so.
“Let’s ride to the 21 st street
pier and back again,” I answer her question.
“Then we can grab some lunch. Sound
good?”
She boards her jet ski, starts it, and
shoots forward into the gently lapping waves. A shriek of laughter escapes her
as she rockets away.
Oh, hell no. I can’t let her beat me. I climb
onto my jet ski and take off right behind her. Even though she has a head
start, I know I can catch her. Literally speaking. Metaphorically speaking, the
jury’s still out.
As I pull up next to her I see that she’s
laughing, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
Damn, that’s cute.
She makes a “where to?” gesture with her
shoulders. I point straight ahead, toward the buoy about a mile away. I want
her to round the buoy.
We race, water spraying the salty air
around us. Around the buoy she goes, but I’m on her tail. I focus on the pier
where our skis were previously tied, and she ends up finishing a split second
ahead of me.
I let her win.
Camryn dismounts her jet ski, dripping
wet but hardly noticing. She looks at me and grins, obviously proud of herself.
Seeing her happiness makes me clutch at my chest, because the ache there takes
me by surprise.
“What do I get for coming in first?” she
asks, looking up at me through her lashes.
She’s flirting with me, and I freaking
love it.
“A picnic lunch. I have one set up at the
picnic area behind the main office building.”
I take her hand and lead her down the
gravelly path. I tilt my face up as we walk, absorbing the warm breeze that
lifts tufts of my hair. I am only one state away from Maryland, but it seems so
much warmer here than it was there at this time of year.
“That was fun,” she comments as we stroll.
“Yeah? I’m glad you liked it. I thought
when I texted you last night, that you may shoot me down. It took you forever
to text back.” I look at her sideways, not wanting to ask her where she was and
what she was doing, but wanting to know those things so damn bad.
“I was out. With Luka.”
I sigh as the words punch me in the gut.
“So, is that like a thing? You two?”
She turns her head in my direction, and I
try not to look too downcast. Wounded puppy won’t not work in my favor here.
“Well,” she replies. “I’m not sure. Last
night was our first date. Luka’s made it clear that he’s interested, though.”
“Of course he’s interested, Cam,” I reply.
She’s been honest with me. Now it’s my turn.
I stop walking and look directly into her
eyes. “He’d be crazy not to be. But he’s not the only choice you have, you
know.”
My breathing increases, coming in quick
little gusts, keeping rhythm with my speeding heartbeat.
“He’s not?” she whispers.
She is affected by my words. I can tell.
I’m not sure if it is because I’m making her nervous and uncomfortable, or
because she likes what I’m saying.
“No,” I answer, reaching out and tilting
her chin so she’s looking up at me. “He’s not.”
She averts her eyes. I watched her
profile, her skin almost sparkling in the sunlight. Out here, under the cover
of the trees she seems more exotic and mysterious than she did in the
fluorescent lights at school.
I can’t believe I’m getting this time
with her, just the two of us. I reach out to touch her face, but drop my hand
quickly when she begins walking again. She’s avoiding the closeness, and I
can’t help but wonder how close she and Luka got the night before. The thought
fills me with panic. I don’t want her getting too close to Luka. The closer she
grows with him, the further she may drift from me. I can’t let that happen.
Meeting Camryn has given me a sense of
need. I’m going to need her to get through my last year of high school and the
transition from my life with my mom to my life with my aunt. I’m going to need
her for a lot of things. And although I don’t know Camryn or her life, I know
she’s going to need me too. I don’t know how I know it, but I do.
“Let’s ride to the 21 st street
pier and back again,” I answer her question.
“Then we can grab some lunch. Sound
good?”
She boards her jet ski, starts it, and
shoots forward into the gently lapping waves. A shriek of laughter escapes her
as she rockets away.
Oh, hell no. I can’t let her beat me. I climb
onto my jet ski and take off right behind her. Even though she has a head
start, I know I can catch her. Literally speaking. Metaphorically speaking, the
jury’s still out.
As I pull up next to her I see that she’s
laughing, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
Damn, that’s cute.
She makes a “where to?” gesture with her
shoulders. I point straight ahead, toward the buoy about a mile away. I want
her to round the buoy.
We race, water spraying the salty air
around us. Around the buoy she goes, but I’m on her tail. I focus on the pier
where our skis were previously tied, and she ends up finishing a split second
ahead of me.
I let her win.
Camryn dismounts her jet ski, dripping
wet but hardly noticing. She looks at me and grins, obviously proud of herself.
Seeing her happiness makes me clutch at my chest, because the ache there takes
me by surprise.
“What do I get for coming in first?” she
asks, looking up at me through her lashes.
She’s flirting with me, and I freaking
love it.
“A picnic lunch. I have one set up at the
picnic area behind the main office building.”
I take her hand and lead her down the
gravelly path. I tilt my face up as we walk, absorbing the warm breeze that
lifts tufts of my hair. I am only one state away from Maryland, but it seems so
much warmer here than it was there at this time of year.
“That was fun,” she comments as we stroll.
“Yeah? I’m glad you liked it. I thought
when I texted you last night, that you may shoot me down. It took you forever
to text back.” I look at her sideways, not wanting to ask her where she was and
what she was doing, but wanting to know those things so damn bad.
“I was out. With Luka.”
I sigh as the words punch me in the gut.
“So, is that like a thing? You two?”
She turns her head in my direction, and I
try not to look too downcast. Wounded puppy won’t not work in my favor here.
“Well,” she replies. “I’m not sure. Last
night was our first date. Luka’s made it clear that he’s interested, though.”
“Of course he’s interested, Cam,” I reply.
She’s been honest with me. Now it’s my turn.
I stop walking and look directly into her
eyes. “He’d be crazy not to be. But he’s not the only choice you have, you
know.”
My breathing increases, coming in quick
little gusts, keeping rhythm with my speeding heartbeat.
“He’s not?” she whispers.
She is affected by my words. I can tell.
I’m not sure if it is because I’m making her nervous and uncomfortable, or
because she likes what I’m saying.
“No,” I answer, reaching out and tilting
her chin so she’s looking up at me. “He’s not.”
She averts her eyes. I watched her
profile, her skin almost sparkling in the sunlight. Out here, under the cover
of the trees she seems more exotic and mysterious than she did in the
fluorescent lights at school.
I can’t believe I’m getting this time
with her, just the two of us. I reach out to touch her face, but drop my hand
quickly when she begins walking again. She’s avoiding the closeness, and I
can’t help but wonder how close she and Luka got the night before. The thought
fills me with panic. I don’t want her getting too close to Luka. The closer she
grows with him, the further she may drift from me. I can’t let that happen.
Meeting Camryn has given me a sense of
need. I’m going to need her to get through my last year of high school and the
transition from my life with my mom to my life with my aunt. I’m going to need
her for a lot of things. And although I don’t know Camryn or her life, I know
she’s going to need me too. I don’t know how I know it, but I do.
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