For me it was enough...

"James, I really think you'd like her," my stepmother said for the thousandth time, staring at me from across the living room.

I looked up from my book to stare back. "And I'm telling you, I won't," I explained.

"Please, James. I drove her family from the airport to their cottage half an hour ago. She didn't say much, but she seems like a really sweet girl."

I shook my head. I didn't need another girl wrecking my life. I'd had enough drama from relationships in the past.

"I don't need a girlfriend, Leah," I finally responded.

"Oh, honey, you don't have to date, but at least consider becoming friends. It can't hurt to reach out." She smiled softly at me, with her doe eyes that got to me every time. I couldn't help but give in.

"Maybe," I muttered, getting off the couch and heading towards the staircase. I didn't have to look to see her perfect smile, knowing she convinced me.

"Why is he so against this girl?" I heard my fifteen-year-old brother ask, entering the living room.

I paused halfway up the stairs, anxious to hear the rest of the conversation.

"Well, Miles, maybe James doesn't want a girlfriend right now," Leah answered.

"Works for me. Let her know I'm single," Miles offered. I scoffed, knowing he was smirking at her.

Leah laughed. "She's seventeen. But nice try."

"So?" he asked her.

"So," Leah began. "She's too old for you."

"Fine," Miles gave in.

Miles was a bit of a player, constantly partying and finding a new girl to hangout with everytime. He let me know all the details, which I didn't appreciate. He loved to rub it in my face that I was still a virgin and he wasn't.

I sighed, trudging to my room and shutting the door softly. My room was small but homey. A large grey duvet covered my unmade bed, and I had a nightstand sat next to it stacked with books. There was a door on the far wall leading to a bathroom I shared with Miles, since his room connected on the other side.

After brushing my teeth, I reached for the back of my neck and pulled my t-shirt over my head and slipped off my shorts. With only my boxers on, I jumped into bed and got comfy in the mountain of pillows, setting my glasses on my nightstand and switching off my lamp.

I loved sleeping. Crawling into bed was my favourite part of the day. The best thing about the cottage was that I had a skylight in my room, meaning I could look up at the stars as I fell asleep. Though I usually preferred to be at home, I couldn't complain about the view I had at the cottage. It was perfect for stargazing.

I replayed my conversation with Leah in my head. The girl she told me about sounded cool, and I did trust my stepmother. She knew my type and was quick to point out a girl that encompassed it.

But am I really ready for a relationship? I thought. And who's to say this girl will like me back?

I grimaced. For someone who had been in a relationship before, I was beyond awkward with girls. Sometimes they mistook my shyness for charm, so I had a bit of luck with flirting.

I'll worry about it tomorrow, I decided, looking through my skylight again. Letting my thoughts of the girl disappear, my eyes closed slowly, leading me into sleep.

*

I woke up to small sun rays coming from my skylight. Luckily, I was a morning person, so it was a perfect way to rise for the day. I never let myself lay in bed, getting up immediately like I was on a mission.

I slipped on a hoodie and put on a pair of sweats. While brushing my teeth, I gazed at myself in the mirror.

My dark brown hair was ruffled and messy, while my freckles were more apparent then usual. That always pissed me off. Keeping the toothbrush in my mouth, I grabbed my glasses off my nightstand and slipped them on.

I contemplated fixing my hair, but figured it was early enough that I wouldn't run into anyone. Grabbing a book from my nightstand, I headed downstairs.

Our cottage was old, with creaking stairs and walls wooden. The rust on the door never left, groaning as I opened it on my way out.

I didn't get the big deal about sunrises. There were pretty of course, but it drove me crazy when people felt the need to post all over social media about it.

We get it, you saw the sun this morning. We all did, I said to myself. I had way more interest in the sky at night, where I could study the stars.

For my seventeenth birthday, my dad gave me a mini telescope for trips like these. Even after of week of being at the cottage, I still hadn't tested it out. My plan was to sneak out soon and see how it worked.

Instead of watching the stupid sunrise, I read my book as I walked along the sandy beach. No one else was there, and I savoured the feeling of waves lapping against the shore and the breeze tickling my skin.

I became immersed in my book. An epic story of an adventurer on Saturn lay on the page, and I felt myself fall into the story, losing hold on my surroundings.

Suddenly, something hit me, and I was knocked onto my ass, my book flying out of my hand. My glasses lay on the sand, and I grabbed them through my blurry eyes, reaching around for my book. I froze when I realized who had knocked me over.

A girl, around my age, stared at me with judgey blue eyes. Her dark brown hair was in two French braids, with curly wisps of hair sticking out. She had a navy-blue hoodie that matched her eyes perfectly.

God, she's hot, was the first thought to appear in my head. I quickly realized I was staring, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

"Oh! Um, sorry," I mumbled while standing up.

Years to learn how to talk to girls and I'm still shit at it, I thought.

I grabbed my book off the sand and turned to leave, before remembering how rude I was to the beautiful girl still sitting on the sand. I offered her my hand, and she took if after a moment's hesitation. I pulled her up close to me and stared into her eyes, marveling her the different shades of blue looking back at me. I could see her studying me and I widened my eyes, nervously dropping my gaze to the ground.

Suddenly, she let go of my hand, ending that nice moment, and stepped away quickly. I meant to ask for her name, and maybe her number if I was brave enough, but my eyes met hers again and I forgot how to think, let alone speak. So I turned and awkwardly ran down the beach. Perhaps not the brightest move I had made.

