the summer he loved me

so i put my hands up they're playing my song

"Here try this" Maria called Jeremiah over as she stirred her sauce for the dish she was making

"What is it?" Jeremiah asked as he came over to the kitchen island from where he was previously sat dozing off on the couch

"The sauce for my Patatas Bravas" Maria held up the teaspoon and Jeremiah tasted it. He concentrated hard and licked his lips
"Feedback?" Maria asked worriedly when he didn't say anything

"This is your best one yet, for sure!" Jeremiah nodded enthusiastically

"Thank you" Maria smiled. Jeremiah was keeping his girl company while she cooked for Belly's dinner. He could've gone out to play in the pool with Belly, Taylor, Steven and Luis but when it came to Maria, no one was above her

"Hey guysss!" Nicole's voice could be heard from outside

"I can not wait for the inevitable Taylor melt down when she realises Nicole is cool" Maria giggled

"Come on that's mean!" Jeremiah hit her shoulder as she turned back to the stove. He came round the island to stand beside her
"You are coming to the party though right?" He asked suddenly

"I mean duh" she scoffed

"Good" Jeremiah nodded, satisfied with that

"Why? You didn't wanna go without me?" Maria teased

"Yeah pretty much!" Jeremiah tugged on her hand to pull her closer

"Hmm" she hummed and fixed some of Jeremiah's hair so it sat just how she liked it

"You have no idea what you do to me ria" he said shallowly. They locked eyes while Jeremiah anxiously waited on her response. How she acted would determine the rest of his life and just then Maria started to smile

"Oh yeah?" She bit her lip and Jeremiah internally celebrated

"Hey can you grab ice out the freezer" Conrad asked as he guided Nicole inside

"What happened?" Maria asked, stepping away from Jeremiah and towards the freezer

"Taylor hit her in the face with the volleyball" Conrad growled

"It's fine, I'm fine!" Nicole assured

"That damn girl" Maria shook her head as she pulled out an ice pack and handed it Conrad before going over to Nicole
"Let me see?" she checked it was ok before taking Nicole's face in her hands to inspect the ever so slightly puffed cheek

"It was just an accident Mari" Nicole rolled her eyes, being able to understand Spanish fluently thanks to her private school and desire to travel

"You're face was hardly near the net!" the blonde scoffed

"I'm gonna take Nicole upstairs" Conrad waved dismissively and pulled the girl towards his room

"I'll see you at the party alright!" Nicole called back to Maria

"Yep for sure" Maria nodded then turned to the open glass doors that looked onto the pool. The blonde leaned on the kitchen island and glared
"I'll kill that girl" she scowled at Taylor who hadn't even bothered to get out of the pool

"Ok let's keep the murder talk in the down-low" Jeremiah laughed and pulled her into a hug

____

As usual dinner was beautiful. The hustle and bustle of Belly's birthday always made Maria feel at home, even this year without her mom. They all chattered over each other at dinner, passing food and drinks

"So Cam" Luis started in a voice that made everyone tune into what he was saying
"You mind if we call you Cam Cameron" he smirked nudging Jeremiah

"Yeah man feel free that's funny" Cam laughed lightly