and normally that wasn't too packed.

        Once I ran out of sidewalk I kicked off my shoes and stumbled my way through the sand, looking neither hot not graceful. I saw a few friends laying out on beach towels, and I smiled and walked over there to talk for a bit before settling in my own secluded spot under the shade of the boardwalk. I stuck my toes in the cool stand and stared at my newest tattoo on my foot; it was an outline of New York State and an apple tree over it, and I thought it would be something to remind me of my roots if I ever felt homesick.

        The beach was a good place to think, and I reflected over everything that's happened, and everything that's going to happen sooner than I thought or wanted. I would stay with Mike in Texas for about a month while Smith bought and finalized our apartment, and once that was done I'd arrange for my possessions to be shipped and follow it once I could find the cheapest plane ticket. It was odd to think that I'd only need it one way, and that England will someday become my home country if things go as planned.

          As if on cue, I get a Skype message from Smith. "Good morning, ready for today?" it read. 

        "As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, unable to keep from smiling just at the thought of my virtual boyfriend. Maybe I had made a mistake rejecting Microsoft's job offer, but the idea of having an actual relationship with Smith made it hard to convince myself of that. Of course my bank account hurts and already my brain hurts from two more years of studies, but I had to remind myself that it was worth it. It was hell convincing the university in Bristol to let me into the equivalent of a master's program, and now I had to take useless classes like European History next year instead of focusing solely on furthering my art skills, but at least I was able to finally get in and arrange my credits and classes. I couldn't believe how worried I had been last year when I thought about how casually I viewed it now. Everything was coming together perfectly, and though I felt unnecessary premonition towards the move, I couldn't ignore how lucky I had been through all of this.

        I heard another ping and looked down to see a "Where are you right now?" from Smith.

        I looked at the phone in confusion, as if he could see my expression, and typed, "At the beach. Why?"

        "Where at the beach?" he asked.

        "Uh, by the boardwalk?" I told him, not seeing why this was so important.

        There was a long pause, and then Smith just said, "That's nice. You should enjoy it while you can. We don't have beaches like that in England." Something about the way he talked, even through a messenger, told me something was off.

        "Yeah, it's hot out today," I type for lack of anything else interesting to say. He didn't reply to me, and I sat for about ten minutes listening to the gentle lap of waves on the sand before I started panicking. Maybe I was being irrational about it, but knowing Smith very well, I knew exactly what he had done. 

        Right as I stood up and turned around I notice him farther down at the beach. He was talking to a few people I knew and, though I was going through symptoms of shock, I also found it very amusing to see him so pale and clearly out of place against my tan, Florida friends. I wasn't tan either, but you couldn't really tell because of my tattoos, so I looked like I belonged here slightly more than Smith They pointed my way, and I could barely breath as he smiled at me and traipsed his way across the sand as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him to just show up out of the blue at my college.

        "Hey," he smiled as he reached me, "Fancy meeting you here."

        "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, though I couldn't keep a straight face and I felt my lips pull back in a smile as I looked up at him. It was still so surreal to see my boyfriend here in my country, but I felt giddy with excitement at the thought that he had traveled all this way to see me.

        "Just thought I'd drop by," he replied, laughing and seeming to be as equally excited as I was. Of course if I ever planned a surprise visit on him, I would be pretty elated, so it was understandable. I couldn't believe he had pulled it off with such mastery.

        I was going to start questioning him about how he got here, where he was staying, how he was able to find me, but he cut me off before I could say anything. His lips were familiar and enticing, and I gladly kissed him back with a hunger I forgot I had. It had been months since I had kissed Smith, and as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he bent down to hug my waist, I couldn't imagine how I had possibly survived that.

        I had to break away first, remembering that we were both on display in front of a good portion of my classmates. That, and the fact that it was very hot and the two of us were already sweating; no need to instigate that when I had an air conditioned dorm only five minutes away. "Alex Smith," I breathed, not fully letting go of him as I leaned back to look at his eyes. They were so bright and lively in the morning sun, and I could barely collect my thoughts enough to ask again, "What are you doing here?"

        "Can't a guy come visit his girlfriend on her graduation day?" he asked, holding onto my waist so I couldn't step back any further. He seemed as desperate as I was to keep in some kind of physical contact. He didn't even seem real to me, yet his shoulders were hard under my hands and he felt just like I remembered.

