IT WASN’T THAT hard to get her mom to agree. All Katie had to do was go double time on Summer duties (meaning taking her to go potty, giving her a bath, and even feeding her dinner—stuff she usually left to her parents or the yaya when they were back home) and her mom’s grateful heart melted. Besides, when she said it was Ethan who asked her to join them, her mom immediately said yes. No, she did not mention drinking. She was only sixteen. Her mom had a rule about that. She believed teenage brain cells were still developing so she didn’t want Katie drinking till she was eighteen. Little did she know that Chris had already snuck her a few sips of vodka at one of his family parties.
As Katie was getting ready, choosing a short, floral sundress to slip over her head, she took out her phone and texted Chris:
Guess where I’m going tonight while you’re busy writing essays?
To bed? Zzzzzzz
No! Out with your brother. He’s here too!
Oh, right. He texted me. But I’m not writing essays. I’m going out.
Say hi to Inca for me.
Okay but it’s not Inca I’m going out with.
That was all it took for Katie to press the green call button on her phone. What was Chris thinking? When he and Inca started going out, she had already warned him that he couldn’t just toy with her feelings. Inca was her friend—had been her friend since grade school. Their friend, in fact. And when he decided he wanted to “hang out with her” as he called it, she was immediately wary.
For the past two years, Chris had been serially dating different girls, never committing to any—not that he had to, but Katie hated the way he just disappeared on them and moved on to the next girl. She had tons of girls crying to her in the school hallways, asking what they did wrong. But what Katie hated the most was when the girls would start fighting in school over who stole him from whom—they would even try to rope her into it. When that would happen, she would march over to his house right after school and let him have it. He’d always apologize but insist he didn’t believe her. She did have a habit of exaggerating things.
In the beginning, she would make excuses for him, but when she seriously talked to him about it and asked him what was going on, he mumbled stupid answers like, “It wasn’t fun anymore” or “She was getting too clingy.” That was when a very frustrated Katie started telling her classmates to stay away from her best friend. But somehow, even if he had that reputation, they still kept falling for him. She could understand why. He wasn’t your typical arrogant player. Far from it. Chris was sweet, caring, attentive, and of course, he was on his high school’s basketball varsity team (he refused to follow in Ethan’s soccer superstar steps even if he could have easily made that team too). Oh, and how could she forget (though she usually did since she was so used to it), just like his older brother, he was also really cute.
So when he and Inca were thrown together over the summer since both their high schools decided to merge summer classes, they started hanging out. And Katie was not happy about it. She knew what was going to happen. But she had hoped that because Inca was a friend of theirs, Chris wouldn’t treat her the same way.
“Hey, Katie!” he answered after half a ring.
“Tell me you’re going out with the guys.” She already sounded angry.
“Okay,” he said warily. “I’m going out with the guys.”
“Chris! What happened? Who is it this time? Why don’t you ever listen to me?!” Katie wailed. She didn’t think she had to warn Inca about Chris. Inca knew. But she had lectured Chris about it for over an hour. And he looked like he had been listening.
“I’m going out with Lia.”
“Again? But she told me she never wanted to see you or your name in her phone’s inbox ever again!”
“I bumped into her at the mall.” She could imagine him shrugging. Of course that was all it took. And he probably said hi and she was angry for like, what, two seconds? Katie sighed in exasperation.
“Chris, just please make sure Inca knows—”
“She does, Kate. I told her what you said. I said we were just hanging out and that I’m seeing other girls too.”
“You did?!”
“Yes. She knows. I… I didn’t think it was fair to her.”
“Well, the same goes for Lia, too, Chris. You better tell her. Even if she’s stupid enough to go out with you again,” Katie muttered. “The problem with you is you treat them all like you’re in love with them, so they believe it and then—”
“I know, Kate. I know. You’ve said this a million times before, remember?”
Katie didn’t care that he sounded impatient. “Yes, but I still get those girls crying to me when you decide you’re tired of them!”
“It’s not like that!” he protested.
“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I’m going out with Ethan and his friends tonight. Wish you were here too.”
“No you don’t.” She could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Oh, come on, Chris! You know I’m completely over him!”
“The lady doth protest too much.”
“Ugh. Goodbye.”
KATIE WAS STILL in a bad mood when Ethan and his friends arrived to pick her up. They were a total of five guys, but were meeting their girl friends over at a bar they had found on the beach. It was owned by a lawyer named Rod who had fallen in love with beach life and decided to leave the city for good. The beach was the best place to be, according to him. He could make a few bucks at night with his bar and laze on the beach all day. When Katie heard this, she asked him outright if he had some money stashed away from his lawyer days, earning interest, because she didn’t think he could survive on how much he was charging for drinks.
“You’re a smart cookie, aren’t you?” He winked at Ethan, who was paying for some beers.
“I’m just practical,” she said, taking one of the beers from Ethan. She hadn’t tried beer, but since it was what everyone else was drinking, she didn’t want to be left out.
“Oh no, not for you, Katie. A Shirley Temple please, Rod.” Ethan nodded at the bar owner. Then he leaned in and said, “She’s only sixteen.”
