It's Always Summer on the Island

8. The Summer That Never Ends

Charlotte

Nostalgia tumbled in Charlotte's stomach in continuous nauseating waves that inhibited her ability to enjoy her meal or even eat it. Daddy arrived home and promised to grill steaks, chicken, and shrimp kabobs while Mum baked casserole side dishes, prepared salads, and stirred the bubbly punch. Everything smelled so delicious. She could practically taste the savoriness on her tongue, but every time she put something in her mouth, she glanced up and caught a glimpse of Grayson which doubled the nostalgia all over again.

Both guilt and remorse made her head spin in circles. Everything about this evening was exactly what she had been dreaming and wishing of for the past three years. Every summer spent away from the Mitchell family and the fabulous Martha's Vineyard caused a growing ache in her heart that never dissipated.

When her mum informed her of their imminent return to the island that summer and their overall move back to the United States, Charlotte cried for three days straight. She wouldn't admit it to a single soul. But she was terrified that nothing would be the same. She thought of the young Grayson she used to know, assuming he had changed, forgotten about her, and moved on from their lifelong (sort of) friendship. Charlotte feared most that Grayson might hate her for moving across the planet and allowing their connection to fall through the gaps.

He never deserved that. And she never wanted to do it to him. But she had to.

That night, Grayson was the last to walk through the door behind his sister and his parents into the Thorpe house. Her parents waited in the foyer for their grand appearance. Though Layne didn't ask intruding questions, Charlotte saw the wary look in her eyes. Even worse, Charlotte sensed the fear and worry in her mother at their return. So many things she was trying to hide that imminently would make their way to the surface.

She put her thoughts and worries about her family out of her mind which was easy to do knowing someone like Grayson. Gone was the little teenager that Charlotte once knew. Even though he was a fresh eighteen years old, he had grown into a tall, muscular man. He held his head high and his shoulders squared. His voice had deepened and his stride was longer. Grayson's smile avoided change save the new alluring look in his eyes that grew with age. The certain smirk he wore charmed not only Charlotte but many other young women, she imagined.

"Hey," he said upon his arrival. He wormed his way around their parents reunion and immediately retreated to her side.

"Hi." Her affectionate smile sprung from a place deep inside of her heart where she harbored all of the love in the world for Grayson as her very best friend in the entire universe.

His gaze flitted almost imperceptibly down her body back to her green eyes which popped at the assistance of her vintage style v-neck green dress with a simple bow tied at the side of her waist. At the behest of her mother, she donned nude pumps despite the fact they were hosting in their own home and surely the Mitchells didn't mind. His overall look at her made him smile a little bit, and she wondered what that was about.

It was easy to allow him to distract her. They gradually fell into a conversation with their heads together, chatting about their parents, their siblings, and life in general. Charlotte steered the conversation to avoid questions she didn't want to answer, and Grayson let her.

More than once, Grayson glanced at his phone. Surprisingly, he entertained the same practice at the dinner table which was a high offense in the Thorpe family. She couldn't help herself from peeking under the table where he texted shortly between bites of his meal. Once they cleared the table and withdrew to different parts of the backyard, Charlotte found Grayson by himself after he refilled his glass. He stood by the pool, brow puckered together, texting foolishly fast.