One Summer

by Teegan Loy

  My skin tingled where he touched me, and for some reason, I gulped for a breath of air.

  “Stay and hang with us,” Jamie said.

  “Nah, that’s okay. I’d just be in the way.” I jerked away and ran up the hill, not looking back. I collapsed on a deck chair and covered my head with my towel.

  I knew how Jamie worked. For four years I’d watched him cast his spell on countless unsuspecting men and women. Why did Stef have to put this idea into my head? Now my dick was interested, and it would make things awkward if I kept getting a hard-on whenever Jamie touched me.

  Several minutes later I heard a boat motor, water splashing, and then laughter. I lifted the corner of my towel and watched as Jamie helped the girl get comfortable, then slathered her back with lotion.

  She wiggled and moved closer to him, clearly enjoying his touch. A rush of blood flooded my brain and a loud buzzing noise filled my ears. I wanted to race down to the dock and shove the woman in the lake. Instead, I slumped in my chair and watched as they chatted and laughed. By noon, they were lying on top of each other, and I had to hide in the cabin before I lost control and tossed both of them into the lake.

  While they were outside enjoying the weather, I stayed inside watching daytime TV and thumbing through some old fashion magazines I found tucked in a cupboard. They were from the early 1980s when women wore suits with shoulder pads that rivaled professional football players’ uniforms. It was a waste of an afternoon and did nothing to improve my mood.

  At dusk, they breezed by me and disappeared into Jamie’s room. I stayed in the living room with the TV on full blast so I couldn’t hear their moans. But just because I couldn’t hear them didn’t mean I was blind to what was going on in that bedroom. The pictures on the wall bounced to the healthy beat of their bedroom activities. Thankfully, or not, Jamie and his woman finished before the pictures dropped to the ground.

  I frowned and folded my arms over my chest, sinking in the chair. To cover my tenting shorts, I grabbed a pillow and laid it across my lap. Apparently, my dick thought the evidence of Jamie getting laid was interesting. I pushed the heel of my hand against my groin, trying to press my erection away. It didn’t work. And then the pictures started dancing again. My poor cock throbbed with each bang. I finally gave in and grabbed the bottle of sunscreen, squirted a blob into my hand, filling the room with the scent of coconut. I shoved my hand down my shorts and wrapped my fingers around my erection.

  Images of Jamie spread out on the bed filtered through my head. I tried to change the vision, to focus on some random hot guy, but the picture turned fuzzy and would morph back into Jamie. My wonderful imagination was a fucking curse tonight.

  It took exactly twelve slides and one twist of my wrist for me to climax. The orgasm made my eyes cross, my head loll to the side, and left me panting like a dog in heat.

  I still had my hand down my shorts when Jamie strolled out of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. I repositioned the pillow on my lap, making sure my spent dick wasn’t on display.

  Jamie stared at me and wrinkled his nose. “Did you just put sunscreen on? You do know the moon won’t burn you, right?”

  I flipped him off with my free hand when I really should’ve whipped my other hand out of my shorts and flicked my cooling come at him.

  “Do you mind if she spends the night?” Jamie asked as he dug in the fridge.

  “Why would I care?” I swept the pillow off my lap, wiped my release on my shorts, and headed toward my room.

  “Kellen,” Jamie said, following after me. “Kell, wait!”

  “It’s cool, Jamie. I’m just being stupid. Ignore me,” I mumbled, turning away from him.

  “This isn’t . . . if you have something to say . . . ah, forget it. I obviously misunderstood.” He snorted and waved me off, heading into his room.

  I wanted to chase after him, shove him against the wall, and ask him what the hell he was talking about. This whole situation was out of control, and it was ridiculous for me to be upset. I’d never shown any interest in him before, so why would he think differently now?

  The summer wasn’t turning out exactly as I’d planned. I crawled into my bed, burrowed under my blankets, and dragged my pillow over my head. It muffled the sound of the pictures bouncing against the living room wall.

