A Summer to Remember

chapter 29





I woke up to the sound of voices coming from downstairs. From the light outside, I could tell it was probably close to dinnertime. I decided to lie in bed for a few more minutes before heading down to join the group. I couldn’t believe he was leaving tomorrow. The reality of it was finally starting to sink in. I heard the door squeak open behind me. I turned over and Adrian was closing the door behind him.

“Good, you’re up.” He smiled at me. His hair was wet and his chest, arms and cheeks were slightly red from the sun.

“Yeah.” He crawled into bed and laid his arm over my side. “How was the lake?” I asked him.

“It was fun. It would’ve been a lot better if you were with us.” He brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

“Well, I wanted you to have a bit of guy time with your friends before you have to leave. I’ve spent the whole summer with you, I didn’t want them to think I was hogging you or something.” He laughed.

“Hogging me? What are we? In high school?”

“Well, I don’t know.” I guess that did sound a little silly.

“Are you ready for some dinner? They’re grilling. It should be done.”

“Sure.” We crawled out of the bed. “How was Lily?”

“I’ll just say she didn’t have a hard time making friends.” He opened the bedroom door and we walked out into the hallway. “Zack and Corey are already fighting over which one of them is going to win her over.”

“Sounds like Lily.” I laughed. “She has a way of doing that to guys.”

When we got to the kitchen, I could tell right away who Zack and Corey were. There was a short guy with shaggy dark blond hair and blue eyes standing on one side of Lily. A taller, tanned guy with short black hair and yellow board shorts was on the other side of her.

“Hey, sleepy head! You missed out on a good time!” Lily yelled across the kitchen. She had a huge grin spread across her face.

“So I’ve heard.” I smiled at Adrian.

“Come outside with me. That’s where the food is.” Lily hooked her arm around mine. “You don’t mind if I steal her for a sec, do you?” she asked Adrian.

“She’s all yours,” he said and walked over to Zack and Corey.

“Great.” When we got outside, we each filled up a plate with food and walked over to the campfire area. We sat down on one of the log benches. Everyone else was sitting on the deck and in the kitchen, so it was just the two of us.

“I had so much fun today, Ava. I seriously haven’t had that much fun since…well, I guess since Steven and I started dating.” She took a bite of her hamburger. “You know, that feeling of meeting new people and just being able to flirt and just have fun. I’ve missed it.”

“So I take it those two guys in the kitchen with you were Zack and Corey?” I took a bite of my burger.

“Yeah, they are both super sweet and they’re Adrian’s age, so they’re way more mature than a lot of the guys I’ve been around.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun.” I smiled at her. “Hey, I have a question for you.”

“Yeah?” She finished what was left of her burger.

“Since you and Steven broke up, I was wondering if you’d want to get a place together, just the two of us.”

“Do you really even have to ask? Of course! Could this day get any better? I’ve been totally freaking out since Steven and I broke up because I was afraid I’d end up spending another year at my parents’ house and I don’t want to stay there any longer than I have to.” She set her empty plate down next to her on the bench. “So I guess you really aren’t going to Florida, then?”

“I’ve told you over and over again that I’m not.” I stood up and started toward the deck to throw my plate away. Lily followed.

“Yeah, but I guess I just thought you’d crack at the last minute and go.”

“I really wish I could…” I tossed my empty plate into the trash bag tied to the deck railing.

“But you can’t, yeah I know.”





When the sun began to disappear behind the mountain, the guys started a fire. This was where we spent the next few hours. The guys reminisced about high school, college, playing sports, and anything else they could think of. I was really happy Adrian had such an amazing group of friends. Guys weren’t ones for being emotional, but I could tell they were all upset he was leaving. When everyone slowly trickled inside, I helped Lily clean up around the fire and kitchen before we went to bed. Adrian disappeared for a little while but came back to walk with me up to the bedroom.

“I have a little surprise for you. Close your eyes,” he said when we got to the bedroom door.

“Okay.” I closed my eyes and let him lead me inside. He swept me up off my feet and carried me so I lost my sense of direction. When I felt my feet touch the ground again, he told me to open my eyes.

“Wow,” was all I could manage to say. The Jacuzzi tub was filled and overflowing with bubbles. The room was lit by tea light candles. Not that we needed them, the full moon and its reflection off the water alone was enough to light up the whole room.

“Do you like it?” he whispered in my ear.

“No.” I turned to face him. “I love it! No one has ever done anything like this for me before.” A lump formed in my throat. I really couldn’t believe he would do all this for me, for us, for our last night together.

“I thought you might like it.” I stood on my tippy-toes and kissed him on the lips. It wasn’t as soft as some of the others we’ve shared. This one was filled with passion. I pulled back just long enough to pull my shirt over my head. As we kissed, I felt him reach around to unsnap my bra. He pulled the straps off my shoulders and I dropped my arms from his neck so it could fall to the floor. He watched me remove the rest of my clothing and step into the tub. I motioned for him to join me and he pulled off his board shorts in a matter of seconds and stepped into the tub.

Adrian sat down. As I lowered myself to join him, he grabbed my hips and pulled me down onto him. He kissed my neck and down my collarbone, then made his way to my breasts. It wasn’t our first time together but it was the closest I’d ever felt to another human being. It felt as if we’d become bonded in some way.

When we finally made it out of the tub and into the bed, I was exhausted, but I felt like nothing could bring me down. I turned over and Adrian was already sound asleep next to me. I wanted to take in this moment as long as I could.