by Ana Newfolk
"Joel,” he said, making me look straight at him, “ how do you feel about going back? I know you're trying to avoid talking about it, but I'm worried about you."
"I'm not sure," I admitted. "I have amazing memories of my holidays in Portugal, and I'm looking forward to seeing my grandparents and my great-grandma again. I'm just nervous, I guess. What if they’re disappointed?"
"What makes you think that? Joebug, you are the best person I know. You are fun, caring, and the kids at school idolize you. I'm sure your family will love you too."
I sighed, almost convinced but still apprehensive. I hadn’t been back for so long.
“I don’t know. I just never thought the next time I'd see my family would be to scatter the ashes of both my parents. Before school started last year, Mom and I had spoken about going back together and make a family vacation out of it. Now it'll be just me."
"Have you got any plans while you're out there and until the fun party arrives?" Max asked with a wink. Trust him to change the subject to get me out of my mood.
"Nah, I am sure stuff will happen, though.” Once again I looked at the wall next to the fridge where there was a photo of my parents and me at Westhampton Beach, taken when I was only fifteen.
“They wanted their ashes scattered around the cliff behind the church where they got married.
“I was there once, and the place is beautiful. The landscape of the cliffs is quite striking; it’s no wonder they married there and chose it as their final resting place. I wouldn't have picked a better place. Other than that it's flexible. I might rent a car. I’m thinking I might like to travel a bit while I’m there.” I finished my sandwich and took a sip of coffee.
"What do you think the gay scene is like out there?” He leaned closer. “Joebug, I'm counting on you to check it out before I get there. We’re both in need of a good vacation fling to relieve the stress of city life. We need walks on the beach, kisses at sunset, and lube - lots of lube,” he said, punctuating each of his last words.
I felt myself blush as a memory raced through me, and hoped Max couldn't read my expression. My apartment was close to the hospital, so Max was taking advantage of the proximity to his workplace before joining me on the last leg of the vacation. I quickly grabbed the spare keys and handed them to him.
"Here are the keys. Don’t destroy this place while I'm gone." I turned to Max for a quick hug, "I am looking forward to spending some time with you out there, you know. It's been a while since we had time off together, and I think we'll have fun."
"We will totally rock the place, and who knows, maybe even have some summer lovin' fun," Max sang with excitement, heading for the door.
Later, as I lay down on my bed, I looked at the ceiling and allowed the memory to come back to me.
The last time I'd been to Portugal, I had just turned fourteen. It was the best summer I'd ever had, and probably the best since. I had time with my grandparents and cousins, enjoyed family barbecues, and spent endless days on the beach with my best friend, David.
I hadn't thought of David for years, but the conversation with Max brought back some memories. With his brown eyes and dark hair, David was the complete opposite of my blond hair and blue eyes, but that was the differences ended. Just like our mothers had been best friends, David and I’d grown up together and had been as close as two young boys could be. That was until my parents had decided to live in the States because of my grandmother's failing health. The geographical distance became too much, the short time together over the summer not enough, and I wondered if one day we’d just naturally drift apart. It didn’t seem likely, especially after the day we shared our first kiss. A kiss that to this day has burned itself into my memory, if not my heart, and it had to happen twelve hours before I flew back to New York for the last time.
With a big sigh, I prayed I’d survive this vacation, and as sleep overtook me, I dreamed of sunsets on the beach, goose bumps, and dark brown eyes.
About Ana
Ana Newfolk was born in Portugal where she lived until her dreams of becoming a classical musician took her to London. While the music was the driving force behind the big move, books have been Ana’s lifelong passion.
In 2015 Ana stumbled across her first MM romance novel by chance, and she was hooked. She loves reading about men falling in love, hard, fast and ever so sweetly.
With some encouragement from a few precious friends, Ana decided to take her chance on writing the stories in her head.
You can follow Ana on the usual social media hangouts.
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