Chapter 40 Summer Interlude
Summer Interlude
Cole
The summer unfolds in a series of moments I know I'll remember for the rest of my life.
Harper fitting seamlessly into my family's rhythm, helping my mom in the garden while my dad grills burgers.
The way my sister latches onto her like she's always wanted an older sibling who actually gets her.
Coming home from work covered in sawdust and sweat to find Harper on the porch reading, and how she looks up and smiles like I'm the best thing she's seen all day.
We fall into a routine. I work construction with my dad from seven to four, learning the business from the ground up—literally.
Harper gets a part-time job at the local bookstore, which is so perfectly her that I laugh when she tells me.
Evenings are ours. We cook dinner with my mom, take Rex on long walks through town, drive to the lake on weekends.
"This is nice," Harper says one night in mid-June. We're lying in the grass in my backyard, looking up at the stars. "Quiet."
"Boring?"
"Not even a little bit." She rolls onto her side to look at me. "I didn't think I'd like small-town life, but there's something peaceful about it."
"Wait until winter. Then you'll understand true boredom."
"I don't know. Might be nice. Snow, hot chocolate, staying inside all day..."
"You're romanticizing it."
"Maybe." She traces her finger along my jaw. "Or maybe anywhere feels good when I'm with you."
I pull her closer and kiss her, tasting summer and possibility. "You're getting sappy in your old age."
"I'm twenty-one."
"Ancient."
She laughs against my mouth, and the sound fills something in my chest I didn't know was empty.
In July, we take a trip to Harper's hometown so I can meet her parents properly. The drive is four hours, and Harper spends most of it giving me warnings.
"My dad is going to grill you about your intentions," she says.
"My intentions are pure."
"Right. That’s why you pull my hair?"
He reaches over and rubs my scalp. "Mostly pure."
"And my mom is going to ask a thousand questions about school and hockey and our future. Just... be prepared."
I reach over and take her hand. "They're going to love me."
"You're very confident."
"I'm easy to like."
She rolls her eyes, but she's smiling.
Her parents' house is smaller than mine, cozier. Her mom hugs me at the door while her dad sizes me up with the practiced eye of a father who's been waiting for this moment. We have dinner—Harper's mom makes this incredible pot roast—and her dad does indeed ask about my plans.
"So you're studying business?" he asks.
"Yes, sir. Business management with a focus on operations."
"And after graduation?"
"I'm hoping to get into sports management or work in operations for a hockey organization. But I'm keeping my options open." I glance at Harper, who's watching this exchange with barely concealed amusement. "I want to make sure I end up somewhere that makes sense for both of us."
Harper's mom perks up at that. "Both of you?"
"Mom," Harper warns.
"What? I'm just asking."
"You're fishing."
"Can you blame me? My daughter finally brings home a young man who isn't a complete disaster."
Harper looks at me apologetically, but I'm grinning.
Later, we're sitting on her parents' back porch while they're inside cleaning up dinner. The sun is setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
"That wasn't so bad," I say.
"My dad likes you. He didn't threaten you with any farm equipment. That's a good sign."
"Does your family have a farm I don’t know about?"
"No. He would have to borrow equipment specifically to threaten you if he didn't like you."
I pull her into my lap, and she settles against me with easy familiarity. "Your mom asked when we're getting married."
Harper groans. "I'm so sorry."
I grin. "Don't be. It's a fair question."
She pulls back to look at me, searching my face. "Cole..."
"I'm not proposing right now, relax. But..." I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm not ruling it out for the future. Just so you know where my head's at."
Her eyes are wide. "The future future?"
"Yeah. The future future."
"We're still in college."
"I know. I'm not in a rush. I just want you to know that this isn't casual for me. It never has been."
She kisses me, soft and lingering. "It's not casual for me either."
We stay outside until the mosquitoes drive us in, talking about plans and dreams and all the ways our lives might unfold. It feels significant, this conversation. Like we're building something real and lasting.
August arrives too quickly. The lazy pace of summer starts to pick up as we both prepare to head back to school. My last year of college, of hockey, of this particular chapter of our lives.
"I can't believe I only have one year left with you here," Harper says one evening. "What happens after?" She's holding one of my old hockey jerseys, the one from high school. "After graduation, I mean."
