Page 58 of Stealing Summer
"But last night, you were…" I paused, searching for the right word, "different."
"Different how?" His response was quick, too quick, and he averted his gaze, focusing on a point just over my shoulder.
"You were kind, sweet…" I trailed off, studying him. The way he held himself—shoulders tense, a forced casualness in his posture.
"So today, I'm what?" he pressed, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm against the railing. There was a defensiveness in his stance that hadn't been there before.
"Closed off," I said softly. The air between us felt charged, the usual easy banter replaced by a strange tension.
"I’m not closed off, it’s just the reality of the situation," Reese insisted, though the tight line of his mouth betrayed his words.
I thought I knew what heartbreak was. I had played characters—like Ophelia, and I had recited lines from many heartbroken damsels with a conviction that I believed I felt deep in my soul. In those moments on stage, I was convinced I felt their pain, that I understood how they felt. But standing here now, I was wrong——none of those roles came close. Not even close. This was heartbreak.
"Just don’t forget me, okay? I’m sure I’ll be back next summer." I managed to say. But I wasn’t sure about next summer—if Boston would invite me to stay again, or if I'd have something else going on. Hopefully, I’d at least be able to make it to some of Parker’s games.
"I’ll be waiting," he replied, his smile not quite believable.
I wanted him to stop me and tell me he changed his mind but he didn’t. The heavy suitcase dragged behind me with a sound that seemed to echo the finality of my summer. Parker was already tossing the last bags into the trunk, cursing under his breath trying to make them fit.
"Need a hand with that?" Willow's voice broke through the calm as she tried to catch up with me, her smile was warm and comforting.
"Thanks, but I've got it," I said, mustering a smile for her.
"Are you sure?" Parker chimed in, straightening up and wiping his brow.
"I’ve got it," Reese assured them, grabbing my suitcase and closing the trunk with a thud.
Willow wrapped her arms around me in a hug that I needed more than she knew. "I can't believe you're leaving already," she murmured against my shoulder.
"I know, this summer flew by." My words were muffled in her hair. The scent of her strawberry shampoo was one more thing I'd miss.
Parker hugged Willow goodbye and promised to stay in touch and let her know when we arrived safely.
As we climbed into the car, my gaze flickered to the rear-view mirror where Reese stood with his hands buried deep in his pockets. He gave me a long lingering look, almost as if something unspoken passed between us—a silent conversation of what could have been.
"Take care, okay?" Willow said through the window.
"We will," I replied, though my attention never left Reese.
Parker revved the engine, and as we began to pull away, I watched them shrink into the distance. Reese, who just captured my heart and then crushed it, and Willow, the person who brought so much sunshine everywhere she went—they were the anchors of a summer I'd never forget.
"See you next summer," I whispered, though they couldn't hear me. It was a promise to myself more than anyone else. My fingers traced the outline of my phone in my pocket, the weight of Reese's words still hanging in the air.
"Chan," Parker glanced at me with concern, "You gonna be okay?"
"Of course," I lied, forcing a smile as I watched the outlines of Reese and Willow blur together until they were nothing more than specks in the rearview mirror. "Just going to miss this place, you know?"
"Oh, believe me, I know," Parker replied with a nod, his focus returning to the road ahead.
But he didn't get it. Not really. No one could understand the ache of leaving something—or someone—that had seeped into your very being. As the miles stretched out before us, my mind replayed every moment of the summer, each memory a bittersweet pang in my chest.
And with my heart torn by goodbyes and the uncertainty of when I would see or talk to Reese again, I began the countdown—days, hours, minutes—until I could hopefully return to the sun-soaked haven where everything had changed. Until then, I would cling to the hope that some connections, once built, could weather any season.
thirty
"Hey," Parker said, glancing over at me with that mischievous twinkle in his eye—one that usually preceded his infamous foot-in-mouth moments. "You didn't forget your pussy willow, did you?"
I snickered. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I shook my head. "Clearly, my parents are pulling a prank on me by claiming that you are my sibling."