by Claire Woods
I don’t flirt or dance with one, despite the many desperate attempts to get me to.
My heart is still raw, beating only for the girl who keeps running from my love.
I’m saved from yet another girl whose had a few too many of whatever fruity cocktail she’s downing, by Banger, tapping my shoulder.
I follow him through the crowd, as he leads me to the stage. “You feel like singing it out? I saw the YouTube video of you.”
“Nah, my heart’s not in it tonight.”
He nods, placing his headphones on and leans into the mic. “All right folks, this is last call. Last call for alcohol. Good night Sea Spray….” He plays, “Sweet Caroline.” Hundreds of drunks sing into the summer night swaying with the palm trees.
“Let’s get the hell out of here. There’s at least three girls here that I hooked up with this summer. If I get cornered by any of them—I’m screwed.”
“Jesus, Banger. I’ve never had a problem just sticking with one.”
“I know. But the one I want—wants someone else. Unrequited love is crap.”
“Yes, it is.” I tip my beer bottle to his. “Fuck it. I paid Wes to stock a boat at the Marina. Even paid the daily rate for it. We can go there.”
“You sure?”
“Fuck yeah, let’s go.”
Circling my hand in the air like a helicopter to the boys, I walk out not even caring if they follow.
“I’ll drive.” Logan takes my keys, and I shrug feeling pretty buzzed.
Three random girls squeeze in, sitting on laps, their high-pitched drunk giggles grating on my nerves.
Banger follows taking more people in his car.
We reach the marina. The office lights are off; everything’s locked up tight for the night. But some boaters are there lounging outside having a few.
My group follows me down the dock to board the Saving Grace. Wes gave me a tour earlier, and I know where the keys are hidden. I don’t turn the motor on, but I power up the string lights he hung from the mainsail to the stern lines. It’s romantic as fuck and makes me want to punch something hard. Instead, I smile handing out beers and wine from the stocked cabin fridge and host an after-party when I was supposed to be out on the open sea making love to Callie under the stars.
Lost in my thoughts, I sit on a cooler, peeling the label off my beer.
“What the hell is going on?”
“A party, asshole!” I mutter at the figure standing on the dock, his face hidden by the shadows.
“Gabe Parker?”
“Yeah, who the fuck wants to know?”
He walks forward into the light.
In a split-second, my beer’s forgotten as I vault over the stern onto the dock fifteen feet from him.
“Elliott.”
He strolls forward, shaking his head at me, “She would’ve been better off with me. I wouldn’t have dragged her down.”
“Fuck you!” I snarl, charging forward with my fist cocked.
He bends his head charging back, arms reaching for my waist as we tumble on the docks, both jockeying for position as we land blows. He hits me in the ribs, forcing me to grunt. Chaos erupts around us as women scream and my boys try to pull us apart.
I land a few blows to that pretty boy’s face, my chin snapping back as he lands one last cheap shot since Marcus has my arms pinned back.
My ribs and eye hurt like hell, both swelling, but I grin like a motherfucker as his chest heaves, eyes full of rage as we stare at one another. “She’d never go back to you. She loves me.”
“Oh, yeah? Well, see about that. I’m transferring to UVA… word is your too much drama for the girl next door. I’m looking forward to getting to know her, again…” He trails off.
I see red.
With a roar sounding like a battle cry, I break free from Marcus’ hold hook Elliott around the knees, and the two of us tumble into the water.
We both sputter to the surface. He’s the first to break away swimming to the edge of the dock, hoisting himself out.
I tread water for a few minutes letting it clear my head. “Come on,” Banger gestures, “the cops are here.”
Diving under, I surface in front of his feet taking his hand.
“Gabe?”
“What’s up Steve? I just felt like a swim.”
“Uh-huh. Any of them underage?” He nods to the girls Marcus brought back.
“I have no clue.”
“They better not be. What the hell is wrong with you? You just got your life back.”
“No. You’re wrong. It doesn’t matter. None of it will matter—if I don’t have her there with me.”
“Who says she won’t be? But acting like this won’t win her back—being the man she fell in love with will.”
“I don’t know. I feel lost. How can that be when I’ve only known her a few months?”
“When you know, you know. I’m officially off the clock. You got any more beer?”
He claps my back, walks me back to Saving Grace and just like that my mood lifts. “You’re like the older brother; I wish I always had.”
At first, everyone’s nervous until Steve walks back to his car to grab a change of clothes. We sit around, laughing—shooting the shit. Marcus and Trey smooch their girls for a bit, and another couple joins us from the next boat, bringing a guitar and bongo drum.
“We heard you like to sing.”
“I do… and he owes me a rematch. He won our last sing-off, but it was rigged.”
“Bullshit, Parker. Don’t be such a baby. I was better than you.”
“You were surrounded by family and your subordinates… it was a rigged vote.”
“Oh, it’s on like donkey-kong.” Steve stands taking the guitar. Without missing a beat, I grab the drum, placing it between my legs. He starts strumming the chords to “Landslide,” thinking I won’t know it.
But he’s wrong. I grew up listening to everything and watching Glee with my high school girlfriend every Saturday night on her DVR while we made out.
