Don’t Fall for the Summer Fling

by Andresen, Tammy

  I pushed up from the towel and grabbed her hand. “Hey, don’t worry about it. What are friends for?”

  Her mouth opened like she was going to say something, but she closed it again. Still holding my hand, we walked down the beach to the water’s edge. I could tell the surf was as strong, or perhaps stronger, than it had been yesterday. The ocean roared with its force blanketing the beach in white noise that only grew louder as we approached the water. The foamy edge to a crashing wave tickled at our feet.

  The second we stepped into the water, she moved closer to me. By the time we were waist-deep, she was pressed into my side. I was smart enough to keep quiet as I slipped my arm around her waist. Those warm, silky arms of hers slipped around my neck as I pulled her close. With our bare stomachs pressed together, heat passed between us even with the cool ocean water swirling around us.

  Friends. Yeah, right.

  Her cheek pressed against mine, her breath blowing across my ear. I wrapped my other arm around her waist. “I’ve got you,” I said in a whisper.

  She nodded and her cheek rubbed against the stubble on my cheek. “I trust you,” she said.

  I once again had the urge to kiss her. This time, I couldn’t say it was because I wanted to comfort her. This time, I simply wanted her. Moving out into deeper water, her feet no longer touched. She was tall for a girl, but I was more than six feet. With my feet firmly planted in the ever-shifting sand, I tried to relax as she floated against me.

  The water cooled our baking skin even as the heat between us climbed. I kept my hand firmly planted on the small of her back. I was not going to push this by letting my hands roam. Her delicate fingers skimmed across my shoulders, tracing the indents of my muscles. I kept my eyes trained on the horizon, jumping as the waves came in. If there was one thing I was supposed to be doing now, it was keeping her safe. I’d do my job.

  “My mom wants to talk to me tonight. My grandmother says that my parents are definitely getting divorced and that I need to decide where I am going to live.” Her voice trembled and my hands finally moved.

  I skimmed my fingers up her back. “I’m so sorry.”

  Her cheek rubbed against mine again. “Thanks. I’m scared because I liked my life as it was. Well, except for all the fighting. I loved my house, which my dad is keeping even though he doesn’t love it, and my mom and I are super tight so I am trying to decide if I move out of the house with her or stay with him in the house I love.”

  My stomach tightened. I remembered all of this and I hurt for her. “I’m so sorry. This is the really sucky part.” I swallowed. “Just try and think about what’s most important to you. It will make the decisions easier.”

  “That’s a really good point.” She pulled back to look at me then, her big, brown eyes staring at me as though I was a lifeline.

  I couldn’t help it. Lifting my hand, I trailed my fingers down her cheek. “Your parents are making decisions that are the best for them. If I could give you one piece of advice….make decisions that are best for you. Don’t worry about what will make them happy. Worry about you.”

  Alyssa

  His words washed over me with a rightness I found soothing. If there was a choice, I’d stay with my mom no matter where that meant we’d have to live. I loved the house, but my mom…she was my life. If I stayed at the house with Dad, I’d be alone all the time. “That’s great advice.” Knowing that it was okay to make choices without having to worry about how they felt made everything easier.

  He brushed my cheek again, the touch light and soothing. I tried to remember when a guy had ever been this willing to listen, give advice, and then comfort me. It was especially notable because he was also strong, protective, and athletic. I’d seen it when he’d thrown the Frisbee—and let’s not forget about handsome.

  The guy was gorgeous.

  My eyes fluttered closed as his fingers reached my neck. I had this crazy urge to kiss him. I’d only ever kissed Josh. What would it be like to kiss another man? Would it be as good? Better? If his lips were anything like the stroke of his fingers, kissing him would be amazing. My heart hammered in my chest as I opened my eyes.

  “Glad I could help.” His fingers came to an abrupt halt and he lifted them away from my skin. “What are friends for?”

