FicWad

Naomi didn't know what had possessed her to offer Gerard a tour of the small town, but here she was, strolling through the streets of Boston with a complete stranger. Nothing had been said between the two other than the occasional, "this is the only movie theater in town and here's the park" and as time went on, Naomi realized that Gerard was as nervous as she was by his silence.



The fact that he wasn't talking and seemed to be throwing her the same tiny glances that she was throwing at him made it a little easier as they headed away from town and toward the docks. The sounds of the ocean as it crashed along the shore gave a break to the silence that surrounded them. As they reached the pier, the salty sea breeze blew softly, whistling as it swam across the sand.



"And this is as far as we can go, unless you're a really good swimmer," Naomi said, smiling shyly as she glanced over at Gerard.



"I'm a fair swimmer, but not sure I'd be able to swim long enough to catch the next attraction though," Gerard said smiling.



Naomi giggled slightly as they both ventured out onto the pier. "Well, me and water aren't good things," she said, smiling. "I actually drowned last summer," she said, looking over at him.



"You drowned?" Gerard asked, surprised.



"Yeah, actually dead," Naomi told him. "If Ben hadn't been there, I guess I wouldn't be here today."



"Ben? He your boyfriend?" Gerard asked, smiling as Naomi turned bright pink and started to laugh.



"God no!" She said, laughing harder. "Ben is just a friend and besides, Naomi and boys are another not good thing."



"Well, I find that hard to believe," He said softly as they stopped and he leaned on the railing. "Pretty girl like you is bound to have boys lined up around the block."



"Only in my dreams," Naomi told him, her laughter coming harder as she looked out over the ocean. "And besides, my mom would probably go into cardiac arrest if I started talking about dating. She's still under the delusion that I'm ten and need to be protected from such evils," she said, still laughing slightly.



"You don't date?" Gerard asked, surprised.



Another giggle escaped Naomi before she looked over at Gerard. "No, `fraid not. Mom said not until I'm sixteen."



Naomi's smile widened and Gerard's eyes seemed to go wide before he smiled at her.



"Well, just how old are you?"



"Fifteen," Naomi told him. "My birthday's not until January, so I have four more months until I'll officially be `on the market,'" she said giggling again.



"Huh, well I'd have never guessed that," Gerard said, slightly disappointed.



"Really?" Naomi asked, her smile widening as she looked at him.



"Well, yeah. You look much older than fifteen."



Naomi felt the familiar heat once again return to her cheeks before she looked back out across the ocean. She could see Gerard still staring at her out of the corner of her eye and the butterflies that had been swimming in her stomach seemed to start doing flip flops as she realized he thought she was older than she actually was.



"So, um, what about you?" Naomi asked, turning her head to look at him. "How old are you?"



"Eighteen," Gerard told her, still stunned at her revelation. "Just barely though. Graduated high school, turned eighteen and was drafted two days later."



"Wow, some present huh?" Naomi said, softly, looking at him.



"Yeah," Gerard said, laughing. "But at least I have somewhere to go now," he said sadly as he looked out over the ocean.



"What do you mean?"



Gerard glanced back over at Naomi, seeing the tiny smile on her face, and he couldn't explain why, but he felt like he could tell her anything. "I've spent the last three years living in a home. Eighteen is the cut off. Would have been out on the streets if it hadn't been for the draft."





"Oh," Naomi said, softly, her smile fading away. "Where are your parents?"



Gerard gave her a tiny smile, his eyes once again riveted to the ocean. "They're both gone," he said, quietly, glancing at her briefly. "Ma passed away `bout five years ago and Dad and I moved back here to the states. He couldn't stand living in England if she weren't there."



"And your Dad?" Naomi asked.



"Killed in a car wreck." Gerard said. "No other family to speak of. Ma was an only child as was Dad, so I was a ward of the state until my eighteenth birthday."



Naomi had so many questions running through her mind, but was too afraid to ask them. She wasn't sure how much he would be willing to tell her or how much she should ask. The smile Gerard gave her as he looked over at her and turned his body toward her reassured her, as he seemed to relax some.



"Go ahead love, ask away," Gerard said, smiling, almost seeing the wheels turn in her head.



