A Summer Romance

by Tracey Smith

  Maggie practically skipped to the front door. Her spirits had never been so high. At this moment she felt like she could spend the rest of her life making love with Aaron and cooking breakfast, and she would be completely fulfilled. She opened the door with a wide smile and found Andi waiting on the other side looking a little bemused at Maggie’s exuberant expression.

  “I take it last night went well,” Andi presumed as she stepped inside carrying a stack of large bowls. Maggie was a little thrown off. Normally she would welcome her friend, but at this moment she had other things on her mind.

  “I brought your bowls back. You left them behind last night and…” Andi trailed off as her attention was diverted. Maggie turned to follow Andi’s gaze and saw Aaron standing at the entrance to the front room, still shirtless and looking absolutely delectable. Maggie turned back to Andi to see her open mouthed stare and she had to stifle a giggle.

  “Mornin’ Andi,” Aaron said cheerfully, and this time Maggie couldn’t hold back her hysterical giggle. This entire situation was just so out of her league she had no idea how to handle it.

  “Uh… good morning,” Andi stuttered as she looked between Aaron and Maggie. “Well, I just wanted to return your bowls,” she said quickly, passing the stack of bowls into Maggie’s arms. “I’ll leave you two to… uh… have a good day.” She turned quickly and left the house, closing the door behind her. Maggie just stood there holding the stack of bowls and smiling after her friend. She then looked to Aaron and saw the humor in his eyes and they both began laughing. He crossed the room and took the bowls from her, setting them on the large table in the center of the room.

  “I don’t think she was expecting me,” Aaron said, smiling down at Maggie. She looked up at him and saw the fire in his eyes. Her laughter faded away as she felt the pull of desire in the pit of her stomach. She reached for his waist drawing him up against her.

  “I wasn’t expecting you either,” she admitted. He took her mouth in a passionate kiss and swept her up into his arms as he carried her back to the bedroom, breakfast forgotten.

  ~11~

  Maggie and Aaron spent the next several days locked away from the world, spending their time making love and occasionally remembering to eat. After three days they were officially out of food.

  “I think we may need some groceries,” Aaron remarked as he stared into the bare fridge. Maggie sat at the bar sipping her coffee and admiring his muscular physique as he rummaged through the empty cabinets in search in food. She wondered if she’d ever get enough of him. She seriously doubted it.

  “I suppose it’s time to make a trip to town,” Maggie replied reluctantly. Part of her wished they could stay secluded in their little bubble forever. These last few days had been the happiest of her life.

  “I actually need to run to town this afternoon to meet someone,” Aaron told Maggie as he joined her at the bar. Maggie looked up from her coffee waiting for him to elaborate. He didn’t.

  “I could come with you to pick up some groceries,” she suggested.

  “I can just bring some back with me,” Aaron offered. Maggie tried to suppress the nagging suspicion that he didn’t want her to come along. “I mean, I am mostly responsible for eating these cupboards bare,” Aaron teased her playfully and Maggie smiled with relief, mentally kicking herself for being so paranoid. He was just being a gentleman.

  “I don’t mind doing the shopping,” Maggie insisted. “I’ll go get ready so we can head to town.”

  “I better let you head up alone or else we may never get out of this house.” He smiled at her suggestively, admiring her long, lean legs stretching below his t-shirt that she’d worn to bed. She smiled back, turning on the ball of her foot to sashay out of the room, swaying her hips for him as she went.

  “Hey, Maggie,” he called up the stairs a moment later just as she’d reached the top. She turned and looked back down at him. “I’m actually gonna head over to my place to clean up and change. I’ll be back to get you in a bit. Okay?”

  “Sounds good.” She smiled down at him and then headed for the shower.

  ~∞~

  “I was thinking of having lunch with Andi,” Maggie told Aaron as they rode into town. “I’m sure she can give me a ride home so you don’t have to wait on me after your meeting.” Maggie still wasn’t sure who this mysterious meeting was with, and she did find it a little odd that Aaron was being so vague about it, but she also wanted to show him that if he wanted a little space she could give it to him. After he’d left earlier she’d wondered if she’d been too pushy about coming to town with him.

  “I imagine she’s dying to see you and get all the juicy details about what’s going on between us,” Aaron teased.

  “Some details she’ll just have to do without,” she assured him.

  “I’m sure you girls will have plenty to catch up on. If you’d like to have a girl’s night, I’d understand,” Aaron said.

  “I doubt she’ll stay the whole night,” Maggie said

  “If you want me to come over later just give me a call,” Aaron told her.

  “Maybe I’ll come to your place tonight,” Maggie offered. “I’d love to see it.”

  “It isn’t much,” he said, sounding uncomfortable.

  “It doesn’t need to be,” she assured him.

  “Trust me. It’s nowhere near as comfortable as the big house. I really don’t mind coming to you.” He didn’t seem to want her to come to his home which bothered her. She didn’t like that there were parts of himself that he was still keeping from her, and she really didn’t like how distant he seemed all of a sudden.

  “Aaron, just because I’m staying in the ‘big house’ for the summer does not mean that it defines my standard of living by any means,” she said, in her mind seeing the stark contrast from the grand home to the sparse dorm room she’d left behind.

