9. Chapter Nine - Summer
Summer
I wake up, and everything hurts. I try to turn, but muscles I haven't used in forever shoot little zaps of pain through my whole body. With a sigh, I give up and roll back into my former position.
Okay, Summer. Take a deep breath.
I'm in bed. A very comfortable bed that is very much not mine. The pillow my face is buried in doesn’t smell like the fabric softener like mine, but kind of woodsy, like male shampoo.
Also, there's an arm on my back. And a leg spread over mine, pinning them against the mattress.
I take another deep breath and slowly blink my eyes open.
Yep, this is definitely not my room. These walls are a different color and there’s an abstract painting I definitely would have made fun of already and remember.
Before I know it, the memories of last night start flooding my brain.
Memories of Tanner kissing me in the snow in what might be the most romantic kiss I’ve shared yet. Memories of him fucking me in this very bed. Memories of us trying to fuck in his giant shower - which was really not as fun I imagined. And finally, memories of our third time, of me riding him in the armchair over by the window.
And damn, that was hot. There was no way anybody would have seen us, considering it was three in the morning at that point, but the thrill remained.
A satisfied hum escapes my throat. I might have a muscle ache that is out of this world, but holy fuck, I am feeling great. Maybe a good one night stand was just what I needed after all to feel more in tune, who would have thought?
The arm across my back suddenly twitches, and I hold my breath, my whole body tensing before I force myself to relax and close my eyes again. Why do I feel like I got caught doing something I shouldn’t have?
Tanner groans as he's waking up, his leg moving as he subtly stretches it. For a moment, I feel him tense, just like I did right after waking up. Then he relaxes again and I feel the mattress move as he turns to look at me.
So I do what probably any girl would do in my situation and I pretend I'm still asleep. For a few long minutes, I focus on breathing in and out slowly, not moving a muscle apart from those I need to breathe.
"Good morning," he finally grumbles amusedly. I let my eyes flutter open as though I actually just woke up and glance up at him, hiding a yawn in the pillow.
"Morning."
"I mean, you can pretend to sleep a while longer if you'd like," he says with a grin, and I purse my lips into a pout which he can’t see since my face is still buried in my pillow. But my eyes turn wider with each word.
"How the fuck is your voice even deeper now?" I ask and finally pull myself together and turn my body, without revealing my muscle aches.
"Huh?" He looks at me, adorably confused, his dark eyebrows scrunching together. "Is it?"
"Oh, absolutely." I nod lazily. "Has no one ever told you that?"
"I guess it makes sense." His face suddenly lights up and I’m not sure I like that glint in his eyes. "And you're all hoarse this morning."
My eyes widen. "Shit." I groan, realizing he's right. It's like I'm a walking advertisement in blinking neon colors that says she had sex.
Well fuck.
I mean, it was worth it, though. And now it’s time to face reality once again. So I get up, groaning as every movement shoots more stinging pain through my muscles.
"I need to go.” From the corner of my eye, I see him watching me. “Thanks for last night. It was great."
I let the covers fall off my body as I stand up, feeling his heated stare on my skin as I walk to the other side of the room, where my clothes are scattered on the ground, and I might have a little extra swing in my hips.
And maybe I pop my butt out a little more than I need to and wiggle it when I lean down to slip into my panties and jeans.
"You know, we could do this again," Tanner mentions casually, sitting up to lean his back against the headrest of the bed, clearly enjoying the show and not doing much to hide how turned on he is. For a moment, my eyes are caught on his cock, already hard and begging for me to say yes.
"No." I quickly shake my head, seeing his face fall. "As great as it was," I quickly clarify, the crestfallen look softening as soon as the words leave my mouth, "I told you. I'm a one-night kind of gal."
His eyebrow wanders up when I shoot him a wink.
"More than one night, and I’ll want more than sex out of this, Mister Playboy." I pull my sweatshirt over my head and watch him through the mirror as I make an attempt to fix my hair with my hands.
Then I smirk as I walk over to his side of the bed. "But I'm going to have some great times with those memories. So thank you."
And with that, I press my lips to his cheek, evading his hand that reaches out for me.
But he quickly tangles his fingers in my hair, keeping my head where it is as he presses his lips against mine and I find myself closing my eyes, savoring this one last taste of him.
"So will I," he whispers against my lips before letting me go. “See you around, Summer.”
“See you around.” I grin and check one more time that I have all of my stuff before making my way to the door. Then I stop just before slipping out of his room.
"Do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Please don't tell Luca." He looks at me quizzically and I shrug. “Please?” Not that I’m ashamed of having sex, but I don’t want Luca to worry—he’s very much the relationship kind of guy and while he tries to not be judgy about my one night stands, he’s not very successful. I can see it, right in his face. So I’d rather he not know and try to lecture me.
"Alright." He nods and my shoulders sag in relief.
"Thank you, Tanner." I feel his eyes on me until the door clicks shut and hurry to the elevator with quick steps.
Oh man. What have I gotten myself into?
"I feel tension," Lily says with a sing-song voice as she scoots into the seat next to me on the bus.