"I don't know yet. Depends on a lot of things." I take the jersey from her and fold it properly.
There's a hesitation in her voice that makes me look up. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just... sometimes I get scared that everything is going to change. That you’re going to graduate and we’ll go in different directions and this will all just become a memory."
I set down the box I'm holding and pull her close. "Harper, I'm not going anywhere. Not without you."
"You don't know that. What if you get some amazing job offer across the country?"
"Then you'll come with me."
"What about my career?"
"Then I'll follow you. Or we'll find somewhere that works for both of us. I don't have all the answers, but I know I want you in my future. That's not negotiable."
She buries her face in my chest. "I love you."
"I love you too."
We drive back to campus the last week of August. The truck is loaded with our stuff, plus a care package from my mom that's probably seventy percent baked goods. Harper's quiet on the drive, looking out the window with this thoughtful expression.
"What are you thinking about?" I ask.
"Everything that's coming. The team, your games, graduation..." She trails off.
"Liam," I finish.
She looks at me sharply. "What?"
"You're thinking about seeing Liam again. It's okay, you can admit it."
"I'm not—" She stops, sighs. "Why would you even say that?”
I shrug. “Because I’m thinking about it.”
“Projection,” she mutters. “I was not thinking about that, but now that I am.” She pauses. “It's going to be weird, right? I thought he was your best friend?”
“He was and then you came into the picture, and he completely backed off.”
“I’m sorry,” she says.
I shake my head. “Don’t be.”
“No, I am. I am very sorry. I didn’t mean to come between you and him. You lost him for a friend, and that’s not fair.”
I grab her hand. “It’s fine.” And then I sigh. "He’s been posting on Instagram with a different girl every week, seems like."
Harper is quiet for a moment. "That’s good, right?"
I shrug. "Just seems like he's trying really hard to move on. Makes me wonder if he actually has."
"Cole, even if he hasn't, it doesn't change anything. I'm with you."
"I know." And I do know. But there's a part of me that's been dreading going back to campus, to the reality of sharing space with Liam again. The summer has been this bubble where it was just Harper and me, no complicated history or awkward encounters. Going back means popping that bubble.
Harper reaches over and takes my hand. "Hey. We're solid. Nothing's going to change that."
"Yeah," I say again, and I squeeze her hand to prove I mean it.
Campus is chaos when we arrive. Students everywhere, cars triple-parked, parents helping their kids move into dorms. Harper and I head straight to my place—she's officially moving in this year, which feels monumental even though she's basically lived there since last spring.
"Home sweet home," I say, unlocking the door.
Rex goes absolutely ballistic when he sees us. My roommate Finn lives here full-time and didn’t mind I’d be gone for the summer. But I’m happy he didn’t find anyone else for the time being. Rex is acting like we abandoned him for years instead of months.
"I missed you too, buddy," Harper laughs, letting him lick her face.
We spend the afternoon unpacking, turning my space into our space. Harper's books join mine on the shelves. Her clothes take over half the closet. Her fancy coffee maker replaces my shitty one in the kitchen.
"This is real, huh?" she says, standing in the middle of the living room and looking around.
"What is?"
"Us. Living together. Being adults."
That evening, Sirus and Maddie come over for dinner. It's good to see them—Sirus looks tan and happy, Maddie is glowing. They clearly had a great summer.
"So you two survived three months together," Sirus says, helping himself to more pizza. "Impressive."
"Why is that impressive?" Harper asks.
"Because most couples don't make it past the honeymoon phase. You guys went straight to domestic bliss and lived to talk about it."
"We're special," I say, wrapping my arm around Harper's shoulders.
Maddie says, "I’m only allowing this PDA because it’s cute.”
We catch up on summer stories—their lake house adventures, our small-town routine, the various disasters and triumphs that filled the months. It feels good, sitting here with my new unexpected best friend, Sirus, and the woman I love, everything exactly as it should be.
Later, after they leave, Harper and I are getting ready for bed when she says, "I'm glad we're back."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I loved the summer, but this feels right. Like we're where we're supposed to be."
I pull her close, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo. "Senior year is going to be good."
"You sound certain."
"I am. We've got each other. That's all we need."
She tilts her head up to kiss me. "When did you become such a romantic?"
"The day I met you."