As usual, these characters aren't mine and the song lyrics are from "Fourth of July" by Aimee Mann

Beth
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*Today's the fourth of July
another June has gone by
and when they light up our town I just think
what a waste of gunpowder and sky*

"Hi Dave," I said softly as I reached the roof of his apartment building, "I got your message and I came right over."
"Hi Lisa," he said without even turning around, "did you know you can see the fireworks from up here? Well, not very well, but you can see them."
I slowly walked toward him, "Is that why you called me up here?"

*I'm certain that I am alone
in harbouring thoughts of our home
it's one of my faults that I can't quell my past
I ought to have gotten it gone
I ought to have gotten it ...*

He softly chuckled to himself, "I guess not."
"Then why?" I asked.
The first blast of light exploded in red over the harbor and in that small burst of color the tears streaming down his face were
illuminated, "I was just thinking."

*Oh, baby, I wonder - if when you are older, someday
you'll wake up and say, 'My God, I should have told her'
What would it take?
But now here I am and the world's gotten colder
and she's got the river down which I sold her.'*

"Thinking about what?" I asked leaning against the ledge next to him.
"Things," he mumbled taking a swig of the beer he held in his hand.
"Do you want to be a little more specific?" I laughed as the next fireworks went up, illuminating the buildings in soft gold as it
spiraled through the sky.
"About the mistakes I've made since I've moved here," he said softly, looking away from the fireworks and into my eyes, "I really hurt you, didn't I?"
I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I stared deep into his icy blue eyes. Behind me I heard another firework went off as blue and red light covered us. "Yes, you did hurt me Dave," I explained, "but I think I hurt you too."

*So that's today's memory lane
with all the pathos and pain
another chapter in a book where the chapters are
endless and they're always the same
a verse, then a verse, and refrain*

He glanced away back towards the harbor, "Yeah you did."
"Why do you think we did that to each other?" I asked looking out there with him, "I really did love you."
"I really do love you," he said as we were bathed in a soft golden light.

*Oh, baby, I wonder - if when you are older, someday
you'll wake up and say, 'My God, I should have told her'
What would it take?
But now here I am and the world's gotten colder
and she's got the river down which I sold her.'*

I reached for his hand, "Is that why you called me?"
"That and to apologize," he said, "I'm honestly sorry that I ever hurt you."
"Is that it?" I asked again.
"No it isn't. Lisa, I can't sleep at night without you beside me, I can't work without the knowledge that I'll be with you after work is over, and I can't live without knowing that you'll be there for me day after day," he explained, "I didn't know if I could go on without telling you that and without asking you how you felt."
"Dave, look at me," I said inching closer to him, "do you think if I didn't have feelings for you that I would've come up here?"
"So, where do we stand?" he asked me as the crack of other fireworks went off.
"I don't know, we always end up in the same place," I whispered, our faces inches apart, "hurt, sad, and alone, can you tell me if things will be different?"
"I can't promise you anything, we might screw it up again," he said softly, "but I don't know if I can live without trying again." He leaned softly pressing his lips to mine, I returned the kiss as those familiar shivers ran down my spine.
I broke away as a larger burst of fireworks went over above our heads, "I don't want to discuss it tonight, I just want to watch the sky."
I could see his soft smile in the short flash of light and we sat down together against the ledge, staring together up at the sky. I placed my head down on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me. I let out a small contented sigh as the sky was filled by more explosions of color.