Sex is safe || Love is not
Emmy Rhodes is tired of relationships. She spends her days drinking coffee, doing yoga, and sleeping around. It's been nine long years since high school graduation. Almost a decade since she's seen Brooks.
Meet Jay Brooks...
Below pic gives me total Emmy vibes!!!! Also V much the boat I picture lol
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Brooks and I play Alex and his flavor of the week Katie in horseshoes. She's pretty shit but I'm not so bad. In fact, I'm surprisingly good. After three matches and three more drinks I decide I really like Katie. She's easy enough to get along with without knowing her too much. I imagine that's what Alex likes about her too. Then again, Alex gets along with anyone. He's just that type of person. Bit of annoying really if you weren't already used to it. Then again, I pride myself on being an extroverted introvert.
Then we swap. Alex and I play Brooks and Katie. Then Meg and Nate. We get a whole bracket going. It feels almost normal. And you know what they say about almost. It actually counts in this game.
Travis and Nate fire up the charcoal grill. There's something about grilling on the beach that's so summer. Summer to a T. Trix plates a bunch of hotdog rolls and opens ketchup and mustard and green relish that's oddly neon. It smells like summer, in a nostalgic very non-vegan friendly kind of way.
"Em, Brooks, Alex, come get some dogs!" Trix shouts.
"Thanks mom," Meg laughs taking the plate from Trix.
Meg passes more spiked seltzers around the group.
"Eat up. We aren't taking any of this shit back on the boat." Travis tosses the tongs back on top of the cooler.
Brooks sits down on the towel next to me holding two hotdogs. I roll my eyes but take the one he holds out to me. I almost squeal and look at him in shock when I see the hotdog.
"How?" There is no way he could remember.
"Like I could forget something so weird," he says defensively, rolling his eyes.
I look down at the slightly charred hotdog and smile. Ketchup runs down one side to the middle where it abruptly stops and meets Mustard. Half and half, but not mixed. Just the way I take my hotdog. Took my hotdogs.
"What's wrong?" Brooks says, looking at me holding my hotdog. His is still in his hands. "Is it wrong?"
"No," I say, biting my lip to stop from smiling. "It's just that, well I'm a vegan now."
"Even for the night?" He asks, creasing his eyebrows.
I nod.
"Fine." He exhales a heavy sigh and takes the hotdog from my hands. His skin brushes against mine and I almost can't wait until we're alone later. I want to be alone now. "I'll eat this weird halfy dog."
"Thank you," I smile.
"This could be the rest of your summer, Emmy." Trix watches me from sitting on the cooler.
"All ya gotta do is stay," Meg smirks.
"Guys," I start.
"Come on, Em," Alex laughs. "Can't get tired of boat rides and hot dogs."
