by Leigh, T. K.
“And I’m sorry,” I say on a sigh.
She studies me for a minute, then her eyes soften, a smile returning to her mouth. “Jackpot.” I haven’t seen her smile at me in over a month. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until this moment. She looks radiant, vivacious…beautiful.
She steps toward the car and opens the passenger door, sliding in. Once she’s brought her seatbelt across her chest and buckled it, I pull back onto the road. Silence settles between us. I’m uncertain what to say. Do I discuss what she saw? It’s not like Brooklyn and I are together and I cheated on her with Mindy, even though it kind of feels that way. I wish it didn’t. I wish we could go back to the way things were between us before… Before I almost kissed her. Before her dad saw me almost kiss her. Before I was punched in the gut with a warning to stay away.
Suddenly, an idea pops into my head. Instead of taking the turn toward the residential section of town, I head in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” Brooklyn shifts her eyes to mine.
“It’s a surprise.” I give her a mischievous grin.
She crosses her arms over her chest, huffing. “We’ve known each other practically our entire lives. I’m not so sure you’re capable of surprising me anymore, Drew. This is the way to the beach.”
“Okay, so maybe it’s not a great surprise. I just thought…” I trail off, drawing in a deep breath as I steal a glance at her. She’s changed out of her work uniform and is in a white t-shirt and a pair of shorts that are unusually short for her. Or maybe they just seem that way because of how long her legs are. It takes every ounce of resolve I have to not gawk at them, the way the passing streetlamps hit them and make them glisten. “I just thought maybe we could go back to the start.”
“The start?”
“Yeah. The start.”
“Okay.” No question about what I mean by that. No push to talk more. Just a simple acquiescence. There’s a comfort in her understanding my thought process without having to say a single word. Will I ever find someone else who can read my mind like Brooklyn can?
After a short, silent drive, I pull my car into a spot in one of the beach lots. I run around to the passenger side, helping Brooklyn out, as my father taught me to do. She blushes and I smile at her. The ocean breeze blows around us, her aroma mixing with the salty sea air. I lean down, my mouth a whisper from her neck. I haven’t been this close to her in over a month and it’s driving me crazy. I’ve been warned to keep my distance, but I just need one night, one hour, one minute. I don’t care how long. I just need something real again.
“Never date a guy who doesn’t open doors for you. You deserve to be treated like the treasure you are. Okay?”
“Yes.” She slowly lifts her eyes to mine, our lips close. Just a slight tilt of my head and I’d get a taste of what I’ve been fantasizing about since I had her body pinned beneath mine. But I brought her here to clear the tension between us. Kissing her would only make it worse.
“Come on.” I step back, gesturing across the road to the familiar awning of Kelly’s. “Hungry?”
“Not really.”
“Then ice cream. You’re never too full for sweets.”
She laughs, the sound warming my heart as we walk. “Another one of Aunt Gigi’s rules for living.”
“They’re quite poignant,” I retort. “Can you really argue with her on this one?”
“No.” She shakes her head, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. “I certainly can’t.”
After I place my order and am given two chocolate ice cream cones, we cross the street and head back to the beach, strolling along the shore. It’s silent between us, the only sound that of the ocean waves and the occasional dog barking as their owners take them for a walk.
“So, you and Mindy?” Brooklyn says after a while.
I shrug, not embellishing.
“How’s that going to work with you heading to Minnesota? And isn’t she heading somewhere in the Midwest, too?”
“It’s not serious between us,” I answer, uneasy about talking to Brooklyn about Mindy. “We have an…understanding.”
Her mouth forms a tight line as she studies me. “An understanding?”
“Yeah. I guess. We just figured we may as well make the most out of the time we have left before college.”
“Getting a blowjob in a movie theater is certainly one way of doing that,” she mumbles, then inhales a sharp breath, shooting her wide eyes to mine. “I mean…” She averts her gaze.
“It’s okay.” I touch her arm, preventing her from going any further. She lifts her eyes. “Mindy told me what you saw.”
“I didn’t see anything,” she responds hurriedly, freeing herself from my hold and continuing down the beach. I follow. “It was dark. I was just trying to get a head start on cleaning up the theaters.”
She looks adorable when she’s flustered. The full moon gives the beach a subtle glow, shining on her dark hair, and I can see the blush blooming on her cheeks.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What you do with your girlfriend, or whatever she is, is none of my business. Let’s just stop talking about this because it’s really weird for me. Worse than my dad trying to talk to me about sex all those years ago, until he decided it was a lost cause and called Aunt Gigi.”
“Dad did the same thing with Molly,” I say, chuckling slightly from the memory.
Our house isn’t big, so everyone seems to know everyone else’s business. When I heard him trying to have “the talk” with Molly, I couldn’t help but cringe at how uncomfortable both of them sounded. It was different when my dad spoke to me about the proverbial birds and bees. I’m a guy. Girls are different. I’ve relearned that fact over the past several years as I’ve watched Brooklyn become more than just a girl, at least in my eyes. But as my father so nicely reminded me, in the eyes of the law, she’s still just a girl.
