Sweeter Than Summer

9 | blueberry pie

"Hey!" Martha reached out and grabbed his wrist, scooching over on her towel so he could sit down beside her. "Missed you, boo."

"Missed you too." He leaned over to place a kiss on her cheek.

I tried to give Martha a questioning look, but she wasn't even paying attention to me, my phone forgotten by her side. Already, their legs were tangled together and she had placed one hand on his chest.

"You remember January, right? She came to your party with me, which was so great, by the way. We've known each other since, like, the womb."

Jackson barely even glanced at me. "Yeah, I met her. My sister knows her."

"Wow. Small world, right?"

"Right," he echoed.

Martha tapped her cheek, and Jackson went in for a kiss. Next, he gave her earlobes a couple pecks, then whispered something that made her giggle. When he pulled back, she just moved closer to him, running her nose along his jawline as she muttered something back.

Eventually, I cleared my throat, but they acted like they couldn't hear me.

It wasn't like I particularly minded PDA. If I had someone to snuggle up to on the beach, trust me, I would definitely take advantage of that. But when I first learned Martha had a thing for Jackson, I didn't know I was signing up for the permanent position of third-wheel, and that Jackson would pretend I was nothing special. There was a time that I was the girl he was talking to on the beach, but now, whenever I was around them, it was like I had spontaneously evaporated.

After pretending I couldn't see another round of their quick kisses, I reached for my phone, shading the screen with my hand. I had one text.

Wyatt Gulati (1:00): Time for another driving lesson?

Me (1:06): right now?

Wyatt Gulati (1:08): Yes. That okay?

Before I responded, I glanced up from my screen. Martha had migrated onto Jackson's lap.

Me (1:08): perfect

Me (1:08): I'm at the beach rn

Wyatt Gulati (1:09): Be there in five.

I packed up my beach towel and put on my shorts without either of them noticing. Once I threw my bag over my shoulder and got to my feet, though, Martha looked up.

"I have to go," I told her.

She pursed her lips. "What?"

"I have to leave," I repeated. Now, Jackson looked up at me, finally removing his face from the side of Martha's neck.

"Why though?" Now, she just pouted. "We were just starting to have fun. Fun in the sun, that was the plan. Right, Jack?"

"Right," he confirmed, "I haven't even gotten the booze from my car yet."

"It's one in the afternoon."

"So what? It's fun."

Martha was waiting for me to agree with her. To sit back down in the sand and drink their drinks and laugh at their jokes. But behind me, Wyatt was waiting, in his car that had a comical amount of newspapers and CDs in the back seat, and for some reason, that seemed way more appealing.

"I have to go," I said again, and finally, I actually left.

When I made it to Wyatt's car, I was almost crying, but I couldn't really tell if they would be angry or sad tears. I wrenched the passenger side door open, causing Wyatt to looked up, slightly alarmed.