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“We’re closing, guys,” the attendant shouts again. “Time to go.”
Ethan blinks, his jaw clenching as he gets out of the slide. He holds a hand towards me, and I take it. This time, I don’t ignore the sparks that travel through my body and leave a fire in their wake.
This time, I wonder if he’s feeling them, too.
20
Ethan
I’m in Pops’s pickup, trying to focus on the road, but my world is consumed by Val.
I’m aware of the way she bites her nails in my peripheral vision, how she shifts to tuck her legs beneath her. All I can think about is the memory of her soft, smooth skin against me—her legs pressed within mine, her hips against my thighs, her back on my chest. Her fingers grasping for my hands locked around her.
Her pomegranate shampoo is filling the truck. I remember the way her gaze dropped to my lips when we reached the end of the slide…
I make a decision. Signal and turn off the road. Park the car. Val looks at me with wide eyes as I pull her towards me. Her fingers tangle into my hair, holding on tight as our bodies crash together.
And finally, finally, I feel her soft lips against mine—
“So where are we off to?”
The question wrenches me back to the present like an electric jolt applied to my spine.
Frick, Ethan! Where were you going with that exactly?!
I clear my throat, turn to look at the very real and non-daydream Val sitting in the passenger seat as we drive away from Tumbling Waters. Although she looks even better in real life than she does in my imagination. How does she manage that? It’s like my mind can’t capture every little, intricate, beautiful thing about her.
“Ethan?” she asks, seeming almost nervous. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, ‘course.” I clear my throat again. “Sorry, was trying to remember the way to Billy’s Diner.”
“Oh. Good. We’re going there for dinner?”
“Milkshakes. Pops clearly didn’t consider that we might not want milkshakes directly after ice cream at the water park. But seeing as we missed out on ice cream and I’m starving, I could really go for one of those onion ring burgers.”
“Ugh, those are rank.” Val scrunches her adorable nose. “I’m getting one, too.”
I chuckle, happy that Val has relaxed. I understand why she was nervous before—she was worried I was going to bring up what almost happened at the base of the slide.
Because it did almost happen, right? Val almost leaned in to kiss me; I was definitely leaning in to kiss her…
And now here we are, speeding towards our final destination for the day. We’ve been sitting in silence while my brain vacillates dizzily between wanting to bring up the almost kiss and risk overstepping, and (apparently) daydreaming inappropriate things.
“Ooh, this is a good one.” Val reaches for the volume dial on the radio, but right before she touches it, she freezes. “Is it okay if I turn it up?”
“Of course, Teeny.” I give her a look. “You don’t have to ask.”
“Figured I would. Being polite and all that.”
“You don’t have to be polite around me. You don’t have to be anything.”
“Oh. Thanks.” She shoots me a quick, shy smile.
Val turns up the volume and it’s Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. Basically the anthem of our teen years. To my surprise and delight, Val starts to hum along quietly. Soon, she gains confidence and the humming turns into singing which turns into a full karaoke-style rock out. She belts the song, her voice slightly off-key. I chuckle, shooting amused glances her way.
“You’re not going to sing with me?” she asks during a break in the verse.
“I’m not sure you want me to. You remember how tone deaf I am.”
