Summer air, summer light, summer sky and summer yearning.

It was indeed summer and most her age would be running around, discovering their hormones or playing at the local pool or arcade.

Instead Sasha Watson liked to spend her time indoors, playing games or writing. Of course this wasn't a sign of an introvert, she was actually quite inviting and could befriend nearly anyone she set her eyes on. She went out with friends and kept her mother company when her father was off working late nights. She and her mother had a close bond. When she learned her mother was going to give birth to a son soon, it only tightened their bond. Sasha was looking forward to being a big sister.

The girl had spent the morning with her mother, helping put the finishing touches on a cake for the neighborhood potluck. She and her family were nice to their neighbors but it was to be polite. With the school year close to starting up, it was decided that everyone should mingle together and savor the last few bits of sunlight. Sasha looked at the finished cake and felt compelled to stick her finger along the edge, just to give it a taste.

Not giving into temptation, she helped pack it up. 

This act of self-control didn't go unnoticed, as her mother ruffled Sasha's blond hair. "Good girl." Her mother said and then put her hand to her enlarged stomach, she was nearly eight months due and couldn't wait to have her child so her feet would stop hurting. "I'm sure you'll have a very good brother too. Richard will be lucky to have an older sister to look up to, you'll do great, sweetheart." She smiled. Sasha's hazel eyes which sometimes went from brown to gray, lit up at the boost of encouragement. "You've been such a great help."

"I can't wait to see Richard, mum." Sasha said and placed her hand atop her mother's.

The two women soon packed up the car and found that it was time to get a move on. Summer in London was hard to come by. Usually they had rain or wind so whenever the came out, it was bound to be a fantastic day. "Let's go, come on Robert, we're all ready." The pregnant woman called out. A tall slender man came out and took the woman's hands. "I'm fine, I'll rest when I get to the park and settle down." She assured the doting husband.

"I love you, Janet." Robert kissed her softly as Sasha ran back into their flat. "Sash, come on darling!" He tried to summon her back out to their car. "I'll go fetch her." He said as he helped his wife into the passenger's side of the car. The man then pushed his thick black rimmed glasses back up his nose and jogged back into their flat. It was small but cozy and even with the impending arrival of a son, they would be fine. It would just be cramped. The neighborhood was good, there was no need to look elsewhere just yet. 

"I'm coming!"

"Don't bring your games with you, mum wants you to make some more friends." Robert warned his daughter who reappeared in the living room with a small backpacked which he hoped didn't have her newest handheld gaming gear. He put an arm around her and placed a kiss atop her head. "Come on then." He smiled and gave her a light push to the car while he locked up.

The ride to the park was short and therefore uneventful.

Sasha kept her eyes outside, watching the houses and trees flash by her view. She looked toward the chocolate cake beside her in the seat. Her mouth watered as she forced herself to look back out the window. When they finally arrived, Robert grabbed the cake and set it on one of the tables where other dishes and treats were set up. He then helped set down a white and red checkered blanket so they could sit and mesh with the others around them.

With Janet and Robert situated, Sasha was free to roam around. She talked to a few people but thanks to her delay, most of the kids were already off together and didn't seem too eager for another addition. Sasha headed back and she and her father made plates. Robert and Janet ate and chatted to one another while Sasha was content to occupy herself with some books.

Beside her, she had her plate which she seemed to be neglecting. As her eyes scanned the last line of her current page, she heard a brisk [i]wisssh[/i] and before she looked up to assess the origin, a football jettisoned into their personal space. "Bloody hell." She whispered to herself as her father hastily began to clean up the mess. Her mother on the other hand, was more understanding and passive about the mishap.

"It's quite alright, no harm done." She told Matt. Soon they were joined by yet another culprit. "Hello." She smiled, seeing the two rambunctious boys made her think of her own which she would surely need to handle. She wondered if Richard would be into sports like rugby or football or if he would be into music or art. As a mother, she would love her children no matter their passion. Matt apologized for his younger brother and said he'd clean up the mess. "No need to worry about it, accidents happen. It could have been worse, really." The woman with long blond hair laughed.

A third male then hurried to the scene of the crime and Robert looked up to greet them. "Hey there." He said and looked to his wife and daughter who had finally closed her book, having checked it for stains or spills. "Yes, I think they do." He replied and patted Sasha's leg. 

"Um yeah, we do." Sasha gave the trio of males a smile. The boy, James, was quick to give a retort which caused Sasha to close her mouth quickly. Parents could be highly embarrassing like that. 

"I'm Robert and this is Janet." Robert replied as he grabbed a few more napkins. "Sasha, why don't you and James go get some food?" He suggested.

"Okay." Sasha said quickly and got to her feet. As much as she wanted to stay and get back to her book, she decided it would do her some good to get out of her head and actually be present. She had on a pair of simple light wash denim and a light pink blouse which had faint white etchings of roses and rose buds. "Come on then." She motioned for James to follow her. She couldn't help but poke fun at the awkward accident. "Kind of a pikey move dontcha think?" Sasha teased James as they reached the table. The blond quickly piled on what they had been eating at the time.

"Guess you're not big on football?" She then noted as she started to work on the second plate of food. Her eyes went to the cake, for the moment, no one had dug into it. Secretly, the girl hoped no one did so she could take it home and have it all to herself. Smiling a bit brighter, she turned back to James, someone she had seen around but ultimately did not know. She didn't even know he had an older brother. They said hello in passing as a pleasantry but never went any further. 

Glancing back, she saw the clean up had been finished. "Come to think of it, I've only seen you playing video games." She commented, trying to recall upon memories with him in it but honestly, they were very murky. "What do you play? Since it's clearly not football." She joked lightly as they made it back toward the blanket. Setting both plates down she couldn't help but think that with her plate now gone, she had a fresh start to get what she wanted, namely some chocolate cake. "D'you like cake? We brought some with us and I've been dying to have a slice." She offered to James.

All around them, people were chatting and enjoying themselves. People from varying ages as well as backgrounds. She wondered when the next time would be for everyone one to come together and blow off some steam. She could smell the faint bitterness of beer, well aware many of the adults liked to drink it no matter the weather. But this of course begged for it. And she never really knew why. Not that she cared.

Cake, that was her beer, in her mind.