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Anna sat back in her lounge chair and closed her eyes. She was going to get a tan this summer if it was the ONLY thing she did. Kori and Claudia were in town shopping and she finally had some peace and quiet. She put on her headphones and tuned out to the rest of the world as she listened to the music and cleared her thoughts of school and all the baggage back home. And Jerid. The real reason she was running off to Florida for the summer. Jerid didn't like the fact that Anna would be gone the entire break. He'd already made plans for them to spend time with his family in Washington. He had planned on introducing his new girlfriend to his family and giving them a chance to know each other. Anna hadn't really agreed to the trip when he first asked her because she didn't think he was actually serious. A whole three months stuck in Washington with him? When she told him that she was going to Florida with Kori and Claudia, he blew up.
"What do you mean you are going to Florida? We planned on going to Washington to meet my family." Jerid yelled as he stepped away from her. His blonde hair contrasted quite nicely with the shade of red his face was coloring.
"No, YOU planned on going to Washington. I told you I'd think about it." Anna said, trying to calm him down.
"Why are you going to Florida?" he asked as he moved closer to her.
"I just want to get away with my friends. I don't know what will happen after graduation and we wanted one last fling."
" But the whole summer? Why not a few weeks? Go, have your fun and you can spend the rest of the summer in Washington." Jerid pleaded as he took Anna's hand.
"I want to go to Florida, J." Anna said taking her hand away from Jerid and walking away. "This is important."
"What is?" Jerid asked.
"I have to be sure of a few things before I come back in the fall. Things between us are getting serious and I just need some time to think." Anna couldn't look at him as she spoke.
"Think about what? Anna, I know you love me. I know we could have that happily ever after if you'd just give me a chance."
"But I need to know that too. Don't worry, baby. I'll probably come back loving you even more." Anna said, trying to ease her way out of the situation. But deep down she knew Jerid wasn't the one for her, she just couldn't say the words. She hoped that being away from him in Florida would give her the courage to say what needed to be said. He hadn't been ecstatic to see her leave, but he had given her the space she needed.
Anna turned over on her stomach as she continued to bask in the sun. She closed her eyes and tried to shed the tension that had settled over her during the last quarter at school. A vacation was DEFINITELY what the doctor ordered.
"Excuse me." A quiet voice interrupted Anna's thoughts. She didn't move at first, thinking it was her imagination. "I'm sorry to bother you miss." said the voice again as she turned over to see a tall, definitely male figure blocking her light. She shaded her eyes from the sun as she focused on him. He gave her a shy smile as she slowly stood up.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I know this will make me sound like a total deutz but could I bother you for some milk?" He was smiling even more now, a smile that was melting Anna more by the moment.
"Milk?" she said, knowing full well what he said, but she liked his accent and wanted to hear him speak again. British? No, not quite. More lyrical... Irish! That was it. There was nothing more irresistible \to Anna than an Irish accent on a very good looking man.
"Yes, milk. The lads and I were making some tea and we ran out of milk." Good lord, his eyes were so blue!
"Lads?" Anna asked, snapping out of her inner monologue.
"We're staying in the bungalow next to you." He pointed to the cabin next door and Anna noticed there were two other guys sitting on the porch, waving at them.
"Um, milk. Sure, we have some...milk." She walked into the cabin. The mystery man stood outside on the deck as she retrieved the milk. Who was he? Some friend of the owners? She wondered if he was staying all summer. That could certainly provide a nice distraction from all her problems in Massachusetts. "Whoa Gabriel, don't even think about it! You don't need any more distractions!' Anna berated herself for even thinking that. She took the pitcher out to the deck and handed Mr Tall, Blonde, and Handsome his milk.
"By the way, I'm Bryan. I guess I should have introduced myself first. That wasn't very gentlemanly of me." He reached out his free hand as she extended hers.
"I'm Anna." She said, surprisingly shy all of a sudden.
"Thanks for the milk, Anna. The lads and I owe you. So I guess I'll be seeing you around. It looks like we're neighbors and all." He began walking down the stairs to the sand separating their cabins. Anna watched him walk away, frozen to the porch. She saw him walk over to his cabin, talk to his friends on the deck and she continued watching until he was inside the cabin. Damnation! He was hot and Irish to boot. Maybe this would be an interesting summer after all.
"Bryan." she said softly. "We will meet again." She sat back down on her lounge chair and resumed her strenuous tanning session. She hit *play* and Westlife flooded her senses. She turned up the volume as the music flowed, almost fitting the moment perfectly. She reached for her suntan lotion and knocked the CD case onto the planks below. Anna placed it on the table when she did a double take. The faces she'd know anywhere- that one on the left! Anywhere but in her own backyard! Bryan McFadden just borrowed a cup of milk from her. It couldn't be! She looked next door at the guys sunbathing on the deck-yup, that was Kian most definitely and the other had to be Nicky. Kori and Claudia were not going to believe this. Westlife were staying next door- this had to be fate. It had to be.....
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