Steve is going down.
And this is just the release I need to relieve my heartache. Even if it’s only for a little while.
***
Callie
“That didn’t take long.” I hold out my phone so that Soph can look at the pictures of Gabe with Banger at Beachcombers.
“Whatever. He’s pulling the classic guy move—smiling with a beer in hand, with his arm around some blonde.”
“Whoa. Are we talking about Gabe or Banger?”
She shrugs, walking into my bathroom. I’m glad she slept over last night. I wanted to text Gabe a dozen times and take it all back. But I can’t jerk him around like that. He’s leaving for pre-season soon anyway, and I’ve decided to put my dreams on hold again for my family. I can’t leave, attending class at the main campus leaving Charlie here alone with a fading mother and a half-functional father. Charlie’s going to be destroyed, and I’m not sure how things are going to go when the end comes.
“Let’s grab breakfast.”
“I can’t eat.”
“I know. But you need to.”
She’s right. I down the coffee already made but only end up nibbling on a bagel.
“I need to get to the marina. Dad’s working the café today, so at least my feet get a break.” I eye my chipped toenails.
“We need a day of beauty.”
“I wish!”
She shrugs, “Why not? Half of our regulars work at the salon. I’m sure they would hook us up.”
“Maybe.”
“I’ll ask. We should get the works at the end of summer, so we can hit the main campus looking fresh.”
“I’m not going…”
“Callie? You have to. They only offer freshman and sophomore level classes here.”
“I know.”
“Oh, Callie. Surely your mother wants you to go?”
“I’m sure she does. But, how can I?”
“How can you not? Is the better question?”
Shruggi
ng, I unplug my cell from the charger, “My uncle left me a string of texts. I need to get down to the marina—he said it’s urgent. Thanks, for staying over with me, Soph. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You might not feel the same after pledge week.”
“What?”
“You are going to main campus—the drive won’t be as long after summer when the tourists are gone. I’ve signed us up—to pledge to the Gamma Omega Sorority. It’s a good one; they are big into charity work.”
“You didn’t?”
“Too late. You’ve been so busy playing house with Parker to think about the fall. I’ve got us both covered. Even if you get back together—he’s going to be consumed with football. They practice twice a day, watch game tapes at night—travel about every weekend all while maintaining their grades. And he needs to be on top of that after everything he’s been through this summer.”
I bite my lip, “It sounds like I did the right thing then—not saddling him with a girlfriend that would need him far too much.”
“Gabe doesn’t seem like a guy who would ever say that—much less think that way.”
“No, he isn’t. Which is why I’m doing it for him. He’s sacrificed so much—worked so hard to get to where he is. I won’t be the reason why he doesn’t make it. Going pro was a dream he shared with his own mother. I can’t even be the reason why he’s off—even if it’s only for one game. I need to let him go now, so he can get back to campus for pre-season and get back into his routine. By the time his first game comes—I’ll just be the girl he spent one sweet summer with,” I smile wistfully.
“I think you are much more than that—you know it, too. But you both have so much going on—pulling you in opposite directions. It doesn’t mean you can’t love him.”
“I know. I’ve just realized how deeply I love him—I finally understand what it means to love someone so much—you can let them go.”
“So, you finally understand?” We both turn our heads at my mother standing in my doorway.
“Yes.” I sob, bowing my head. I wasn’t talking about her, but I guess that’s what she needs, too.
After quickly getting dressed, I hop on my bike, pedaling down to the marina. The clouds rolled in bringing a misting rain with them.
“What the heck?”
Gabe’s car is parked right next to Uncle Steve’s cruiser. Elliott’s Range Rover is here too.
This can’t be good.
My traitorous heart starts beating for him again. But I’m still raw and angry over the press tearing into our lives and Charlie being put at risk. I know Gabe didn’t ask for any of it, but he’s a magnet drawing more than just me.
The rubber soles of my sneakers tread quietly down the dock. I pause for a second not believing what I’m seeing.
Gabe and Steve are drinking hot coffee perched on the bow of my favorite sailboat, Saving Grace. Their tan legs dangle over the side, Elliott is a few spots over, throwing the lines, taking Sheena off the dock. Gabe flips him the bird, and even from where I’m standing, I have no problem hearing Elliott mutter, “asshole,” as Sheena clips by.
“Save any coffee for me?”
Gabe’s head snaps up so fast he smacks the side of it on the boom. “Careful, that mast will crack your head.”
“What does it matter, since this girl I met already cracked my heart?”
Shoulders sagging, I bend down taking my shoes off before boarding.
“Yep. This is my cue to leave. I don’t know how you dated him anyway,” Steve nods over to Gabe, “when he snores like a damn freight train.”
Seeing the look of confusion on my face, he puts a hand on my shoulder, “I crashed the boat party Gabe and his buddies had here last night.”
“You… you partied on my yacht?”
“Your yacht? I don’t think so cupcake.”
“It is.”
“My parents promised never to sell her. They put the deed in my name.”
“Oh yeah? Maybe I’ll buy it out from under you when I make my first million.” He baits me, knowing I can’t help it. Just like the night we met, flames lick along my skin; burning anger and desire fuse together.