  If Stef hadn’t fucked with my head by suggesting I had feelings for Jamie, I wouldn’t be in this predicament. I toyed with the idea of calling her, but I didn’t want to listen to her dissect my nonexistent relationship with Jamie. After rolling around for several hours, I stalked out of my room and went to sit on the deck.

  It all seemed so ridiculous, like one big joke on me. I’d had several days with Jamie. Plenty of time to spill my guts and ask the difficult questions, but instead, I’d kept my mouth shut. Jamie had no idea what was going on inside my head. He was here to relax and have a good time, which meant he had every right to sleep with whoever he wanted. I was being a pouty brat because Jamie was having fun and I was miserable. It was actually Stef who deserved my spite because this whole fiasco was her fault.

  So while Jamie got the girl, I was laid out on a deck chair, staring up at the night sky, clutching at my aching heart. One day the thing was just going to fall out of my chest and Jamie wouldn’t even notice. He’d just kick it aside, and I’d curl up in a ball and die.

  “You smell like a coconut.”

  “Christ,” I yelped, almost tipping over my chair. The light from the flashlight hit me in the face. “Mrs. Jorgenson? It’s like four in the morning. What are you doing up?”

  “Agnes decided she wanted to go for a walk.” She pointed the flashlight at her Golden Retriever, who was running around the yard, squatting by every tree. “Why are you out here?” She sat down in the chair next to me.

  “Couldn’t sleep,” I muttered.

  “I don’t sleep much anymore. There’s too much going on in my head. Plus, sleeping at my age is a little too much like being dead.”

  “Lovely sentiment.”

  “Eh.” She shrugged. “I’m old. I can get away with saying crazy stuff. So, who’s the new girl?”

  “I call her lake girl.”

  “You don’t like her much, do you?”

  “I don’t know her. I just—” I groaned.

  “She’s with your guy.”

  “Jamie’s not my guy,” I choked out.

  “But you sure would like him to be.” She winked.

  “Who told you that?”

  “No one had to tell me anything. I do have eyes.”

  “I think I liked you better when you yelled at me for doing stupid things.”

  “You’ve done a lot of stupid things.”

  “Thanks for that.”

  “Remember the clams.” She chuckled and wrinkled her nose.

  “I’ve been trying to forget them for years.”

  I’d spent the afternoon digging up clams and stuffing them into a bucket. When it was full, I brought them to show Mrs. Jorgenson. For some reason, I was sidetracked and forgot the pail on her porch. A few days later, she discovered the bucket. I had to spend several hours scrubbing her porch while she told me how those poor clams suffered and then died a slow painful death, stinking up her entire house.

  She finally released me into the custody of Stef, who immediately made me jump into the lake. I could smell cleaning solution and dead clams for days. And sometimes, when Jamie and I strolled by a seafood restaurant near campus, that smell came back to haunt me.

  “I know you like Jamie. It’s kind of hard not to notice, Kellen.”

  “Oh, god.” I buried my face in my hands. “How? I just found out from Stef. How could I have not known?”

  “You’ve been in love with him for years. Hell, watching you boys dance around each other is more entertaining than anything on television,” she said. “I think Jamie does it on purpose.”

  “Does what?”

  “Sleeps with all these people. You have to realize he�
�s trying to make you jealous.”

  “Right.” I barked out a laugh and Agnes joined me.

  “Kellen, eventually time runs us over and moves on. You should make your choice. I best get going. Agnes is impatient.”

  She made her way down the steps to meet her dog, and I flopped back on my chair, wondering how my life had gotten so strange.

  Her words spun around in my head until at some point I fell asleep. Sort of. Mosquitoes that never went to bed buzzed around my head, feasting on any naked skin like I was an all-you-can-eat buffet. The frogs croaked and chirped until I wanted to skewer and roast them all for being so noisy. And then the sun came up, smiling and touching everything with its rays of golden light. I sneered and pulled my T-shirt over my face.

  Sleeping on a lawn chair outside wasn’t a great idea. In fact, it wasn’t even a good idea. I dragged my sore body into the cabin, only to be greeted by the smiling lake girl draped over Jamie’s back.

