Page 50 of Summer's Echo
Echo and I finally pulled away. “What are y’all doing?” I demanded, still breathless.
“Uh, no, baby sis. What areyoudoing?” Raqi chuckled, nudging Annette playfully. “I told you, Nette. Echo was gonna get his girl. I didn’t think you’d move this fast, though, li’l E,” she teased, winking his way.
Echo didn’t say a word, but when I turned to look at him, a cute, shrewd smirk was already curving his lips, all confidence and quiet victory. I rolled my eyes, but the way his fingertips traced tender, deliberate strokes across my exposed skin had me melting instead of fuming. My sisters’ cackling faded as they meandered out of the sunroom, but I barely registered their retreat because the second we were alone again, Echo captured my lips, urgently pulling me back into the moment—into us.
He wrapped his arms around me, lifting me effortlessly until my legs straddled him. An intense, leisurely exhale passed between us as he pressed his forehead to mine, our breaths mingling, our hearts pounding in sync. We sat there, consumed by each other, saying nothing. The only sound was the love and longing woven into the light, tender pecks. The truth was out. And no matter what came next, we were finally facing it together.
Echo swept his lips over my cheek, his voice a rough, reverent whisper against my skin. “I always wanted us, Summer. I wanted our family.”
Family.The word hung between us, like an elephant in the room, an obvious but ignored reality. His eyes, heavy and laden, swirled with emotions too big, too agonizing to be spoken outright. Memories, division, and unbalanced regrets still blurred the lines between us, full of things we never dared to say out loud.
A shudder ran through me, a gasp catching in my throat because I knew exactly what he meant. I felt it, too. I always had. My chest rose and fell at a rapid pace, the swell of tears burned. There were plenty of things from our past we could ignore. Several mistakes we could pretend never happened. But this? This was a truth we couldn’t outrun. A truth that still lived and breathed in the recesses of our hearts, refusing to perish. And if we weren’t careful, if we let it consume us without knowing where it would lead, it would either bring us back together…or break us completely.
Summer
Summer 2005, A Few Weeks Before SpelHouse
Since coming home from camp, life had been a whirlwind of preparation and anticipation. College was only weeks away, and my excitement bubbled over. I’d already connected with my roommate and a couple of girls from school who’d also be attending Spelman. What made it all even sweeter was knowing that Echo had been accepted to Morehouse. The SpelHouse dream we’d talked about was finally coming true, and it felt like the stars were aligning.
Echo and I had fallen back into our rhythm—our inseparableshit, as we liked to call it. The kind of bond we had was unnatural and sometimes scary. We could finish each other’s thoughts and spend hours together without realizing how much time had passed. Only now, things were different. After my birthday, after the night I had given him the most intimate parts of me, everything changed. Something between ushad shifted, deepened, twisted into something neither of us could untangle, even if we wanted to.
When I got home from camp, it took himless than an hourto show up at my door. And when I opened it, there he was. The tingly blissful feeling between my thighs quickly returned at the sight of him. I wanted to experience him again, but his expression was a storm ofconcern and curiosity, like he wasn’t sure where we stood. Like he feared I might regret what we’d shared. Seeing him had been like opening the floodgates—memories of his touch, his kiss, the way he made me feel rushed in all at once. I couldn’t stop thinking about it—about him. But alongside the exhilaration, there was fear of what this new territory meant for us, for our friendship.
We hadn’t crossed that line again, but we danced around it, teetering on the edge. Our hugs lasted a little longer, our kisses were a bit hungrier. It was undeniable we weren’t just friends anymore. Echo was mine, and I was his. Today, though, he’d been tied up with his parents, running errands for school, which gave me the perfect excuse to catch up with Trinity and Brooke. They’d been on my case for weeks about hanging out, and I knew I owed them some time before we all went our separate ways. Our friendship had withstood so much over the years, and even though life was pulling us in different directions, I knew we’d find a way to stay connected. Tonight was a chance to celebrate us before everything changed.
“Summer, you want some of this?” Trinity asked, extending a red plastic cup filled with something mysterious.
We were camped out at her sister’s apartment, the perfect setting for a long-overdue girls night. Her sister, just a few years older, had given us free reign with only one rule: no drinking and driving. It was the ultimate slumber party—comfort food, drinks, and an endless playlist of Black love movies to feed our souls.
“Trin, why do youthinkyou’re a bartender?” I teased. “The last time you made me a drink, I got pissy drunk.”
“Yeah,” Brooke interjected, “and tongued down your other best friend!”
Trinity gasped theatrically. “Exactly! She needs this drink afterfuckingher best friend. Here you go,” she said, her grin wide as she thrust the cup at me.
I groaned but grabbed the cup, taking a hesitant gulp. The sweetness hit my tongue, cutting the potency just enough to make it tolerable.
“Shut up. I hate I even told y’all,” I said, though the warmth of my smile contradicted my words. I took another sip and raised my eyebrows, nodding as I gave Trinity a thumbs-up. “Alright, alright. You might be on to something, Trin. You’re getting good at this.”
“Hey,” she screeched, adding a body roll. “That’s what I like to hear.” She winked before grabbing her own cup.
“I’m just glad y’all finally figured it out,” Trinity said, her tone playful but full of relief. “All that friendly flirting was getting old.”
“Whatever. We were—are—friends,” I replied, feeling the heat creep up my neck as I stumbled over my words. “We’re just…attracted to each other, too.” My bashful smile only made Trinity and Brooke exchange skeptical looks.
Before they could say anything, a wave of nausea hit me like a Mack truck. Gagging, I spit out the chicken I’d been enjoying just seconds before. “Brooke, are yousurethis chicken is done?” I asked, holding up the half-eaten wing like it was the culprit of my sudden discomfort.
“Um,yes. Don’t insult me. You know damn well I can fry some chicken.”
“Well, it’s making me sick. I feel like I gotta throw up,” I said, my face twisted in disgust.
I reached for the Sprite Trinity had used to mix the drinks, hoping to settle my stomach, but the second the fizzy sweetness hit my tongue, I knew that was a bad idea. Without another word, I bolted for the bathroom, barely making it before I vomited up everything I’d eaten that night. Collapsing to the floor, I leaned against the cabinet, my head spinning like a carousel. Every slight movement made my stomach churn.
“Come in,” I said, groaning when I heard a knock at the door.
Trinity peeked in, her face a mix of worry and amusement, with Brooke hovering just behind her. “Are you okay, boo?” she asked.
I nodded weakly. “I said I was never drinking again, and now, one sip, and I’m hugging the toilet.”
