If Summer Never Ends

Chapter 14

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Cecily began, holding her hands up. “When were you going to tell us about Hayden?”

“I assumed you already knew.”

“Well we did not! Tell us everything!” Maria insisted, pushing for more and more details about the past weekend.

I told them all about it. They awed with sparkles in their eyes, up until I told them about the whole condom thing. The two of them busted out laughing. I think I almost made Maria piss her pants.

“Only you,” Cecily said, shaking her head.

“Of course. Fate wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Maria threw her long, luscious hair into a bun. “So you feel confused because you don’t know who you like more?”

I sighed. “No, it’s not that. I like Luke more. An insane amount more. But Hayden is so sweet. That was best date I’ve ever had and he put a lot of hard work into it, but I just don’t like him as much as I want to.”

Cecily scoffed. “Well, I’ve been in a lot of relationships. Like, a lot a lot.”

“We all know that,” Maria snickered.

Cecily rolled her eyes and continued. “Anyways, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is that you should not force a connection. If there’s no spark, there’s no spark. There is no use in trying to ignite something that won’t. If you really like someone, the fire will just blow up in your face and you’ll know that you’re crazy about that person. The sparks will come naturally.”

Maria and I exchanged glances. “Is there anyone in particular that you are thinking about?”

“No,” Cecily said shaking her head, a small smile creeping upon her face. “I was just thinking about the past relationships I’ve had. A few of them were really good but I let that fire die. After being in so many relationships, you get kind of lonely.”

“But you have Dylan,” Maria commented.

“Yeah. I do.”

I began to feel really shitty about myself. One part of me wanted to embrace the fire but the logical part of me wouldn’t. It was too much for my mind to handle.

“Can we like, stop talking about boys? I mean, I know they’re hot and all, but this conversation got really depressing and it’s making me hate my life.”

“I agree,” Maria said. “How about another Netflix marathon?”

I grinned. "I'll go get more popcorn."

                                                                        ***

It was autumn and I was walking down Michigan Avenue. The leaves were scraping against the pavement and crunched as I walked on them. The wind hit hard, the perfect type of weather for scarfs and boots.

My earphones were plugged into my phone and I was jamming to some Young the Giant song as I walked. But something was off. The city was frozen. There were no cars, no people. It was just the wind and me.

I heard a girlish scream from behind me. When I turned around, I saw a younger version of Luke and myself. He was chasing me around and we were both laughing. The two bolted past me and disappeared into the crisp autumn air.

When I looked across the other side of the street, I saw Sanibel. It was so ironic to be in cold Chicago when a summer paradise was just across the street. Modern-day Luke was at our pier, waiting. But I made no attempt to move. I watched him as he watched the world. When I finally did decide to cross the street to be with him, a feminine figure emerged from the shadows. She walked up to Luke and the two of them kissed. Not a friendly kiss. A deep, passionate, butterflies-in-your-stomach type of kiss. I couldn’t see her face, but I hated her. The real question was why.