One Hot Summer

by Heidi McLaughlin

  I handed her some black sweatpants, a white T-shirt, and a blue and white flannel. “There’s a small bathroom in there where you can change.”

  I stepped aside, inhaling her wildflower and rain scent as she passed.

  I didn’t have any coffee, but there were a few packets of instant hot chocolate on the counter. I heated some milk in two mugs in the microwave and was stirring the chocolate in when she came out, looking less damp but still like a wet dream in my clothes.

  “I didn’t have any coffee,” I told her, “but this should warm you up a little.”

  She took her mug and smiled. “I love hot cocoa. I usually have an el diablo at work—half hot chocolate, half coffee.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll have to remember that next time I stop in.”

  I walked over to the small booth-style table and pulled out the bench seat. It wasn’t that comfortable of a place to sit, but I didn’t want her to panic if I suggested we sit on the bed.

  “How long have you been working at Octane?”

  She sipped her drink then continued staring into it. “Um, just the past two summers. Camille works there, too.”

  “Ah, the illusive Camille. Does she typically disappear on you?”

  Emersyn shrugged. “I don’t hang out with her much. She’s closer with my friend Drew.”

  We continued talking, sitting across from one another at the table and I realized I was going to wuss out on making an actual move.

  I didn’t know why exactly, but what was happening between us, her opening up and actually getting to know me, felt too important to fuck up with sex.

  What the hell is happening to me?

  I couldn’t help it. Our time together felt rushed, limited. I knew once her phone charged, she’d likely have her friend come get her and disappear. I set my drink aside and leaned toward her. “Tell me something about you no one knows.”

  Her eyes met mine. “You first.”

  “Smart girl.” I watched her graceful fingers wrap around her mug. “Okay, here’s something.” My gaze drifted to my hockey bag in the corner. “I wanted to play professional hockey—for most of my life it was all I wanted. I had a shot once. A scout came to see me, several college ones did, but a guy who recruits for the Nashville Predators’ minor league team came and said I could join them right out of high school and would probably be playing for the NHL within a year or two.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah. It was a pretty big deal at the time, I guess.”

  She scoffed out loud, setting her drink aside. “You guess? Aiden, the NHL, that’s…insane. That’s like someone offering me exhibit space in the Guggenheim.”

  I shrug, ready to move on to her secret now. “I couldn’t leave Axel like that. He gave up a lot to look out for me when our parents died. Hockey was his dream and he was damn good. Me leaving him to go pro would have been seriously messed up—like salt in the wound.”

  Emersyn frowned. “Or he would’ve been really proud of you. Maybe he sacrificed his dream in hopes you wouldn’t have to give up yours. Did you ever talk to him about it?”

  I’d never thought of it that way. “We aren’t super communicative. He knew some college scouts came, but he needed me here, to work and help pay the bills.”

  “That seems so unfair for both of you. I’ve never lost a parent, but my dad did move to California a few months ago.”

  My own troubles forgotten, I scooted closer to her on the bench. “Even with your mom sick? That’s harsh.”

  She sipped her hot chocolate before speaking. “I think they fell out of love long before that, but my mom’s temper has gotten worse this past year. My dad ran a successful real estate business in Charlotte and fell in love with his assistant. When she moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and modeling career, he went with her.”

  I whistled low. “That’s some made for TV movie stuff right there.”

  She nodded. “Tell me about it. Part of me is super pissed that he did something so selfish and part of me is just jealous that he got out of there and left us behind.”

  I reached out and placed my hand on hers. “That’s understandable.”

  “I guess that’s the thing about me no one knows. I want out. Out of that house, out from under the mountain of responsibility. A chance to live my own life instead of constantly picking up the broken pieces someone else left behind.”

  I know exactly what she means and for a moment, I stare into her ocean-colored eyes and wonder if there really is such a thing as soulmates.

  “You’ll get there, one day.”

  She averted her gaze. “Ethan is only twelve. I won’t abandon him the way our dad did. I’ve got a good six more years to go.”

  “I’d say that it’s not your responsibility, but after what my brother did for me, I know it’s not that simple.”

  “No, it’s not,” she began, but she was interrupted by my brother. Speak of the devil.

  “Yo, Aiden,” he hollered, banging on the camper door. “Open up.”

  Reluctantly, I removed my hand from hers and stood. “Sorry in advance for whatever might come out of his mouth. He’s a good guy but when he’s drinking…”

  She waved my concern away, motioning for me to open the door already. I stepped over and opened it.

  “Heyyy,” he slurred before catching sight of Emersyn. “Oh. Shit. Sorry. I thought you were out here alone.”

  “What can I do for you, Axel?”

  He stepped inside, wet either from the rain or beer, I wasn’t sure. He reeked of booze.

  “We’re low on beer and groceries. The guys got some cash together for pizza, but the only place that delivers said it would be an hour or more. People are starving in there.”

  “And no one is sober enough to drive?”

  He nodded. “We’re just trying to be responsible. Help us out?”

  “Right. Okay.” I glanced at Emersyn. “Feel like taking a ride with me?”

