Summer and May

Chapter Forty-Four: May

The days of early August slipped by far too quickly. I'd seen Jeremy every single day this week, and each day with him was somehow better than the last. When I would go home at night, and think of him while I laid in bed, I'd feel stuck between two worlds. A world where Jeremy and I could be together, living in that lakefront home, living a simple and quiet life. The other world was reality, where my best friend wasn't speaking to me, and I couldn't let Jeremy all the way in. It kept me awake at night sometimes.

Today was a painting day at Sully's house, and the renovations were well on their way to being done. Jeremy painted the cabinets while I covered the walls, and sometimes we would switch. Today we'd be working on the front room, and then Jeremy would do the rest of the renovations on his own. As much as I enjoyed helping him, I had no idea how to build a dock or a shed. He could do those on his own, or at least get help from his family when they arrived in a few short days.

As if he knew I secretly liked it, Jeremy kept Sully's old radio playing the same station as yesterday. He was partially done with the room by the time I showed up.

"You started without me?" I asked, slightly disappointed.

He turned his attention to me, concealing a smile. "I kind of thought once we were done today, we could just hang out."

I studied him. "Like a...?"

"Like two friends, hanging out."

The statement hurt and helped me at the same time. I shifted, and Jeremy seemed to have read my mind.

"Or not," he offered lightly. "We can find other things to do around the house." He placed the brush down, approaching me carefully. "I didn't mean to--"

"You didn't." I wave a hand, feeling hot and embarrassed. "Helping you around the house feels like two kids, two friends, having fun. But the idea of doing anything else... feels like more of a betrayal to Summer."

I felt stupid for saying it, like it was a baseless thing to say. He didn't seem frustrated with my turn of emotions, quite the opposite.

"I know that you don't feel like a good friend right now, but you did for Summer what others may not be willing to do."

I shook my head. "I also lied to her. To you. To myself."

"You swallowed your pride, and you put aside what you wanted so your friend could be happy." He let that comment sit in the air for a moment before going on. "That kindness is something I love about you."

My stomach twirled. His words didn't scare me or turn me away. They entranced me, making me forget every other person in the world. 

I decided then for only today, it was just us and two acres of lakefront.

For the next three hours, we finished the front room, and painted over any imperfections we saw around the house. What was an outdated, crumbling home was transforming to a fresh, youthful abode. The walls were a comforting blue-grey, which made Sully's old furniture look charming.

Although the paint was finished, it was only noon, and I wasn't ready to go home just yet. We did more work with the saw, and Jeremy said I was becoming a pro.

While he headed inside for a drink, I got the idea to cool off in the lake. The idea had been tempting me all week, and now that I possibly wouldn't be coming back for a while, I gave into it. As I typically did in the summer, I sported a bikini under my clothes. Unless I was working in the garage, my only undergarments were a swimsuit. When Jeremy returned to the yard with two glasses of fresh lemonade, I was already floating in the water. He traipsed to the end of the dock, hands on his hips.