Don’t Fall for the Summer Fling

by Andresen, Tammy

  “No problem.” I was not sure of what to say next. She was vague when I asked her personal questions, which was fine, but that didn’t leave much of an opening to build more of a conversation. “The weather sure has been great.” Inwardly, I cringed. Had I just brought up the weather?

  She nodded. “Yeah, fantastic.” Another wave came through, lifting us off our feet.

  Well, I’d gotten an answer anyhow, and the bonus of discussing the weather was she didn’t accuse me of being a criminal again. It was likely I should give up the fight. She clearly wasn’t interested in me and had been trying to tell me in seven different ways.

  That was too bad, because there was something about her that drew me to her. That was the way it went, sometimes. At least I’d tried to ask her out. She was pretty and funny, but I wasn’t looking for anything serious myself. I wanted to stay in the States for school, and while I had several applications out, I didn’t know where I was going to land or when. I might have to head back to Sweden for the fall semester and wait until January to enroll. Any relationship I had would have to remain pretty casual.

  A Frisbee sailed in overhead, flying straight toward the back of her head. I pushed off the silky ocean bottom and reached up to catch it before it knocked into her. In the same moment, another wave rolled through. She startled, either from the flying disc or my body coming so close to hers, I really couldn’t be sure. She turned her attention away from the incoming water as yet another wave rolled in.

  I saw her head going under. I snaked my free arm around her waist at the same moment her fingers laced around my neck. Our bodies pushed together, her curves pressing against me as we rolled over the wave, her legs tangling in mine. My body clenched as I struggled to keep us both afloat and she gasped, her warm breath blowing across my cheek even as her arms tightened.

  “It’s all right,” I whispered close to her ear as I steadied our bodies in the swirling water. “I’ve got you.”

  She nodded against my shoulder and but didn’t loosen her hold. My arm wrapped fully around her slender waist and I let my nose drop into her hair. It smelled of salt water, sunshine, and flowers, tickling my nose.

  “I’m sorry,” she said between gasping breaths. “I’m not much of an ocean swimmer.”

  I wasn’t going to complain about that. “It’s all right.” I looked over my shoulder and tossed the Frisbee back to the kid who stared at me from the shore. Then I wrapped my other arm around her. “Want me to bring you back in?” I pushed of off the bottom to lift us over another wave.

  She pulled her face back to look up at mine. Her cute, little nose was mere inches from mine, and her tongue darted out to lick her lips. “The water feels nice,” she said. “I just didn’t mean to attach myself to you like a starfish.”

  Trust me, I wasn’t complaining. “We’ll stay in for another minute and then we’ll get out. How does that sound?” I let my fingers splay out on the small of her back even as her chest pushed into me. Man, she felt good.

  She nodded. “Thanks for not letting me drown, and I’m sorry if I didn’t seem friendly. It’s been a weird summer.” She nibbled on her lips as she looked up into my eyes, her eyelids pulling down like a little puppy’s. “I came down here this summer because my parents are getting divorced. They needed time to fight out the rest of their issues before they divide up our lives forever.”

  “Ah,” I said, giving her another squeeze. I understood that completely. My parents had split a few years ago and it was rough. It was more than rough, it was life-altering, and not in a good way. No wonder she had been so standoffish.

  She grimaced, the corners of her mouth turning down. “I left my job, my friends, and my boyfriend.” She turned her head to the side, staring at a group of teenagers splashing around in the water ten or fifteen feet from us.

  Ouch. “That is tough.” I moved backward, out of the water. I was not the type of guy to steal another guy’s girl, and I liked the feel of her against me way too much to stay there and keep holding her. It was time to let her go and say my goodbyes. It was probably better that way.

  “It gets worse,” she said, her voice barely audible over the waves and the laughter from nearby. “My boyfriend took the opportunity to break up with me, and now I hear he’s dating one of my best friends.” She shook her head. “One of my former best friends.”

