Page 3 of Only Some Stars Fall

“Well, you said your dad has a big dock and a nice little beach, so my plan will be sitting my butt in a beach chair and working on my summer tan. I brought a stack of books I’ve been meaning to get to. Plus, with you living on the other side of the country, we have a lot of movies to catch up on.”

“Ha. Okay, that all sounds fabulous, but not really what I had in mind, Evie Baby.”

“Sorry, should I throw some bird-watching and sunset moose scouting drives into my schedule?” I ask sarcastically. “We are going to the middle of nowhere to work at a resort that is best known for middle-aged and senior citizen fishing fanatics. How lively do you think it’s going to get?”

“Oh, Evie. You don’t know the locals or the summer kids that arrive, and okay, admittedly, not a huge population, butthere’s always a good camp party at some arrogant rich kid’s place. And when I say camp, I mean summer vacation home. You’ll be surprised by how entertaining the scene gets in the evenings. ”

“How do you know this? You haven’t been to your dad’s place since you were a kid.”

“You think just because I was eleven, I didn’t know what was going on? My only real childhood friend was three years older than me and had an older brother. I played Nancy Drew from time to time,” Alex explains. “My dad confirmed not much has changed in the last eight years, and there’s never a shortage of out-of-staters coming up to spend a month golfing or fishing with their daddies. Maybe an insurance plan, in a sense, so they aren’t written out of the will.”

“Oh, great. They sound just like the people I hope to surround myself with.”

“Hey, who knows, maybe you’ll meet the man of your dreams. Speaking of boys, let’s get the update on your steamy love life. Spill, please,” she says, turning the music volume way down.

“You mean the lack thereof.”

“What about that sexy lacrosse player, James, maybe? The one that looks like he wants to devour you in a night of hot, passionate romping in every freaking photo I see of you two.”

“Josh. And, sure, he’s cute and the sweetest human, but with the sex appeal of a brick wall. I don’t know, he’s just… too nice. Trust me, I’ve tried. I just can’t get into it.”

“I get it. If he doesn’t do it for you, he doesn’t do it for you, but please remember that you don’t have to only date assholes. You’re allowed to find someone who is actually nice to you.” She is referring to my high school boyfriend, Austin. I had been obsessed with the captain of the soccer team for years. It wasn’t until junior year that he finally noticed me.Probablybecause my bra size went up two cups over that summer. Lucky me.We dated for six months—long enough for me to fully fall in love with him. I lost my virginity, and then myself, completely when he broke my heart into a million pieces after he found a freshman he liked better. Though the wounds have scabbed over, the debilitating insecurities are still easily triggered.

“Thanks for that reminder, but I have a feeling Silsby, Maine, isn’t going to be my love paradise. The whole hick, country boy vibe has never really been my thing.” I couldn’t admit even to Alex that I desperately longed to meet someone who gives me that rush of butterflies in my ribcage as Austin had. Is it even possible to feel like that twice in your life? It had been such an all-consuming whirlwind relationship,well, for me at least, that those emotions have been impossible to replace since. I was the girl who always believed that when I finally fell in love, it would be forever. I never considered that it might not be reciprocated, that the person you gave your heart to could be so cruel. The idea of love feels so gray and jaded now.

“Enough about my overly exciting love life. How’re those Los Angeles boys treating you and your lady parts?”

“Unlike you, actors are not my thing. They take longer to get ready than I do, and we spend the entire date talking about them and their ‘career,’” she says, taking her hands off the steering wheel momentarily to make air quotes. “They audition for one Honda commercial, and all of a sudden, they are convinced the paparazzi are after them.” She shakes her head in disgust. “There have been a few flings. Actors have amazing bodies, but the sex? Again, they expect you to do it all, and I’m sorry, but this sex goddess isn’t pulling out all her best moves just to get some egotistical pretty boy’s dick hard.”

“Well, maybe your big romance is waiting foryouin Silsby,” I joke.

“Maybe…” she says with a slight smirk. She turns the music upjust as one of our all-time favorite middle school dance songs comes on. In the distance, I can make out a sign at the top of a hill.

Welcome to Silsby.