  She scooted off the seat and stood. “Sure.”

  I turned back to my brother and practically growled under my breath. “You owe me.”

  “Got it. Here. Just get whatever you can with this.” He placed a wad of crumpled up bills in my hand. Looked like somewhere around two hundred bucks. Construction workers partied hard, but they always had cash on hand it seemed. “Thanks, Brother.”

  Once he was gone, I pocketed the money. “Sorry about that. I would’ve introduced you, but he’s not going to remember anyways.”

  “It’s okay. You go on a lot of beer and pizza runs for him?”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes. I figure that’s better than him or one of his buddies getting out on the roads intoxicated.”

  She followed me out as I locked the camper. I helped her inside the Jeep, pausing when she gave me a strange look.

  “What? You okay?”

  With a small shake of her head, she grinned. “Nothing, it’s just…earlier I was talking to Camille about certain types of guys. I think you might be one of them.”

  “And what type is that?”

  She pursed her lips like she wasn’t going to answer, so I jogged around to the driver’s side and got in.

  I cranked the engine but didn’t shift out of park. “It’s going to drive me crazy if you don’t tell me. What kind of guy am I?”

  After a beat and a deep breath, she answered.

  “A good one.”

  5

  Emersyn

  A small, family-owned pizza place was the only one still open. Aiden pulled into Parker’s Pizza and told me to hang tight while he ran inside and picked up the order.

  In a few short minutes, he returned shaking his head.

  “It’s still going to be an hour or more for them to cook half a dozen pizzas. If Axel wasn’t already wasted, he would’ve thought to actually order ahead for me to come pick them up.”

  I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “So, what do you want to do?”

  He pinned me with a dark look full of dirty p
romises while putting the key into the ignition. Something electrically charged passed between us. My pulse thrummed like hummingbird wings beneath my skin.

  I inhaled deeply, determined not to be the first one to look away. I wasn’t.

  Aiden started the Jeep and glanced at the clock in his dash. It was a few minutes after ten. “I don’t want to keep you out too late. You want me to run you home or you want to come to the convenient store with me?”

  “I left my phone on the charger in your Airstream so…looks likes the convenient store it is.” Secretly I was relieved to have an excuse not to have to cut my time with him short.

  A few minutes later we pulled up at a Quik Stop & Shop. The fluorescent lights were bright around the brick building, contrasting against the stark darkness. I followed him inside, realizing how strange it was to be out so late. I wondered if this was how regular teenagers felt. Wandering through town, in a convenient store, wearing someone else’s clothes in the middle of the night. It was odd to be so…free.

  “I’ve got to grab a couple cases of beer for the guys,” he told me as the door chimed overhead. “You want anything?”

  “Peanut butter M&Ms,” I said without thinking. “I’ll grab them.”

  After I picked out my snack, I walked over to the cooler to help him carry the beer. Technically I wasn’t old enough, but the man at the counter looked like he couldn’t care less. He didn’t even look up from his phone when we came in.

  We sat several cases of Coors Light bottles on the counter along with my M&Ms. After Aiden paid, I thanked him for my candy and carried a case out to the Jeep. He carried two of them like they were weightless, and I lingered behind, appreciating the way his muscles flexed beneath his tight navy-blue T-shirt.

  After he’d put the beer in the back of the Jeep, he glanced toward the store. “I’ve got to grab one more thing. You want a soda or something?”

  He looked kind of embarrassed. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was going back inside to buy condoms. He was in college after all. My stomach tilted like a carnival ride. “I’m good. But thank you.”

  He grinned. “Okay. Be right back.”

  I tore the corner off the pack of my M&Ms and ate a handful. Aiden returned shortly with a paper bag. He didn’t make any reference to the contents as we drove, so I didn’t pry.

  The small town of Riverside passed in a blur of streetlights. I didn’t come here often but Drew and Camille said some of the cafes and boutiques were worth the drive. Because it was right on the water, it was quaint but touristy. In Elksboro we only had one gas station, one tiny diner, and out of towners never came through unless they were lost.

  By the time we reached the pizza place, my M&Ms were gone and I had a mild sugar buzz.

  Aiden pulled into the parking lot and checked the time again.

  “We still have thirty minutes or so until the pizza is ready. Will you do something for me?’

  My tummy performed another gymnastics routine. I folded my empty candy wrapper and put it in my pocket. “Like what?”

  He hopped out and came around to my door. “Come on. It’ll be fun,” was all the explanation he gave.

  Following him down toward the water, I tried to guess what was in the bag. Condoms I might could handle. Hopefully not a knife. Getting murdered and thrown into the river didn’t sound like much fun. He brought the paper bag down to the basketball court by the water. Bright streetlamps kept the pavement well lit.

  “What’s in the bag?”

  “I was just trying to figure out ways we could pass the time and I was thinking I’d like to see your work. I’ve never known an actual artist before.”

  I wasn’t following. “I have pictures on my phone, but like I said, I left it—”

  “Here,” he said, dumping a massive pile of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise packets onto the basketball court. “And I got these for the clean-up,” he informed me, gesturing to a container of wet wipes.

