"Bro, can I ask you a question?"
Sam and Devin were up on the rooftop of the beach house, lying back under the bright midday sun. They were supposed to be watching the clouds, but Sam couldn't stop thinking about that one question. He kept hesitating until his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Anna, pushing him.
You coward. Just ask him and be done with it," the message read.
Devin didn't even look over, but he smirked. He could probably hear the phone vibrating against the roof tiles. "You haven't even asked me yet, but my heart is already racing," Devin teased. "Go ahead."
Sam cleared his throat, squinting against the glare. "Have you, um... already asked Allison out? To be her boyfriend or something?"
Devin held his breath for a second. The relaxed vibe shifted. "Not yet. I have this letter I've kept for years..."
Devin paused, looking out toward the ocean. While he was lost in thought, Sam's thumbs were moving fast, typing a message to Anna.
"Baby, Devin said he has a letter from years ago. He couldn't send it. I'm pretty sure it's a confession letter."
Devin's eyes flicked over. He noticed the frantic typing. "I trusted you with this secret, bro."
Sam went rigid for a heartbeat. He scrambled to delete the text before shoving the device out of sight, offering a forced, guilty nod.
"It's my confession letter," Devin continued, his voice dropping. "I just couldn't send it. I don't know... I guess I didn't understand that the weight of those three words would be so heavy."
Sam let out a loud laugh to break the mood. "Damn, bro. Are you kidding me? You can just say it, man."
"Yeah, easy to say. But it's hard. Now that she's finally here, though, I have a plan. I'm going to tell her on her 18th birthday."
"Oh," Sam said, finally understanding why there was no "boyfriend-girlfriend" thing happening. "So, when is her 18th birthday?"
Devin laughed at him, shaking his head. He knew Sam was just being Sam. "September 28th."
"That would be right during school days," Sam noted.
Meanwhile, Anna was frustrated. Since Sam couldn't tell her the real reason Devin was stalling, she decided to take charge. She wanted to sabotage their day with a blind date at the beach near the glass house. She had planned for it to happen the next day, but then Allison walked in.
"Gosh, I miss him already, Anna. Wait—who are you texting?" Allison sighed.
That forced Anna's hand. It had to happen today.
"Obviously, Sam... I've got a plan for us today. Just us. What if we go somewhere else so you forget about him for a bit?" Anna suggested.
"Forget?" Allison looked at her, confused. "Why would I do that when I can just go visit him? I always thought you were the smart one between us."
"Allison, you're right, but listen," Anna scrambled. "Why would you visit him when you're the girl? You'll sound desperate for a man."
"Desperate? Do I look desperate?" Allison sighed, pushing open the terrace doors and spreading her arms into the warm afternoon air. "We can see each other if we want, Anna. We're best friends."
"That was before, when you were kids," Anna countered. "But now, it's different. Unless you were born 'middle class' or something low, you can't just barge into their house anytime you want. There are expectations now."
Allison went quiet. She realized Anna was right about the social pressure. It was about protecting her own image, too.
Anna saw the silence and knew she'd won the argument. "So... how about we go somewhere else?"
"Okay," Allison relented.
Anna got behind the wheel and drove. After a few minutes, she pulled over, grabbed a handkerchief from her bag, and reached over to cover Allison's eyes.
"Okay, what is this now? Smells like a big surprise," Allison laughed, feeling the soft fabric. "Anna is being Anna again, hmm?"
"Just be patient. I'm going to show you something you will never forget."
"Everything you've done has been unforgettable. There isn't a thing I've missed," Allison reminded her.
At that same moment, Sam was doing his part. He'd tricked Devin into coming out to the sandy beach to play with the old kite. Inside Devin's room, Sam held the kite in his hands.
"So, this is the famous kite," Sam said. "Why does it feel so heavy? It's causing a pain right here." Sam pointed to his heart.
"You're being Sam again. Let's go. It's been a long time since I last played with this."
But Sam was telling the truth. He froze as Devin walked out of the room and shut the door. Real tears fell from Sam's eyes.
Sadness, pain, hope, and love—that was what made the kite heavy.
"Something is ominous about that kite," Sam muttered.
Anna and Allison finally arrived. Anna slowly guided a blindfolded Allison across the hot sand toward the spot where Devin sat, holding the kite string.
"You fool, we're at the beach, aren't we?" Allison laughed.
Her eyes were still covered, but her heart started racing. Her mind began to spin with all the possibilities of who was waiting for her in the sunlight.
"Yeah, so what? It's South Carolina. Just trust me, Ali."
"You're always like that—full of surprises," Allison told Anna.
From afar, Sam watched them approaching, carefully stepping through the sand. Devin finally noticed them and saw that Allison was blindfolded. He started to say something, but Sam stopped him before he could make a sound.
"Bro, just go with the flow," Sam whispered.
Devin wanted to laugh, but seeing Allison walking toward them blindfolded made him think of the plan he'd held in his heart for so long—how he was going to surprise her on her eighteenth birthday.
"Almost there, Ali," Anna cheered, glancing at Sam with a smile, more excited than anyone.
At last, she was standing right in front of him. Devin remained silent, deeply moved as he looked at her. He wanted to hold her, to pull her and simply hug her.