We followthe dusty dirt road for about a quarter of a mile until the trees are thin and Aurora Lake stands sparkling in front of us. A range of mountains lines the far shore, making every cliché postcard of the state of Maine you’ve ever seen an instant reality. Alex pulls the car into her dad’s driveway and parks near the large natural wood-colored house sitting back from the road. The yard seems to mostly be left wild, with some paths to the beach and dock through the bushes. I’ll admit, even with the chilly breeze coming off the water, it looks like heaven. I can already picture myself spending lots of time in the hammock that sways slightly at the end of the dock.

My mind keeps wandering back to Alex and my conversation in the car. It’s true I’ve always been slightly boy-obsessed, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t let my mind fantasize about a breathtaking summer romance the last few weeks. My body aches for the way Austin’s touch would blind me with heat, every part of me trembling, a mixture of attraction and first-time insecurity. Since then, I have engaged in a few heated make-out sessions, but the idea of anything more with anyone but Austin just sounds wrong. The kicker being that Austin had dumped me a week after taking my virginity. And though, on the surface, I knew it was him being a complete player, I still couldn’t help thinking I just hadn’t been very good, that my inexperience and lack of confidence had been the reason he had looked for something better.

“Earth to Everly.” Alex waves her hand in front of me as Istare out at the dock. “Let’s bring our stuff inside and see if we can find my dad. He said he would be milling around all day.” She apprehensively searches the yard. I know that as excited as she is, she is also a bundle of nerves. There have only ever been a few times where I have seen Alex nervous, and this is definitely one of them.

The inside of the house is lighter and more open than I expected. The walls are a soft off-white color, and the light from the huge glassed-in front porch gives an airy feel. The furniture is worn, and the house is sparsely decorated, as would be expected for a bachelor who spends most of his time out in the woods, but the house still feels warm and welcoming. I smile at the photos of Alex that line the mantle of the large stone fireplace.

We take our bags upstairs, finding a sign on one of the bedroom doors that says, “Welcome Ladies!” Bursting through the door, we find a king-size bed, a set of French doors that open to a small balcony that overlooks the lake, and even an en suite bathroom. This is far from the camping experience I had envisioned, and I’m feeling more and more optimistic about this summer as we explore the house.

Downstairs, we walk through the living room to the kitchen, which, if the other rooms are a little dated and lacking, the kitchen is a chef’s dream. Clearly, Alex’s father had it re-modeled in recent years; it’s sleek and simple with large windows that look out over the side yard and a sliver of the lake. A deck directly off the kitchen leads to a dining table under a beautiful pergola dripping with string lights.

“Well, I guess Dad has found something to do with his free time. Trust me, when I was a kid, it wasn’t nearly this nice.”

“There seems to be no evidence of a female presence… well, except that the pergola is a little suspicious. Sheer boredom, the culprit, I’m guessing.” I laugh.

After walking through the whole house and checking the barn out back, it’s clear he isn’t home. I can’t tell if Alex is a little bummed out that he’s not here to greet us or relieved that we’ve had a moment to settle in on our own.

“Should we see what he has for beer in the fridge?” Alex is already heading back toward the house, not bothering to wait for my response. On the fridge, we find a note we must have missed on our first walk-through, which reads:

Good Afternoon, Ladies! After busting my butt all day for your arrival, I have headed down to Anderson’s for a drink. Meet me at the bar when you’re settled. Can’t wait to see you. – Dad

Changing out of my shorts and into tight jeans just seems wrong for the middle of June, but there is no denying the goose bumps covering my legs.Why is it so damn cold?I change into a light blue flowy top and add a long silver necklace that hangs perfectly between my cleavage. I silently thank my mom as I adjust my boobs in my shirt to show what I deem to be the perfect amount of skin. I brush out my light brown hair, my blond summer highlights already starting to show. I’m thankful that my natural wave actually looks stylish today and not like I just slept on it wrong. I line my brown eyes and add a bit of bronzer to my sun-kissed cheeks. Alex is still in cutoff shorts but has thrown on an old flannel over her tank top. No makeup, hair still in the bun she had hastily tied it in when we got in the car this morning. She can easily dress like a bum and look drop-dead gorgeous. It’s never been fair.

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