Piece Of Cake~ A Teaberry Chronicle(COMPLETED BOOK I.)

XIX. Quenching Summers Heat

June 25, 2016

"Hello and this is Mark Bradley with your Teaberry Radio Weather Report, today is going to be a sweltering hot day without a cloud in the sky. The temperature ladies and gentlemen is high 98 with a heat index of 100. Try to stay indoors if you can, but with a sunny day like this everyone will no doubt be playing in the water having fun in the sun. I'm Mark Bradly and this is TRWR signing out!"

"Click, click, click." The fan is making an awful noise as the heat of the day crept into the kitchen. As if the summer heat wasn't bad enough, the oven on 350 makes the heat seem higher. "Is it broken?" Katy complains as she pulls a hot and ready cake from the oven. As if not having a proper working air conditioner was bad enough, she just had to open that fucking oven! The heat hits me like a punch to the face as I move further away. "Close it already! Fuck!" Shouting, I grab a piece of paper and use it as a fan. "Hikari! How's it looking out there?!" I ask as I hear him on the other side of the window tinkering with the A/C. Something crashed on the ground as I hear Hikari cursing.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I lean on the countertop. As the back door opens, sunlight dances across the floor as Hikari steps inside, pulling off his now dingy white shirt. Watching intently as he tossed the shirt aside, his body dripping in sweat from the heat of the day. Biting my lip, I mouth the word "damn" as Katy stood blocking my view as she hands Hikari a glass of water. "Well ladies, the A/C is busted." He says as he clumsily takes a drink, water spills down his chin as he drinks it down to the last drop. "I guess I will go down to the hardware store and get a window unit until the A/C can be repaired." He says catching his breath from the drink of water. "Or we could close shop today and go to the lake? It will be fun don't you think?" Katy suggests as she leans onto the counter in front of me. I roll my eyes as I watch her behavior. She has been acting differently lately and it's kinda weirding me out. She isn't even hitting on Hikari anymore. Not to mention she stays behind to close shop so I can go home early. She never does that.

"I guess I could shut down in the middle of the day for the first time in, well, ever. Damn I should have had that thing replaced years ago." I reply with a sigh as I groan in complaint. "Well, I guess I will close up, you guys go home and change. We'll meet back here!" Katy said with a cheer tone. Hikari and I give her a look of confusion as she keeps her smile turned on. "Why don't we close up shop together, it's too hot to argue over who's going to close shop...okay?" I suggest as I close the window in the kitchen. She finally agreed, but held a look of disappointment as she left the kitchen. "What's up with her?" Hikari asks as I take a wet towel and wipe his face. "Beats me, she's been acting strange since the Founders festival a week a go. I don't want to ask her because she will just lie to me." I say as I step closer. Just then the realization hit me, I've been so focused on what's wrong with her that I blindly agreed to go to the lake.

"Fuck!" I shout as Hikari reaches for my hand. "What's wrong?" He asks. "I can't go to the lake, it will be a waste of time because I won't set foot in the water. I told you what happened to my parents, water terrifies me." I say as I rest my forehead onto his. "Come on, I'll be there with you. It will be okay." He says, reassuring me that I will be fine as he raises my chin to see my face. "No." I say still set on not going. "Please, just this once, I promise you'll be safe." Begging me to go, he lightly kisses my lips. "Okay....but just this once!" I reply in defeat as I pull away. "I would hug you but it's too hot!" I say with a laugh as we leave the kitchen.

As we walk into the front of the shop, I hear tires screeching and see Katy's car speed off. "What the hell?!" Hikari says as I close the blinds. "I'm telling you, something is wrong with her, she's been acting strange lately." I say, turning the sign to closed. Finally locking the shop, we get into our cars and drive away, leaving the shop behind.