Chapter 1

I watched the view of a tiny eatery outside my car that was labelled " Steve's seafood resto". I can't wait to arrive there, where I had spent my summers with my Uncle, Steve, who owns a restaurant right in front of the beach. I sat on the window seat grumbling, hoping to finally reach my destination. It looks the same as always, white sand beach with a clear sky and crystal clear waters.

"When are we going to get there, mom?" I cried out.

"In a few minutes, you don't have to be in such a hurry. You are spending your whole summer here already." My mom instantly said like she knew I would be asking the same question all over again.

"Thanks for letting me go with you again Jo! And thanks Mrs. Roberts for the ride." Kat, my best friend, said with a grin on her face.

We arrived as soon as my mom told Kat that it wasn't a problem and we should behave ourselves. She always treats me like a child and I didn't like the feeling of it. It made me think I lack authority and intelligence to make my own decisions. Mom helped us bring out our bags from the trunk and my Uncle, Steve came out with arms stretched out.

"Uncle Steve! How are you? It's good to see you again!" I exclaimed as I ran towards him and gave him a big squeeze. It was hot and the sun was really bright. My uncle wore board shorts, sunglasses, a fisherman's hat and his trademark Hawaiian shirt. My mom finished placing all the bags out with Kat and she went over to her brother and gave him a hug.

My mom and uncle aren't very showy about their fondness for each other. They are the type of people to just silently worry and care for each other without having to say it, and I can guess that I inherited that trait. Cuddling, skinship and physical intimacy isn't my forte. I always found it weird how people do not freaked out touching other people they aren't very close to and making it look so simple and easy.

Kat went over to me and I introduced her to my uncle, after all she will be staying in his house with me. She has been by friend ever since but only now do we get to spend our summer together. My best friend always knew I go here over the summer, it's like a sense of relief for me to just let go and spend time with my uncle and get away from my family. Not that I do not love them, it's just I need to get away from them from time to time. I can only take in small doses of them when I snap. I have 3 younger brother, The eldest is me and I am 17 years old, the eldest among the boys is Ethan and he is 14, the second eldest is 11 and the youngest of us all is Madrid who is 6 years old. Our house is very hectic and loud but I love my family.

I went inside the house that I have called home countless of times. I go the to the same room on the second floor to the right and dropped my luggage and bags on the floor. I laid down on my bed faced down. I can't believe how much I missed this place, how everything was the same as I left it, the walls were white with purple flooring and the view of the beach was amazing and you could smell the fresh waters. This is the beginning of a great summer.

I woke up and quickly hit the alarm clock that was buzzing beside my ear to the insides of my brain. I head over to Kat's side of the room where she lay on an air bed we placed for her to sleep on. We get to change beds from time to time to keep it fair because none of us want to sleep on the air bed but since It's my room I get to make the decision.

She grunted and placed the pillow on her face to her ears to cover herself so she doesn't hear me. I forcefully pulled her blanket down and grabbed her pillow and hit her with it until she stood up. When she finally surrendered, she fixed her bed and so did I and she went to take a shower while I go down to eat breakfast.

I greeted my Uncle good morning placed my arm around him while he cooks us some bacon. I love the smell of bacon in the morning, it makes me feel energized and ready to gobble it all down and get to work. This year is the first year I will truly be working in his restaurant. Every year I would visit and just help out at the cashier and just watch as everybody moved around.

I sat down on the table and picked myself the crispiest and juiciest piece of bacon I could find and I slurped it all down in my throat in one bite.

"So, you ready to work today?" Uncle Steve stretched back to look at my face and smiled. I loved seeing him cook me breakfast and always seeing him smile. He was born with a face that isn't what you call the friendliest type. Every first impression he gets is a person screaming and getting mad at him for glaring at them when all he is doing is showing a poker face. But when he smiles it brightens the room.

"yeah, I'm really excited to start working and serving tables with Kat, and getting paid for it at that! You ARE paying me, aren't you?" I flutter my eyelashes towards his direction and tilted my head side wards. He just giggled and slowly shook his head.

"You wish."

Once I finally finished breakfast I went straight up and brought Kat some pancakes and bacon. I left it on the table and opened my closet, picking a cute outfit. Maybe this time I could get a summer love that only lasts for when summer ends. I placed a cute light pink top and shorts where the color has already faded to the perfect went out of the bathroom and chewed a piece of bacon.

"woooh! Look at that hot piece of ass Jo!" She said giving me a playful wink and proceeded to dressing up while finishing her breakfast. She asked me for my opinion on her fashion choice and ended up picking a bright dandelion tank top and black shorts.

We both fixed our hairs which took almost a whole 30 minutes to get it to look perfect and did the classic spray the perfume in the air and walk forward like a princess and smell the surrounding that I sprayed.

We both went down and outside the house. My uncle already probably left the house. I left the house with Kat and we both headed to the restaurant. The restaurant was only around 1 km away and we didn't need any transportation. I always liked walking to the restaurant because it smelled like sun block lotion and fresh sea water. It reminds me of all the times I came here, even my first love. I spend the summer here with my uncle's best friend's son. I could still reminisce the times we would both swim together, even my brothers would join in but they were still babies so I would doubt they remember.

My first love was something I would always remember, he would go swimming and I would just stare at him, whenever he plays with my baby brothers I would watch him laugh and smile, thinking how wonderful he was. I would sometimes smile to myself and my uncle who was always with me easily found out that I had a major crush on him.

I shook my head and stopped myself from remembering those times, because it still hurts. Kat knows about it but I'm glad she doesn't force me to talk about it. I looks at the sun and how the waves came crashing, it was a beautiful sight that I love looking at every morning when I ran towards the restaurant with excitement because I wanted to feel like a mature adult, working and helping out.

Kat opened the door and the bells chimed, it rang whenever a customer entered to alert the staff. We went inside and they already started preparing the meals and orders so they can just heat it later and it will be quicker to serve them. I got my apron and folded it in half, then tied it around me, it's my first time working as a waitress in here and so is Kat and the bright side to it is we get to talk to cute guys and get paid for it.

Customers started pouring in when we turned the go signal around. A giant "open" sign was hanging just outside the door. Every summer there are lots of people coming to the beach and just hanging out. We went outside of the kitchen and millions of people were just swarming, some waiting to be seated. The other waitresses and I hurriedly placed them in a table and started with the service. It was harder to work than I ever though, I regret wishing to be a grown up when I was a kid because this was clearly a mistake.

People were shouting everywhere and trying to get our attention, if we were not fast enough for them then they will start complaining. In one table I want to get the receipt that they signed and hopefully wishing for a tip and all I saw was a signed receipt and an empty candy wrapper. So much for thinking that I would get tipped with a huge amount and easily earn 50 bucks in a day.

I was busy with the orders and trying to carry everything in one go so I do not have to go back to the counter and get it because they would scream for their food, when suddenly the bell chimed, it means there was a new customer and the only empty tables left are for 2 and the other for 6 which I was handling. I can tell that this group of people were a lot because of how much noise they create.

I turned just in time to make eye contact with one of them. Such a handsome, chiseled face with beautiful chocolate brown hair and grey eyes that looks blue because of his shirt, but if you take out his shirt you can tell it was grey, and beautiful. Not that I was thinking about him shirtless… but his chin was faced up and he acted like he owned everything with 3 girls talking loudly and touching his arms. At that time I could already tell, I wouldn't like serving this boy at all.