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Those times growing up had been so wonderful and fun. We pretended we were pioneers on the prairie and every summer after Uncle Ben married Aunt Marin, we looked forward to the time spent there. Even if our parents couldn’t get away for the entire time, we would be allowed to spend at least a month every summer on the ranch. Always together.
“I remember,” Dylan replied. He seemed a bit regretful, and I could only speculate about what he was thinking that caused his change in mood. “Okay, I smell like chlorine and sunscreen, so I’ll grab a quick shower.”
On the ride from the park, I thought he smelled like heaven. “Me, too.”
“Great. See you in a few minutes.”
There were candles in the bathroom, and I lit two of them on the vanity with the lighter that was provided and decided to take a bath in the sunken tub. It would give me time to get my emotions under control. The last thing I needed was to blurt something that I’d end up regretting later. The situation was complicated. Alan was methodically planning out our future, and though I wasn’t in agreement on every aspect of his plans, before this weekend, I had accepted that Alan was my future and Dylan was my past. I’d accepted that I would always love Dylan, but I couldn’t wait for him forever.
Now, I felt confused. I loved spending time with Dylan. He gave me the butterflies that were missing with Alan: that mad rush of love and desire. But Alan was steady, our futures were in alignment… it made sense to be with him. Didn’t it? I sighed, confused.
When the soft golden glow and soft floral sent began to fill the air, I turned off the light then leaned over and turned on the water, letting my fingers fall beneath the stream as I adjusted the temperature with the other hand. There were bath salts and foaming bubble bath on a tray on the marble vanity and I chose the latter and added a generous amount. I liked the water hot and steam soon began to rise and fill the room.
It wasn’t long before I was laying inside the tub with the luxurious warmth and silkiness of the water enveloping my body, the air thick with humidity.
Even though the cabins were designed to be reminiscent of the early days of the region, they were rustic chic with the modern conveniences of the most lavish hotel suites, but with a sort of western charm.
I let myself fall into the precious memories of my youth and there wasn’t one that I could come up with that Dylan wasn’t with me, at least, before my decision to leave Clemson. Even on the few occasions when our families took separate vacations, we both went on each other’s families’ trips. We were never apart. Every major holiday, birthdays, graduation, dance recitals he never missed, soccer games I habitually attended, and the growing pains we went through with our peers. The struggles I had with my feelings for my best friend and how much it had hurt watching other girls want him even though he spent most of his time with me. Until college, I admitted to myself.
I sighed. “Maybe life would have been easier if I’d just told him the truth,” I mumbled to myself. My hair was piled on top of my head and held in place with a hair band and the steam was plastering some tendrils to the sides of my face. I pushed some of them away in frustration at my own stupidity.
“Told who the truth?” Dylan’s voice burst into my solitude.
My eyes widened, and I sank further down in the tub to make sure the bubbles covered my breasts then looked over my shoulder to see him poking his head inside the door he’d cracked open. “Oh, my God! Dylan! What are you doing?” I asked in surprise and horror that he’d caught me thinking about him.
“Nothing. Told who the truth?” he asked.
“Alan,” I lied in panic.
“About what?” he persisted.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Checking on you. You’ve been in here for over a half hour and I wanted to make sure you didn’t drown. The fire made your room nice and warm.”
“I guess I lost track of time. Get out of here and I’ll be right out.”
“Cool. There is a list of movies for rental. Should I find one? Do you have a preference?”
I shook my head. “You can choose.”
“Okay.”
When the door closed behind him, I sat up and reached for the towel I’d placed on the edge of the tub, then did a brisk rubdown of my skin and hurried to get into my pajamas.
The warmth of the bedroom was welcoming as I opened the bathroom door. My eyes shot to the bed to find Dylan in a pair of blue and black plaid flannel pajama pants and a white T-Shirt. He had one side of the bed turned down for me, but he was on top of the blanket, holding the remote to select a movie.
I felt a bit self-conscious of my shorts, even though he’d seen me in much less earlier at the pool. It was ridiculous, for several reasons, given our past. I tried to shake it off as I went to the bed and crawled under the covers, pulling them to my waist as I leaned back on the pillows in a half-sitting position. “What did you decide on?”
Dylan’s gaze was still trained on the TV as he scrolled through the options. “Well, depends on what you’re in the mood for? Horror?” I shook my head and grimaced. He laughed, knowing the genre was my least favorite. “Rom com?” Dylan mirrored my expression about the horror films. I let out a huffed laugh. He thought most romantic comedies were lame and used to razz me, Bliss, and our moms when we used to hunker down for Hallmark Christmas marathons.
One particular memory flashed through my mind from when I was sixteen: all of the girls were in our living room and snuggled into the big sectional sofa with blankets over us.“We have homemade Cracker Jacks, Dylan!” His mother, Missy, said. “It’s your favorite. Come join us!”
“Ugh, I’d rather stick my head in a snowbank!” He’d muttered, leaning over the back of the couch, and unceremoniously removing the bowl from my lap. My mouth dropped open in silent protest, but he’d winked at me and left the room munching my popcorn as a wry smile lifted the corners of my mouth. Homemade caramel popcorn with peanuts was his favorite.
“How aboutThe Avengers?” Dylan asked hopefully. He knew I loved the original Avengers movie.
I nodded in enthusiastic affirmation. “Sounds perfect!”
