Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
August sweeps in with a heavy storm. Most of the families staying in the Cousins Beach rentals pack up and leave; new renters slowly trickle in to take their place but the weather is relentless. Day and night, the rain pours out of dark, thick clouds. Sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning. The power goes out the first night but it's quickly repaired for the next day.
Rosie passes the time by making hot chocolate for everyone. I watch as she fills her with the little puffy, white marshmallows. We're in the kitchen, she's sitting on the stool across from me and I'm leaning against the countertop, attempting to write a grocery list. All I've got so far is frozen pizza and bagels because I can't help but watch Rosie do her little hot chocolate ritual. I wonder who she picked it up from and if she's done it since she was a child.
I think about how adorable she must've been back then with her freckles and big green eyes. My mind wanders off, thinking about what our future kids will look like and if they'll take after her. I hope they do. I want all of them to have her green eyes.
"Alright you two," Miranda calls out.
Rosie stops what she is doing and looks up at me. Our eyes meet and my cheeks flush red. She's caught me staring at her again. The corners of her pink lips flicker and her eyes squint at me in amusement. Neither of us speaks as Miranda enters the quiet kitchen with Steve dragging his feet behind her.
"Ro, if you eat any more marshmallows, you are going to get diabetes!" Miranda grabs the almost empty bag of marshmallows from beside her friend and holds it behind her back. Rosie makes an attempt to get her precious little marshmallows back but Miranda quickly moves to the other side of the kitchen. Miranda sticks her tongue out at her friend.
Miranda crinkles her nose and in a shrilly voice says, "This is why I can't trust you to be alone for the week. You're going to eat yourself to death! Death by sugar!"
"Shut up! You're not my mom!" Rosie replies childishly and sticks her own tongue out.
"Settle down, girls," Steve interjects in a fatherly voice. "Or else I'll turn this car around!"
Rosie and Miranda both roll their eyes and snicker at Steve's attempt to wrangle them. Miranda gazes thoughtfully at her fiance.
"Oh, my little Stevie... You're going to be an awful dad," Miranda winks at him. "Better start practicing."
Rosie mutters, "I'm surprised that it hasn't happened yet."
"Birth control, babe," Miranda says confidently. "A lot of it."
Miranda turns to me, "That reminds me, Jere, put condoms on the list."
Rosie dramatically starts gagging which causes everyone to start laughing.
"Anyway," Miranda says as she shakes her head. She looks between Rosie and me as if we're not capable adults. "Steve and I are packed and ready for the city... now we'll be gone for five days, so please make sure you eat your vegetables and don't set fire to the beach house!"
"Okay, mom," Rosie retorts sarcastically. I snicker at Rosie's reaction. Miranda ignores her and gives me a hug, and hides the marshmallows behind me while doing so. She turns to Rosie, her hands empty.
"Now, Ro-Ro, play nice with Jeremiah." Miranda hugs her best friend and pats the top of her blonde head.
"I'm not promising anything," Rosie says and gives me a secret wink. Miranda and Steve head towards the front of the house. Rosie and I follow behind them. I'm nervous yet excited about finally having some alone time with Rosie while Steve and Miranda visit her parents in the city for the week.
Steve says his own simple goodbye as Miranda drones on about making sure Rosie doesn't eat herself to death with sugar. Steve is tugging his fiance out of the door and Rosie is laughing at their antics.
"Text me when you get there!" Rosie calls out to them and watches as they make a mad dash to Steve's car in the rain. We both wave as they back out of the driveway and hit the road. Rosie closes the door and leans against it. She peers up at me with her emerald eyes shining brightly through her thick eyelashes.
She raises an eyebrow, "So what's your plan for the next five days?"
Butterflies begin to explode in my stomach, filling me with excitement. I feel like a kid again. I take a step forward and quickly press my lips against hers. We haven't had much alone time since our first kiss and these next few days I'm going to make it up to her. In the best way possible.
Rosie's lips part and she deepens our kiss by slithering her tongue into my mouth Her hands reach up and snake around my neck, pulling me in closer. The bliss of it all almost sends me over the edge and I have to pull away. We breathlessly gaze at each other. I sweep her hair away from her face, and answer her question about my plans for the next five days, "You."
▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂
Short little chapter! My class this quad is super tedious and I have to write a lot for it, so I haven't been able to write my actual stories but I'm done in a couple of weeks and I'll be able to finally concentrate on finishing this story up. Woo hoo. Also, the trailer for it looks sooo good, I'm super excited!
