"Come on," Aaron said, sitting next to her so he was practically sitting on her.

"Also I can't surf if I can't breathe," she told him.

"You can breathe fine if you can tell me you can't breathe. I'm going to turn twelve again if you're not careful."

"Oh God, spare me," she said.

"I'll stop if you come with me."

"I'll tell your mom."

"You're mean."

"You two are like third graders," Wela said, coming into the room. "Go out and do something and get out of my hair," she told them. Laney groaned as Aaron grabbed her hand and yanked her off the couch.

"We're going surfing if I have to change you into your swimsuit myself." Laney stopped short and raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean, I'll blackmail my mother into it." The eyebrow got higher. "Oh come on, Laney. Please? I'll beg if I have to."

"Oh no. Don't do that. I can't stand to see a groan man grovel." She paused. "On second thought..."

"Very funny. Just do it, will you. Change into your swimsuit and I'll teach you how to surf."

"Fine. I'll be back in a minute," she said, going into her room and closing the door.

"You are the most stubborn person I've ever met!" he called through the door.

"And you are the whiniest twenty-one year old I've ever met!" she called back.

Chuckling, Aaron went into his room to change into a pair of swim trunks.

They met in the hallway five minutes later and Aaron, still pulling on a T-shirt, looked Laney up and down. She was wearing the same thing she'd been wearing all morning. "Missing something?" he asked.

She grimaced at him and lifted up her tank top high enough to show him that she had kept up her part of the bargain and was wearing a bikini. He laughed and pulled his shirt on the rest of the way. They went out to the garage and he handed her a surfboard, grabbing one himself. They anchored the boards to the top of Aaron's car and jumped in. Aaron drove less than ten minutes to the deserted beach. "This is going to be fun," he said, elbowing her as she walked around the car to help him take the boards down from the top of the car.

"We'll see about that," she muttered, elbowing him right back.

*

It took Aaron almost two hours to get her to stand up on the board, but once he'd done that, she learned the rest faster than either of them thought she would. They were able to actually surf for about twenty minutes before they had to go back to Aaron's house for dinner.

"So," he said when they were in the car.

"You will never ever hear me admit that I'm wrong," she said, looking straight ahead. But a small smile appeared on her face.

Aaron grinned. "Ok," he said. "Fair enough." They were silent for the rest of the ride (as short was it was), but the conversation started up again as they were taking the boards off the top of the car. "My mom is the best cook in the world," he said. "Dinner will be so great."

Laney chuckled. "You're cute," she said, watching him closely as she helped him put the boards away. He looked at her. "What? It's not like I'm admitting I'm wrong or anything," she said.

He laughed and took the surf board from her, putting it up on a shelf, and then put an arm around her, directing her into the house.

"Hello there," Wela said when they walked in. "Take a shower and we'll have dinner." Aaron and Laney headed upstairs. "NOT TOGETHER!" Wela yelled.

Looking at each other, Aaron and Laney burst into simultaneous laughter.

Half an hour later, they were both showered and dressed in sweats. They went downstairs and Aaron's mom ushered them into the dining room, denying any and all offers for help. Laney's mouth started to water as Wela started to bring out the food.

"Oh wow," she said. Aaron, seated across the table from her, grinned. "I told you," he said.

"I never argued," she said.

He just smiled at her, and she rolled her eyes at him. His parents sat down and they started the meal.

After a good meal and some good conversation, Laney was stuffed. "Wela, you have spoiled me. Is there any way I can fly here for dinner every night?"

"I'd love it if you did, but you'd never have time for anything else. And you'd be out of money."

Laney laughed. "We'll figure out something," she said. Somehow she got up from the table and hauled herself to the couch in the living room. "I am about twenty pounds heavier," she said to Aaron as he sat down next to her. "And I'd do it all again. Your mom really is the best cook in the world."

"I told you."

"And again, I never argued."

"True," he said. "How about some football?" he asked.

She looked at him, confused. "I didn't know you watched football."

"I am a guy," he pointed out.

"Thanks. Because I hadn't noticed."

He just laughed and turned on the television. "Eew," she said when some American football game came on. "I thought you meant normal football."

"Oh, soccer?"

"Yeah, I guess. Who wants to watch this junk? Do you have any movies? We could watch a movie."

"I'd rather watch the game."

She lay back so her head was in his lap and pouted. "Please?"

"I hate you."

She just grinned and went in the direction he pointed, finding a rather extensive collection of DVDs. "Oooh," she said, grabbing a movie she'd seen far too many times but still loved. "The Lord of the Rings," she said slowly, grinning at him. He groaned, but she just nodded. "Yes sir! I feel like a good cry, and this movie will do it."

"Which one is that?"

"The only one with a good crying scene," she said.

"I don't cry when I watch that movie."

"I do," she said with a grin. "I sob at the end. I sob like a little girl whose dog has just died," she said, putting the movie in and sauntering to the bathroom to get a box of tissues. "You're not weird about girls who cry, are you?"

"God I hope not," he muttered, nervous.

Three hours later, Laney, true to her word, was sobbing into Aaron's T-shirt as Frodo climbed on a boat and sailed away. "Why does he have to le-he-heave?" she sobbed.

"He–"

"That's a rhetorical question," she said between more sobs.

"Oh."

She snorted, a mix between a sob and a laugh. "I'll be fine in about ten minutes; I swear," she assured him. Her assurance would have been better had she been able to stop crying as she was telling him. He shook his head and patted hers, stroking her hair as the movie closed and the songs at the end started to play. "Stop it stop it," she told him. "Before Annie Lennox starts to sing, you have to stop it or I'll start crying all over again," she instructed frantically, though she still had tears running down her face. Aaron fumbled for the remote, not anxious to have her crying all over him again, and turned the movie off. She sighed against him. "I love that movie."

He tilted his head to the side. "How many times have you seen it?"

"Oh God," she sniffed. "I don't know. Fifty?"

He nodded, unsure of what to say. "Wow."

She laughed, but it was still forced as she was ending her crying. "I'm tired." She looked at the clock on the wall. "Bedtime," she announced, sitting up. She glanced at Aaron and snorted at the huge wet spot that clearly showed up on his grey T-shirt. "Sorry about that, by the way," she said.

He looked down at himself. "Oh. Nice job."

She patted him on the top of the head. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said before she went upstairs.