        "Unannounced?" I asked, giving up trying to keep a semi-serious face, "Without telling me?"

        "Relax," he cooed, kissing me again. "I'm here for three days and I'm staying in a motel in town. Does that answer all your questions?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

        I had a lot of questions, but all I could ask again was, "What are you doing here?"

        He gave a lighthearted sigh and placed the back of his hand on my forehead. "How long have you been out here? Are you having a heatstroke?" he laughed.

        I turned my head away from him and giggled. "No! I just can't believe you're actually here!" I exclaimed, batting away his hands and sitting back down in the shade.

        "Then I got the reaction I wanted," he said, joining me in the sand next to my shoes and longboard. We sat and looked out towards the horizon for a while, our hands creeping closer to each other until Smith made the first move and interlocked our fingers together.

         "It's beautiful here," he observed, looking all around us. "I can see why you love it here so much. Though I'm not sure I quite like the feeling of sand in my trainers," he said, lifting up one of his feet as if to emphasize his point and smiling so big that his eyes were squinting at me.

        "One does not simply wear shoes to the beach Smithy," I said, rolling my eyes at him in an exaggerated fashion as if it were some rule he was unaware of.

        "Oh, excuse me," he laughed, standing up and taking off his shoes. I expected him to sit back down, but once he was done brushing the sand off the back of his shorts he offered me a hand. "Come on I want to go in the water," he said, pulling me up and throwing his wallet and phone into my backpack.

        "I have a graduation ceremony in an hour," I pointed out.

        "Then you have an hour to go swimming!" he smiled.

        "I don't have a bathing suit Smith!" I said, exasperated, "and neither do you."

        He grabbed a hold of my wrist and tugged me towards the beach, not hearing my protests. "Then we'll just stick our feet in the water! Come on, since when did I become the fun one?"

        Smith splashed into the water, still holding onto my hand as I felt cold droplets against my skin, and gasped a little at the sudden change of temperature as my feet and ankles submerged in the water. Once I got used to it the ocean felt good against my hot feet, and there was just enough breeze to dry the sweat on my skin.

        Smith was walking around the water slowly, looking like a child might when introduced to the beach, and as he noticed that I had finally started to enjoy it he trudged over to me and got water all over the both of us in the process. "See?" he smiled, holding both my hands and swinging them slightly, "It's not too bad."

        I couldn't help but smile at him. "Just try not to get me too wet okay?" I sighed, shuffling my feet around to kick up the sand around us. The air smelled of salt, and combined with the warm sun and cool water and smiling boyfriend, everything seemed right with the world. I was convinced I was going to wake up from a dream any second, but I might as well enjoy it.

        "I didn't know you were that excited to see me," he said, raising his eyebrows at me and giving me a smug look.

        "Ha ha," I drawled, rolling my eyes at him. "You're so..." I stopped to kick water at him, making him flinch, "...mature!"

        "And you're so..." he said through gritted teeth, bending down and not giving me enough time to run away before he splashed water at me with his hands, soaking my outfit. "Randy!" he finished.

        "Smith!" I shrilled, "You asshole, I thought you wern't going to get me wet!"

        "I made no such promises," he said smugly, putting his hands on his hips. He was still close enough for me to reach him, so I quickly put all my weight into my arms as I shoved at his shoulder and made him go toppling into the water.

        After sputtering and flailing about, he was able to regain his balance and stand up. "Hey!" he shouted, "What the hell!?"

        I could barely contain myself and was gasping for breath as I giggled at his dripping form.  "Come on!" I laughed, already back on the sand and making my way to my longboard, "I have to get to the ceremony!"

        "You at least have something to change into!" he yelled back, making his way out of the water, "All my clothes are at the motel!" He didn't seem to mad though, so I continued to taunt him.

        "You're fine," I smiled, picking up my board, "It's sunny, you'll dry."

        He just sighed and glared at me before he broke into a grin and started up the sand towards the concrete. It took a little longer to get back to the campus because we had to walk, but I kissed Smith goodbye at the lecture hall and pointed him towards the athletics field with minutes to spare.

A/N Sorry it's kinda rushed, I really wanted to get a chapter out. My stories might slow down just a bit because of finals, but I promise I'll work as hard as I can to get them out. Thank you, happy reading!