She smiled again, but this time there was fire behind her eyes as she looked at me. "I can't believe you came back for me."

"I never left," I replied, brushing her cheek with my fingers.

She pushed forward and wrapped her arms firmly around my neck, burying her face into my shoulder.

"I have a surprise for you," I said.

"You do?"

I soothed her back with my hands. "It's your birthday. Of course I do."

As we drove, we didn't recount the blank space between graduation and now. Time sewed us back together as if it were sorry for ever having torn us apart. Nothing changed. She still laughed beautifully.

It wasn't the Fourth of July, but I drove her to Montauk. We arrived after dark, and the house was completely empty. I flipped on the lights and set her things in the living room. There was a building conflict inside of myself as I looked at her, surrounded by privacy, memories, and silence. I carried her to the kitchen counter and set her down.

"When you were nineteen I wanted to kiss you here that morning. Did you know that?"

She pressed her forehead against mine. "When I was nineteen, I wanted you to kiss me here that morning. Did you know that?"

"Can I kiss you now that you're twenty one?"

"Do you still love my short dresses?"

I wound my arms around her waist and slid her flush to my chest. "I still love you."

"Nothing you could give me that's better than that on my birthday, Callum Andrew."

"Not even a kiss?"

"Well," she scraped her fingers along the back of my head, "maybe that."

"What's with all the balloons?" she asked as we walked along the beach.

The little girl, Shannon, from the Fourth beamed, "It's for Topolina!"

Shannon's mother Petra smiled at me. "We did our best. Hope this is okay."

I nodded. "You did perfect. Thank you." I looked at Everly. "This is my girlfriend Everly Anne."

"Nice to meet you, I've heard so much-"

I cut her off by asking Shannon, "Have you spotted anything yet?"

"Nope! But I'm keeping watch for her!"

"Who?" Everly glanced at me, her eyes confused.

"A mermaid named Topolina," I replied. "She's become very popular around these parts since the Fourth of July. Hey Shannon, isn't that right?"

"Yes!" The little girl jumped. "And she is the most beautiful mermaid, with a heart of gold, and eyes like emeralds! She loves rubies! Do you love rubies?" Shannon waved to the balloons.

"Rubies?" Everly glanced at me, smiling. "Oh, is that what the balloons are-treasure?"

I leaned in to her ear, "The treasure is right beside me."

But Shannon kept on going. "YES! We set rubies on the shore and try to get her to come out of the water! Last year we saw her after the fireworks! Me and my brother Jeremy saw her tail!"

"Well God bless America," Everly laughed. "I'm so sorry I missed that. I would love to see a mermaid."

I watched Everly. "With eyes like emeralds, and a heart of gold."

"That would be something to behold," she said, looking at me.

"She sure is, Everly Anne." I caressed her cheek. "She sure is."