Katie cocked her head and gave Ethan an indignant look. “But in Europe, I could already order a hard drink.” Yes, she did her research. Not wanting to feel like a baby among the legal kids, she had e-mailed Tasha, her friend who was studying in the UK, and asked about the European nightlife.
“But I promised your mom.” Ethan gave her a sheepish look.
“One wouldn’t hurt, would it, Katie?” Rod slid a tall, clear drink toward her. “There you go. As light as anything I’m allowing myself to make without losing my reputation around here. Make it last the night.” He gave her a wink.
Katie took a little sip and grinned. It was a sweet vodka mix. Just like what Chris had made for her before. “Thanks, Rod. I might just forgive you for not being straight with me about your stashed millions.” She didn’t know if it was the teeny tiny amount of vodka in her system, her anger at Chris, or the fact that she was actually out with Ethan and his friends, but the confidence that had deserted her on the beach earlier that day was back.
She was a bit disappointed when the guys started getting up to play pool. Chris loved the game, but she didn’t really care for it. When Ethan asked if she wanted to join them, she shook her head and said she’d just watch. The girls, Ethan’s friends from his college days in Manila, were also playing. There were four pool tables lined up next to the wall. How many people did Rod get in there, anyway? Four pool tables seemed ambitious to Katie.
As she took what she counted as the sixth sip of her drink, she felt someone slide into the booth next to her. “Don’t you play?”
She turned to see a boy who looked roughly about her age. He had a mop of curly dark hair and his nose was pinker than the rest of his face. Cute, Katie thought. Not as cute as Ethan. But really, who was as cute as Ethan? Maybe Chris.
“Nah, I’d rather watch. You?” She noticed he had a beer in his hands. Maybe he
wasn’t her age. But who knew? He didn’t have Ethan looking out for him for his mother. Talk about double standards.
“Maybe later. I’m Andrew.” When he smiled, his eyes crinkled up as if he were in on some joke. She could get used to that.
“Katie.” She grinned back. “Do you go to college with them too?”
“Oh no!” He laughed. “I’m Jake’s younger brother.” He nodded toward the lanky guy standing next to Ethan, waiting for him to make his move. “I’m entering college next school year. Pretty exciting stuff.”
As they talked about what he was majoring in (BS Psych), whether he wanted to become a doctor or not (he wasn’t sure yet but was seriously considering it), and who his friends were (he knew Chris but since they weren’t in the same batch, they weren’t close), Katie had forgotten all about Ethan. She was finding this guy quite fascinating. She didn’t know if it was because of the vodka she was drinking, the salty beach air, or the boy himself. But she was definitely charmed by the easygoing way he laughed at whatever she said, no matter how lame, and how he seemed to be unfazed by a lot of things that stressed her out (school, her parents, Chris—well, she didn’t tell him about Chris even if she was still feeling a bit peeved).
Then he did the one thing that confirmed he liked her. Katie didn’t want to be presumptuous, but hey, she was at the beach, and the *former* love of her life had a hot European girlfriend and wasn’t paying her any attention, so why not jump to that delicious conclusion? “Let’s get out of here and take a walk by the water? The stars must look amazing tonight, there aren’t any clouds.”
“What a line.” Katie rolled her eyes. But of course she was flirting.
“It’s not! I swear.” He laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Besides, it’s getting a bit too noisy in here.”
“I’m just kidding. Let’s go!” Katie drained her drink and signaled to Ethan that she was going to leave with Andrew. Ethan nodded and returned to his game.
As they strolled along the shore, their flip-flops in their hands, Katie asked Andrew if he had a girlfriend. When he said no, she found herself telling him about Chris and the slew of brokenhearted girls who were driving her crazy.
He chuckled and said, “Yeah, I’ve sort of heard something about that. Your buddy’s got quite the reputation when it comes to girls.”
“But he’s genuinely nice and sweet, and that’s what makes it even harder!” Katie let out a groan. “You know, if these girls wouldn’t bother me about it, I could just close my eyes to what’s going on!”
“Was he hurt by a girl before?” Andrew asked tentatively, turning his head to face her.
Katie stopped in her tracks. That had never occurred to her. Then again, it wasn’t like she had analyzed Chris’s behavior, she was too busy screaming at him. “You know what? You’re probably on to something,” she said quietly, remembering how Chris had gotten his heart broken around two years ago in freshman year.
Andrew nodded and smiled at her. “My mom’s a psychologist and she likes to talk about these things. She says that behavior is usually linked to something that happened and affected us deeply in the past. She’s the reason I want to become a doctor. I see how…” His voice trailed off.
“See how what?” Katie pressed as they continued walking.
“It’s kinda heavy stuff. You don’t want to hear it,” he said, sounding embarrassed that he had divulged so much so soon.
Without thinking, Katie took his hand to reassure him. “Of course not! I do want to hear it. There’s nothing like that in my life that means that much to me. I mean, except for my little sister and my best friends, but otherwise, I still don’t know what course to choose in college, for example.” She realized she was babbling and stopped. “Sorry, Andrew, please continue.”
