She peeks up at me again and tosses the outer shell of marshmallow into her mouth.“Hmm?”
I motion to the white-tipped roasting stick, where half her marshmallow is still hanging on.“Do you not like the inside?”
“No, I love it.”
“Then what’s that?”
Wiping at the corner of her mouth with her thumb, she asks, “What’s what?”She frowns, analyzing her half-eaten marshmallow.“Oh.It’s round two.”
I bite back my scoff and collapse onto the cooler beside her.“Maybe I’ve had one too many beers,”—I’ve definitely had one too many beers—“but I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me, June Bug.”
She brings the marshmallow innards back to the flame.Slowly, she begins spinning the stick to make sure all sides are evenly golden.“This is round two.”
Round two?
“How many rounds are there?”I ask.
“My record’s four,” she announces.“But it’s only happened once or twice.I usually get three rounds before the whole mallow comes off the stick, and I have to start over.”Removing the roaster from the heat, she peels off another golden layer and pops it into her mouth before sending the even smaller mallow back to the fiery depths.“Here’s three.”
Curious, I reach for a discarded roaster and snag a marshmallow from the bag between us.After stabbing it with the pointy end, I begin cooking the white confection.It’s kind of nice.Easy.Simple.Something to focus on instead of the curvy minx beside me.Yeah, this isn’t half bad.When was the last time I had a roasted marshmallow, anyway?Scratch that, a marshmallow in general?My brows dip as I search my memories.Man, it’s been years.Forget the graham crackers and chocolate.I want a roasted marshmallow.
June’s stare burns the side of my face more than the bonfire in front of us as I rotate the marshmallow over the flames.“There a problem, June Bug?”
“No?”she hesitates.“It’s just… Why are you here?”
“What do you mean, why am I here?”I glance at her.“This is a Harden Night.I’m kind of obligated to be here.”
“No, I mean here as in…” She wiggles on the cooler, causing my body to jiggle ever so slightly in the process.“Here.”
“I’m sorry, is this your cooler?”I counter.
Her lips purse, but she stays quiet.
“Maybe you make roasting marshmallows look appealing,” I offer.
“Where’s Alyssa?”
Alyssa, huh?She wants to know where Alyssa is?
“Where’s Bryan?”I toss back at her.
“Restroom.”
I fight my disappointment that he wasn't swallowed up by the fire like I originally hoped, and turn back to the flames.“Alyssa went home,” I answer.
“Oh.”
Giving June the side-eye, I wait for something else.Anything else, really.All I get is silence.Is she happy Alyssa left?Surprised I didn’t leave with her?Not sure why June would care.What the hell am I thinking?Of course, she doesn’t care.June’s here with someone else.As she should be.Her pretty pink lips open as if she’s going to say something.Instead, she only turns back to the fire.With a gasp, she shrieks, “Ah!Ford, your marshmallow!”
Sure enough, flames engulf my marshmallow, not unlike what I imagined had been Fireman Bryan’s demise until June shit all over my fantasy.
Karma, you sneaky bitch, you ruined my marshmallow.
I bring the flaming ball to my mouth so I can blow out the fire.Shit!The fire extinguishes on the fourth blow, and what’s left is pathetic at best.The exterior is all charred.The once-white smooth surface is nothing but a bubbled black mess.
Well, shit.So much for a perfectly cooked masterpiece like the ones June created.Oh, well.Can’t win ‘em all.
Slipping off the treat, I toss the whole thing into my mouth.It’s burnt as hell, but once you get past the charred flavor, it still tastes decent enough.
