Boyfriend for the Summer

“You know.”

“I do.” He looks around to make sure that no one’s watching before leaning in for a real kiss. I love his kisses. Soft and sweet that somehow morph into hot and hungry at a moment’s notice. I’ve never felt like this about anyone.

And it’s not just the physical stuff, though that’s been amazing so far. I’ve done stuff in the last weeks that I never would have considered doing before. Sneaking out so I can kiss Eric until I’m breathless, his hands and my hands roaming until we’re both gasping and wanting more, but not quite ready for it. But I’ve felt the way he’s hard beneath his clothes, and he’s felt the way my breasts swell and the heat at the seam of my pants, and I know we’ll get there. It’s inevitable.

But we’ve also been talking. About anything and everything. Eric has told me how much he loves music and how that’s what he wants to do. I’ve told him the list of places that I want to travel and that I want to be both a novelist and a travel writer. Writing about places and times in a unique way. I feel like I know everything about him now, from his favorite color to his birthday and his favorite foods.

This summer has been way better than I ever hoped, and I don’t want it to end. I consider myself lucky that he tackled me that first day. If he hadn’t, maybe we would have gone the whole summer without really talking. But now…well…this is better.

“How was basketball?”

“Good. About to go swimming and wanted to see if you’d join me.”

I make a face. “I have archery in a few minutes.”

“Cool. That’s okay. I have a plan.” He waggles his eyebrows at me, trying to make me laugh.

And I do. “What’s your plan?”

“Sneak out and meet me.”

I roll my eyes. “I do that almost every night.”

“True. But this time meet me at the waterfall. Or rather, meet me at the lake and we’ll go to the waterfall together.”

Something about the way he says it makes my stomach flip. “Why are we going there?” We’ve been back quite a bit, sneaking past the closed off path to have privacy. But we’ve never ventured out there in the dark. It somehow seems vaguely alluring and dangerous.

“It’s a surprise.”

I stare at him, trying to figure it out, but he gives nothing away. Just smiles like he has no other cares in the world. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He kisses me quickly again. “Shoot straight.”

“I’ll try.”

Nerves jump in my gut. Anticipation and curiosity and a touch of anxiety. This seems different. I could be ready for different. When it comes to Eric, I’m ready for it all. I’m ready for everything. Not a huge chance that I’ll be able to shoot straight now, not when I’ll be thinking about what he has planned. But I’m going to try anyway.

* * *

I don’t know for sure what will happen when I leave my cabin tonight, but I have a hope. And it’s that hope that makes me put on the only set of matching underwear that I brought to camp. I do what I’ve done every night I’ve snuck out. Worn clothes under my robe and hide under the covers until everyone is asleep, and then leave.

This time, I don’t quite make it out. “Where do you go every night?” Lisa says quietly. She’s one of my roommates, and a nice girl. I don’t think I have to worry about her reporting me to the counsellors.

“Oh, you know,” I whisper. “I just like to look at the stars.”

There’s a snicker from the other bed in the room, and Anna sits up. We’re the only three in here. Might as well stop pretending. There are still people in the other rooms, and we need to be quiet, but I relax. “Please,” Anna says. “She’s going out to meet Eric.”

I swallow. “How do you know that?”

“You’re not subtle.” I can almost hear her roll her eyes.

“Are you going to stop me.”

Anna laughs again. “Girl, no. If I had an option here that was that attractive, I’d be sneaking out too.”

I’m glad that it’s dark and that they can’t see me blushing. “Thanks.”

“You have to tell us how it goes, though,” Lisa says.

“What?”

“You took about three times as long in the bathroom as you normally do,” she says. “Something is obviously happening.”

I push open the window and begin my climb out that I’ve gotten very good at. “You guys pay way too much attention.”

“Good luck!” Anna whispers as I drop to the ground and head toward the lake.

I wonder what Leena would say if she could see me now. Our entire friendship I’ve been the goody-two-shoes. She snuck out of our cabin plenty last summer but I never wanted to go. If she knew just how much time I’d spent out of my bed so far, she’d laugh her ass off.