To her surprise, Andrew didn’t let go of her hand as they continued to walk. “I see how much she helps the people she counsels and I want to do that too. I just don’t think I have the patience to listen to them talk about their problems, you know? But I don’t think I’d mind listening to their physical ailments.” He laughed, still a bit embarrassed.
Katie squeezed his hand, hoping to reassure him. He squeezed back. They walked a bit further in silence except for the sound of the gentle waves meeting the shore till they reached the cottage where Katie and her family were staying. Then an idea occurred to Katie. “Hey, let me run in and get my swimsuit. Then let’s go for a swim.”
“Sounds awesome. I’ve got my swim shorts on. I’ll just wait for you here.” He grinned, plopping down on the sand then lazily stretching out on his back.
Katie felt a little unfamiliar pang in her chest as she looked down at him. She had just met him a few hours ago, but she felt like she already knew him and somehow wanted to spend every waking moment with him. Or maybe she was just a little hit by the alcohol in her system. She had never had that much in her life. A few sips now and then were all Chris had let her have.
Inside the room she shared with her parents, she stealthily fished her swimsuit from her bag, quickly wriggled into it, and slid back into her sundress. She gave a silent prayer of thanks that her parents and Summer were heavy sleepers then ran to find Andrew lying in the same spot, waiting for her. She tossed a towel on his face and pulled her sundress over her head. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
Running into the waves, Katie shrieked as the cold water hit her skin. “Maybe this was a bad idea!” She was about to head back to the sand when Andrew started splashing her with water. “Hey, cut it out!” She splashed him back, laughing. She felt like they were in a romantic comedy, all she needed was a killer soundtrack and they were all set. When Andrew held his hands up and called for a truce, Katie swam up next to him, thinking she was most possibly living the best night of her life—with or without the alcohol dizzying up her brain.
THE REST OF her vacation was like a blur of happiness to Katie. She spent loads of time with Andrew and Summer and all she remembered was how much fun they had. Even when Summer would throw a tantrum because she refused to leave the sand or do something or other, Andrew never looked like he wanted to kill himself. He just patiently waited for Katie or her mom to calm Summer down, then he would ask if she was okay and Katie would reassure him that it was normal and that it just took getting used to. She almost caught herself saying, “You’ll get used to it eventually.” But she didn’t want to assume anything. Besides, they had already talked about how important it was for Andrew to go to college without a girlfriend cramping his style (Katie’s idea of course). Katie didn’t believe in having a boyfriend till college either. She knew she was going to meet tons of boys after high school and if she was already tied down, how much fun would that be?
But she couldn’t help noticing how disappointed Andrew looked when she made that declaration. She just had to say it with such conviction, didn’t she? Oh well, that was how she did almost everything, and if he wanted to stick around—forget Summer’s tantrums—Katie’s certainty was one thing he had to get used to.
Despite her euphoria over the fact that Andrew spent almost every second of every day with her and her family, Katie couldn’t help but feel the need to send Chris an e-mail about her realization over his serial dating. She begged the owners of the resort for a few minutes on their desktop and quickly typed what she had to say.
Dear Chris,
I have loads to tell you about what’s happening to me over here. But I don’t really have time to keep typing away since I’m just borrowing this computer.
I wanted to tell you that while I was talking to Andrew, the guy I texted you about, he told me everyone’s behavior is usually connected to something that affected them in the past. His mom’s a psychologist and a counselor so he knows these things. Plus he wants to be a doctor! Anyway, back to you. I realized that you could be acting this way—not wanting to get close to these girls—because of what Iris did to you. I know I promised never to bring her up again and the way she brutally broke your
heart (oops), but it makes so much sense! At least to me. And I know if it makes sense to me, it makes sense to you.
So here’s my theory: You don’t want to get hurt again. That’s why you’re pushing away all these girls before you can even get properly close to them. But, Chris, they’re not all like that. You have to give one of them (but please choose well for goodness sake!) a chance to prove to you that Iris was a %&*#@ and not every girl is like her. She was a fluke. And you were a kid, you couldn’t have known any better.
The theory just made sense to me, and you know how much I worry about you. So think about it, okay?
Hang in there and I’ll see you soon.
Love lots,
Katie
After sending it, she quickly texted Chris to check his inbox. But instead of waiting impatiently for a reply the way she normally did, Katie threw her phone into her beach tote, slung it over her shoulder, and walked over to the cottage Andrew shared with his brother and a few other guys. She only had one more day with him before they went back home and she wanted every second to count.
As she walked, she spotted Ethan heading toward her, still looking like the sun followed him wherever he went, illuminating his very existence. She waved and asked where he was going, glad all it took was one night for her to remember that she was already over him. But finding him terribly cute? She didn’t think that would ever change. “I was looking for you, Katie. The guys and I are going hiking. Would you like to come along?”
Katie wrinkled her sunburnt nose in distaste. “Hiking? In this heat?” She didn’t think she wanted to spend her last day at the beach climbing a hill. If she was going to sweat, she wanted the option of jumping into the water to cool off.
Only A Kiss Page 5