Mom convinced me to come along on a day trip to Haarlem. Apparently, our hotel offers a day trip bus ride there, and she jumped at the chance to go. So did Luca and Millie, Lily obviously, and the Walker brothers, as well as some other guests from the hotel. Only our dads, Kayla and Asher are staying in Amsterdam.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I whisper back, looking at her with eyes as wide and innocent as I can muster.
"You're lying," she sing-songs right back and nudges me with her elbow and when I glance at her, she's wiggling her eyebrows at me. "Don't worry. I won't tell on you."
"There's nothing to tell," I hiss, but even to myself, I don't sound very convincing.
But she’s right. Of course, there's tension here.
It's taking me all my willpower not to continuously glance at Tanner. It doesn’t help that I hear him joking around with his brothers and he sits right in my line of sight five rows in front of me.
"Well, if you're ever ready to talk, I'm here." She gently pats my hand. "And I promise I'll be impartial."
I roll my eyes. Will she really? After all, she’s with his older brother. No, this is staying a secret.
Nevertheless, I shoot her a grateful smile, watching as she gets up and makes her way back to her boyfriend. He immediately lifts his arm and drapes it over her shoulders as soon as she sits down next to him, and I can't help but stare.
God, those two are such a cute couple.
"Thanks for dragging me along," I tell my mother, a genuine smile playing at my lips. When she asked me, I wasn’t so sure it would be fun coming along. After all the third-wheeling, I was hoping for another day to myself, but when she mentioned that Dad wouldn’t come along, I just couldn’t pass up some mother-daughter time.
We spent the day exploring the beautiful city, walking by the canals, strolling markets we found on our way, and she made me climb a cathedral tower so we could have a look at the city from above.
Now we’re starting to stroll back to the bus as it’s almost time to return.
"Thank you for agreeing," she says and comes to a stop at a souvenir shop, eyes sparkling as they take in all the little trinkets. I’ve seen some of those in souvenir shops in Amsterdam and I just can’t decide if I find them adorable or, well, horrible.
"Look at these!” Mom exclaims and pulls me to a stop. “Come on, let's pick something out for your dad."
"Oh God," I mutter under my breath as I follow her inside the little shop.
The walls are lined with a mix of tiny and giant magnets featuring every kind of image you can think of. There are windmills, tulips, cityscapes, even bikes—any cliché you have about the Netherlands, they are all coming together, right here.
"We should write him a postcard from here," she giggles and reaches for one. “He’s going to be so confused.”
I grin as I step closer, eyes wandering over the various postcards. Most of them are pictures of the city thrown together, but there are also illustrated ones.
"Glitter?" I ask with a grin as I step closer. "Oh my God. This is so bad. I love it."
"Right?" Her eyes are glistening with mischief as she scurries to pay, grabbing a pen while she’s at it.
But my eyes are drawn to the little magnet wall.
I wanted to start getting one in every city I visit and decorate my future fridge with them—not that there's much city traveling happening at the moment—but I can't decide. They're all equally pretty, or so horrendous it actually makes them pretty again. I wish I could just grab all of them.
I hear my mother chatting with the salesperson as I try to decide.
Suddenly, I feel eyes on me, a light prickly feeling on the side of my head. When I glance up, it's to meet familiar hazel eyes. Very familiar because that face had been between my legs not too long ago.
So, quickly, I look back at the magnets. God, those eyes might be enough to throw my resolve into the wind, the intensity in his stare making memories from last night bubble up in my brain, and as long as I feel his stare on me, I can’t shake them.
But suddenly, I hear a high-pitched giggle and see a smaller person joining him from the corner of my eye.
What the-
When I turn my head to see what’s going on, Tanner is leaning down to talk to a brunette who has come to a stop beside him, latching onto his arm, her fake eyelashes fluttering as she's very obviously flirting.
And him?
Well, he's got a smile playing at his lips, as he answers her something I can’t hear, but clearly enjoying the attention as he lets her pull him away from the shop window.
"Are you okay?" Mom asks, linking her arm with mine again, and I let her drag me outside, all intentions of buying a magnet forgotten. I’ll start that tradition once I have my own fridge after all. “You look a bit down.”
"Yeah, I’m fine," I say, but my eyes are trailing after Tanner and his new companion.
I've never made it a habit to lie to my mom. She knows me too well, and even though she doesn’t always call me out on it, I’m sure she has caught me in every lie I ever told her.
But is it really a lie if I evade the truth? I mean, all things considered, I am fine. I’m on a great vacation, am finally able to take my mind off my bleak real life and had a night I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.
I’m just… annoyed. There's a heavy feeling forming in my stomach as I watch Tanner walk off with a new girl on his arm, not sparing me another glance.
I take a deep breath. Everything is fine. We agreed to one night. It was never going to be more, and it’s not like I will be losing sleep over imagining our wedding.
But seriously? Flirting with another girl in front of me only hours after fucking me? That seems a bit low.
I blow a strand of hair away from my face. I figured he was a playboy when he tried to hit me up in that lobby with his godawful pick-up line. I should have expected this, but I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
"Come on, honey.” Mom’s voice tears me from my thoughts. “Let's have a coffee and write this god-awful postcard for your dad."
