Falling into Summer

Chapter 3

When I wake up the next morning, it's an hour later than I set my alarm for. Realizing I've overslept, I rush to get ready knowing everyone is showing up soon to start this move whether I'm ready or not. I throw on a pair of running shorts, an old t-shirt, sneakers, and a hat with my long hair hanging in a ponytail out the back of my baseball cap, appropriate attire for sweating all day in the summer humidity. Before I know it, everyone shows up and almost instantly there are fifteen or so of my mother's co-workers breaking down our furniture and moving everything out to the moving truck. Amongst them is Sarah's family, minus young Jesse who I learn is at a friend's house for the day.

As everyone is busy working, I try to stay out of their way by loading up some of the smaller things I want to take, in my car. After taking a load to my car, I'm making my way back towards the opened garage when I notice Carter is standing with his back to me, by himself after someone's just turned to walk back in the house. Just before I can say something to grab his attention, he pulls his shirt off and uses it to wipe sweat from his face and chest, assuming he has privacy, revealing his tall, lean figure. My instant attraction at the sight of his bare torso catches me completely off guard. Instantly, I turn on my heels to head back to my car, so not to be caught staring at him. When I get back to my car, I search around for something that justifies my return. When I notice my sunglasses in the center console, I insist to myself that I need them for the trips back and forth to the car... Yeah, I meant to grab these... I need them... and not so I can use them to disguise my staring at Carter if he's walking around here shirtless... By the time I make my way back towards the house, I notice Carter is standing in the same spot, but with his shirt on, no longer alone. I manage to make my way past them and back into the house without looking up from my feet, convinced my little reaction has gone unnoticed.

Just before lunch we finish with the first load and everyone piles into cars to head out to the new house. By the time we get there, everyone's hungry and we all take a couple of minutes to eat lunch, and once everyone's feeling reenergized we start unloading. I basically try to stay out of everyone's way while working to unload my car, and guide where things go when my mother isn't available. In nearly half the time it took to load the truck, it's completely empty. Everyone then heads back to the old house with my mother for the final, small load, expecting to be back in a couple of hours. Sarah, on the other hand, has to leave to pick up Jesse and insists to Mark and Carter she'll see them at home later this evening. Surprising me, Mark and Carter decide to stay and instantly start working to put together our beds so we have some place to sleep tonight.

After finishing the beds and an hour has passed easily, the three of us congregate in the kitchen snacking on pizza and talking. They tell me stories about how they lived as a family in Alabama just before Carter moved to live with his dad when he was ten. When Mark takes a call from Sarah on his cell phone, I decide to work on unpacking some of my bathroom items. Working on my medicine cabinet, I'm putting things away when I suddenly feel like someone is watching me. When I stand straight up, I can see past the bathroom door and into the family room. Just in my eye sight is Carter, who suddenly looks like he's playing with a stacked moving box before walking away. I can't help but smile to myself when I realize I may have just caught him checking me out, like I did him earlier... Only I never got caught!

When I finish in my bathroom a couple of minutes later, I toss the box into the family room just outside the hallway, and go around the corner to my new blue bedroom. I jump onto my bed and lay back staring up at the ceiling, taking a minute to enjoy the quietness of the moment.

"Do you know how you're going to lay everything out?" Carter asks, and I look over at him in the doorway.

"Yeah, I think I'll put my vanity over there, the entertainment center in the corner with the tv and stereo, and the dresser over here," I explain using my hands to point to the areas I'm referencing.

"You think you can get all that furniture in here?"

"I hope so, or else I have serious storage issues," I joke.

"Man, this bed is so tall," he comments, as he steps in and pushes down on the mattress that comes to his hip, and he's more than six feet tall. "Do you need a step stool to get onto it?" he teases, referring to my five-foot frame.

"I might," I confess with a chuckle. "I didn't think it was going to be this tall when I picked it out last week. It's just so comfortable," I insist as I scoot over and pat the bed next to me so he can join me. He accepts my invitation and lies back on the bed next to me, our feet hanging off the foot.

"It's pretty comfy," he agrees with a smile, making me smile. We stay laying there for a couple of minutes, and just when I'm about to fall asleep, we hear Mark call out, "They're here," from the living room, referring to the last truck load, and we jump up to go help.

By six o'clock, everything has been unloaded, and exhausted everyone starts to leave. My mother and I thank all her friends for their help and hard work, and then we start on trying to get the essentials unpacked before calling it a night. Carter offers to stay longer to help if he can get a ride home later. I agree, not seeing anything wrong with him staying longer. Surprising me yet again, he instantly starts to unpack some of our living room boxes and works to set up our tv and entertainment area, while my mother works in her bathroom, and I start on my closet. After another hour, and finally running out of things to do, he finally makes his way to my room to see if I need any help. After getting his help moving a couple of cabinets, I ask him if he's ready to go home, but he just shrugs. "Well let me know when you're ready, and I'll take you. I don't want your mother to think we're keeping you here hostage," I joke.

"Whenever you want is fine, I'm here to help so let me know if you need anything."

"Well thanks, but I think we're good for now," when he doesn't jump at the chance to be taken home, I get the sense he's in no hurry to leave, so I offer him a movie. "If you're bored, I have movies if you want to watch one."

"Sure, what do you got," he asks lying down on my bed, in the perfect position to see my tv in the corner. I proceed to read some movie titles off to him and he picks Ocean's Eleven. He spends the next hour or two watching the movie while I work on unpacking my closet. He surprises me by staying awake and never falling asleep. I mean he worked harder than I did today, and I know if I lay down, I'd fall asleep instantly. We don't do much talking, rather he seems perfectly content just hanging out while I work around him. After offering to help three different times, I assure him he's done plenty today, that he can just relax.

By 11:30, the movie finishes, and we're both yawning, so we decide I should take him home. The short ride to his house is quiet, probably because we're both ready to crash after a day of hard work. I'm not at all surprised when I pull up to Sarah's house, and it looks dark inside like everyone is asleep. "Thanks again for all your help today, and the last couple of days," I say as he's unbuckling his seat belt.

"It was no problem. It's better than sitting at home with nothing to do. Call me if you want to hang out some time," he insists as he opens the car door and climbs out.

"Ok, thanks. I'll see you later," I wave as he waves and closes the door.