A twinge of a smile crosses my face. “Since when were you so much like your sister?” A mixture of love and sadness whirl inside of me at the thought. We were having such a good day until I had to go and miss Rebecca.
“This is what we said we were going to do,” he explains, as if it’s that simple to just suddenly throw caution to the wind and be spontaneous. “Someone had to do it, or our summer would be so boring.”
“Hey, I like going to the bookstore and getting ice cream with you. And we stillwouldgo swimming.”
He nods, agreeing. “I enjoy it too, but there’s something about this that makes me feel so free. I can’t believe I’m doing this because it’s way out of my comfort zone, but I’m proud of myself for doing it anyway.”
His words settle in, and I groan, realizing he’s convincing me to do this. But I’m not doing this because of my feelings for Andrew or because I give in to peer pressure easily. I’m doing this because I know Rebecca would’ve loved it, and I trust Andrew whole-heartedly. Without Rebecca, he truly is my best friend, and I know I won’t regret making another outrageous memory with him.
“Turn around!” I shout to him.
A huge smile cracks across his face, and he spins around swiftly. I tug my shirt and shorts off first. Then I unclasp my bra, using one hand to cover my top half while I slip mypanties off with the other. I get a running start off the rock and dive in.
My head rises out of the water, and as I wipe the lake from my eyes, I find Andrew sitting about three feet away from me. “What’re you doing? Don’t get so close. If we are going to do this, we need ground rules!”
He laughs. “Relax, Em. I won’t come any closer, and I can’t see anything from here.”
I peer over at him, testing to see if I can see anything too. Nope. My shoulders relax a little. “So, I’m in the water, now what?”
He splashes me. “Loosen up a little and enjoy the moment.”
I scoop water into my hands and splash him right back. He pulls away. “You didnotjust do that!” A menacing smile crosses his face.
“You started it!”
I watch him wind up as he splashes me with twice as much vigor this time. I shriek and turn my head away, but the blow fills me with determination. I swoosh over toward him, reaching out to dunk him under. His eyes grow wide. “Okay! Okay! Let’s call a truce. I can’t properly defend myself when we’re like this.”
It’s then that I remember we are both completely naked. I wrap my arm across my chest and back away. “I’m sorry.”
On instinct, he comes a little closer to comfort me in my timid embarrassment, but he catches himself and stops. “It’s okay.” A grin creeps onto his face. “Most guys wouldn’t complain about being in this situation, myself included,” he admits. “But I’m a gentleman, so I have to draw the line somewhere.”
His words sink in, and I can’t help but be reminded of his earlier remark about us being more than friends. I’m reminded of the look he gave me while we listened to “Porch Swing Angel”and Rebecca’s chiding in my dream aweek ago. I think about the moments we shared last summer when I was so sure we were headed in the exact direction I’ve always wanted to. The air is charged with electricity, and the words I say next just slip out. “Andrew, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“What are we?”
CHAPTER 13
Summer 16
“Where the hell are you taking us, Rebecca?” Andrew leans forward from the back seat with a look of concern on his face.
I don’t entirely blame him. We never come to this part of town, and as much as I love and trust Rebecca, she can still make some questionable decisions.
“I already told you guys it’s a surprise,” she insists, turning up the radio. “Just sit back and relax. You too, Emma. I can feel the tension in your body from over here.” She laughs.
I glare at her and subtly try to let my shoulders relax, not wanting to validate her remark.
Suddenly, Rebecca flicks her blinker on and pulls into a dirt parking lot. There’s not much here except for a few stands. One is for freshly grown cherries. The other is for fireworks. I immediately put two and two together. “Are fireworks legal here?”
“Nope,” Rebecca and Andrew say in unison, Rebecca with a little more excitement and Andrew with a little more irritation.
“Everyone here does them anyway. No one gets in trouble for them. I think they’d be fun! You saw that family doingRoman candles off their dock last year. Those kids must’ve been what, eight? If they can do it, we can do it!”
Andrew and I exchange a glance. With his shrug and small smirk, I get the message loud and clear.This could be fun. There’s no sense in arguing with her when she’s already put her mind to it.
I shake my head. “Can we at least get some of the big ones too? I don’t just want those tiny ones that sound like a car backfiring.”