Naomi smiled back at him, turning and leaning against the railing before looking back over at him. "Well, I guess the main thing is, how did you even get drafted? You're obviously not a local," she said, referring to his accent.



Gerard laughed softly before turning and leaning back against the rail and crossing his arms over his chest. "Well I was born in New York, so I am an official citizen. Ma and Dad meet there in college, married and had me. Mum was from New Jersey and they moved there when I was two, and we went to England for the last two years of her life.."



"Okay, accent explained," Naomi said, her smile widening as she looked over at Gerard and saw the smile that was directed at her.



"Don't think it makes me sound like a complete prick then?" Gerard asked with a soft chuckle.



Naomi grinned, shaking her head. "No, I actually like it, although I have no clue what a `prick' is."



Gerard laughed louder at that before spotting a bench in the center of the pier. Motioning Naomi forward, they both took a seat, their eyes once again settling on the ocean.



"So, tell me about yourself," He said, "Was that your Mum in the diner?"



"Yeah," Naomi said brightly. "She's really great. When Dad left, the diner was the only thing she got in the divorce settlement, other than me," she said, grinning. "I work there on weekends and during the summer to help out."



"It does good business then?" Gerard asked, turning slightly to look at her.



"Yeah, especially now. Soldiers come through town almost daily and being right across the street from the bus station helps."



"Suppose it does," Gerard said, smiling. "Never even heard of this little town before today. Guess it was a lucky break having to switch buses."



"Yeah, most of them do, the soldiers I mean."



Gerard shook his head slightly, watching her as she looked out over the ocean. He smiled as she turned to him, the slight pink tint once again staining her cheeks before she smiled and looked back out over the ocean. He couldn't explain it, but she was the first girl he had ever been around that he was able to talk to and not stutter like an idiot. He felt completely relaxed around her. He wasn't sure if it was her age or just her. Whatever it was, he was sorry it would be over in a few hours.







Naomi and Gerard talked and laughed as they headed back into town. They were both completely comfortable with the other and the silence that had hung around them in the beginning was now completely gone. It felt almost as if they had known each other forever.



As they rounded the corner and the bus station came back into view, both their hearts felt the same tiny pain at the fact that this was it, the end of something that each wanted more of. As the small line of soldiers came into view, Gerard slowed his steps.



"Naomi, can I ask you something?"



"Sure, what is it?" Naomi said, smiling as she stopped and looked at Gerard.



Gerard finally felt the same twinge of fear creep back up his spine as he looked at her before smiling and looking away briefly. Straightening his shoulders, he smiled as he looked back over at her. "Well, I was wondering, um, if you would mind if I wrote to you," he said shyly. "I mean, it's okay if you'd rather me not, it's just having no family."



"I'd like that," Naomi said, smiling, cutting him off as he started to ramble.



He sighed heavily, then looked down at Naomi and saw the bright smile she was giving him. If she wasn't so young, he could have kissed her right then. Being thousands of miles away from any resemblance of home was going to be bad enough, but to be there and know that there wasn't a single person outside of himself that cared, made it that much more difficult.



Reaching down, Gerard grabbed Naomi's hand, lifting it and placing a soft kiss on the back of it before smiling. "Thanks love, means a lot to me," he said softly.



Naomi's breathing was steadily increasing as she finally got her brain to stop screaming after he had kissed her hand. She had never even held a boy's hand, and now this gorgeous guy had not only held her hand, but he kissed it. Her adolescent mind was in overdrive as all the romantic movies she had ever been allowed to see played again for her and she felt herself getting weak-kneed as she looked up at him.



Gerard could see her eyes daze over slightly and he smiled at her before looking back over at the other soldiers that had gathered for the bus. Looking down at the hand that he still held, Gerard linked their fingers together, gave Naomi's hand a little squeeze and turned them back toward the bus station.



Naomi was alternating between looking at Gerard, their linked hands and at the people they were passing. She knew the smile on her face was enormous and probably a little on the goofy side, but at the moment, she couldn't care less. Because at this moment, Naomi felt as if she knew what it felt like to be "someone's girl."

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Chapter two go 'poof' Please review. It would mean alot. Im about to upload my chapter one of my Frank story. So look out Jordii, you're a little chick again ;)