About last summer

Gatecrasher

"Where are you going?" Jake asked as I came downstairs around midday. I wore high waisted denim mum shorts and a halter neck top.

"The beach" I answered.

"With a full face of make up?" He raised his eyebrows.

I scowled at him and threw my long wavy brown hair over my shoulders. "I'm meeting Carlos".

"Wait...that guy likes you? Is he crazy?" Jake started to laugh at himself.

"Wow, thanks for the confidence boost bro!" I looked at myself in the mirror one more time, happy with what I saw regardless. "Bye!"

I swanned out of the back door and down to the beach where Carlos was already waiting with the picnic set out.

"Hey" he said when he saw me, giving me a quick hug.

"This looks amazing!"

"I aim to please. Everything is dairy free"

"Thank you" I gave him another hug. "You do know the cheese taste's like air though right?"

"I'd eat air flavoured sandwiches if it meant I get to spend more time with you"

"Awwwwww" I squeezed one of his hands before sitting down to enjoy.

"So what are you doing after this summer? College?" He asked as we ate the sandwiches.

"Yeah, I'm going to NYU, what about you?"

"I actually manage my Dad's automobile shop, it's just in town."

"That's so cool, so you're good with cars?"

He nodded.

"I might have to keep you around, my family are useless with that kind of thing - Abe's pretty good though".

"He's a man of many talents huh" he looked down at the sandwich in his hand.

"I think he learnt in high school to impress some girl. Anywho...Do you go back to the DR much?"

"Once a year for my grandma's birthday, which is splat bang in the middle of Hurricaine season. Have you been?"

"A few times actually. We fly back to the UK at Christmas every year to spend time with my Grandparents"

"Cool" he gave me a genuine smile. "And your mom, she lives here in Florida?"

I nodded. "Yeah, her and dad split up when I was 12 and she moved out here, we've been coming here every summer ever since but we go to school in LA because that's where Dad lives".

"Ah, I see. So why is your accent all funny?"

"We were all born in the UK, we moved to the US when I was 10 and I refuse to let my cockney accent go!"

"That makes sense" he paused for a second,  "I'm gonna teach you to Merengue" he said randomly, standing up and pulling me up after him. He put a merengue song on his phone and we danced across the sand, with me doing my best not to step on his toes. He twirled me around smiling. "You're actually not that bad".

"Oh thanks! What a half hearted compliment!" I replied as he spun me round and the song came to an end. We retired back on the picnic blanket, watching the waves. He wrapped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close.

"Ayyyyyyy! Is that home-made lemonade?" I could hear Abe before I saw him plonk himself at the end of the blanket.

"Why are you here?"

"I could see this delicious picnic out of the window and I couldn't help myself" he helped himself to a cup of lemonade. "Carlos" he said, nodding at Carlos. I could feel Carlos tense up.