Page 27 of No Summer Hotter than You

“Sounds good,” she croaked.

“Let’s go to the grocery store later to get more orange creamsicles. I ate the last one last night after showering, and I know how much you hate it when I don’t restock those,” I rambled. “We should also grab more pineapple cherry popsicles and some salted caramel ice cream. Maybe we should store them at your place this time.”

Shoua let out a wobbly laugh. “What? Why?”

I was glad I was able to make her laugh a bit at least. My eyes became watery as I bit my bottom lip. I turned the corner, and I saw her car parked by the curb with her emergency lights on. I pulled up behind her and got out of my car.

I ran to her even though she was only a few feet away. The moment I saw her and her tear-stained cheeks I pulled her out of her car and into my arms. I let out a shaky sigh of guilt into her shoulder while she cried in relief.

“I’m here,” I whispered. “I’m here, Shoua. You don’t have to go through this alone anymore.”

“I know,” she cried, burying her face into my chest. “You’re always here for me.”

My arms wrapped tighter around her shoulders as my emotions balled up in my throat. I should’ve insisted on going with her to see her mom. The last time she had an anxiety attack while driving was also on the way back from her parents’ place. It was months ago on a gray and rainy day, just like the day she got into her car accident. I thought it was the weather that pushed her over the edge then, but I’m certain now it was her mom who was triggering her anxiety attacks now.

“You’re never going to go to your parents by yourself ever again,” I announced. “I’m going to go with you.”

Sometimes I wished she didn’t visit her parents’ home at all. But I knew she loved her family as much as I loved mine. Who was I to tell her to not see her family? They meant the world to her.

“But, Anthony—” Shoua started, and I squeezed her waist as if I was desperately holding onto the remaining bits of her.

“No, I’ll never let you go there alone ever again. You hear me?” My voice trembled a bit despite my dismay. I was never demanding with her, but I couldn’t stand the idea of her suffering like this again. “I don’t want to lose you, Shoua. I almost lost you once and I won’t ever let that happen ever again.”

CHAPTER 11

shoua

I woke up this Friday morning to Anthony sprawled out on my sofa with his long, muscular limbs all over the place, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs with a flat sheet as a blanket. He insisted on sleeping over after I started binging Gossip Girl. We finished the first half of season one together before he proclaimed he was too lazy to walk the few steps in between our units back to his place. So, he opted to sleep on my couch instead.

But we both knew he didn’t sleep on my couch simply because he was lazy. I think he just wanted to make sure I was fine and that he was right there if I needed him.

I honestly never knew Anthony to be a clingy friend. But ever since my accident last year and the anxiety attacks I started having afterward, we discovered this new side to him. He was fiercely loyal, and I guess that also made him extremely clingy whenever I went through anything troubling.

I watched him for a moment before I shook him awake, eyeing the strong English-Scottish nose he got from his dad and the long, fanned out dark lashes his Asian Hmong mom gave him. His full lips pouted as if he was in the middle of contemplating something, making me smile for a second. My hand gingerly touched his smooth and hard shoulder for a brief second and woke him up.

Anthony blinked groggily up at me. He flashed me this sexy, sleepy smile that forced me to focus on the cute little moles dotting the bridge of his nose and chin. It was easier to do that instead of letting my mind linger on the burning feeling I felt growing deep in the pit of my belly.

“Morning,” he said softly. His morning voice was so deep and sultry that my toes tingled.

I blinked slowly, tired. “Morning.”

“Ready to take Evelyn to the mall later today?” he mumbled. He stood up and stretched with a loud yawn. I glimpsed at his abdominal muscles as they pulled taut from the stretch and then quickly averted my eyes.

“No,” I said, heading to my kitchen for a glass of cold water.

I could hear Anthony slip on his shorts before stumbling into the kitchen after me. He tossed the shirt he was wearing last night on my kitchen counter. We glanced at each other before he said, “Sorry. I said no, but Evelyn was insistent on me taking her to the mall.”

“It’s okay. It’d be weird if my boyfriend took some girl who’s interested in him out shopping all by himself anyways. Fake or not,” I stated.

Anthony and me both agreed we rather deal with Evelyn’s trip to the mall now than later. We may have a month before we head up to the lake, but we both just want to get it over with. However, I was apprehensive around Evelyn. I could tell she was catching on to how uncomfortable the two of us were at the airport. I glanced up at Anthony as he downed his own cup of cold water.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m worried,” I admitted. “I don’t think we’re convincing enough as a couple.”

He let out a small cough before clearing his throat. “Well, we’re fake so . . . Yeah, I guess there’s a few things we need to work on.”

I pursed my lips together, unconvinced. “How?”

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