Page 32 of Summer of the Boy

“On if you’ll let me take you in my mouth too.”

His answer surprises me. Not one of his communication smiles or even a direct answer to what I just said. Ridley answers me, a look of all the seriousness in the world directed right on his face. “I’m glad I fell in love with you.” Then just as abruptly, whips his shirt up over his head. Bare chest on display. With all that luscious, peaches and cream skin only inches away as a distraction, he impatiently prods me, “Well… come on. We have lost make out time to make up for.”

Yes we do.

Quite a bit later after we both happily expended energy and body fluids, a few times, we’re lying naked in my bed. He has me tucked up under his arm, drawing light circles with the tip of his index finger over my abs. The action tickles as much as it feels good.

The best part of the whole evening is not having to hurry to dress. Getting to lie in each other’s arms. A foreshadow of how life will be once he gets to school with me.

“Gabe came to talk to me,” he finally breaks the silence of our time together. I hate the mention of Gabe while we’re naked in my bed. It feels wrong. But I don’t tell him that. Rid’s not saying anything wrong. They’re my insecurities to get over.

“Yup,” I mutter. Seeing as besides me and Gabe, no one else knew about us at the jetty, and he’d told Rid not to say anything.

“He told me stuff. About you. About how to make you happy in bed.”

“Babe, listen to me. Anything you do will make me happy in bed because it’s you doing it. Gabe doesn’t know me like you do.”

“Maybe not. But when I asked him how he knew that stuff about you, he said because he had you. At the jetty. Atourjetty. He warned me, said I wasn’t special. That you take all your men there. He said it, all your men, Leif.”

“Babe.” Is all I can think to say, then suck in a deep breath through my nose to check my temper. I’m not mad at Rid. I’m furious with that asshole Gabe Cera for putting asinine ideas in his head in the first place.

“I know there have been other men in your life. I’m not stupid. I just thought or at least I wanted to be special to you.”

“Ridley. You listen good, youarespecial to me. I’ve messed around with exactly four guys in my life. Including you. Gabe was one. I had a boyfriend for several months at school. One other guy and you. That’s it. And I never loved any of them. Not even my boyfriend of five months. Only you.”

“But Gabe said—”

“Who you gonna trust, me or Gabe? He went with me to the jetty once Rid. Once. And that summer, after graduation, I brought one other guy there. The jetty’s the most private place for someone not ready to be out.” I rub my hands over my face to calm down because I’m starting to feel agitated. My voice rising.

“You’re mad,” he says.

No. I shake my head. “Not mad, not at you. But I’ll admit to wanting to beat the crap out of him. Usually when I go, it’s to think. And that’s why I brought you, because it’s my special place to think. I didn’t know you’d give me you that night. Gabe showed up there, after you sent me away. He told you that shit because he wanted what you have. I turned him down.”

“You turned him down? We were broken up.”

“I don’t know… you might have broken up with me, but I was still very much with you.”

“So the jetty is our place now?”

“It’s our place. Only ours.” I reach over to grab his plate, stacking it on top of mine and setting them down on the nightstand. Next goes the pizza box, tossed to the floor. “Now I gotta ask, what if someone saw us kissing in the park?”

“I won’t flaunt us in my mom’s face yet. But I’m done hiding. We are together. I’m proud we’re together. If Mom can’t see that, I don’t know what to tell her. Those two weeks without you were horrible, Leif. Horrible.”

Well, that’s that. Ridley decides to end the conversation by rolling over pinning me to the bed. His lips press against my throat. Up to my jaw, then finally he reaches my lips.

I’m sure things are about to get good again when my phone rings at the same time his does too.

My call, my mom: “Hey sweetheart, just wanted to let you know we’re about fifteen minutes out from home.” The only reason she’d call today of all days is to make sure the family doesn’t catch us in a naked clinch, like we are now. Good call mom.

Ridley’s call, his mom: “Rid, where are you?”

“I’m with Leif.”

She still talks louder than necessary into the receiver. I’m trying to get off the phone with my mom. “Okay,” I tell her, “I’ll see you when you get here.” And I hang up right away because Rid’s mom. Damn that bitch. “Leif? I thought you ended that friendship.”

“I was wrong.”

“Well, I think it’s for the best.”

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