“I suppose that’s the sucky part about not having a mom.” She brings her ice cream up to her mouth and I can’t stop staring at her lips as they part. Her tongue darts out as she takes a lick of the rich, chocolaty goodness. She probably doesn’t even realize what she’s doing, but my mind is going to places I wish it wouldn’t.
I quickly tear my eyes away and focus on eating my own ice cream, but I’m not concentrating hard enough and some of it falls onto my white t-shirt, staining it. “Shit,” I mutter, grabbing the flimsy napkin wrapped around the cone and dabbing at my shirt.
“Can’t take you anywhere,” Brooklyn jokes. “You seriously need a man bib.”
“Man bib?”
“Yeah. Almost every meal you ever sit down to, you spill something.”
“It’s not that bad. I’ve done a lot worse.”
Brooklyn stops walking and a devilish grin crosses her face. Before I can stop her, she shoves her ice cream cone into my chest, adding to the stain, covering my shirt with chocolate. “Worse than that?”
My eyes fling to hers, fiery but playful at the same time. “You’d better run, Brookie!” I drop my own ice cream cone to the ground.
With a shriek, she darts up the beach, her laughter filling the air. I let her have a little head start, but I eventually catch up to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Hoisting her up, I toss her over my shoulder as if she were just a sack of flour. Compared to my tall, muscular stature, she weighs next to nothing.
“Drew!” Her screams get even louder, interspersed with infectious laughter. We’re making a scene, but I don’t care. This moment reminds me of all the times we roughhoused as kids, when she was just like another one of my friends. “Put me down.”
She swats at my back, still wiggling against me, but my hold on her is too strong.
“Drew!” she shouts again as I head closer to the water. “Don’t you dare! Don’t you even think about it, Andrew Vincenzo Brinks! If you do—”
Her words are cut short when I barrel into the ocean, tossing her into it. She yells and sinks below the surface befo
re getting her feet under her and standing.
“You are in big trouble, mister. Big, big trouble.” Her eyes are on fire as she glares at me.
Then a breathtaking smile lights up her face as she advances, splashing me. She uses every ounce of strength she possesses to try to tackle me. She’s no match for me, but I let her believe she can take me and fall into the water, rolling around with her. We continue to splash and dunk each other, heading farther away from the shore, every inch of me alive, alert…happy. This bewitching person makes me so fucking happy.
When we’re out of breath, Brooklyn stops, her body bobbing up and down with the small waves. I glance back to the beach, surprised at how far out we are.
“I’m going to miss this,” she says thoughtfully.
I return my eyes to hers, her expression serious. “Me, too.” Treading water, I swim closer to her, placing my hand on her back to help support her since it appears she’s struggling a bit. The reflection of the moon on the water behind her makes her appear almost ethereal.
“Let’s not fight anymore.” Her brows scrunch together. “I don’t like having to walk on eggshells around you. We only have a few weeks left before you go off to college. We should enjoy them…as the friends we are.”
Although it’s lackluster, I smile. She’s right. We shouldn’t squander these last few weeks. Before I made the mistake of almost kissing her, I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her, seeing her at the house. She’s always been a part of my life. And I hope she always will be.
“I’d like that.”
Chapter Seven
Brooklyn
Now that Drew and I have cleared the air between us, the next few weeks pass quickly. After seeing him and Mindy at the theater, I had thought it best if I steered clear of him the remainder of the summer. It wouldn’t have been too hard, considering that Molly seems to be permanently attached to Brody Carmichael these days, despite her assurances it’s not serious, that they’re just having a little fun. Now I’m grateful for her current preoccupation. It allows me plenty of time to hang out with Drew.
Things are like they were when we were younger. We hang around the café and people-watch. I go to his street hockey games, cheering enthusiastically for every goal he makes. I expect to see Mindy at some of his games, but she never shows. He stops by the movie theater on a regular basis to visit me during my shifts. I’ve even clued him in on the guessing game Spencer and I play. Turns out, Drew’s a lot more perceptive than I originally thought. He can’t beat my record, but he gets pretty damn close.
Everything’s been great. Better than great. Until today. It’s August twenty-fifth. Tomorrow afternoon, Drew will board a plane for Minnesota to start the next phase of his life. This has loomed over us the past several weeks, but we haven’t addressed it. It’s not like it really matters. Drew’s just a friend, like a brother. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling like I’m about to say goodbye to a piece of myself.
As I sit on the brick wall separating the parking lot from the shoreline, I steal a glimpse at him. He’s staring at the ocean, lost in thought, just like he has been since we got here earlier this afternoon. “Brody’s parents are out of town until Monday. He’s throwing a big party. The entire school’s going. I was even able to convince my dad to let me go since he doesn’t have to work until tomorrow morning. Will you be there?”
He looks down, avoiding my eyes. “I can’t. I have plans with Mindy.”
“Oh.” I try not to sound disappointed, failing miserably. He’s been seeing her throughout the summer, but he never talks about her much. She’s always just been someone in the background who never entered the little world we’ve created for ourselves. I guess I’ve simply allowed myself to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that on the nights I don’t see Drew, he’s with her.
