Every Summer Has A Story

Ch. 47 - The Many Layers of Austin Lake

Eve floated her hand out the window as Austin zoomed down the freeway.

"Your Jeep puts mine to shame!" Eve said over the whoosh of the wind.

Austin smiled and she felt a little flutter of excitement in her belly. The weekend promised to be a great time free of camp drama and she was looking forward to the reprieve. 

"This bad boy was my college graduation gift."

Eve wasn't exaggerating. Austin had pulled in turning up clouds of camp dust in his matte black fully loaded Unlimited Jeep Rubicon. 

She caressed the supple leather seat with her free hand and sighed,

"I'm envious, it made my jaw drop."

"It's all about the adventures you take, Five Oh! That's what matters more than a price tag."

"True," Eve conceded, "my little tangerine has gotten me through a lot."

Austin's mirrored Ray Bans glistened in the setting sunlight.

"Listen Eve," he began tentatively, "I really appreciate you doing this for me. Thanks for dropping everything and giving up your precious free-time to help me out."

She startled slightly at Austin using her real name.

"It's no problem," she assured him, "that's what friends are for!"

"My parents are pretty bummed that Shannon and I broke up and it's a lot of pressure going to their parties without a date."

"If you don't mind me asking," Eve hesitated, "what happened there?"

Austin blew out a breath, looking pretty bummed.

"Apparently Shannon and I didn't see eye-to-eye. I thought we were serious and she seriously thought it was cool to go out with other dudes."

"Yikes."

"Big yikes. We were together for over a year, so it's a bummer."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry." Eve said quietly, feeling bad about asking.

"Hey, it's okay. I'd rather get out now if she's not the one."

"So you're a relationship guy, huh?" Eve asked, feeling a bit surprised. 

Austin's cheeks flushed pink in an uncharacteristic blush. He was usually pretty unflappable.

"I've never thought of it that way, but yeah. I just love having a girlfriend. I'm not into the casual thing," he wrinkled his nose, "I want to be all-in with my person."

Eve shivered involuntarily.

"Serious relationships scare me," she admitted.

It was Austin's turn to be surprised.

"I can understand that," he said slowly, "but you're definitely girlfriend material. I'm not surprised Zayne is trying to lock you down."

"NOPE," Eve bellowed, "Zayne is a dill hole and he will never, ever be with me."

"Whoa, easy killer!" Austin chuckled, looking perplexed.

Eve smiled, despite her elevated blood pressure. She felt hot and panicked at the idea of being locked into a relationship with Zayne.

"Sorry, it's a touchy subject."

Austin nodded,

"I can respect that."

"I'm excited to get away from camp for a weekend." Eve added dryly.

"You all seem to eat, breathe, and sleep camp."