When August Ends

I wasn’t kidding when I said I could have lived here the rest of my life. I wondered how much of that had to do with the lake and how much of it had to do with a certain girl who’d infiltrated my soul. That question scared the shit out of me, making me even more sure I needed to leave tomorrow.

I looked out over the water and chuckled to myself, thinking about the first time I’d interacted with Heather. I’d learned that day what a spirited firecracker she was. Thrown off by how alive she’d made me feel, I’d tried everything to scare her away. But it hadn’t worked. Thank God for that, because I never would have gotten the time I had with her, never would have learned I have the capability to be happy after all. For years, I’d thought I was a lost cause. But Heather’s believing in me, and all her kind words about second chances, had resonated.

Darkness eclipsed the daylight, which was fitting as my thoughts turned from happy to sad. It was time to break the news to her.

I was just about to go inside and call her when I noticed her walking toward me in the distance. My body stilled.

She was holding something. As she got closer, I realized it was a pie. My heart squeezed at the sight of her.

I lost my ability to speak, let alone the courage to tell her my plans.

She looked at me for several seconds before she finally spoke.

“So, I know I’ve been quiet. I needed to ride it out for a day. I’ve been processing everything you told me, but I’m okay. I need you to know that. I didn’t quite know how to express my feelings, how to convey everything to you, so I decided to bake that cherry pie I promised you. The cherries from the tree weren’t good, and there weren’t even enough of them anyway, so I had to go to the store and buy some. It took me all afternoon to figure out the best recipe—one I couldn’t screw up. I think I actually did it. You’ll have to be the judge. The candy corn smiley face on top is my personal touch.”

Her smile was killing me. My mouth wouldn’t move.

“It’s okay, Noah. I want you to know it’s okay. I need you to believe me when I say I don’t hold anything against you. How could I?”

Her assurance gave me the comfort I desperately needed. It also complicated my plans. I no longer had any clue how to tell her I planned to leave in the morning.

Before I could think any further, she brushed past me into the boathouse.

I cringed when she stopped to look around.

“What the hell is going on?”

“I was gonna come over and talk to you tonight. I—”

“You’re leaving?” Her voice cracked. She held her hand over her chest. “Oh my God. Let me put this pie down before I drop it.”

I tried to find words to articulate my decision. The effort was futile. “Heather, I—”

“I can’t believe you were just going to drop this on me.”

“I thought it would be easier this way.”

“Easier? Do you have any idea what you mean to me?”

It couldn’t have hurt more if she’d ripped out my heart. Seeing her tears brought home how much she cared about me. It made me doubt everything again.

“This was gonna be happening in three weeks anyway,” I said, although it seemed like a sad excuse right now.

“I know. And I was going to cherish the fuck out of the time you had left here. The next three weeks mean everything to me. You’re just going to throw them away?”

“I don’t think it makes sense to prolong it,” I said weakly.

Her voice grew louder. “You’re a coward. Don’t think I don’t know what this is really about. You’re starting to feel something for me, so you’re going to run away.”

I laughed angrily. “Starting? I’ve been feeling it for so fucking long it’s not even funny.”

“You have an odd way of showing it.”

“I upset you last night. It isn’t going to be any easier to walk away from here in a few weeks. It seemed like the right time.”

“I was upset. But not at you. The more I thought about what you did in coming here, your intentions, the more I admire you. Sure, I was sad earlier, but now? Seeing you ready to walk out of here? Now I’m devastated.”

I swore under my breath. “It’s not my intention to hurt you. That’s not what leaving early is about—it’s just the opposite. It’s to avoid doing something to hurt you.”

“You’ve kept your cool with me, kept your hands off me all summer with the exception of yesterday. Suddenly you don’t think you can last another three weeks?”