“It’s just…” He licks his lips. “It’s my last night here and I promised—”
My hand shoots up, interrupting him. “Say no more.” I jump off the wall, tossing the remnants of my half-eaten ice cream into the trash. “I should get going. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow morning before you take off for the airport.”
Drew clambers after me before I can get too far, his hand wrapping around my forearm. “Brooklyn…”
His tone is heartfelt. It takes every ounce of effort I possess not to break down in tears over the idea that this may be the last time I see Drew.
My Drew.
I’m not ignorant enough to think he won’t change. Big things are about to happen for him. He’s been selected for the World Junior Championship hockey team. Many of the players chosen eventually go on to make the Olympic team. This puts his name on a lot of important people’s radars. He won’t have time for anything or anyone else.
“It’s okay.” My voice catches and I take a minute to reel in my nerves. “You should spend your last night here with someone you care about, not at some stupid party. Lord knows, you’ll probably have your fill of those at college.”
He blows out a small breath and I lift my eyes to his. “I’ll miss you, Brooklyn.”
I bite my lower lip to stop my chin from quivering. A lump forms in my throat, my heart physically aching at the sincerity I hear. He could just be saying this to appease me, but I honestly believe in the veracity of his words. I try to blink back my tears as my emotions overwhelm me, but one escapes.
Drew reaches for my face, the seconds stretching. The moment becomes more than just two friends hanging out on the beach during a hot summer day. When his finger swipes away my tear, heat rushes through me. He loops his arm around me and presses a hand against the small of my back, bringing my body against his. The sudden move momentarily disorients me. Despite spending a great deal of time together recently, he’s avoided touching me. Now that I’m in his arms again, I don’t want to leave them.
“Let me ask you something,” he says in a soft voice that heats my belly.
I tilt my head back, my eyes glued to his. “Yes.” My response comes out breathy, needy, unlike myself.
“That day back in June when I stopped by your house…”
I swallow hard, my heart pounding in my chest. His lips so close to mine make every inch of me come alive with a new sensation I’m not quite sure how to label. I forget who I am, where I am, who he is. None of that matters. All that does is the magnetism to him I’ve felt for years.
“When we almost kissed…”
“Yes,” I say again, my mouth salivating, my chest rising and falling with more intensity. I’ve completely shut out everything going on around us. I no longer hear the sound of engines roaring by, seagulls squawking, children playing. In this moment, all I hear is my heart pounding a ferocious tempo. All I feel is the electricity filling me at the promise of what’s to come. All I see is Drew.
“I wish we weren’t interrupted.”
I shiver at his words. “Me, too.”
“Brooklyn…” His tone is smooth, sensual. He licks his lips, his eyes growing more intense, more heated, more desperate. “My sweet, sweet Brooklyn. You have no idea how much I’m going to miss you.” He leans in, his mouth a whisper from mine.
I brace myself to finally feel what I’ve been imagining all summer. Then, as if a cruel joke, a familiar voice yells.
“Drew!”
We jump away from each other, our eyes flinging toward the source, seeing Molly running toward us. She slows her steps when she notices us together, my cheeks flushed.
“Brook?” With a furrowed brow, she shifts her gaze from me to Drew, then back to me again. “What are—”
“I had something in my eye,” I say quickly, praying Molly believes my lie. When she continues to study me, eyes narrowed, I head past her and Drew, avoiding both their stares. “I should get home so I can get ready for tonight. I’ll see you later.”
I hurry toward the sidewalk, breaking into a run when a bus pulls up to the stop. Not caring if it’s the right one, I get on it just so I don’t have to face Molly or Drew. I don’t remember to breath
e until the bus is a few blocks west of the beach.
Twice, Drew has tried to kiss me. And we’ve been interrupted each time. I’m starting to think it’s a sign we shouldn’t cross that line.
Chapter Eight
Brooklyn
By the time Molly and I arrive at Brody’s house that evening, the party is in full swing. I try not to think about the fact that Drew’s with Mindy right now. I shouldn’t care. Shouldn’t think about the excitement of his body against mine, his breath dancing with mine, his lips so close to mine.
“Drew’s missing a big party,” I say as we walk through the front door, music blaring, bodies dancing. The living room and kitchen swarm with people, the air hazy with smoke. From the looks of it, most of the school has shown up. One last hurrah before the school year begins.
“He wouldn’t think so,” she responds as she waves enthusiastically to a group of popular seniors. I guess hanging out with Brody has given her a new circle of friends.
“He’s never been one for parties, has he?” I comment. Drew’s focus has always been on hockey, often forgoing parties in order to get up early to train. He may not be the top of his class when it comes to academics, but his dedication to hockey is admirable.
“Well, it’s not that.” Molly leads me into the kitchen, grabbing a red cup and filling it with beer from a keg.
It looks like she’s done this before. I wouldn’t even know how to do what she’s doing — tilting the cup and pressing the nozzle against the side to prevent foam. She holds the beer out for me, but I shake my head. I’m lucky my father even allowed me to come tonight. The last thing I need is to walk into the house and have him smell alcohol on my breath.
She shrugs, taking a sip of the beer before finishing her statement. “From what I hear…” She gestures toward the group of seniors she waved to when we first walked in. “Drew’s taking Mindy up to the overlook again tonight.”
