Last Summer

I sat on the floor between Everett's legs, my back against his chest as he took a towel through my dripping hair. He tugged and I winced, grabbing his hand with a laugh.

"Not like that," I said. I took his hand in mine, pushing his hand upwards towards my hair in a scrunching motion. "Like this. You'll pull my hair out and destroy my curls if you keep that up."

He laughed, continuing the scrunching motion with the towel.

"You know, the last time I went to a beach before I met you was when I was, like, five years old?" he asked suddenly. I blinked, shifting to look at him with wide eyes. He nodded. "Yeah, it was with my mom. Now it's like I'm there every day."

"Do you like it?" I asked.

His grin widened. "I love it."

I smiled, satisfied with his answer, and leaned back against his chest. It felt nice knowing I'd changed a part of him, that he'd leave Shellside Bay, but it would never leave him. Not anymore. No matter how far he went, he'd always have a piece of Isla with him. And me. He was stuck with me now.

He continued drying my hair for a moment before leaning forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek. I warmed, turning my head to face him with a coy smile.

"What was that for?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I just wanted to kiss you."

"Oh?" I lifted a brow, slowly leaning towards him. "Then kiss me."

And he did.

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I woke up with the sheets bunched around my thighs and Everett sleeping half-naked beside me.

My first thought when I opened my eyes was to reach for my phone and text him good morning, until I stilled and realised his warm body was beside me, dipping the mattress sideways. I shifted onto my side and there he was. It hadn't been a dream.

A soft breath left my lips and I stared at him, silent. When was the last time I'd woken up beside him? How long would this moment last?

I wanted it to last forever.

I reached up, my fingers reaching for his hair. Looking at him this closely, I could see how long it had really grown, how dark it had turned. I could almost remember how light it was during the summer. I wondered if I could change it in the few weeks he'd be staying here—lighten it back to that almost toffee colour. Bring the freckles back to his cheeks.

No, we'd have to go to Isla for that.

Isla was where it had all began—where I'd first seen the lightness of his eyes, the curve of his smile. Sydney was hopes, and bustle, and food other than the one McDonald's and Boost Juice of Shellside Bay, but Isla—Isla was sunshine, crystal water, hot sand and sea foam that kissed your ankles.

Isla was an escape. It was what I was used to, where I'd grown up. On Isla, Everett and I were splashes in the lagoon and late walks on the shore. We were tumbles in the sand and sea salt kisses on his bed.

Sydney was the complete opposite. What would we be here? Coffee runs? Café dates? Train rides and fancy restaurants? I didn't know what to expect.

"Are you checking me out?"

Everett's eyes blinked open, his voice coming out thick and raspy with sleep. I laughed, pushing my fingers through his hair. He caught my wrist, pulling my knuckles to his lips.

"I missed waking up next to you," he muttered. "And these hot pink sheets."

I rolled my eyes, shoving his shoulder hard. "You're such a bully."

"Hey, it was a compliment," he shot back. "I don't know how I'll ever sleep again without them. Without you."

"It's simple," I said, shifting to move closer until our chests were pressed together and my arm was tight around his waist. "Just never leave me again."

He laughed lowly, the sound rumbling through his chest. "If it were up to me..."

His arm wrapped around me, and I let him hold me until a few minutes passed and I had to pull back.

"I'm going to shower," I said, standing from the bed. His eyes roamed over me briefly, skimming past my crumpled t-shirt and my shorts which had ridden up.

"Shower?" he echoed. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere," I replied. I turned, pulling some clothes out of my wardrobe. "I just need to study. I have midterms soon." I paused, spinning to face him. "But after my shower, you can tell me all about New York, yeah?"

He grinned at me. "Of course. And then we can do something."

"Do something?" I lifted a brow, glancing deliberately towards the mattress. He laughed, rolling his eyes, and falling back against his pillow with a groan.

"Something outside of here, far away from River and his... friend." He nodded towards the wall that separated River's room and mine. If we were both quiet, we could hear someone snoring. Whether it was River or Alistair was hard to tell, considering how often Alistair seemed to stick around these days.

I missed the River that would pine over Connor, panicking with every glance and brush of skin. Where had Alistair appeared from all of a sudden? Where had the River I was used to gone? I had never known a River outside of Shellside Bay, but now that I did, I wasn't sure how much I liked him. He seemed distant. Sadder. Like Sydney was a drain on his energy, and the sands of Shellside Bay was how he recharged.

"How about this," Everett started. He lifted himself onto his elbows and grabbed at the hem of my shirt, tugging me closer. "You go shower, and we get breakfast somewhere nice? To make up for all the breakfasts I've missed in New York. You know, energise you for studying all day."

I smiled, my chest filing with warmth, and leaned down to peck his lips.

"I'll be quick," I said and left for my ensuite.

