Page 27 of My Summer Fling

“That’s a fair point,” I tell her, kissing her forehead. “Let me go get Annie’s blanket from the couch and then I’ll be back.”

I dig through my suitcase in the living room, trying to find a clean pair of boxers. I have got to do some fucking laundry. Grabbing Annie’s favorite blanket, I go back to the bedroom, and I’m welcomed by both of the girls snoring softly.

I cover Annie up and then as gently as possible, I climb into the bed on the other side. She wakes up just enough to roll over and into my arms. I could get used to this. Maybe not the drunk part where I have to pick her up at a bar surrounded by other men. But the whole snuggling before we go to sleep thing is nice.

“I’m going to be very, very hungover tomorrow,” she says, her voice groggy with sleep.

“Yes, you are.”

“Maybe we can just lie around and watch movies all day. And order in for every meal. That way we don’t have to cook.”

“That sounds fine to me, Mills. Whatever you want to do.”

She sighs, snuggling into my body even tighter. I kiss the top of her hair.

We fall into silence, our breathing and Annie’s snores are the only sounds to fill up the room.

“Was Tiffany right?” she suddenly asks, almost making me jump.

“About what?”

“About you being hooked on me?” She looks up at me, the darkness hiding most of the features of her face. The alcohol has made her bold because there’s no way sober Millie would be asking me this.

I decide to tell her the truth.

“I’ve always been hooked on you, pretty girl.”

While I may have not always been pining for her like a lovesick puppy, she was always in the back of my mind. Any time I met someone new, Millie was hovering there, making me judge them all based on her. And every time I spoke to Teddy, the conversation always strayed to her. Not that he would ever divulge anything about her. But I still couldn’t help myself from asking.

“Then why did you leave?”

My entire body goes cold.

I know what she’s asking. But I don’t know if I can answer. I honestly don’t know if I have an answer for her. Why the fuck did I leave that night? Was I afraid of Teddy? Terrified that it meant more to her than me? Because, fuck, I would’ve never slept with her if I knew she was a virgin. That shit is a big fucking deal.

And I was so young. Not that that’s an excuse, but I wasn’t prepared for how I felt about her. Or how it felt to be inside of her. It was the best sex I had had to date, and we’re still going strong in that department. But emotionally, I was stunted. Always have been.

That seems to be changing.

As I’m about to answer, her breathing changes, and I know she’s asleep. A really big part of me hopes she forgets asking that in the morning. But I know I’m going to have to answer it sooner or later. We’re going to have to talk about it, or we’ll never move past it.

I push some of her hair back out of her face and watch her sleep for a moment. Her face is so soft when she sleeps. Her walls fall down and all her vulnerability shows. She looks younger, more like before that fateful fucking night happened.

Turning onto my back, I stare at the ceiling, wondering if I should let myself go there. Am I ready for what she wants out of life? Millie isn’t the type of girl you string along. Even though she likes to put up a tough front, like she’s stronger and older now, she’s still a human. She’s stillMillie.

I really don’t want to fuck it up.

Could I be what she wants? What she needs? Could I be the boyfriend that turns into the fiancé and husband?

I smile when I think about us having kids, running around, and playing with Annie on the beach. We’d all travel together for her job and for mine, visiting Teddy on the West Coast whenever we could. But we would still always find our way back here, to this little shack on the beachfront.

Yeah, I could do that.

If she’d let me.

When I wakeup in the morning, she’s still sound asleep, sleeping off her hangover that I’m sure is brewing. So I leave her sleeping and get up to take care of Annie, feeding her before letting her go outside to do her morning sunbathing on the porch.

Going back into the bedroom with a glass of water, I find Millie still sound asleep, snoring away. I grab my camera, not wanting to miss this moment and how beautiful she looks in the warm morning light. Her skin is almost glowing, and her freckles are on full display without her makeup to disguise them. That red hair of hers falls over her face and her arm rests over her forehead.

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