  I laughed but my entire body began to tingle, an electric current running under my skin.

  He’d called me an actual artist. He’d said it like he meant it, not like he was teasing me. Even the guidance counselor at school had told me I needed an actual career, that art was more of a past time these days unless I was interested in graphic design.

  I wasn’t. I was interested in this, the get-your-hands-dirty, messy art—this was exactly what I wanted. How this guy who barely knew me caught onto that, I didn’t know. But I was grateful for it either way.

  “All right start opening those packets for me. Ketchup first.”

  Aiden got to work opening them as quickly as his fingers could manage while I worked on the mustard and mayonnaise. I handed him one of the wet wipes. “Tear that into super thin strips.”

  He did as he was told, checking the width. “This okay?”

  I nodded. “That’s perfect.”

  Within a few minutes. I was lost in my work, nearly oblivious to his presence.

  I drug my fingertips through the ketchup, swirling mayonnaise here and mustard there until I had the perfect palette of reds, oranges, and yellows.

  Using the wet wipe strips for texture, I created my three-dimensional river below a setting sun. The sinking sun and Ombre sky took a lot more work. Aiden had to open several more packets of mayo so I could include the title and my name on my edible, yet unappetizing masterpiece.

  Daybreak by E. Tyler, I scrawled in the best script I could manage.

  When I looked up, returning to reality, I was actually proud of what I’d created. Aiden look…stunned.

  “This is going to attract ants,” I said, standing and realizing the drawback of edible art on the ground a little too late.

  He made a you’re-being-ridiculous face at me. “This is incredible. I can’t believe you did that with condiments. I’m going to take a picture with my phone.”

  I laughed, using the remaining wet wipes to clean my hands thoroughly. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I love it,” he said, snapping a few quick pictures with the camera on his phone. “I mean, seriously. I did not expect anything like this. This is like…the real thing.”

  Our gazes met again and maybe it was the high from creating, the buzz from the candy, the magnetic draw I felt to him, or just sheer pleasure from being complimented and validated, but I leaned forward and placed my mouth firmly on his.

  His lips were smooth as they yielded against mine. I’d caught him by surprise, but it only took a second before he recovered and brought his arms around me.

  He parted the seam of my mouth with his tongue then let it dance tentatively with mine until we became more comfortable touching one another.

  I didn’t know what I was thinking. I’d never made the first move before. It just felt like the right thing to do in the heat of the moment.

  “Thank you,” I breathed against his lips when we came up for air. “For tonight.”

  I wasn’t even sure which part I was most grateful for. Him rescuing me when I got ditched, the fries, the convenient store snacks, or showing an actual interest in my art and calling it real.

  It didn’t matter. He didn’t ask for the specifics.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, brushing his nose against mine then pulling me closer and deepening our kiss to a level that reached the pit of my stomach.

  His hands slid up and down my back, while my fingers dug into his waist. My body wanted more. More pressure of his skin against mine, more of his mouth, more of everything. Before things went too far, his phone rang loudly between us.

  Sighing, he placed his forehead against mine before pulling back and looking at the screen.

  He answered, but all he said was “Hello,” and then, “Okay, thanks,” before hanging up. He propped his chin on the top of my head. “That was the pizza place. They’re closing soon and our order is ready.”

  Reluctantly, we pulled apart. He took my hand and led me back up the hill, away from the water and my work of art.

&nb
sp; After we picked up the pizzas, we headed back to his place. I tried to ignore how quickly time was passing. It was after eleven. I needed to get home.

  But not as much as I need more of him, more of this intoxicating freedom.

  Aiden carried the beer cases stacked on top of one another and I carried the pizzas. A cluster of drunk people held the door open and several others greeted us with applause as we entered. Aiden sat the beer down on the living room coffee table and we took the pizzas into the kitchen.

  As partygoers descended on both like wolves, I focused on getting out of the way.

  “Want me to snag us some pizza?” Aiden offered.

  I shook my head. “Still full from the fries earlier. But thank you.”

  He took my hand once more and we set off in search of his brother. “Axel,” he called out down the hall. “You’re going to miss the beer and the food, Bro.”

  A bedroom door was ajar, and a lamp was on, so Aiden pushed it open.

  His brother was definitely in there, half-dressed on the bed being rode like a prized stallion by the Kenzie girl from earlier.

  I wanted to avert my eyes from her large, round bouncing breasts, but it was like a car accident. I couldn’t look away.

  “Ah, my bad, dude.” Aiden yanked the door closed and we stumbled out of the room.

  Once we were safely in the hallway, he laughed.

  “I’m so sorry about that.” He pulled me into a tight hug, raking his fingers into my hair and bringing my head under his chin as he’d done earlier. “Didn’t mean to traumatize you.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh, too. “Guess she’s moved on from you. I’m glad she was able to pick up the pieces and get on with her life so quickly.”

  He chuckled. “I’m going to grab a beer then we can head back out the Airstream to get your phone.”

  I followed, recovering from our awkward moment as we made our way through the sea of bodies. As embarrassing as the encounter had been, it was kind of hot, too.