  My racing pulse said we were way more than friends, but my mouth stayed quiet. Wasn’t it me, after all, who had insisted on the friend thing? An idea had been niggling in the back of my thoughts. I liked Sven, but like everyone else in my life, he was leaving. I had to keep him from being yet another person who hurt me in the end. There was always an end, right? However, if we kept hanging out like this, it was only a matter of time before we became more than friends. No guy had ever made me feel the way he so effortlessly did.

  This meant I had two options as far as I could tell. Either I could stop hanging out with him, or pretend there wasn’t this crazy energy between us. A third option then presented itself and gave me pause. What if we had a little summer fling? The kind that one indulges in but doesn’t get too attached? How did I keep from doing that? Could I pull that off? Could I risk feelings I might not be able to turn off when the summer was over? I looked at him again, but he was staring out at the ocean. He bent down and then lifted up, rolling us over a wave. What would he do if I kissed him right then?

  “Heads up!” someone called out from the beach. A paddle ball landed a few feet away with a dull splash. Sven grabbed it and tossed it back.

  “Should we head in?” he asked.

  Disappointment zinged through me, but I nodded. What was I supposed to say? No, let’s stay and make out in front of everyone.

  He pushed through the water until it was shallow enough for me to walk on my own. “I brought a Frisbee today,” I said, apropos of nothing.

  “Good idea,” he said. “Want to play?”

  “Sure.” We’d reached our towels. “I just need to put on some sunblock.” I tossed the Frisbee into the sand and then reached for my bottle of cream sunblock and squirted some into my hand. As I started rubbing it on my shoulders and arms, I heard Sven clear his throat. Looking over my shoulder, I watched as he stared back, his eyes, dark and stormy.

  My cheeks heated as I moved on to my stomach and then my legs. I didn’t look back again. We were in this in-between place where tension was building, but neither one of us was willing to break the peace between us. Then, as I tried to reach my back, he came close, his fresh scent wrapping around me. “Here, let me help you.”

  Taking the sunblock from my hand, he squirted some of the cream into his much larger palm. Starting at my shoulders, he worked it into my skin. I gasped as the cold cream touched me. It quickly warmed as his large palms rubbed in methodical circles.

  My breathing came faster and faster as he worked his way down my back. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my heart and my hormones—both of which were completely out of control. The warmth of his skin was creeping back into mine as he stood close, or was that my own internal temperature skyrocketing?

  I glanced over my shoulder again. He was so close. If I turned a little to the left and stood up on tiptoe…

  “I think you’re done,” he said, stepping back.

  I blinked several times, trying to clear the fog that had penetrated my thoughts. “Done?”

  His eyebrows rose up. “With sunblock. I think you’re done.” A smirk tugged at his lips. “You wouldn’t mind helping me would you?”

  My mouth dropped open. My hands all over his back? I’d felt his shoulders and my heart had nearly stopped. To run my hands all over his torso was going to be…awesome. “Sure.” I tried to close my mouth nonchalantly as if to dismiss the notion the mere idea of touching him had me all worked up.

  Rubbing some sunblock between my hands to warm it, I worked it into his skin with the same methodical circles he’d used on me. His muscles flexed under my fingers and I pressed my palms into his flesh. He was built like a marble statue. I’d seen some muscular guys, but I swear, Sv
en met da Vinci’s calculations for perfect proportions.

  As I finished applying sunblock to his back, I started down his arms, noting the bulging biceps under my fingers. “Do you lift?”

  He shrugged. “Some.”

  My tongue darted out to wet my lips, which had gone completely dry. “Play any sports?”

  “I’m a sprinter,” he said. “Not as interesting as football to most people, but it requires a great deal of commitment.”

  “I know,” I said, giving his arm a squeeze. “I’m a middle distance runner, and I do cross country in the fall.”

  He looked back at me then. “That explains the legs.”

  “Legs?” I asked.

  “Yours.” One corner of his mouth tilted up. “They’re fantastic.”

