The Summer Before

Chapter Two

*Two weeks ago*

Levi

"Hey, don't forget Tessa is coming to stay with us for a couple of weeks before the wedding," Jason reminds me.

Instant dread seeps into my veins at the sound of her name. Tessa. Hearing that name used to fill me with joy. I'd turn into an excited school boy at the mere thought of her. Now, her name makes me cringe.

I must have done just that a second ago because Jason shoots me a glare. "Be nice to her while she's here. She is still my sister, and I want her to feel welcome."

Before I can stop myself, my eyes roll, showing my best friend just how excited I am to host his sister for two whole weeks in our house. Jason narrows his eyes and starts to say something else.

I cut him off before he has the chance to chastise me again. "I'll be on my best behavior, dad."

This time, Jason's eyes roll. "I'm serious, Levi. I don't know what happened between you two last summer, but you can act like adults for two weeks for Charlotte and me."

His words hit me like a gut punch. The shit between Tessa and I was brutal, but these next few weeks aren't about us. They are about my best friend and the love of his life. They're finally getting hitched after years of pining for each other and a few more years actually dating.

I used to believe I could have that- a meaningful relationship with someone I cared about nearly all my life- but she crushed that dream last summer when she...

No! Fuck that. She doesn't get any more from me. Life's too short to think about how she screwed me over. She doesn't deserve any more of my time.

I look up from my coffee mug to see Jason still staring at me expectantly. He wants me to say it. He wants to know what happened last summer. Everyone does. But I refuse.

I won't take myself back there.

"I promise, J, I'll behave myself while your sister is here. I won't do anything to jeopardize your big day with Char."

My words placate him, for the moment anyway. His face softens, and his glare is replaced with a far-off smile. That's how he always gets when anyone mentions Charlotte around him. Those two are so deeply in love; it's nauseating. Since he's my best friend, I let it slide. They deserve to be happy.

I just wish I was.

A question hangs on my lips. I refuse to let it out, unsure if I truly want to hear the answer. Is she bringing anyone with her?

The question would taste like acid on my tongue anyway. And it doesn't matter. I don't care. I hope she's just as miserable as she made me.

~

*Present day*

I'm not prepared to see her tomorrow. It's been almost a year, and I don't know if I can take it. The brokenness inside of me that she caused still hasn't healed. I don't know if it ever will.

So, in an effort to forget about the hell coming my way tomorrow, I'm getting plastered tonight. One of the guys from the law office where Jason and I work invited me out. He knows I rarely pass up the opportunity to let loose and mingle at our favorite haunt.

I didn't use to be this way. No, before last summer ended the way it did, I was more like Jason- a homebody who looked forward to spending quiet evenings in. He had Charlotte to look forward to, and I was clinging to the hope that Tessa would one day be interested in me.

It was stupid.

That hope got me in this mess in the first place. She would never really be mine, even if I convinced myself for a few hours last summer that she would be. I was a fool- a hopeful, blind, naïve fool. And because of that, I let her in. I let her break me.

My phone vibrates in my pocket with a text from one of the guys from the office. They're pulling up outside and ready to get lit tonight.

It's just what the doctor ordered. One night to forget about the coming weeks with Tessa and just let loose.

I toss my jacket and tie on a chair in my room and head downstairs. As I pass Jason, I let him know I'm heading out for the night.

As I step out the door, he hollers after me, "Don't forget, Tessa's coming!"

I give him a quick wave of acknowledgment and pop the door closed behind me. Yep, I won't be taking his words to heart. I plan on forgetting her all night long.

~

Several hours and far too many whiskey shots later, I'm climbing out the back seat of a black sedan with a petite brunette under my arm. She's one of many in the past several months. Each one is less memorable than the last. I hardly even remember their names as they scream mine in the darkest hours of the night.

No one compares. No one ever will, but I have to keep trying. It's the only way to numb the pain.

I hear... Mandy? Megan? Lisa? Whatever her name is, giggles as we stumble up the steps that lead to the front door. The lights are out, and no one appears to be awake inside.

I place a finger over my lips, hushing... Lacey? She mimics me as we slowly make our way inside. Her heels are discarded at the foot of the steps, and she clings to me tightly as we continue quietly to my bedroom.

Once the door closes behind us, she pounces. It's chaotic and sloppy, but it's what I need right now. The whiskey from earlier is starting to catch up to me, but not fast enough to block out the memories I so badly want to forget. I need something else to shield me from the torment. I need something else to erase my memories of her.