  I stopped, bobbing back out into deeper water, no longer in a hurry to leave. The situation completely stunk, and she had my sympathy. “I’m so sorry, Alyssa.” Was it wrong that I also gave the smallest fist pump inside?

  She lay her head on my shoulder. “Me too. I’m sorry if I was a jerk. I’d decided to take the summer to clear my head, you know? Between what Josh did and what’s happening between my parents…” She stopped talking for a moment. “I wonder if I’ll ever want to date again, or to trust anyone, really.”

  I brushed the stubble of my cheek along the top of her head. “You will.” Inwardly, however, I winced. She was not in a place for a light and casual romance, and I wasn’t in a position to promise anything else. It should be cut and dry, except the feeling of her pressed against me was making it hard to think rationally.

  She lifted her face to mine again. “How can you be so sure?”

  I’d only just met her, but I wanted to kiss her—a light brush of her lips, nothing more. I felt the urge to do something that might comfort her because right now, she looked so upset. Her face was pulled taut and her eyelids were half-closed, as if to block it all out. I couldn’t blame her. That was a lot of trauma to deal with all in one blow.

  I wanted to kiss her for another reason too. She fit against me perfectly, like she was meant to be there. “When my parents split, I was really upset at first, but the thing is, some changes are good. They actually get along better now that they don’t live together, and they both seem really happy. It’s different, to be sure, but…not what I feared it would be.”

  Her mouth twisted. “I could see that. My mom and dad couldn’t get along any worse.”

  I was tempted to tell her that her ex-boyfriend was nothing more than a jerk, but I kept my mouth shut on that one. I didn’t actually know that and it wasn’t my place to say so anyway.

  The water pushed us in a little further and she unwound her legs from mine as she let go of my neck. I took her hand to help her through the break. “The surf is ripping today.”

  She looked back at the water. “Why is that? It hasn’t been like this.”

  I shrugged and pointed to the lifeguard stand. “Maybe a storm out further somewhere. I don’t know. The ocean seems to have a mind of its own and goes by its own rules. Let’s go ask.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we made it back to our towels. Turns out, the lifeguard had been more than happy to tell us all about the storm that was making its way toward us while his gaze danced all over Alyssa. I’d wanted to wrap my arm about her again, but I’d managed to keep my hands to myself.

  I shot her a sideways glance as she settled herself back onto her towel. I’d told her she was pretty, but that had been a lie too. It was more than that. She was gorgeous, and I was having a tough time playing it cool.

  “When your parents split, were you sad all the time?” she asked, shielding her face with her arm.

  I propped myself up on one side. “I wasn’t myself. Definitely shorter-tempered and just angrier.”

  She rolled onto her stomach, which brought her closer to me. “So it’s not strange that I am angry all the time?”

  I lay my hand out flat next to hers with my palm up. She didn’t need to hold it, but I left it there in case she wanted to. I really felt for her and more than I wanted a date, I thought maybe I could help. “I don’t think so. Seems pretty normal to me. Besides, it sounds like you’ve been through a lot. You deserve to be ticked off.”

  She smiled warmly. It lit up her whole face as she put her hand on top of mine. Her soft skin brushed mine. Electricity shoot through my body. That smile…wow.

  She
leaned closer and whispered, “Thanks for listening.”

  Her touch was light as I closed my fingers around hers. I knew I shouldn’t push. My future was up in the air and she was an emotional wreck. There were a million reasons to head off and go our separate ways, but as I looked at her, I said, “Not a problem at all. Same time tomorrow?”

  Alyssa

  In the end, I agreed to meet Sven again tomorrow. I mean, it was a public beach after all. I either had to stop going all together or risk running into him. At least that’s what I told myself as I tried to fall asleep. There was a small comfort in knowing he understood what I was going through. Unlike a lot of others, he didn’t downplay my pain. He respected it.

