Free Summer Love by Jill Santopolo

you two.
    â€œNik,” you say. And then stop. You’re not sure what you want to say exactly, but there’s something about him, something kind and caring andvulnerable that makes you want to get to know him better. It makes you want to call your parents and ask if you can stay at the beach the whole summer, just so you can spend time with Nik.
    â€œYeah?” he asks, looking at you with a question in his eyes.
    Before you can open your mouth again, a car comes racing down the street and Gonzo goes bonkers. He yaps and yaps and runs toward the car and away from the car, making circles around you and Nik. Nik bends to stop him, but Gonzo’s too fast, and you can already see the leash getting tangled in knots around your feet and Nik’s. Nik goes to take a step, but before you can warn him about the tangled leash, he trips and falls right into you. You try your hardest to keep your balance, but you wobble, and then the two of you tumble to the ground, a pile of arms, legs, leash, and dog.
    The way you’ve fallen, you’re somehow on the bottom of the pile and Nik is on top, his stomach resting on yours. His chin is inches from your lips. His eyes look down at you.
    â€œHey,” you say to him.
    â€œHey,” he says back.
    But neither of you moves. It’s like there’s thisforce field keeping you in place.
    You get the feeling that Nik’s not the kind of person to make the first move, so if you want to kiss him, you’re going to have to do it yourself. You take a deep breath, tilt your chin up so your lips are aligned, and then move your head slightly forward.
    Your lips meet his softly, and the tingle you felt from his fingers touching you before spreads throughout your entire body. Nik pulls himself up into a sitting position and tugs you up with him, so now you’re on the sidewalk, kissing, his arms wrapped around you.
    The kiss gets deeper, and he runs his teeth along your bottom lip. In spite of the summer heat, you shiver.
    â€œNik,” you whisper.
    He kisses you harder.
    A car goes by, and Gonzo barks, but you can barely hear it. All your senses are wrapped up in Nik—the taste, the feel, the smell, the sound of him. It’s like the rest of the world has disappeared.
    He catches his fingers in your hair and breaks off the kiss.
    â€œWow,” he says.
    â€œYeah, wow,” you agree.
    And you know, deep down inside, the way you know to stay away from the edge of a cliff, the way you jump at loud noises, that this isn’t the only time you’re going to see Nik. You feel as if you’ve connected with him. Like he understands you. And like you understand him. You can tell that he’d be more than a good boyfriend—he’d be a good friend, too. And that if you have it your way, he’s going to be a part of your life for a long time to come.
    He leans in to kiss you again, and you think,
Thank goodness I didn’t kiss Tyler Grant. Tyler Grant couldn’t hold a candle to this boy.
    You stand up and hold Nik’s hand. Gonzo dances around you both, looking for someone to pay attention to him, but you and Nik only have eyes for each other.
    â€œI’m glad you came to the beach this weekend,” he whispers.
    â€œMe, too,” you tell him, squeezing his hand. “Me, too.”
    CONGRATULATIONS!
    YOU’VE FOUND YOUR HAPPYENDING!

    Click here to go back to hanging out by the pool with Tasha and Jade.
    - - - - -
    Click here to go back to the beginning and start over.

YOU sit back down in your chaise lounge by the pool as quietly as you can so you don’t wake Tasha, but all the trying to be quiet ends up being a waste, because when you lean back, the hook keeping the backrest in place comes undone, and it clanks onto the brick patio. Tasha wakes up.
    â€œAre you okay?” she asks, snapping up in her chair.
    â€œI’m fine,” you tell her, as you get up to see what happened. “Minor chair