I breathe in deeply, almost tasting the salt in the air. The ocean is choppy today, the wind off the Atlantic coming in and creating white, frothy waves on the surface. It is late afternoon and the sun is getting ready to set. For some reason it really does feel like the end of summer. Gia is walking next to me rapt in her own thoughts, her rubber flip flops scraping along the wood of the boardwalk beneath us.

It feels like everyone around us is giving into the fall, just waiting for the leaves on the trees to change colour. Families have congregated around the gelato store grabbing their last taste of the cool icy sweet. Children weave between us, chasing each other and laughing. A pregnant woman holding her partner's hand walks past us. I feel at ease with the world. The sun is casting an orange hue across the sky and glistening dimly on the water.

"Gelato?" I ask, breaking our reverie,

"Sure," she replies. We saunter up to the store and wait patiently in line. We eventually get up to the front of the line order our toffee and cookies n cream gelato and take our respective cups. We cross over to the side of the boardwalk and sit on the edge, our legs dangling over the side, dangerously close to the water,

"So you ready for your last week of vacation?" I ask,

"Yeah. I plan on waking up no earlier than one in the afternoon for the next seven days straight," she laughs. I smile, turn my head away and listen to the sound of Gia laughing. It's one of my favourite sounds in the world, why she has this ability to make me euphoric merely by laughing is beyond me,

"I'm sure the offices of Vogue have been dipping into chaos without you there,"

"If I'm lucky they might notice I'm not there. If I'm not they'll have done so well without me they might just hand me my notice next Monday," she grins and my heart takes a dive just watching her. It's dangerous, not being able to control these feelings of unqualified want and need. Half the time I think about taking her in my arms and kissing her so thoroughly she forgets my name and the other half I fight back the urge of actually doing so. I wonder how I could have ever gotten involved with girls that I didn't give myself wholly too. Women who I've just slept with because they've been there. Women who I've had no connection to. And then there's been Gia...

"And how's the writing going?"

"Good," I chuckle softly, "Having conferences between Isaac in LA, Zac in London and myself, the pseudo-New Yorker, is proving to be difficult,"

"Yeah but it must be easier not living with anyone now," she comments,

"Yeah, I don't have to worry about waking you at four in the morning trying out this chord instead of that,"

"That never bothered me, you know that. A horde of elephants stampeding through my bathroom couldn't wake me,"

"True,"

"So it's not like some guitar strumming is going to wake me. You could have Kiss in the studio and it wouldn't make a difference," she gives me a sideways glance a tiny smile curving her wide mouth. I remember what it was like living with her. I realise it's better that I don't because the memories of wanting her and not having her are far too vivid. Having her strut through the house in her underwear and keeping my hormones under control was a struggle. Women's Lib, Racial Equality, Taylor's Hormones: They are struggles. I never quite figured out why we were so comfortable parading around each other whilst being on the verge of nudity. But when you have a severe infatuation with someone that very act can drive you insane.

The sun is steadily dipping below the horizon. The blue sky that we've enjoyed all day behind us has surrendered to a dark violet yet the sky in front of us is a mixture of gold and ginger, creating a spectacular watercolour-like effect. The water has calmed down a bit, almost so that it's in sync with the calm ambience of the boardwalk...

"So it's over huh?"

"Yeah. We should start bracing ourselves with scarves and beanies,"

"Not yet!"

"Soon enough,"

"No way, your fashion shows have gotten to you. You're half a year earlier than everyone else," I declare. She giggles,

"Soon I'll be wearing my Chanel ski goggles on the fourth of July,"

"And your Gaultier bikini on Christmas," I retort and she throws her head back in laughter. There is a moment of silence as we stare out onto the water and into the ever darkening depths of the sky. Her hand is resting on the wooden boards. I place my hand over it and we don't even have to look at each other to know that we're both smiling. Feeling her skin beneath reinforces what I'm to chicken to say : I'm in love with her.