  “Hi,” she said in between kissing Jamie’s shoulder blade. “I’m Brianna. You must be Kellen.”

  I grunted at her.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Jamie said to me.

  He smiled and asked if I wanted to join them for breakfast. My stomach thought it was a great idea, but I ignored the pangs of hunger and went to bed for the rest of the day.

  The smell of steaks on the grill woke me out of my sleep coma and I followed the scent over to an open window in the kitchen.

  “Oh, god,” Jamie moaned. “This steak might be better than sex.”

  My stomach rumbled loudly, and in my temporary hunger-induced stupor, I almost walked outside. I immediately stopped when I heard muffled laughter and a few grunts. My imagination was more than happy to fill in the blanks, so I made a hasty retreat back inside. I did manage to bang my foot against a chair, stubbing my toe and letting loose a loud howl accompanied by several interesting curse words. No one came to check on my well-being.

  I dashed to my room, changed into workout gear, and ran seven miles, coming home an exhausted, sweaty mess. Dinner had been cleared away, and there was no evidence of Brianna or Jamie anywhere.

  My body craved food, so I sniffed around the kitchen for any leftovers. But there wasn’t a potato or scrap of steak in existence. My stomach growled again, so I opened a can of SpaghettiO’s and sat on the counter. I ate them cold, straight out of the can, and washed the fine cuisine down with the last bottle of beer. If this was going to be my summer, I was going to have to run into town and stock up on liquor.

  “Hey,” Jamie said as he came in through the front screen door. I slid off the counter and tossed the remainder of my haute cuisine in the trash.

  Jamie set down several bags of groceries and went back outside, returning with a case of cold beer.

  “Where’s Brianna?”

  “She left. She figured she should spend a few hours with her family before she heads back to the city.”

  “Oh,” I muttered.

  Jamie trapped me against the counter, pressing his groin into my crotch. I immediately tried to twist away from him.

  “What’s wrong with you? Are you mad at me?” Jamie breathed against my neck and a shot of electricity bolted straight to my dick.

  Now would be the perfect opportunity to come clean and confess my newly awakened feelings, but my mouth wouldn’t work, and if I stood there much longer, Jamie was going to notice my hardening cock. Like an idiot, I blinked at him and shook my head before shoving him away.

  “I’m not mad about anything,” I lied. “I need to shower. I ran.”

  “You ran?” Jamie sounded confused.

  “Felt like working out.”

  He cocked his head and looked at me like I’d lost my mind. His heated stare made my pulse race and things started really stirring.

  “I’m heading back into town. Do you want me to wait for you?”

  I shook my head and quickly raced down the hall to hide my growing problem.

  With the door closed, I stripped off my clothes, glared at my dick, and climbed into the shower. Stupid Jamie. I considered ignoring my problem, but I ached for some sort of release. It certainly wouldn’t take much time to get off. I frowned and took my erection in hand, squeezing hard.

  Three minutes later, my release and some of my anger circled down the drain. Once again, I reminded myself that this situation wasn’t Jamie’s fault. I wouldn’t survive this summer if I spent it pissed off twenty-four hours a day. I needed to get a grip and enjoy this time my parents had gifted me.

  I dressed, grabbed a couple of beers, and headed down to the dock. The night was quiet, and the water like glass. It was early in the season and most of the regulars were only coming on weekends. There was still plenty of summer left. Maybe with Brianna gone, things would change and I would grow a pair and tell Jamie what was going on in my head.

  Or not.

  Laughter welled up behind me, and Jamie came barreling down the hill, followed by a dark-haired guy that made my mouth fall open. Jamie attracted hot people like a boy band attracted tween girls.

  “Kell,” Jamie shouted.

  I gave him a weak wave and sat down on the dock, dangling my feet in the water. Maybe a shark would come and put me out of my misery. More likely a tiny minnow would poke its head out of the water and laugh at me.

  “We’re going to start a fire and maybe invite some people over. Harry brought a friend.”

  “I’m going to assume you’re Harry?” I said to the guy.

  He grinned. “Hi.”

