Page 5 of Be My Summer

Nodding, she reclined until her hair was against the blanket and her hands were at her side. She stared up at the sky, sighing deeply. It was apparent that something was on her mind. Instead of prying, I allowed us both to remain in the moment, reverting back to the silence that she preferred.

“It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” She asked after a minute.

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

“Which means opening the wine wouldn’t make us–”

“I’ll open the wine.” I laughed, sitting up and grabbing the glasses that were waiting for us.

The cork escaped the bottle with ease. The red wine sizzled and expanded beyond its prior restrictions. I filled one glass at a time. When finished, I handed Summer a glass and set the wine upright beside the blanket. She pulled her body up and folded her legs.

Seconds later, the round, open-end bulbs were tipped in the same direction.

Clink. Our glasses met.

“To Summer–”

“To Summer,” she repeated with a doting smile.

Red wine swirled continuously before touching our lips. I savored the bitterness and focused on the pockets of sweetness. They reminded me of the woman sitting in front of me.

Interesting.

I wanted to know all there was to know about her in one sitting.

The good.

The bad.

The ugly.

The beautiful.

However, that would take the lifetime I was willing to wait. For now, we didn’t have that type of time. I was up against a strict clock and boundaries that I respected.

I lowered my glass. Summer did the same. She nodded with approval. I marked a point in my book, hoping I had enough for her to consider a date with me by the time the clock ran out.

“Summer– was it your mother’s favorite season?”

Her eyebrows grew closer. Her shoulders caved, and for a brief second, there was a sadness in her eyes that put a dent in my heart.

“My father’s favorite season,” she breathed out.

Slowly, her smile returned, and her spine straightened.

“But, I was born at the end of summer. September twenty-first. The day summer and autumn meet… at midnight.”

“Like today?”

She nodded.

“Like today.”

It dawned on me instantly.

“Today felt different, admittedly. From the second I opened my eyes, I knew something was different. Was it the universe telling me that it was the birthday of someone incredibly valuable to my future?”

“Was it?”