Summer and May

Chapter Twenty-Two: Summer

There were 48 hours separating me from quite possibly the best weekend of the summer. Crashing at Brooks' family lake house was a right of passage for our friends, and this summer would top the rest of them, because it was our last one as just kids. Next year, who knows what things will look like?

I had a day shift to get through at Dockside, and a volunteer event at the church tonight. Jeremy offered to pick me up after, and I said yes without hesitation. Every moment I wasn't with him, I only thought about how to get near him. When I was around him, I only wanted to be closer. It was absolute madness.

We still didn't know each other extremely well, but I was slowly losing small pieces of myself into this fantasy that him and I could actually work. I didn't have much to go off, but how Jeremy carried himself, how he treated me, the things he enjoys about life... it was all proof that he was a good man. I needed a good man in my life. I'd spent so much time avoiding them, and even breaking their hearts. I desperately wanted to know if he felt the same, but was too buried in my own fear to find the answer.

"What would you like to do tonight?" Jeremy asks as I struggle to pull myself up into his truck.

"I'm a little hungry. I spent my day feeding other people." I grin.

He shifted, as if he was unsure of what to ask next. "Where would you like to eat?"

I hummed. A sirloin steak, cooked medium rare, sounded amazing. But judging by the age of his truck, I wasn't sure that was something he would want to splurge on.

"Whatever you want." I said.

He shifted the truck into park, a convicting look in his eyes. "You're the one that's hungry. I'll go wherever you want," he offered, but I had this feeling in my gut to not pick anything too crazy. He had already taken me out to three different restaurants. With that in mind, I came up with the brightest idea.

"Why don't we hit Shake Shack, and park there?"

He said nothing, the smile on his lips as he put his truck back in Drive said everything. It made my stomach flutter. I thought of some more talking points that May had provided me with this morning, and started firing away with questions.

"Caught anything good in the last two days?"

He shot me a look, like he knew I was trying, and he appreciated it. "I have, actually. Gramps and I caught a huge bass the other day. Prepared it the second we got home." I nodded. "Read any good books in the last two days?"

I blushed at the fact that he remembered this detail about me. On our last date, I mentioned that I'd just finished a book I started at the beginning of the summer.

"I have. I started the second book in the series, but this time, it's from the guy's perspective." His response mirrored mine when he talked about the bass. A smile, and a nod. "I'm excited for the lake house this weekend. You're going to meet us there?"

He nodded, resting his arm on the steering wheel. "I had my dad come up for the weekend to hang with Sully. Once my dad gets there, I'll head out."

I wondered why he didn't mention his father coming into town. I could have gotten the chance to meet him.

There was no line at Shake Shack, and only three other cars in the parking lot. With a Walmart across the street, it wasn't the most romantic date spot, but we were alone, and it was nice.

"May said she's fixing up Sully's truck. How did that go?"

Jeremy's face brightened noticeably. He dipped a fry in his chocolate shake, nodding in approval. "She's really good with cars. Intuitive. So much better than me."

"Yep. Always has been." I said, waiting for an answer to my question.

"She didn't need my help or anything. She was awesome. She said the engine was on its last leg, so she offered to come back another time and fix it."

"Oh, did she?" I ask. Jeremy then realized he'd told me something I didn't know. He was calculating his next move very carefully.

"She just kinda offered it up on the fly. I feel bad asking her though, so I may just take it to a shop."

I huffed, unsure how to feel. May slept at my house last night. Why didn't she mention this? I went through a short breathing exercise before thinking logically: I never asked how it went at Jeremy's house. She didn't need to tell me, especially if I didn't ask. I was over analyzing.

"She is quite the professional. I'm sure she'll do a great job." I say calmly.

We ate in silence for another moment before another question popped into my head. We spoke more about the weekend ahead of us, what he should pack, and where he should plan on sleeping. I hoped he planned on sleeping with me, but that may be a stretch. We were nothing exclusive, but in my mind, he was the only boy I wanted around me this weekend.

"Who all will be there?" He quizzed, sipping his Dr. Pepper.

"The usual crew. Brooks' sister is bringing her friends, too. She's Luke's age."

He nodded. "May said she's coming. Is she bringing anyone?"

I pressed my brows together. "Like, a guy?"

"Like anyone." When the confusion wasn't leaving my expression, he continued. "Like anyone from work? Or other friends you guys have?"

I got a weird feeling that he was asking with different intentions, but I couldn't figure out why.

"No, her and I are driving up together and all our friends will be there. Plus, her and Brooks have a little thing going on. I'm sure she'll be preoccupied all weekend."

He turned his entire body towards me. "May and Brooks? Really?"

"Yeah?" I quizzed.

"I thought they were best friends?" He feigned concern, just a hint of it.

I put my drink down, studying him. "They are. But something kind of changed with them last week."

"How so?"

"Well there's something else I didn't know about you... you like to gossip." I chuckle, breaking the weird energy in this car.

He relieved with a smile. "I'm just confused, is all. The day I met you both... that night at the party... she said Brooks was kind of making a move on her, and she didn't really want him to. I had to tell her that Brooks probably likes her."

"And I bet she didn't listen." I chuckled. "I tell her all the time, and she's finally starting to believe it. Let's just see what happens between them this weekend." I smiled.

Jeremy didn't respond with words, just a residual grin on his lips. Lips I wanted to kiss, but for some reason it didn't feel right at the moment. We chatted for another hour before he had to call it quits, but I didn't want him to leave. He was so handsome when he drove me in his car, when he kissed me so softly at my doorstep, when he smiled, when his hair got just a little bit messy because he ruffled through it.

As he drove away, I hoped that this weekend could be a turning point for us. I hoped he could make a more intentional move with me, or at the very least he would consider asking me to be his girlfriend. It was a completely absurd thought; that only three weeks ago I wanted to sleep around this summer and get the craziness out of my system, and now all I could think about was the new boy in town. It was all happening so fast, I couldn't process it.