By the time I had showered, Everett was fast asleep again. I snorted, throwing my hair into a cotton t-shirt, and securing it around my head before grabbing my laptop and sitting on the bed beside him. I nudged him with my toe.

"Ev," I whispered.

He didn't even stir.

"Wake up," I said, louder this time.

He lay there like the dead—unmoving, unflinching. In fact, I'd think he was dead if it weren't for the occasional grunt that slipped from his lips. I sighed, moving to sit on the edge of the mattress.

He was completely out.

He seemed tired. His face was peaceful in his sleep. He looked the same as he did over the summer when we'd crash in a pile of sunburnt limbs on his bed at Clemente House every night—and yet so different all at once.

I lifted my hand, tracing a finger over his brow and down his cheek. His skin had turned paler. His freckles had faded. I wanted to drag him back to Shellside Bay and breathe life back into his body.

Instead, I sighed and stood again.

He was jet-lagged. The time difference between here and New York was fifteen hours. I had memorised those fifteen hours over the past year. Even when he was in Australia, those fifteen hours could still rob us of our time together.

It looked like breakfast and adventures in Sydney would have to wait.

Turning, I grabbed my books, gathering them into a pile against my chest, and sat beside him on the mattress. With his heavy breathing in the background, and his bare shoulder pressing hot against my knee, I began to study.

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Lips pressed against my leg and my heart flipped. I turned away from my laptop to Everett who had been sleeping soundly beside me just moments ago.

He looked up at me, his eyes narrowed and hair messy from sleep. He kissed my knee again before sending me a groggy smile.

"What time is it?" he asked. "Did I miss breakfast?"

"Breakfast, lunch, and everything in between," I teased. "It's already three."

He blinked, then blinked again, shooting up onto his elbow. The blanket slipped to his waist, revealing his bare chest.

"Three?" he echoed. He groaned, running a hand over his face before shoving his hair back. "I'm sorry. I really messed up."

"It's no big deal," I said. I shifted, placing my laptop on the bedside table to give him my full attention. "We still have time. How long are you staying?"

I'd asked him that question this morning, but then we'd gotten distracted with... other things. My face warmed at the memory and, judging by the tilt of his lips, Everett was remembering the same thing too.

"Two weeks," he replied. Two weeks seemed like no time at all, after months apart from each other. "My return flight is the Sunday two weeks from now so I'm back in time for my first Monday classes of the semester."

"Sunday? Won't you be too jetlagged for class on Monday morning?"

He shrugged. "I wanted the full too weeks."

"Two weeks," I repeated, testing the words on my tongue.

Everett's arms snaked around my waist, and I turned towards him. He smiled at me, stroking my skin. "I know, it's not long. But remember what I said a year ago? When I had to leave you the first time?"

My lips twitched. I remembered. I had it memorised, the words like ghosts, permanently etched into my skin, whispered on my breath even as I slept. I could quote it word for word. But I wanted to hear him say it.

"You might have to remind me," I said coyly.

He raised his brows knowingly but pulled my closer anyway.

"I'll take you anyway I can get you," he started. I loved the next part. "For a minute. For a day. For a week. I want you."

He ended his sentence by leaning down and peppering light kisses along my jaw, travelling down my neck, towards my collarbone. I giggled, wriggling out of his grip.

He pouted, his arm reaching out and dropping to the mattress.

"I need to study," I chided.

He groaned. "Your colleges here are all twisted. It's spring break, how do you have midterms coming up?"

"You're the twisted ones, starting uni in the middle of the year," I replied easily, turning to grab my laptop. I sat back on the edge of the bed, pulling my laptop with me. "Now, unless you can recite to me every part of the cell and its function, I need to get back to studying."

I had just turned my laptop back on and opened my notes, when Everett was sliding closer, his fingers tracing up my thigh.

"I'm sure I could figure it out."

I lifted a brow, not looking away from the screen. His fingers reached the hem of my shorts and, after tugging a string, slipped beneath, fanning out across my skin. I kept my stare sharp, pretending my heart hadn't flipped into my stomach and my blood wasn't pumping hot through my veins.

"Mitochondria," he began. I glanced at him, and he raised a snarky brow at me. "Powerhouse of the cell."

"Do you even know what that means?"

"That it powers the cell," he shot back. "Duh."

I rolled my eyes and he grinned back, mischief glinting in his eyes. His fingers crept higher.

"Well, now that that's out of the way..." he trailed off.

I laughed.

"I suppose I could spare five minutes."

"Perfect."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thank you all for waiting a little longer for this update! I hope you loved it! Are you guys enjoying the flashbacks? I couldn't decide if I wanted to write this sequel about Isla and Everett right after 'Isla' or in their uni years, so I'm kind of doing both hehe

Next time: Everett and River bond... plus Isla has a visitor?