I can't believe him.
For the drive back, I purposefully chose a seat at the very back of the bus, hoping to catch some sleep, since, well, I didn’t catch too much of that last night. Mom is sitting in the front, admitting she gets motion sickness sitting in the back, so now Millie and Luca are keeping her company so I can have some quiet time to myself.
But alas. The squeaky giggles from seven rows in front of me is grating at my nerves. It’s the very same giggle I'd heard in town as that girl latched onto Tanner.
I should have known she was on the same bus as us. And now she's claimed her seat next to Tanner, batting her eyelashes and flipping her admittedly extremely pretty hair over her shoulder again, giggling at every word that leaves Tanner’s mouth.
Not even my headphones can save me from that acoustic torture, and I have my noise-cancellation activated.
"For fuck's sake," I whisper under my breath and turn my music louder. I’m sure some Taylor Swift blasted at full volume will help my case.
I know I've got no right to be angry at him. It was one night, nothing more. Exactly what I wanted. I repeat this in my head over and over again and take a deep breath.
I’m sure he's not doing this to rile me up. He's a grown man, and if he found another girl to spend the night with, good for him. It has nothing to do with me.
So I turn to the window, watching the scenery as we drive by, when suddenly someone sits down beside me, nudging my elbow as they do. I turn around, startled.
"Sorry."
At least, that's what I think he's saying, because my headphones are still on full blast. I lift my index finger, motioning for him to wait a moment as I turn my headphones off and pull them off my head.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" the man asks, and I feel a blush creep into my cheeks.
He's handsome, alright. How come I didn’t notice him on the drive here?
He looks a bit older than me, early thirties I would guess, ashy blonde hair framing his tanned face that has a hint of freckles like he's just come back from a Caribbean vacation.
"No, of course," I assure him quickly and change my position a bit to make more space for him. Sitting in this two-seater bench alone, I’d manspread quite a bit to get comfortable.
"Thanks." His lips stretch into a cute smile. "I was sitting in the front, but it's a bit loud there so I thought I’d search for refuge."
"Right," I agree with a faint smile, my eyes unwillingly darting to the flirting couple ahead. "I get it."
"I'm Adrian," he introduces himself and awkwardly twists his torso to extend his hand to me.
"Summer," I answer and shake his hand. God, I just know my face is beet red.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Summer." He grins and gives my hand a squeeze. "It's a beautiful name."
"Thank you."
"What are you doing in Amsterdam?"
I tell him a bit about this intended family trip and how my brother and future sister-in-law picked this vacation instead of their bachelor and bachelorette party, without mentioning their names of course. No use in them pulling out all the stops like sunglasses, masks and hats to disguise themselves in public to not be recognized when I can’t keep my mouth shut.
He's easy to talk to—nice, with a regular deep voice. A voice that feels like a warm breeze gently caressing my skin, not like a flaming hot tsunami crashing over me, like a certain someone.
I can't help it when my eyes dart over to where Tanner is sitting, freezing when I catch him looking at me over his shoulder.
For a moment, we just stare at each other, both frozen in our spots, his eyebrows scrunching together in— is that anger?
No, it can't be. Can it?
I tear my eyes from him, the corners of my mouth twitching. He can't be serious, right? Surely, I’m imagining that.
So I force my brain to focus on the conversation with Adrian again.
"And what are you doing in Amsterdam?" I finally ask Adrian, confused when the question appears to suck all of the joy out of him.
"I'm sorry for asking," I quickly say apologetically. "You don’t have to tell me, it's none of my business."
"No, no, it's fine," he assures me, putting his hand on my thigh. I look at it with a lifted eyebrow, and he quickly retracts his hand once he notices.
"I'm sorry. It’s a habit." He clears his throat. “I was actually supposed to come here for my honeymoon."
"Supposed to?" My face softens. Oh wow. "I'm sorry."
Everything inside my wants to question him, get all the dirty details. What can I say, I just live for drama, as long as it doesn’t happen to me.
"At least she left me a week before the wedding instead of at the altar," he jokes, but there’s sadness in his eyes.
I’m not sure whether to force a giggle at his attempt at lightheartedness or not. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm happy to lend you an ear if you want to talk about it."
From the corner of my eye, I see Tanner staring at us again and fight a grin tugging at my mouth.
"How about over a drink this evening?" Adrian asks. "I'm sorry, I get it if you have other stuff to do. Being here with your family and all."
"No, no, it's fine," I quickly tell him. "Give me your phone."
Once he does, I type in my number and save myself under his contacts with my first name.
"How about you message me the when and where? Anytime after seven works for me." I wink at him as I hand the phone back.
"Thank you, Summer. I’m looking forward to it."
"Me too."
The bus turns into our hotel's parking lot and a relieved sigh falls from my lips. Finally. Not that I didn’t enjoy the conversation, but I can’t wait to get out of this stuffy bus.
I watch Adrian hurry to the front of the bus, where his bag is still crammed into the overhead compartment of his prior seat.
Tanner has turned to the front of the bus again, and I try to drill a hole into his skull with my stare.
You think you're the only one who's got people interested in them?
Spoiler alert: you're not.