Page 7 of Be My Summer

Her laugh was contagious.

“You’re pushing it, so don’t get too carried away with the jokes.”

“I’d love to see thirty. I can feel the knowledge and wisdom and experience it will share with me. Getting older excites me. It means there’s so much more to learn… so many lessons.”

“You’re not from around these parts.”

“I’m not.” She shook her head, biting into the nectarine again.

“Perry, I assume.”

“You’d be right. What gave it away?”

“Your accent. Heavy and light at once. But, the southern drawl is undeniable. It’s making me wish silence wasn’t your preference right now and that you didn’t have to leave.”

“Is that right?”

“I could sit on this blanket until the sun settled behind us and hear you talk.”

“I wouldn’t have that much to say.”

“I’m sure the words would find you.”

“Maybe so.” She sighed.

Quietness swayed with the low, barely notable wind. Her orbs were on mine. Mine were on hers. A smile peeled her lips back as she shook her head.

“What is it, Saul?”

I shook my head from one side to the other, chuckling.

“I’m intrigued, Miss Summer. I can’t say that there’s been a woman on this earth I’ve found this much interest in.”

“So quickly–”

“At all,” I corrected.

“Hmph. I’m not opposed to the way hearing that makes me feel. It’s… new, too. I might even like it.”

“I like you.”

Upfront and honest was the only way to be. Summer took another sip from her glass. Slowly, her eyelids connected. She was digesting my words. There was a stirring inside of her. I was hoping it moved her to another space, somewhere vulnerability, trust, intimacy, and partnership dwelled.

“Happy Birthday.”

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth again. Pleasantries covered her features. It was becoming increasingly obvious that she was hard to crack, walls were high and expectations of the human species were low. I wanted to change her mind and dismantle the trauma that had resulted in her hardships.

“Thank you.”

Who hurt you? I wondered, but decided not to allow the words to slip. We weren’t there yet. She wasn’t there yet.

“Before your time tiptoes out, I’d like to learn ya better. One word answers. Alright?”

I stretched out, holding my upper body up by my elbow.

“Alright.”

“Museum or aquarium.”