Page 22 of Summer of You
“Yeah, we’re done,” I answered.
Drew nodded and left us alone. Nathan’s blush spread from his face down to his neck. He leaned against the wall and stared me down.
“I didn’t realize they would come so quickly. And I honestly thought it would just be Andrew.”
I shrugged, taking a similar pose against the wall across from him. My eyes couldn’t help themselves as they trailed his frame. God, Nathan was so damn hot. He’d toned up considerably in the last few years. His abs were more pronounced and that little dark trail of hair that led into his briefs tempted me all over again. Maybe it was for the best that we slowed down a little. Not that we’d been too wild.
Did I want him to fuck me? Hell yeah. The way he’d felt inside me back in the day had always been intense. Nathan had a way of owning my body that made me feel alive. I wanted to break apart for him.
We dressed in silence after making small talk to fill the quiet while we waited. It took forty-five minutes for our clothes to dryenough to put on and leave. When we got outside, my bike was missing, and I cursed Drew. I knew what he was doing, but at least we were only going back to his house.
The closer we got back to the old A-frame home, my hands clammed up. I wiped them against my shorts in an attempt to dry them when Nathan parked his car in the driveway. There was a car parked there that I didn’t recognize. I only hoped that his friends didn’t hate me. The thought was stupid because we weren’t in any type of real relationship and I wondered just how much they knew about me to begin with.
When we entered the house, a lot of my worries died when a tall, skinnier version of Nathan tackled me in a hug. “Chase! Youarestill here.”
I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. “Hey, Aiden. You’re not so little anymore.”
He beamed when he pulled away from me. “I think I’ll end up bigger than my bro.”
I laughed as I looked over at Nathan. Considering that they were the same height now, Aiden was either done growing, or he wouldin fact end up taller.
When he released me completely and moved to the side, those fluttery nerves were back as three sets of eyes looked right at me. I didn’t know any of these people, assuming Nathan had met them in college. Had he had any type of relationship with them? Considering the guy with the darker skin and dark brown hair had the petite brunet with glasses glued to his side, maybe not when it came to them. The other one looked intimidating. He was taller than everyone with jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a ring through his lip.
“Well, Chase...” Nathan cleared his throat as he motioned around the room to introduce me to everyone. “This is Andrew and Brandon.” That was the dark-haired guy and the twink with glasses. “And that’s Joe,” he said as he pointed to the guy with the black hair who was now studying me closely. What the hell was his deal?
“They can be, uh, a bit intense?” Nathan chuckled nervously. “Guys, this is Chase.”
The guy that had the twink wrapped around his arm stood and offered his hand out for me to shake. “I’m Andrew. It’s nice to finally meet the famous Chase.”
My face burned as I looked at Nathan. He scratched at the back of his neck as he chewed his lip. So that answered the question if his friends knew Nate was bisexual or not. And they clearly knew about me.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Andrew.”
Everyone seemed to relax after that. Although, I still wasn’t convinced if his friends really liked me or not. Then again, it was Nathan that had hurt me and not the other way around.
There was an awkwardness as we all sat around in Drew’s house. Nathan and Aiden seemed right at home, but they were family.I knew for a fact that Nathan’s friends had never been here and if they had, he’d somehow managed to fly under my radar. That would have been impossible with how tiny this town was.
Andrew suddenly let out a loud sigh, and Brandon sat up, looking him over like he was worried about him. Nathan laughed at his friends. “Sorry guys, there isn’t a lot to do out here. Thanks for bringing my computer out. If you want to see the beach, we can do that?”
Brandon and Andrew smiled, while Joe gave Aiden a sly grin. Aiden blushed, and Nathan shook his head and smacked Joe. His friend glared at him before we all filed out the front door and walked toward the ocean. They were all a little surprised that everything was so close to the water here. Even the houses that were the furthest from the beach access were no more than a twenty-minute walk.
The day was bright and sunny, and the breeze kept things from getting too warm. It was the perfect day for shorts and a tank top. My hat was securely on my head and I found myself wondering again if Nathan’s friends noticed I was wearing that UW one that he’d gotten me before he left for college. I’d worn it for Nathan’s benefit and not for theirs. It was significant for us and no one else. Although, I secretly wished for them to suspect that there was something more going on between us. It was stupid. I was the one who said this was nothing more than a summer hookup.
I was lost in thought and didn’t notice that Andrew had disentangled himself from Brandon. The shorter guy was walking with Joe, Nathan, and Aiden.
“So what’s happening here, exactly?” Andrew asked.
I wanted to laugh because I’d known the questions would come. I was happy that Nathan had good friends who cared about his well-being.
“I don’t know what he’s told you...”
Andrew cut me off, halting our progress toward the beach.
“I know that he feels bad. When I met him freshmen year, all he could talk about was this guy that he needed to get back to.”
The laughter did come then. So much for him coming back. “Yeah, he was sure in a hurry.”
Andrew’s head tilted to the side. “Have you let him explain what happened?”
