Home for the Summer (BOYXBOY)

2 | The Sky

"Cool. I miss that beach," he grinned.

I forced a smile before focusing on my casserole and waiting for Nicolas to finish, which took absolutely forever. Even as a kid, he had been a slow eater. I thought most people outgrew that.

We walked out the front door and began down the street. It was a 10-minute walk to the beach entrance and we spent that time watching our feet, letting the air and whoosh of cars fill in the gaps of our conversation. It was Nicolas who spoke first.

"So, do you have a job or anything?"

"Yeah," I spoke. "Remember Armino's? That gelato place?"

"Oh, right! I threw up there," he chuckled.

After one rollercoaster ride and 3 scoops of strawberry ice cream, an 11-year-old Nicolas spewed his guts all over the linoleum floor of Armino's. The entire staff loved him, though, so all he got was a new cone and a second stomach ache.

"Are you guys hiring? I could use a summer job," he said. "You know, pay your mom back for feeding me and stuff. Plus it's way hotter here than in Vermont. I could use some new clothes," Nicolas said, gesturing to his sweater and jeans.

I frowned at the thought of not only living with Nicolas, but having to work with him too. I knew he wasn't a villain. I'm fact, Nicolas Young seemed like he'd grown up to be perfectly nice. But, it made me nervous to spend so much time with him. This all seemed overwhelming.

"Uh, I don't know," I started, looking away.

"Okay," he sighed. "I get it." I tilted my head towards him, eyebrows creased as he continued. "You've grown out of me, huh?"

I took in a tight breath. Part of me knew I shouldn't be so cold with him. Nicolas hadn't done anything wrong. It wasn't his fault he was here. But, the 12-year-old inside of me wanted to hate him. I'd been through this before. I didn't want to mourn him again.

"I don't know," I repeated.

Silence fell over Nicolas and I, the trees and houses around us leaving long shadows against the concrete. The air here was never silent. That's what I liked most about my street. Even next to a boy I can barely say a word to, the ocean and birds and world spoke into our stillness.

"I'm sorry," Nicolas said after a minute. "I should've said goodbye before I left. I was just... Embarrassed."

I paused. "It was a long time ago."

"Yeah, but I could've called. I wasn't a very good friend to you," he said, eyes moving from the pavement to me. "But, I could be. If you'd let me."

I held his words, digesting them. We'd be living together either way, I might as well enjoy it.

"Yeah, okay," I said. "And, uh... We are hiring. I'll give you an application later for you to fill out."

"Thanks, Apollo," he smiled.

I could see bits of the boy I knew five years ago peeking out in his smile. Maybe it wasn't all bad. Maybe he wasn't a total stranger.

"No problem, Nico."

When we got to the shore, we stayed quiet for a long time, letting the sand cup our bodies in its hand. Nicolas was watching the water move in and out. I could hear him match his breathing to it, like they were one.

"I love the ocean," he said, quietly. "I missed this."

I leaned back, propping myself up on my arms. The sand was sticking to my skin, but I didn't mind it. I liked to watch the ocean- not to touch it, but to watch it. It felt like it was moving some part of my soul.

"Do you like Vermont?" I asked him.

He shrugged before answering. "I don't know. Sort of. It's not bad, just kinda... lonely."

"Do you have any friends?"

He chuckled and faced the water again. "Yeah, man, I'm not a loser."

"No, I meant-"

"Relax," Nicolas smiled. "Yeah, I have friends. They just aren't the easiest to talk to, I guess. Besides Jackie. They just kind of treat everything like a joke."

I nodded and after a second spoke again. "Who's Jackie?"

"A girl," he mumbled, but it came out as a sort of question rather than a statement.

I sat up, cocking my eyebrow at him. "A girl? Why don't I know anything about this girl?"

He laughed, his eyes slipping from the water, to me, and back. "I don't know Ollie- Apollo. Maybe because we haven't seen each other in half a decade?"

"Still."

"You haven't changed at all," Nicolas said.

"What? I've changed. I've changed a lot."

"Nope. Still as protective as ever. Sure, you're taller now, and quieter now, but you haven't really changed."

"Does anybody really change?"

"I guess not," he said, leaning back beside me.

The sky was dark now, and stars were dotting the sky like freckles. The world felt calm. Every sound quieted down in the twilight. The only noise was Nicolas's breathing and the tide rolling in.

"Can I ask you something?" I said into the quiet. "...Why are you so happy here? I just figured you'd be upset after... you know. Everything."

He took in a long breath before answering, and it felt like he was holding the entire ocean in his lungs.

"Everything that happened at home was out of my control. And, I guess this part is in my control. I can choose to be okay with spending the summer here. California isn't so bad," he said. "I missed the ocean. And you."

"I'm sorry I was being so... You know."

"That's alright. You warmed up quick."

It was an hour before we started back to the house, and until then, we just laid there, staring at the sky as the water grew nearer and fell back with each pull.