  “Maggie, you grew up in the Hamptons,” Aaron reminded her dryly. It was her turn to shift uncomfortably. It was the first time that she’d ever felt any real division between them, and she didn’t like it.

  “I left that life behind years ago,” Maggie commented quietly. She didn’t like that he saw her as someone who needed to be kept comfortable. One of the first things that had attracted her to him was the fact that she felt like she could be real with him, no pretenses. She’d spent her childhood being treated like a porcelain doll, and she’d sacrificed a lot to prove that that’s not who she was. Now it suddenly felt like Aaron was treating her that way too.

  Aaron looked toward her, hearing the difference in her tone. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know how to explain to her that his place wasn’t good enough for her, that it didn’t reflect what he could offer her. An awkward silence dragged out between them as they arrived at the grocery store.

  “I guess I’ll see you later,” Maggie said. She didn’t really want to leave with this strange tension between them. She still wasn’t sure where it had come from. She leaned over and kissed him, and she didn’t pull away until she felt his body respond, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss. Satisfied that she was leaving him wanting more, she finally broke the kiss.

  “I’ll call you,” she promised before slipping out of the truck. She was sure to put a little extra sway in her hips as she walked up to the store knowing he’d be watching. Just before entering the store she turned back and looked over her shoulder. She was rewarded with Aaron’s smoldering stare that told her she’d succeeded in reminding him of exactly why he should want her to come over tonight.

  ~∞~

  Andi was so excited to see Maggie walk into the store she was practically bouncing. She pulled off her apron and walked straight to the manager’s office.

  “I’m taking lunch,” she called into the door as she tossed her apron on a table. She turned to Maggie with a big smile on her face. “You better be ready to spill, cuz I’m about to bust!” she exclaimed. “If you hadn’t come out of hiding I was about to go in there after you,
” she joked.

  “You can call off the search party,” Maggie assured her. “Do you want to get some lunch? I’m starving!”

  “I bet you are,” Andi teased as she hooked her arm through Maggie’s and led her down the sidewalk toward a corner deli. Maggie rolled her eyes at her friend, but didn’t deny the insinuation.

  The women ordered lunch as Maggie began to fill Andi in on the events of the last few days. She didn’t reveal the secrets Aaron had shared with her, they weren’t her secrets to tell, but she did assure her friend that he’d been honest with her about his past. She also left out some of the more intimate details of the last few days, but the way she blushed when she spoke of Aaron told Andi all she needed to know.

  “You’re in love!” Andi declared.

  “What? No. That’s ridiculous. I’m just… I’m… in love,” Maggie realized aloud as a smile spread across her face. There was no denying it. She’d never felt this way about a man before. The rational side of her mind tried to argue that it was just infatuation, just an overreaction to this new level of intimacy that she’d never experienced before, this new level of emotion. Love her heart screamed, the emotion is love. She couldn’t stop smiling as she went round and round with the idea in her mind.

  “Oh yeah, you’ve got it bad,” Andi confirmed.

  “I guess I do,” Maggie sighed happily. There was no reason to deny it, no reason to want to.

  “So what’s the plan?” Andi asked as she finished off her sandwich.

  “I need to pick up some groceries, and then I was hoping I could catch a ride home with you,” Maggie told her as she finished her own lunch.

  “No, I mean the big plan. What are you going to do when summer is over?” Andi asked the question that Maggie had been ignoring since the day she’d arrived. Maggie felt that question hit her with full force now, and she didn’t have an answer.

  She felt a familiar tightening in her chest as it suddenly became harder to breathe. She could feel the panic gripping her, but she wouldn’t let it take hold. Maggie had been trying to coast through this summer without making plans, without thinking of the future. It was all catching up with her now.

  She’d always made plans to feel in control, to keep the panic at bay. She had no plans right now; she had no control. In the past, acknowledging that fact alone would be enough to cripple her with a panic attack, but that’s not who she was anymore. It’s not who she wanted to be. She had come too far from the person she’d been to go back now.

  She’d proven that she could survive without a plan, and learned that sometimes allowing life to happen led you down roads you may never have found on your own. However, she also realized that she couldn’t just float through the rest of her life. It was time to make a plan.

  “I don’t know,” Maggie answered honestly. “But I think it’s time to figure that out.”

  “I’ve got two more hours on my shift,” Andi told her as they paid for their lunch. “But after that I can take you home.”

  “Alright. I’ll walk around town for a while to kill some time before I start my grocery shopping.”

  The women hugged goodbye and Andi headed back toward the grocery store, leaving Maggie to window shop and wander the streets of Sweetwater. Maggie was lost in thought as she slowly navigated the tree-lined avenues.

  She realized that a small part of her had always planned to go back to Boston. She’d considered this adventure a break from reality, a respite for her overwhelmed mind, but the little control freak that lived inside her head had always planned to go back. She’d only been fooling herself believing that she was coasting through this summer without a plan. Perhaps she had allowed herself a few months of a carefree existence, but she’d only been able to live that way because in the back of her mind she knew she would return to reality eventually. But things were different now, so many things had changed. She had changed. Had what she wanted changed as well?

