into the pile of mud he’s shifting. I bite down on my bottom lip, remembering just how he tasted when his tongue danced with mine.
“Oh, you are so gone for him,” Mom jokes, much to my horror.
“What? No. I’m not…”
“Oh, come off it. Give him a chance. You never know what could come of it.”
Regrets and heartbreak?
I manage to keep the words inside, but I can’t help but feel the weight of them pressing down on me. He’s at college and I’m just a high school kid, not to mention his best friend’s little sister. It's a recipe for disaster.
“I’m going to do some work. Enjoy the view,” she says with a wink, and after collecting what’s left of her own smoothie, she disappears inside.
Pulling my cell from my pocket, I lift it up and zoom in on Emerson. I snap a picture and immediately send it to the group chat I’ve got with the girls.
Jealous?
I’ve told them that he’s staying here for the foreseeable when we had a video chat the other night, but I haven’t mentioned anything happening.
I get a series of staring and drooling gifs back before Lisa asks for another of my brother.
Shaking my head and smiling, I take a sip of my drink when a shadow falls over me.
“Something funny?”
“Yeah, I just sent a picture of you to my friends.”
“And that’s funny, why?”
“Because all they really want is a picture of Levi.” A smirk spreads across my lips when his brow furrows.
“Good.”
My eyes widen in shock, I thought that was going to hit his giant ego on its ass.
“That means I’m all yours.”
“Um…”
“Are you busy after dinner?” he asks, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Oh… let me think. I was going to spend a little time in the living room, then maybe have a trip around the garden, before visiting my bedroom.”
“Smartass. You’re mine after dinner so cancel all those crazy plans.”
Every muscle south of my waist clenches in desire.
“O- okay.”
He’s gone as fast as he arrived and when I look up, I find that Dad and Levi have vanished as well.
I sit in the sun a while longer messaging with the girls and when I hear Mom start preparing dinner, I head inside to help.
“What’s on the menu tonight?”
“Enchiladas.”
My stomach rumbles at the thought alone.
“Awesome, put me to work then.”
Mom has me chopping veggies and grating cheese. It’s almost enough to distract me from Levi and Emerson’s voices filtering down from the living room where they’re hanging out, but I can’t help straining to hear what they’re talking about.
“I think that’s done, Lys,” Mom says with a laugh. When I look down, I notice that I’ve chopped the onion so finely it could be called paste soon.
“You said fine,” I mutter with a shrug.
“It’s perfect. Here, want to make a jug of margaritas to go with?”
“Yes,” I say a little over excitedly.
“Not too strong though.”
I pull up a recipe on my cell and follow the instructions.
“I’m going to put this out on the table and quickly check my emails. The enchiladas only have ten minutes to go. Could you take them out for me?”
“Of course.”
Mom disappears, leaving me in the empty kitchen. I bend over, resting my elbows on the counter, and stare down at my cell. I’m scrolling through Instagram, looking at various pictures of my school friends out in their yards, enjoying lockdown in the sun while working on their tans or splashing around in their pools. Living in Florida right now sure does have its advantages. I briefly think about people who are stuck inside due to cold and wet weather outside. It must make all of this so much harder to deal with.
We’re lucky; aside from school being canceled and being stuck in the house, not all that much has changed for me. Mom can still work, Dad is doing virtual PT sessions with his clients, and aside from Emerson’s mom and dad, who we’re keeping an eye on, we don’t have any relatives to worry about. We lost all our grandparents over the past ten years, and both Mom and Dad’s siblings live their own lives in different states.
Something tickling up the back of my thigh startles me and when I turn around, I find Emerson staring down at me with a smile on his face.
“Well that was some sight to walk into. You’ve got a fine ass, baby.”
My cheeks heat as I push up on tiptoes to look over his shoulder to ensure no one’s looking.
“He’s upstairs. It’s