Summer Fling

one

"Yes, mom! I'm 17– I can figure this out myself," I tell my anxious mom, who is probably about to have a heart attack.

"You're going to leave, honey. Sorry for being worried!"

"Mom, it's only for the summer and I'll be leaving for university next year. Good preparation for you!"

"Yeah, mom, calm down," my younger sister, Sofia says.

 She huffs, and even starts wiping away at the small tears that come out of her brown eyes. She wraps me tightly into a hug, and even gives me a small kiss on my cheek. 

"I'm going to miss you so much," she says, repeating the loving statement that she's been telling me for the past hour.

"Me too. I'll call you when I get off the plane, don't worry too much."

 We both know that's not very easy though. 

"I'll try not to."

I smile at both of them, and I even try to comfort my mom with another hug. She sniffs, blinking away her leftover tears, and finally lets go of me. I grab my navy suitcase, and wave at both of them as I walk past the boundaries that they can't access without plane tickets.

"Bye," they both loudly yell, waving at me in a dramatic manner.

"Love you both. Bye!"

My mom's sad grin is the last thing I see before I make my way to the plane, and find my own seat.  

***********

When the plane finally hits the ground, I'm full of mixed emotions. It went by quickly, and I had spent the entire time thinking about my trip. I'm not sure if I should feel more excited or like I should throw up. 

 I can't lie, this is the first time that I've ever been away from my family, which is where most of my concerns stem from. So, this internship better be worth it. 

 I'm already looking through my phone, ready to text my family with a reminder that I'm still alive. Except, right before I can hit send, I'm practically tackled by a stranger.

"What the—"

"Hi! I'm Catalina and I'm your intern partner!"

 I've never seen her before in my entire life, and I'm extremely confused as I look over this random girl who's claimed to be my intern partner. She's very attractive though, and my two eyes longingly gaze over her long dark brown hair that frames her oval-shaped face and her casual clothes that easily accentuate her figure. I look into her eyes, and they seem to be a never-ending sea of brown. 

Oh my god— she's beautiful.

I instantly shake my head, and I focus on the important issue I actually have on my mind.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No, but you're going to when we work together. The healthcare center sent me to come get you, and get to know you."

"I wasn't informed that I would have a partner," I say.

 I've been going over all of the brochures and emails that I received from the program, and I'm almost sure that I never saw anything about that mentioned. 

  "You are now," she tells me, a huge smile present on her face.

Great, I'm stuck with this bubbly girl for the summer.

I awkwardly clear my throat, and say, "ok, then. Can we go now?"

"Yeah, I have my car waiting outside the airport. Do you want me to carry your suitcase?"

 I'm not eager about taking advantage of her kindness, but I do have to admit that I'm incredibly tired of dragging it all around, so I respond, "yes, please."

She takes the suitcase from me, and I feel her hands brush against mine in the process, which only encourages my heart to skip several beats. 

"Thanks."

"No problem," she tells me.

I follow her out of the large airport, and she leads me to her red car. She places my suitcase in the trunk, and I make my way to open the side door. Before I can get in, Catalina lightly shoves me away from the vehicle. 

"No, you don't open your own car door— I will."

I laugh and roll my eyes at the same time, and she has the audacity to give me a small grin as she opens the car door for me. I sit inside, and she also closes it for me. 

She gets in the car, and quickly starts the engine, "are you ready?"

I nod my head even though I'm feeling wildly nervous and a bit homesick. I barely had time to text my sister, and she still hasn't sent me one of her typical clever responses.

 She seems to sense the distress, and even grabs my hand, gently running circles with her fingers across the palm of my hand. 

That feels. . . it's like she wants to kill me.

"Hey, it'll be okay. This is my second year here, and it's really fun. Everyone is really nice and you have me."

"Yeah, I do have you, that should be interesting."

"Interestingly fun?" She asks.

"Very," I say, though I'm not quite sure yet.

"Now, let's go because I want to make sure I have enough time to show you around before we officially start tomorrow!"

I smile and she starts the car, driving us to the hotel where we're staying. I have no idea what to expect, but I secretly wish for her to stick around.