  My cheeks heated again as I pulled my hands away from his arms. Not because I felt strange about touching him, but because I was in danger of throwing myself at him. “Thanks,” I said, stumbling a bit over the word as I bent down to grab the Frisbee. “At least we know we’ll both be good at chasing down rogue throws.”

  He chuckled and pointed down the beach. “Want to go over there where it’s a little quieter?”

  I quirked one brow. “I thought we had rules about that?” I was deflecting again, but this time for entirely different reasons. I didn’t want him to go away, far from it, but I was also trying not to embarrass myself.

  He narrowed his gaze and snatched the Frisbee from my hand, taking off down the beach. “Tag,” he called out as he ran. “You’re it.”

  I ran after him. I didn’t stand a chance of catching him. His legs were a lot longer and his larger feet more easily pressed through the shifting sand. On top of that, I was giggling like an idiot.

  “You’re good.” He stopped and turned toward me. Realizing what he was doing a second too late, I skidded to a stop, trying not to crash into him. He caught me easily and pulled me against him. “Now let’s see how you are throwing a Frisbee.”

  We spent the next hour playing some version of tackle Frisbee, which I know isn’t actually a thing. By the end, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. I wanted to be more than friends with Sven. Did I have the guts for a summer fling?

  Sven

  The sun dipped lower in the sky and the beach was no longer a blazing inferno. I loved this time of day on the water. Most of the tourists had headed off and the sunlight shone off the water, sparkling against the pink sky in a brilliant array of colors. It was as if a million diamonds bobbed along on the ocean, ebbing and swaying with the rhythmic waves.

  Alyssa walked next to me, holding my hand, her long brown hair swinging down her back. A lock fell over her shoulder and I couldn’t help myself. I reached over and brushed it back. The silky strands slipped through my fingers and I closed my eyes for a second. I wanted to run my hands through that hair and bury my nose in it.

  “Today was really fun.” She looked over at me, her gaze meeting mine before looking away again. “More fun than I’ve had for a long time.”

  “I’m glad.” I pulled her a little closer. “What would you say about having dinner with me tonight? We could get a few slices at the pizza place.”

  “That sounds great,” she said, bumping her shoulder into my upper arm. “I just have to go home, change, and tell my grandmother.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “I could pick you up.” Then I cleared my throat. “And by that I mean that I could walk to your house and then walk us both to the pizza place.”

  She stilled next to me. “That’s all right. I’ll meet you there.” Her eyes cast down to the ground as her fingers thrummed against her sides.

  What was that about? Was she disappointed I didn’t have a car? Was she embarrassed for me to meet her grandmother? “All right. Want to meet at seven?”

  “Perfect,” she answered as we reached our towels. “Antonio’s?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I said.

  It was nearly six so she packed up and headed off. I left too, returning to the cottage I was staying in with my sister, my aunt, uncle, and cousins. The adults hadn’t made it home yet, and my sister was feeding the kids dinner, so it was easy to slip through and head to the shower.

  I was excited. I hadn’t met anyone like Alyssa before. I couldn’t help wonder why she didn’t want me to come to her house. I tried to force myself to forget our time had an expiration date. Going to college in the States was my dream, but I’d applied to colleges all over the country. Who knew where I’d end up? Dressing in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, I headed back out the door, dropping a kiss on my cousin’s head as I went.

  “Where are you going?” my sister asked.

  I gave her a wink. “On what I’m hoping is a date.”

  “Hoping?” Julia lifted her eyebrows, cocking her head to one side. “Girls all but throw themselves at you. You don’t hope for dates.”

  “That isn’t true and this girl is…special.” I shoved my hands in my pockets as I rocked back on my feet.

  She winked at me. “You’re going to be glad you applied to some American schools for college.”

  I coughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not even sure it’s a date.”

  Julia waved her hand, dismissing my words. “It’s dinner. How could it not be a date?” She winked again. “With my handsome little brother.”

  My hands dug deeper into my pockets. “She wants to meet at the restaurant instead of having me pick her up.” My mouth pulled taut. “What do you think? Is that weird?”