I had done better with girls, as in the ones easier to talk to. Sure, they were hot, but this girl was straight-up gorgeous. She could be a model without makeup and win a million pageants. I smiled to myself.

Who cares about the girl Leah wants me to meet? I thought. I wanted to know this girl.

I forced myself not to turn back, but I slowed down my pace. I relished the feeling of my shoes hitting the sand as I headed back to the cottage.

Miles was sitting at the counter when I returned. A bowl of cereal was in front of him, as he slurped it in the most disgusting way possible. His head looked up when he heard me enter the kitchen. A grin formed on his face and he winked.

"Who's the girl?" he asked, sending me a coy smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied calmly.

But Miles knew me way too well. "Nah, you've got that look on your face," he told me. "Who is she?"

Dammit. I hated how Miles could always tell. I sighed and sat down across from him. He raised his right eyebrow and continued smiling.

"I don't know her name," I said finally.

"Ah, admiring her from afar I see," he replied saucily.

"Not exactly."

He leaned forward on his elbows, resting his chin in the palms of his hands. "What happened then?" he asked.

"None of your business," I snapped.

"Aw, c'mon, you know I'm good with girls. You want to pick this one up, I gotchu."

I considered this. Miles would probably create a weird, elaborate plan for me to flirt with her. Knowing him, it had a high percentage of working. It was worth a shot.

"Fine," I gave in. "I was walking along the beach and smacked into her. She's the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen. I completely froze up. No name, no number, nothing."

Miles shook his head. "You're hopeless," he muttered. Suddenly, his face brightened, and he smirked at me from across the counter. I could almost see the lightbulb go off in his head.

"I've got a plan," he announced.

I knew my face showed how skeptical I was. "Really?" I asked him. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

"Yes, I've got you. First things first, don't talk to her for the rest of the day. Got it?" He stood up and placed his bowl beside the sink.

I nodded.

"Next, go take a cold shower. I can see how into her you are from here."

I pursed my lips in anger, ready to kick his ass. Instead, I trudged upstairs, muttering a few curse words in my grinning brother's direction.

*

Later that day, I headed to the beach to relax. I brought along my journal to work on my current short story. I tapped my pencil against my cheek, deciding the next exchange in dialogue. Thought the sun warmed my back, I could tell twilight was coming and the sunlight would soon disappear. Regardless, I had on only a t-shirt, laying on a towel with my feet facing the water.

"Hello!" a voice exclaimed next to me.

I jumped, my sunglasses falling off my face. Standing in front of me was girl who couldn't have been more than four or five. She sent me a grin.

"Why, hello there," I smiled at her. "What can I do for you?"

She was adorable, with big brown eyes and a round face. Her curly hair bobbed in the wind, pinned away from her face with two purple clips.

Her face lit up as she said, "I was just wondering what you're writing."

"Well, I uh, I like writing stories about scientific discoveries," I began. "Sometimes they're scenarios I wish would happen to me. Some are real stories that I've put my own twist on. I just love writing. What do you like to do?"

"I draw," she told me. I wasn't sure her smile could get any wider. "My sister doesn't draw, but she'll buy my drawings when I'm famous. Would you like to buy one?" she continued.

Her speech was clear but fast, with only a hint of a baby voice. I smiled at willingness to talk. Most kids were extremely shy, but she had no problem speaking.

"I'd love to, princess," I told her,

She began telling me about her sister. She spoke so fast it was hard to keep up, but I learned her sister also called her princess, and wrote romance stories, or "stories about people who fall in love and kiss," as she put it.

"And who's your sister?" I asked.

"Her," the girl answering, pointing to a tall figure standing near us.

I glanced her way, and immediately knew my cheeks were flaming. It was the girl from this morning. She was beautiful as beautiful as when I saw her before. Her hair was down this time, blowing perfectly in the wind. Her eyes fixated on mine and I couldn't help staring back.

James, snap out of it! I scolded myself. I quickly stood up and walked toward her.

"Oh! Hi," I said to her, as far off from charming as one could get. I reached out to shake her hand and sent her a smile.

"Hi," she said softly.

"I um, I'm James," I told her.

"Auggie, uh, Augustine," she replied.

Augustine. I guessed her nickname was Auggie though, since she said that first. It suit her perfectly. She reminded me of summer, with her hair blowing back in the breeze and a shy smile. I smiled at her, ignoring the butterflies erupting in my stomach.

"Well, uh, nice to officially meet you," I said, breaking the beat of silence. I turned to her sister, who was watching us with pursed lips.

"Nice to meet you too, princess," I told her.

She grinned. "I like you."

"You're not so bad yourself," I smiled.

"Sorry to bother you," Augustine said suddenly. "We'll head out now." She dragged her sister away, leaving me standing in the sand. I wanted to tell her she was welcome to stay and talk all she wanted, but figured it'd be inappropriate given the fact that we'd just officially met.

I didn't tell Miles we had run into each other again, instead letting myself daydream about the gorgeous girl I'd seen twice today. I could've sworn she blushed when she saw me, but it was probably embarrassment from when she knocked me over earlier that day. Still, I allowed my thoughts to drift, imagining us going on all types of dates together.

I wasn't one to fall for girls fast, and I didn't want a girlfriend, but she was driving me crazy though she'd barely spoken three words to me. I knew it was a bad idea, but I continued to let my thoughts of us consume my mind that night until I fell asleep.