  Mimi didn’t have air conditioning and my room had to be eighty degrees. I shoved the sheet down, trying to cool off as I wished for sleep to come. If I could sleep, I could stop thinking about everything. I thought about calling Erika so I could hear a friendly voice, but I stopped myself. There was always a chance she had more news to report about Josh, and I was not in the mood to hear it. My mind wandered back to Sven.

  I hated to admit it, after the hard time I’d given him, but I liked hanging out with him. He was handsome and confident, but still kind. I thought Josh had been confident too, but looking back, he was more arrogant than confident. It was different. Josh would have never listened to my problems or sat on the beach with me. Instead, he would have ran off with his friends the second we spoke of anything that didn’t involve him. He’d be showing off for everyone else so they could tell him how amazing or athletic he was.

  My newfound insight into who Josh really was didn’t mean I wanted to date Sven, though. I mean, there had been a moment in the water when I’d considered kissing him, but that was a momentary lapse in judgment. He’d been so strong and the whole business of keeping me from getting pulled under the water, well, it got a girl thinking.

  I turned over, needing to cool my back. The fan I had plugged in near the open window pushed a breeze over my skin, but it wasn’t as cool as I wished it would be. I didn’t want another boyfriend. Especially one who came with an automatic expiration date. If I understood correctly, he was only going to be in the country for the summer. Maybe I’d ask him about that tomorrow. For some reason, that thought helped me relax and I finally drifted off to sleep.

  When I woke the next morning, it was late. The bright, red lights on the clock next to my bed told me it was already after ten. The room was heating up, the sun high, and the air sticky. I picked up my phone and found a text from my mom.

  Hi Hon. We need to talk. Give me a call.

  Ugh. I didn’t want to know what she wanted to discuss. I loved my mom, don’t get me wrong, but that text sounded like she had something to say I wasn’t going to want to hear. Instead of calling her, I pulled myself out of bed and forced myself into the shower. Heading downstairs in my beach clothes, I kissed Mimi’s cheek as she stood at the stove. “Want some eggs?” She gave me a smile as she turned back to look at me.

  “Yes, please.” I said, slipping into a chair at the table. “I got a text from Mom.”

  Mimi’s shoulders stiffened. “What did it say?”

  “That she wants to talk to me. Any idea what about?” I looked down, fiddling with the fringe on one of her placemats.

  I heard her sniff. “I think she wants to tell you herself.” Mimi’s mouth turned down as she looked back at me.

  “Give me a hint, please.” I winced, knowing I was putting her in the middle. “I know she’s at work now and I’ll be worried all day.”

  Mimi flipped the eggs in the pan without responding. As she came to dump them out on my plate, she kissed the top of my head. “I think your mom and dad were hoping to work things out. But, that doesn’t seem to be the way it’s going to go.”

  I stared down at my plate. While I hadn’t really believed they’d work it out—I’d heard their nightly fights, after all—I guess I had held onto some hope because my insides twisted and I pushed the eggs away.

  Mimi make a tsk sound. “Eat your breakfast, young lady. You won’t solve anything going hungry.”

  She had a point, but I wasn’t sure I could get my stomach to agree. I propped my head up by folding my hands together beneath my chin. “Where do you think Dad will live?” I supposed wherever it was, it wasn’t going to be a huge change. He was hardly ever home anyway.

  Mimi straightened as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Your dad’s keeping the house, honey. Who you live with is still up for debate.”

  I bolted up, nearly knocking my chair back. Dad didn’t even like the house that much. He’d wanted a big, modern McMansion. My mom had bought the old charmer that had been renovated over the last decade and had done a ton of the work herself. “I know Mom can’t afford the house on her own but…”

  Mimi’s fists tightened as she clutched the fabric of her apron. “You know, it’s not my style to speak ill of your father, but it’s always been about him. That house is the one battle he lost and he’s making her pay for it now.”

  Sitting back down, I picked up a fork. My dad was Mr. Personality, but like Josh, he didn’t often stop and listen to what other people around him wanted or needed. My mom was the one who always took time for my stuff. My dad was always too busy with his business or his hobbies.