  Laughing, my sister shook her head. “Smart girl.” Then she wiggled her brows. “Is she keeping you guessing?”

  Yeah, she kind of was, but it didn’t feel like she was playing a game with me. “I don’t know.”

  “That is how a girl becomes special. She doesn’t make it too easy.”

  Huh. Well, Julia had a point. Alyssa wasn’t making it easy and rather than scaring me away… I headed out the door and walked the three blocks to the pizza place. I was early. I slid into a booth and ordered a soda as I waited.

  I could see the door and at seven exactly, Alyssa walked in. She wore a cute little sundress that made my jaw clench. The pale blue dress had dainty spaghetti straps and the color accentuated her tan. It floated around her body, coming down to her knees.

  She saw me and smiled widely as she waved and hurried over to the booth. My heart rose up in my throat as I watched her. She’d pulled her hair into a high ponytail and it swung about her shoulders. Standing, I reached out my hand, clasping hers, and pulled her in for a hug. “You look beautiful.”

  Her cheeks turned pink. “So do you.” Then they went even pinker. “I mean not beautiful. You look handsome.”

  It was then I realized she was nervous and this was definitely a date. I waited while she slid into her side of the booth and then slid back into mine. Now that I knew where we stood, I flagged the waitress to get Alyssa a drink.

  “What kind of pizza do you like?” I asked as I opened up the menu.

  “Whatever.” She opened hers too. “I like all types of pizza.” She peeked over her menu at me. “Is pizza popular in Sweden?”

  I shook my head. “Not like it is here. But I’ve been coming to the US every year since I was a kid. Many of those years we spent the entire summer in New York, so I’ve developed a taste for it. New York has some fantastic pizza places.”

  She smiled again, displaying her perfect white teeth. “That explains why you don’t have much of an accent and you use a lot of American phrases.”

  I supposed I did. “Have you ever travelled outside of the US?”

  She shrugged. “I went to England on a school trip and I’ve been to Canada twice. My dad doesn’t take much time off from work and my mom never wanted to go away without him.”

  My teeth clenched. I had a lot of those same memories. “Yeah, I can understand that. My dad had no interest in coming to the States and stopped after the first few years. I’d just go with my sister and my mom.” I looked down
at the menu. “I sometimes wonder if it’s part of the reason they grew apart.”

  I was looking down so I didn’t see her move her hand until her fingers clasped mine. “That is tough.”

  I drew in a deep breath. I shouldn’t be talking about myself. She was the one in crisis. I’d tell her another time that my mother, sister, and I were all going to move to the US. My plan was to attend college here and my sister already had a work visa. “What about you. What drove your parents apart?”

  Her mouth twisted. “Well, my dad works all the time. I mentioned that. And when he isn’t working, he’s off playing golf, going to football games, weekend fishing trips, that sort of thing. I think my mom got sick of never being a priority.” She let out a ragged breath. “At least that’s what I can tell from all the arguments I’ve overheard.”

  It was my turn to squeeze her fingers. “Yikes.”

  “I get where my mom is coming from. I’m realizing a lot of my friends don’t really care about me the way I do them.” She stared at a spot beyond my shoulder. “I will say, this whole thing has made me think about who I’ve surrounded myself with and why I picked them. I don’t think I’m going to be the same person after this. A lot of my friends and even my old boyfriend were popular, popular in a way that twisted things so that ended up being all they cared about. I don’t care about that anymore.”

  I drew in a deep breath. “I know it’s been tough, but that is pretty amazing.”

  She smiled shyly. “Thanks.” Then I watched as she nibbled her lip.

  Quirking a brow, I asked her. “What? What are you thinking?”

  “I was thinking you’re pretty amazing too.”

  I laced my fingers into hers, wanting to be closer to her. The waitress came back over and we ordered. I have no idea what I even said. All I could do was look at Alyssa.

  We spent the rest of dinner talking and getting to know one another. I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late until I looked up and saw the place was nearly empty. Employees were putting chairs up around us and sweeping the floor.