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He sat up and patted the ground. “It’s cooler down here. Trust me.”
She sighed, placing the bowl down and handing him a fork. She pulled on her beer.
Archer dug into the salad. “Hey, do you remember that one summer we made dessert nachos?”
“Oh my god, yes.” She took a forkful herself. “We put so much garbage on those, I can’t remember what the chips were.”
“Graham crackers.”
She snapped. “Right. We melted chocolate and peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.”
“I’m pretty sure we sprinkled on every kind of candy we could find in our cabins.” Archer smirked. “Austin was puking all night.”
“I didn’t feel too good after that either. Although it wasn’t nearly as bad as the time we attempted to make snow cones.”
He grimaced. “Way too much sugar. My tongue was blue for a week.”
“I’m pretty sure it was two weeks.”
“I remember your dad gave me this charcoal toothpaste to try to get it off. That shit was nasty.”
She gave him a shy smile but didn’t look him directly in the eye.
Archer was silent at first, then he cleared his throat. “Too much?”
She dug around the pasta. “Still not ready.”
Tea could feel the tension rolling off him, but she ignored it as she continued to eat.
Later that night, she called Nan to check in.
“I only have a cough, but still no fever,” Nan filled her in. “Although your grandfather isn’t doing so well. He’s had a hard time breathing.”
She gasped. “Is he okay? Does he need anything?”
“We’re going to go to the clinic and see if we can get him an inhaler or something tomorrow.” Nan tutted. “Do not worry, angel. Your grandfather is a strong man. We will be fine.”
She called Mom right after, but it went to voicemail. They opened all the windows in the cabin to let in the cool breeze, and both of their rooms were too unbearably hot to close their bedroom doors. The sheets felt sticky on her skin, so she ripped them off and lay there in her underwear. It was past midnight but she was still awake, listening to the clicking fan, and…the sound of grunting and heavy breathing.
She sat up. “What the hell are you doing over there?”
Archer grunted and heaved a sigh. A thump sounded. “Pushups.”
“You’re exercising right now? In this heat?”
“I do pushups every night.”
“Why?”
“Takes my mind off things.”
She pursued her lips and lay back down, listening to the creaking sounds of Archer’s bed as he climbed back in it. “What things?”
More creaking in his bed. “Nothing important.”
She waited for him to elaborate. A warm wind rushed through the window, followed by the soft patter of rain. The creaking in the bed next door slowed, followed by the sound of deep breathing. She covered herself with her sheet and accepted defeat.
When Tea awoke hours later, she was in her own bedroom in Cabin B.