  Oh man, had I been dating a guy exactly like my father.

  I managed to choke down my eggs and rounded up my stuff for the beach. After saying goodbye to Mimi, I headed out the door and walked the three blocks to the ocean. It was already hot. Heat rose from the asphalt as the smell of saltwater wafted through the thick air.

  Once there, I scanned the scorching sand. I caught sight of Sven lying exactly where I’d left him yesterday. Despite my tumultuous morning, I smiled when I saw him, letting out a long breath. I was glad he was there. Walking over, I stood over him. “Hey, is this spot taken?”

  He looked up at me as an easy smile formed on his lips and he rose up using his arms. “That depends. You’re not some crazy stalker are you?”

  I spread out my towel and sat down next to him, giving him my most intense stare. “Would it be a problem if I was?”

  He scratched his chin. “I’m not sure it would be.”

  A giggle bubbled out of my throat. “Stalking is less of an issue if you’re leaving the country soon.”

  He laughed too. “That is absolutely true.”

  “How long are you staying for?” I asked, trying my best to appear casual. I threw my arms over my eyes as I reclined onto my towel and kept my voice low yet light.

  “Until the end of August I guess,” he said. “I graduated high school already so after this, I need to decide what I’m going to do with myself.”

  I pushed my arms above my head, looking over at him. “I didn’t realize I was talking to an older man.”

  He leaned closer, his eyebrows wiggling over his glasses. “I’m eighteen, how old are you?”

  “Seventeen. I graduate next spring.” I said.

  “And what will you do after that?” he asked.

  “I’m headed to Simmons College. My parents met when my mom was going there and they got married there. They have dragged me back there a bunch of times for alumni events and the like. But, it’s on the outskirts of the city so it’s pretty fun. My mother is a professor there now. I guess it just makes sense for me.”

  “That’s in Boston?” he asked, his voice going a little high, which was odd. It was usually such a nice, deep baritone.

  “Yeah. How’d you know?” I asked, not that it mattered. Right now, I was more concerned with making it through the summer. “I’m leaving here at the end of August too. I have to be honest. I ended up having a great time with you yesterday.”

  “Me too,” he said, leaning closer. There was an intimacy between us I’d missed having with another person these past two weeks. I wasn’t sure if it was having someone my age to chat with or something more, but I was glad to be there with him.

 
“What do you say we hang out for the summer? It would be way more fun than spending every day alone.” My words were surprising after my attempts to chase him away the day before, even to me.

  “You’re no longer worried that I might be a serial killer?” He gave me a cheeky grin and a dimple appeared in his cheek. I had the strangest urge to kiss it.

  I wrinkled my nose. “We’ll hang out in public places just to be safe.”

  “Deal,” he said, sticking out his hand.

  I placed my hand in his larger one and that tingling I felt yesterday again spread up my arm. “This should be fun.”

  “So we’re hanging out as friends?”

  He hadn’t let go of my hand. “Yeah. Friends.” The words were stiff and awkward, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I hated them.

  Sven

  Friends.

  I guess that was real progress compared with a few days ago, when I’d just been eyeing her from afar, but the word stuck on my tongue. We were holding hands. We weren’t just friends. I took a breath, forcing myself to let go of her fingers. She’d suffered some major blows this summer. Who could blame her for wanting to go slow? Besides, I’d already been through this pep talk with myself. We were both leaving at the end of the summer. Pushing for more in our relationship was a bad idea. I’d spent the night before going over it in my mind and found no different conclusion myself. Friends.

  With that in mind, I lay on my back. She did too and we spent the next hour basking in the sun. Normally, silence with someone I just met was awkward, but it wasn’t with her.

  “Do you think the water is as crazy today as it was yesterday?” she asked, rolling toward me.

  I held my lips steady, but my body tightened as I thought of our time in the water the day before. “I’ll hold onto you if it is.”

  “Thanks.” Her voice was husky. “I’m not normally afraid of the water but yesterday…”