Page 23 of Summer of You
I shook my head. There was no way that his friend was going to tell me either. That was all on Nathan.
“I think it’s important that you hear him out. I don’t really know you, but I can tell that you were someone special.”
Andrew’s words sat heavy on my mind as he finally turned back down the sidewalk and rushed to catch up with everyone else. My feet felt glued to the pavement. The realization that I was being completely unfair had occurred to me, but I had a right to wallow in my hurt as well. Four years was a long-ass time to leave someone wondering.
Walking under the arch onto the beach was like walking into a whole other world. The wind picked up, and I had to turn my hat backward to keep it from blowing off of my head. I kept my distance from Nathan and the others, my mind still buzzing with Andrew's words. It wasn’t unrealistic that something important had prevented him from coming back, but he could have called. There were other ways that he could have reached out to me to let me know what was going on and Nathan had chosen not to.
My better mood from earlier today had soured. Andrew had tried to help, but he had potentially made things worse. It was funny how things like that worked.
Off in the distance, there was a group of tourists petting horses from a local rescue while kites flew in the air overhead. The beach was always so peaceful, but I didn’t feel at ease.
Aiden broke from the group, hooting as he kicked off his shoes and ran for the waves. Joe followed closely behind him. Nathan cursed before chasing his brother and friend. Something interesting was happening there. Did Nathan think that Joe was interested in Aiden? Aiden was eighteen and an adult. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but maybe Nathan thought he was responsible for him somehow.
I joined Andrew and Brandon where they were sitting in the sand, watching the three others crash about in the waves. They were a sight to see, laughing and having so much fun with each other that I wanted so badly to be a part of it all.
Chapter 17
Nathan
My lungs burned as the spray of the water came up around me. Aiden kicked at me again, and my arms flew up to protect my face. I’d already had one unintentional shower today, and I didn’t need another. Not that this was really getting clean... the other one hadn’t been, either.
Joe jumped on my back, his arms wrapping around my shoulders as I struggled to maintain my balance. He ended up winning as I fell to my hands and knees, sucking in a mouthful of salt water. I hadn’t played in the ocean like this since me and Aiden were kids.
When Aiden had taken off and Joe followed, I didn’t want my friend messing with my brother. Instead, this had turned into a battle, which was the most fun I’d had in forever, and I loved it. My gaze traveled to the shore, where Chase sat with Andrew and Brandon. Brandon leaned into Andrew’s side while Chase played with his phone. He didn’t look bored, but I couldn’t leave him by himself with my friends for long. If only I could get him out here to join us.
Once I was able to get my legs under me again, I stood and put my fingers in my mouth to issue a loud whistle. Chase’s eyessnapped to me. I waved him down, to which he shook his head. Like an idiot, I kept waving. My goal was to have fun and no one would ruin it today.
Chase dropped his phone in the sand, kicking off his shoes before pulling off his tank. That smooth, sun-kissed skin came into view and my mouth ran dry. Before I could truly appreciate it, Aiden tackled me back into the surf.
When I breached the surface of the water, I was greeted by the dirty blond god himself. The seawater rolled off his chest, and I latched onto his shoulders before pushing him into an oncoming wave. Chase hollered as we all continued to splash and play.
When we were finally out of breath and exhausted, we dragged our soggy asses back to shore and dropped next to Andrew and Brandon on the sand. Chase leaned in close, his head on my shoulder. “Is something going on there?” he whispered in my ear. A smile stretched across my face as I shook my head.
“Nah, they’ve been best friends since they were kids.”
“The hell are you guys whispering about?” A handful of sand landed on my lap and I glared at Joe before flipping him off.
“None of your damn business.”
Everyone fell back into a relaxed state, talking and laughing amongst themselves. We sat in a row on the beach. It was like the group of us all belonged together. Like this was meant to be. Chase fit in perfectly with my friends.
Aiden leaned in close and was whispering something to Chase. I knew the two had talked back when we were teens, but I’d never thought of them as close. It helped that they knew each other already. I craved to know what they were talking about because that smile that had vanished when we first got to the beach was back on Chase’s face and I wanted to be the one to put it there.
When the wind picked up and the tide rolled in, we made our way back to my uncle’s house, stopping at the IGA to pick up a few packs of beer. Aiden hung out outside so that no one thought we were trying to buy it for him. It probably all still looked suspicious.
Uncle Drew had the firepit going when we made it back. I was shocked that he managed to clean the other two properties in the time we’d been gone. Of course they might not have been in as bad of a condition as the first place.
There was a cooler set out with some ice and we loaded it with the beers before piling around the firepit. Uncle Drew had stashed away his lawn chairs and my neck heated as I remembered the reason why. He didn’t trust that we wouldn’t ruin any more of them.
I had just settled onto the ground with a lukewarm beer in my hand when Chase plopped next to me.
“Well, this turned into an interesting day.”
I chuckled before bringing the bottle to my lips and taking a long sip. “You’re not wrong.”
He stole my beer and took a drink before handing it back. My mouth hung open before I laughed and chugged the rest of it back. “Are you going to get me another one?”
He shrugged before producing another bottle from behind his back. “Got a problem with sharing with me in front of your friends?”
