Page 28 of Memories By the Shore
“I am, aren’t I?” His smile grows wider. The dull hue from the sunset casts a shadow across his perfectly sculpted chest. “I bet you’re funny too.”
“If you like dry humor?” I quip.
Jasper scoots closer to me once again, my leg is now flush with his. “I like whatever type of humor you have.”What does he mean by that?
My breath hitches. “Maybe it’s not just humor, maybe it’s that I find being around people draining.”
“I respect that. I’ll try not to drain you …” From the corner of my eye, I see his arm come up to the side of my face. His fingertips graze my cheek before he tucks a few loose strands of hair behind my ear. “If you’ll let me be around you more.”
I swallow cotton. My eyes locked on his. My mind goes blank, so I say the first thing that pops up. “The wind is going to loosen it again.”
The side of his mouth quirks up. “Then I’ll just have to keep brushing it away.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Our lips are less than a couple of inches away from one another, and I can’t help but part mine with the anticipation of him kissing me. Jasper leans closer. The tips of our noses touch. I tilt my head to the side, letting my eyes fall closed, but the feeling of having his plump lips on mine doesn’t come. Instead, I feel a light dusting off his breath. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
I pull back, licking my lips. Thoughts of confusion swirl around my thoughts.Oh my god.He wasn’t going to kiss me. With my chest in a tight grip, I force out a response. “I don’t work, so nothing.”
His Cheshire smile lights me up inside. “Good. I’ll be by your house around nine am.”
I’m getting his signals wrong, but I will see him again in the morning. This doesn’t make what just happened seem too much like an embarrassment. He just wants to be my friend—probably because his dad is fucking my aunt? I can live with that. Having another friend might make the summer go by faster.
“What are we going to do?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” he tells me, rising to his feet. “Make sure you’re wearing a bathing suit. And don’t worry, we don’t have to talk much. We can just enjoy the energy if you want.”
“Okay?” I look up at him, unsure of what I’ve just agreed to. I’m anxious, but also excited.
“Awesome.” He starts walking away.Wait. What?
“Wait!” I climb to my feet. “Energy? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t worry. It’s good for your soul,” he dismisses me with confidence.
My palms meet the air between us as the distance grows larger. “You’re not going to tell me what we’re going to do?”
Jasper looks over his shoulder. That sharp smile could cut glass. “Nope.”
Maybe this summer won’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Nine
Then
Avery
Ihad butterflies in my stomach the entire night. I wish sleep was enough to calm their erratic flying, but it wasn’t. I woke up earlier than usual, read a few chapters in a romance novel, and then had breakfast and a green smoothie with Helen. My nerves jump excitedly while I stand at the sink, rinsing my cup.
Twisting my arm in the warm water, I think of what Jasper could have planned for us this morning. An extra bit of daydreaming is sprinkled in because of how he reacted to me opening up to him yesterday. The absence of judgment or the typical expression of aversion left me feeling light and possibly even weightless.
A pointed knock on the door startles me from my steam-filled, lustrous state. I flip the water off and grab the dish towel to wipe my hands.
“Hey, Jasper.” I hear my aunt greet him from the other room.
“Good morning, Helen.”
I peek around the corner and spot him leaning against the side of the door with his hands firmly in the pockets of his shorts.God, he looks good.