The anger helps me forget how much I want to tell him we’re back on, as I peer below noticing empty beer bottles scattered everywhere.
“Why does my boat smells like piss and beer?”
“Sorry. Marcus got wasted; he might’ve had bad aim when going over the side.”
My foot taps on the teak deck, “Where are they?”
“They left. Went to your café for breakfast with Banger, he wanted to see if Soph was working.”
“She is. They better not give her a hard time.”
“They won’t… well Banger, might.”
“What are you doing here anyway?”
He hangs his head, arms gripping the mast, biceps bulging, finally, he looks at me. “I was planning a romantic sail with you. Your father gave me the green light. We were supposed to go last night. Wes… stocked the fridge. I thought we could just go sail away, just the two of us; out on the ocean where no cameras could follow. No crazy exes, either. Yours or mine.”
“Elliott’s not crazy.”
“Debatable.”
He’s hurt, looking at me like an unwanted puppy on adoption day.
“Let’s go then. We need to talk anyway.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
Stepping forward, my arms find his waist. He draws in a sharp breath as I lay my head on his shoulder. Tears find their way out as he holds me tight.
“This isn’t over because I don’t love you. It’s over because I do.”
“Don’t. Don’t say that. Why Callie?”
“It’s too much. Your life is too much for me to handle right now. I can’t keep hitting the pause button on what I want. As long as I can remember, my dream has been med school. I’ve given up almost everything as it is, just to get keep my grades at a level where I can be competitive. I know if I kept loving you—I’d give it all up; follow you anywhere. I don’t want to wake up one day—resentful. I’m not the girl content with a diamond ring, Range Rover, and a million-dollar home. I’m flip-flops, boardwalk fries, messy hair, and a ten-speed bicycle.”
“I know. That’s what makes you perfect.”
Stepping back, I untie the lines, throwing them on the dock and start the engine. “Let’s just have today. One more day, to be us—Callie and Gabe—the couple that met by accident and loved each other hard one summer.”
He shakes his head, stands behind me as my hands rest on the wheel, guiding us out of the channel.
“I’m never going to give up on us.”
I don’t reply, trying to soak up the feel of him holding me close so I can remember it on the lonely days and nights ahead.
Gabe
STEVE ESCORTS HER To my car waiting at the curb.
“What is this?” She’s surprised to see me.
“I’m taking you on a road trip.” I grin, opening my sunroof and turning up the volume on the song I’ve got on. “Buckle up, Gayle. It’s not always a smooth ride.”
“Is that the same line you used on my daughter?”
“No. But It would’ve been a good one.”
“Good Lord.”
“I haven’t even started singing yet. What’s your favorite band?”
“You’re too young to have heard of them.”
“Try me.”
“The Violent Femmes.”
Grinning so hard, my dimples must be showing, I scroll through my playlist finding “Blister in the Sun.” Cruising down the main drag out to the highway with the sun in front of us, the two of us sing each verse—I even slap my hands on the wheel mimicking the drums.
“It’s no wonder my daughter fell hard for you.”
My answer is a wink and a grin.
“Where are we going anyway?”
“Can’t tell you that. Just enjoy the ride.”
“The buffet at the Sagam
ore?”
“No. Maybe next time.”
“Gabe,” she warns in a low voice, “you better not be bringing me back to the hospital.” Her hands start frantically trying to unclip her seatbelt.
“Nope. No hospital. Promise.”
“Okay…”
“I’m hungry as fuck,” I mutter pulling into McDonald’s. “Oops, sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m hungry as fuck, too.” She giggles turns the stereo back up and bops her head to the beat. At least she’s smiling for now. I’m hoping some hot fries, and a chocolate milkshake will keep it going.
“I can’t believe my daughter dumped you.” She sucks down her milkshake, as I alternate between stuffing my face while driving with one hand on the wheel, singing, “American Girl.”
“I know. I told her I was the king of fun.”
“Unlike me.”
“What? Cancer’s not fun?”
“Dying sucks.”
“Nope. We’re going to change that. Stick with me, honey.”
“God help my daughter…”
“Oh, there’s not a chance in hell we’re over. She just doesn’t realize that yet.”
“I think she does. She’s just too scared to admit it.”
“I’m not sweating it. When my princess is ready—I’m going to swoop in and carry her off—”
“Into the sunset?”
“No. Boston. They want me… bad. From what I hear, anyway. I just need to have another epic season and stay injury free.”
“I’ve seen you play.”
“You have?”
“On TV. I’m a UVA alum, myself.”
“But Callie doesn’t watch?”
“No. She’s hardly watches TV. My Callie is the outdoors type. If she wasn’t on the beach with a book in hand, she was always out riding her bike, or down at the Marina with Eric learning everything a girl could about boat motors.”
“She’s so different. It’s one of the things that drew me in—right from the start.”
“Never stop loving her.”
“I don’t intend to.”
“Good.”
She polishes off her food, reclines her seat, closing her eyes as the beat plays.
***
“The football stadium? You drove me two hours to a football stadium?”