  “Where did you meet?” I had to ask because Brianna just disappeared, and now there was some guy named Harry, who apparently had a friend.

  “Bar,” Jamie said as he came down to the dock and grabbed my arm, dragging me to my feet. “C’mon, Kell, Harry’s friend is just your type: blond hair, great abs, seems like a really nice guy.”

  It would’ve been very easy to point out that Jamie had described himself as my type. He put his arm around my shoulders and patted my stomach. “Seriously, buddy, you need to get laid. You’ve been in a real shitty mood since we got here.”

  And there it was staring me right in the face. Buddy. I was Jamie’s buddy, his pal, his friend, and for the first time, I hated those words more than the men and women who got to touch him. Because if I lost Jamie’s friendship, I didn’t think I’d survive. The thought alone made me lose feeling in my arms and legs.

  “I’ll be up in a minute. I have to call Stef.”

  Jamie and Harry bolted up the hill as I whipped out my phone.

  She answered in a hushed whisper. “What?”

  “Can you talk?”

  “If you’re calling about Jamie again, you’ve had like five-thousand chances to tell him the truth.”

  “I have not.”

  “Kellen.”

  “Okay fine, maybe there was a few times, but every second I turn around there’s another girl or guy, and this time Harry brought a friend.”

  “Look, if you can’t tell Jamie, you might as well enjoy the summer. Meet Harry’s friend and move on from Jamie.”

  “Move on?”

  “Yes, it’s what well-adjusted people do when a relationship doesn’t work out. They move on. I have to go. My boss already thinks I’m crazy.”

  “I’ll call you after the party,” I said, but she’d already hung up.

  4

  The Severed Grass Heart

  The party turned out to be only Harry, his friend, and us. Jamie built a bonfire and we sat on the beach. After introductions and a few beers, Harry had climbed into Jamie’s lap. Harry’s friend, Dylan, moved closer and played footsy with me. When Harry ran his hands under Jamie’s shirt, Dylan lightly touched my arm, making me squirm. When Jamie made Harry squeak, I snapped and kissed Dylan. It was more like smashing into his mouth and bumping teeth. There was absolutely nothing sweet or romantic about it.

  He was a really cute, nice guy, and in the back of my mind, I knew he didn’t deserve to be treated this way. But wat
ching Jamie the last few days had me so hot and bothered, I couldn’t take it anymore, and Dylan didn’t seem distressed by my advances.

  He grabbed my hair, tugged me closer, and sucked my tongue into his mouth. I peeked through hooded lids, catching sight of Jamie’s piercing blue eyes. It startled me, but when I blinked, Jamie was back at Harry’s mouth. That one glance made my lungs constrict, and I no longer wanted to be near Jamie. I grabbed Dylan by his hand, deciding to take him up to Peyton Place where we’d have some privacy.

  His brown eyes were wide and unsure as I dragged him up the stairs. It made me uneasy. I didn’t do stuff like this very often. This was more Jamie’s style. I blew out a breath and let go of his hand, taking a step back so he could enter the room under his own power.

  “I’m sorry.” I jammed my hands in my pockets.

  “It’s okay.” He sat down on the bed.

  “I didn’t mean to be so . . .” I paused. “Forceful.”

  “That’s okay. I liked it.” Dylan smiled. “It’s just . . . you should know, I’ve never been with a guy.”

  Holy shit. I dropped my chin to my chest and frowned. “Jesus, this isn’t how you should have your first experience.”

  Dylan shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in someone like me.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Dylan’s knuckles turned white as he clutched at the blanket on the bed. “It’s just you’re so— out of my league.”

  My face flamed, and I snorted. “How much have you had to drink?”

  “Only a couple of beers.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-one,” he said. “Do you want to check my ID?”

  I sighed and sat down next to him. “No, you look young. And I’m not out of your league.”

  “Are you kidding me,” he said, astounded. “You’re the hottest guy here.”

  “You’re crazy,” I said. “Might want to go have your eyesight checked.”

  And that broke the ice between us. We flopped back on the bed, laughing hard.