Crossing the line

15: The End Of Summer

AVA

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden haze over everything as summer's last warm breeze ruffled my hair. I stood in the driveway, staring at the packed car in front of me, and I could feel it-the weight of all the moments I'd been waiting for, slipping away.

Three months. Three long months of stolen glances, casual brushes of our hands, and lingering silences. I had waited, hoping Jake would say something-anything-to acknowledge what was between us. But nothing ever did. Nothing beyond those frustrating, longing stares. Every time I thought he might crack, he pulled back. Every time I thought we were finally getting somewhere, he reminded me why we couldn't.

Because of Liam.

I knew Jake cared about him too much to cross that line. And it wasn't like I could force him to, even though I had wanted to so badly. So, I'd waited. I'd waited through bonfires, beach days, late-night conversations. I waited while Liam remained oblivious, while Jake kept that safe distance, and while my heart kept hoping he'd change his mind.

But summer was over now. My bags were packed, and my life back in the city was calling me. I couldn't wait anymore.

I sighed, closing the trunk with a soft thud. This was it. The end of the endless, sunny days, and the end of whatever could have been between us.

As I stood there, running my fingers over the edge of the car door, I couldn't help but think about the last night. We'd all gathered around the fire pit, the flames dancing in the cool night air, and Jake had barely spoken a word to me. He hadn't even said goodbye properly-just a short nod, a quick smile, as if that was enough. As if that was supposed to be enough.

I closed my eyes for a moment, willing the knot in my throat to loosen. I hated this feeling. The one where you knew something was ending, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. I wasn't the kind of person who waited around for anyone, but Jake...he'd gotten under my skin in a way no one else had. And now, just like that, I was leaving.

A voice broke through my thoughts.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Liam asked, walking toward me from the house, looking casual as ever, as if everything was just normal.

I nodded, giving him a tight smile. "Yeah, just about. I'm gonna miss this place, though."

"Next summer will be here before you know it," he said with a shrug, not catching the deeper meaning behind my words.

"Yeah... next summer," I muttered, not even sure what that would mean for me and Jake.

I turned toward the front door, and that's when I saw him. Jake, standing just inside, his hand gripping the doorframe, his eyes fixed on me. There was something different in his expression this time, something raw that I hadn't seen before. My heart skipped a beat, but I quickly shoved the feeling down. I couldn't do this now. Not when I was about to leave.

I gave him a small wave, my throat tightening again. But instead of giving me his usual casual wave back, Jake's face twisted into something I couldn't quite place-panic, almost. He stepped forward, and before I knew it, he was walking fast toward me, closing the distance between us like he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Jake?" I asked, my voice small.

He stopped in front of me, his eyes red and glassy, his breathing ragged like he had just run a mile. I'd never seen him like this-vulnerable, shaken. I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, but before I could, he turned his head away, his hand coming up to swipe quickly at his eyes.

"Jake, what's wrong?" I pressed, my heart racing as I stepped closer.

"Damn it, Ava," he muttered, his voice thick with emotion. "I can't... I can't just let you leave like this."

I froze. The world seemed to slow down around us as his words sank in. Was this it? Was this what I had been waiting for all summer?

"Jake," I whispered, reaching out to touch his arm, my fingers brushing against the warmth of his skin. "What are you talking about?"

He let out a shaky breath, refusing to meet my eyes for a second. Then, before I could say anything else, he turned back toward me, his gaze filled with something I'd been aching to see for weeks.

"I love you, Ava," he said, his voice breaking at the edges. "I've been in love with you all summer, hell, probably longer than that. And I tried-God, I tried to push it down, to ignore it. But I can't. I can't anymore. I thought I could let you go, that it would be better if I stayed out of your way, for Liam, for everyone. But I can't stand the thought of you leaving and never knowing."

His words hit me like a tidal wave, every part of me buzzing with the force of them. He loved me. All this time, he'd loved me, and I'd been right there, waiting, hoping for him to say it.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to process everything. "Jake, why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you-"

"I was scared," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper now. "I was scared I'd mess everything up, that I'd lose you, lose Liam. But now that you're leaving... I just-I can't let you leave without telling you. I can't."

I stood there, completely overwhelmed, my heart aching for him. For us. I had spent the whole summer waiting for this, and now it was happening, but it was too late. Wasn't it?

"Jake, I..." I started, but my words caught in my throat. "I'm leaving."

"I know," he said, his voice breaking. "I know you have to go. I just-please don't think I didn't care. Don't think I didn't feel it. Because I did. I still do."

I felt my chest tighten, and for a moment, the weight of everything seemed too much. I had wanted this confession all summer, but now that I had it, it hurt. It hurt because it meant that nothing between us was simple anymore.

"I don't know what to say," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I've been waiting all summer for you to say something, Jake. I wanted this. I wanted you."

Jake let out a soft, pained laugh, wiping his eyes again. "I'm an idiot. I should've said something sooner. I should've fought harder."

A silence stretched between us, heavy and full of everything that had been left unsaid for weeks. I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to stay, to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay. But the other part of me knew I had to go. My life was in the city, and I couldn't wait around anymore.

"I have to go," I finally said, my voice barely a whisper. "But... we'll figure this out. Somehow."

Jake nodded, his eyes still glistening. "Yeah. We will."

I wasn't sure if either of us believed it, but in that moment, it was all we had. Without another word, I turned toward the car, my heart heavy with the weight of the summer that had just slipped through our fingers.

As I drove away, I glanced in the rearview mirror one last time and saw Jake standing there, watching me leave. His silhouette grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared, but the image of him standing there, broken and raw, stayed with me long after the town faded into the distance.