Page 10 of Ask Me To Stay

“Sounds great.” Aimee smiled and her teeth were covered in red licorice.

ooooooooo

“I wonder what David is doing right now?” Aimee took a bite of pizza.

“Who the fuck cares?” I tipped back the beer I’d been nursing. I don’t know why I was drinking it. Aimee bought them and promised they were good. As I forced it down, I realized how much I still hated the stuff.

“That’s right. Who cares?” She laughed. “Give me one of those.” She reached for the cooler between us, and pulled out a can. Before opening it, she grabbed a piece of ice and tossed it at me. I squealed as it slipped down the neckline of my top.

“What’d ya do that for?” I sat up.

“You looked like you might be falling asleep. I was making sure you were awake.” She popped the top of the can, and it hissed before she took a giant gulp. “After I finish this, let’s take a walk.”

“Sure.” I shrugged. There were a few people on the beach, but it was mostly empty. It was the time of night that most people were eating dinner. There were a small group of kids tossing a Frisbee, and the smell of charcoal was mixed with ocean air. “I forgot how much I used to love this place.”

“It is nice, even if we’re stuck in 1975.” She cackled as she tossed her head back. “I can still see your dad dancing in front of the grill, wearing one of those terrible shirts.”

“They were bad, weren’t they?” I thought about all the different colors and prints he had. He loved them so much that no one had the heart to tell him how bad they looked.

“Done.” Aimee tossed the can and stood up. “Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand, pulling me in the process, and led me down to the sand. We walked along, kicking at the soft sand before making our way down to the shallow water. Off in the distance, I saw a dog running. It was racing into the water to retrieve something, and bringing it back to shore.

As we walked closer, I could see the silhouette of a guy. He was tall and lean. He was wearing shorts and a button up shirt hanging open. The dog kept bringing him a stick. He’d throw it, and the dog would come back; that is, until the dog saw us.

“Hey! Where are you going?” the guy shouted as this giant golden lab came flying at us at top speed.

It looked as if he was grinning at us. He skidded to a stop, and dropped the stick in front of my feet. “Hey, boy.” I slowly reached out to pet him. “Are you friendly?”

“He wants to play. Of course he’s friendly.” Aimee rolled her eyes as she elbowed me in the side.

“Is this your stick?” I started to pick it up, and he took off for the water like he knew I’d throw it out there. I tried, unsuccessfully, to throw it far, and watched as the dog grabbed the stick, and started to bring it back.

“Taco!” the guy yelled this time as he jogged closer to us. “I thought you were playing with me?” The dog stopped between us; his head swung from me to his owner before he chose me. The stick dropped at my feet once again, and I attempted to throw it. His owner’s shoulders sank as he shook his head. “Leave them alone. Come play with me.”

“Fetch!” I called, sending Taco into motion. The third time the stick came back, I held it until the guy caught up.

“I’m sorry.” He chuckled.

“Seems your dog likes me better,” I teased. Was I flirting? It sounded like I was, but I wasn’t sure.

“I can see why. You’re prettier than me.” He grinned. He was flirting too, I think. “He thinks he’s being funny.” The guy scratched Taco behind the ears. “Come on, bud.” He started walking away, and Taco followed.

“We should do this again sometime,” Aimee called to his back.

“I’m here all summer.” He turned and walked backwards for a few steps. His eyes connected with mine, and I couldn’t help but feel some attraction. He was good looking, muscular, and everything that David wasn’t.

“He’s hot,” Aimee giggled as we started walking back to the house, “and local.” She nodded.

“What makes you say that?” I kept looking back to see if I could still see him.

“He said all summer, which means he lives here at least during the summer. Maybe you could stay and have a fling. You’d definitely be relaxed when you went back to work this fall.”

“And how does that work exactly? We don’t know his name.” I shook my head at her.

“Challenge accepted.” She nodded as we climbed the steps to the house. “Now, let’s get cleaned up, grab some more drinks, and watch some cheesy romcom on TV.”

I followed her inside. I had to admit her plan was intriguing. I did have the summer to do what I wanted, but my escape would have an expiration date. I had a job that I’d eventually have to go back to. As I settled in on the couch in my pjs, I couldn’t help but wonder who the guy was, and what he and Taco were doing.

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