Page 136 of My Summer Girl

Chapter Fifty-Four

Dulce

I’m On Fire – AWOLNATION

There’s a big fire in the center of the field. It’s barricaded by stones and bigger than any pyre I’ve ever bore witness to. Vex is standing with Raev, their eyes dancing with amusement as they speak, and I can’t help but enjoy the company they’re sharing together.

They’ve grown close, and it might just be hope bubbling inside me, but it seems romance might be brewing there too, and I want that for them.

“This is a tradition.” Vera’s soft but certain voice graces my ears as I pet the grass, offering it tenderness. Since learning about the connection to the realm around us, I’ve been finding ways to touch everything Solera has to offer.

As I look up at Vera through my eyelashes, I notice that her usually stoic expression softens, revealing a side of her that she has kept hidden from the world and only offers me and our mates. “When we do our solstice event, we always sacrifice old memories.”

“What does that entail?”

As my curiosity is piqued, I flash a smile at her, pondering the unique customs and practices of her people that my own do not engage in. The differences in all cultures can be the most beautiful things.

She lowers herself, crouching in front of me. “This seat taken, princess?” Shaking my head, I tap the ground with amusement.

“All yours, mi reina.” Her stalled intake of breath is enough for me to crumble whatever reservations I could’ve had for no PDA. I will take her mouth and body if she so much as bats her eyelashes at me.

“We create a bonfire every solstice,” she continues, not flirting back with me. She must know I’ll literally pounce on her. Now that I know pollination is coming, it’s like my body is always primed and ready.

“These fires signify rebirth. Where you can put all your past behind and put all your hope for the future into them. There are several things I want to add for myself.”

The way she gives tiny morsels of herself to me is only one of the things I love about her. She’s trying, giving in to us, and working toward our happiness.

“Oh, wow,” I breathe out, thinking of how much I want to let go. “How do you do it?”

Her eyes soften and warm with my question. She snaps her fingers and several sheets of paper come out. “You write anything on these papers you want to let go. Fears, resentments, sorrows, anything that holds you back that you don’t want to bring into the new beginning.”

“That’s beautiful.”

Her hand pushes the papers at me. They’re not like human paper. It’s like they’re compressed mottled grass ones with flowers and leaves compacted and pressed into pages. “Just say the words, and they’ll appear on them.”

“Admit it out loud?” I gasp, gulping the dryness in my throat while also reaching for them.

“It’s not required, no,” she admits, a small smile turning on her lips. “You can simply think them, but part of what helps them be set free is getting them off your chest.” A tingle sparks in my chest, one where warmth lives.

We had our moment days ago, hooking up, but this feels deeper. Vex always says that sex can be the connection of the heart along with the body, but for me, it’s only been a bodily response. This though? Giving her pieces of me, that’s intimate. That’s the difference between lust and admiration. “I’ll say mine if you say yours,” I bargain, my voice lacking all the confidence it had before.

She seems to ponder that, her eyes glazing over and seeming far away. Her teeth snag her bottom lip as she takes a deep breath. “Deal.”

My lips part of their own accord, my breathing coming in shorter pants as I watch her. She fidgets with the paper she’s still holding out to me, her thumb tracing over it as if it’s her only comfort.

“Anything I want?”

My skin tingles as perspiration clams up my palms. Her lip twitches as she eyes me. It’s like she’s dissecting me, trying to learn my edge.

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