  The idea of returning to her solitary life in Boston was almost unbearable. But Aaron’s behavior this morning also made her question whether or not he would actually want her to stay. And what if he did ask her to stay? Is that what she wanted? Was she was ready to give up her dream of becoming a doctor? She realized now that not only had she planned to return to Boston, she’d also hoped to be accepted back into school.

  Maggie had always dreamed of being a doctor, and although she’d hit a major bump in the road along the way, she wasn’t really sure that she was ready to give up on that dream. But how could she have both? How could she have this life with Aaron and also pursue her dreams? If she had to choose, what did she want more?

  Maggie was so lost in thought that she didn’t even see the gentleman in front of her until she bumped right into him.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Maggie exclaimed. She looked up at the man and found a pair of ice-blue eyes staring back at her.

  “Pardon me,” the man said, gently gripping Maggie’s arms to steady her as she stumbled backward. She quickly righted herself and stepped out of his grasp.

  “I really need to learn to watch where I’m walking,” Maggie apologized again. She felt very nervous under his penetrating gaze.

  “The fault is mine,” he insisted. “I’m afraid I’m a bit lost and I was too busy looking for a street sign that I didn’t even see the beautiful woman right in front of me.”

  “You’re not from here?” Maggie was so used to people acting like she was some kind of anomaly that the idea of another stranger in Sweetwater seemed nearly impossible.

  “Just got to town today actually,” he confirmed. “I’m here to visit a friend, maybe you know him? Aaron Miles.”

  “Oh yes! I’m… a friend of Aaron’s,” Maggie faltered. “He mentioned you.”

  “Did he now?” For just a moment the man seemed genuinely surprised. Maggie assumed it was because of how she hesitated when defining her relationship with Aaron.

  “Yes, he said he had a meeting today, I’m assuming he meant with you,” Maggie said.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have his number would you? I’d like to let him know that I’m running late, but I seem to have the wrong number saved in my phone,” the man said.

  “Of course.” Maggie retrieved her phone from her purse and pulled up Aaron’s number. After giving him the information he kindly thanked her and headed off down the street. It was only a few minutes later that Maggie realized she hadn’t even gotten his name.

  ~12~

  Andi did end up staying for dinner. Maggie hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed her friend until she was in her company again. It was nice to have an evening of girl talk and to share her concerns about her budding new relationship.

  “Don’t call him tonight,” Andi advised. “Give him a little time to miss you, honey.”

  “But I told him I’d call.”

  “Which is exactly why you shouldn’t. You gotta make him work for it a little. Make him wonder if you’ve got something better to do. Trust me on this.”

  Those were Andi’s parting words before she headed home. It was still rather early, but another storm was predicted to blow in that evening and Andi had wanted to make it home before the rain started.

  Maggie decided to follow her friend’s advice, but it was much easier said than done. She tried to settle down in the library with a good book and a glass of wine. Barney curled up at her feet, seemingly happy to be back to their old routine. But Maggie just couldn’t concentrate on the novel in her hands. Repeatedly she caught herself picking up her phone and scrolling to Aaron’s number before putting it back down again. She missed him terribly and she wondered if he was thinking of her as well.

  Finally she put the book down. She wasn’t really reading it anyway. She picked up her phone and stared at it. She wished Aaron would just call her, but of course he wouldn’t. As far as he knew she was having a girl’s night and didn’t want to be bothered. Maybe Andi was wrong, maybe she should call him. Maybe he was sitting home alone just like she wa
s, staring at his phone hoping she would call.

  Maggie realized that even though she had spent hundreds of nights alone she’d never before felt this lonely. The difference was now she knew what she was missing. She wondered if this is what it would be like if she went back to Boston, spending each night alone missing Aaron, wondering what he was doing and if he was thinking of her.

  Barney jumped up onto her lap, as if sensing that she needed some affection. The cat purred and rubbed his head against her shoulder. Maggie hugged the cat to her chest.

  “Should I call him?” she asked the cat who only butted his head against her chin in response “If you say so,” Maggie said as she picked up her phone.

  However this time when she scrolled to Aaron’s number she realized that her phone had lost all signal. Suddenly a blinding light flashed outside and almost simultaneously a clap of thunder as loud as a bomb exploding erupted over the house. Maggie instinctively ducked for cover just as the lights went out.

  Barney cried irritably and Maggie realized that she’d thrown herself to the floor and was now lying on top of the cat. She quickly rolled off of him.

  “Sorry, Barney,” Maggie said as she stroked the cats head, still clutching him in her arms. The room was nearly pitch black, but was intermittently lit up by the flashing lightening outside. The roar of the rain sounded like a freight train and thunder continued to boom overhead.

  Maggie felt around on the floor until she located her phone. She had no signal. The storm must be interfering. The illumination from the screen gave her enough light to find her way from the library to the base of the stairs. She was still carrying the cat and decided that tonight she’d allow him to sleep with her. She reasoned with herself that he’d probably be scared from the storm and it would be cruel to leave him downstairs alone.