Hainsey

The next week goes by at an alarmingly fast rate. Every day that passes is just another step toward Ems leaving for university. I wish time would freeze. Okay – I wish time would freeze after my birthday. Nineteen seems like a good age to be stuck with forever.

Rosa left for Abbottsford yesterday, staying a week longer than originally attended, which resulted in her dad calling her when he arrived home from Europe and didn't see his eldest daughter's car in the driveway. It was quite interesting to listen to, but not nearly as interesting as the conversation Ems had with him when he asked her how the trip's gone so far.

Anyway, we're a week into August now, and it's only two more days until my birthday. Tonight, Ems and I are over at Val's for dinner. She's making some kind of Spanish dish that smells amazing. I don't know what type of exotic spices she's used on the vegetables and rice she was cooking earlier, but I can't wait until the food is ready.

I could get used to this: hanging out with Val and Ems on the back porch of Val's cabin-style house and looking out over Lost Lake in the evening heat of the summer. It's been a long time since I felt this relaxed. It's perfect because right now, I'm sitting here and I have my arm around my girlfriend's shoulders and her head is resting on my shoulder. It's simplistic, but it works for me.

"I love this," Ems murmurs, nestling closer to me.

"So I do," I reply after a sip of iced tea. It's the real shit, too – homemade and bitter instead of sweet and sugary like the ones you ask for in restaurants.

Ems lifts her head from my shoulder and scans the waterfront and forest in front of us. She has a sexy-tomboyish look going on that she works to the max. She's wearing a vintage black crop top that shows of her midsection and a pair of ripped jean shorts that show me nothing but leg. The scuffed black Vans and hot pink ball cap complete her look. Beside her, in swim shorts and a grey muscle shirt, I feel nondescript and more like a beach boy than a mountain boy.

Knowing I'm probably ruining the moment, I poke Ems in the side and ask, "So how's it going with your mom? Have you guys talked since the fight?" The day after we spent the evening playing hockey, Ems told me all about the spat she got into with her mom about the shit that's happened – tears and all.

Ems shrugs. "It's going okay. Awkward as fuck, but things definitely aren't as tense as they were when I first got here. I think she's planning a girl's day sometime next week." She ends the sentence with an eye roll.

I smile and poke her again. "That's good, right?"

She squirms away from me. "Stop that! You know I'm ticklish!"

I cock an eyebrow and set down my iced tea, leaning toward her. Her brownish-green eyes ignite with a playful look. "Is that so?" I tease, pretending to reach for her, only to pull back.

Ems takes the bait and relaxes a little. "Yeah," she says, "I am. And I guess it is good. I just wish her and Rosa could sort things out. I feel like I'm stabbing my sister in the back."

And that's when I strike, grabbing her sides and tickling her.

"Hains," she half-laughs-half-gasps, her arms and legs flailing in every direction. "Stop!"

"What's the magic word?" I tease.

For a moment, Ems regains her composure, using the mind over matter trick, and reaches up and grips the collar of my shirt, yanking my lips down to hers. As soon as her lips touch mine, I instantly forget what I was doing or why I was doing it. Ems is the only thing that exists in front of me – even the beautiful background has faded into nothing. It's just Ems and the taste of the tropical Palm Bay she's been sipping for the past hour.

"Damn it," I breathe once our need for oxygen gets in the way. I eye her carefully. "You play dirty."

She shrugs and toys with my hair. "What can I say? There are a lot of dirty things I can do. Just wait until you see what I have planned for your birthday."

The wicked grin on her face is almost enough to make me create some kind of excuse for Val to hear so we can leave early and head somewhere else, alone and together. But the location problem is what shuts me down. My house is off-limits. And Ems's house? No way in hell would I risk her mom or stepdad or stepbrothers hearing what I want to do to her.

I plant another kiss on her lips, and then scoop her ball cap off the ground – it must've fallen during the kiss – and put it back in its rightful place. She giggles and thanks me. I shrug as if to say, No problem.

"You know what I love about you?" she asks out of the blue.

I look at her. "What?"

"You're always so humble, but not in a bad way. Even when we were kids and playing hockey together. You would set up the most amazing plays and then never take credit; you'd always say something about how it couldn't be done without the teammates. Know what I mean?"

My eyes find the floor and the left corner of my mouth lifts up. That's not the first time I've heard someone say that to me, but it means so much more coming from Ems. She's always intimidated me (in a good way) and sometimes I worry that maybe I'm too...normal for her. So hearing that she loves one of my traits takes some of the weight off my chest.

So I look up and smile at her, ready to tell her what I love about her, when a loud bang followed by a very loud "Shit!" comes from the kitchen. We both look behind us in the direction of the noise.

"Em?" Val shouts from the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Ems shouts back.

"Can you come give me a hand for a sec?"

"Be right there!"

Ems gets to her feet and brushes off an invisible layer of dust from her shorts, while I get an unparalleled view of her tanned legs. Damn, she's got some sexy legs.

"I'll be right back," she says, looking down at me. She gestures to her drink that's on the patio table, and then taps me on the nose. "Try to control yourself, buddy. You're still underage."

I roll my eyes. "Two more days and you won't be able to say that shit anymore."

She laughs as she walks away. "Why do you think I'm seizing every opportunity I get?"

And with that, I'm left out in the heat of a perfect summer night. The sun has set, the crickets are chirping, there's a warm breeze, and I can hear the distant sound of waves lapping against the shore of the lake. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Damn. I see why Val decided to rent the place out for the summer. If I ever get out of the mess I'm stuck in, I definitely want a place like this. It's simple, only containing the necessities, and the amount of pure nature you can see is alarmingly beautiful.

I'm not sure how much time has passed by the time I hear Val's voice.

"Somebody's living the dream."

I open one eye and look at her. As usual, Val is wearing something that's discreetly revealing: a short summer dress that dips low, along with a pair of simple yellow flip-flops.

"It's beautiful here," I admit. Looking around, I notice that Ems is nowhere to be seen. "Where's Ems?"

"She's finishing up dinner – said I was doing too much and insisted that she do something. So I decided to let her finish off the salad."

"Ah, okay."

Val sits down in one of the chairs across from me and then lifts her huge sunglasses so they're resting on her head. With a quick glance over my shoulder, she asks, "How's your mom doing?"

I almost choke on my own spit. Why in the hell is she bringing this up when Ems is so close? She knows I haven't told my girlfriend yet! "What the hell, Val?" I whisper, leaning forward so she can hear me.

Val shrugs. "I haven't been able to talk to you since Rosa was here. I just want to know. Don't worry about Em hearing – she's going to be a while."

The tension in my muscles eases a little, and I lean back on the cushioned bench. "Same old, same old," I shrug.

Val shakes her head in disappointment. "That sucks."

"Yeah," I mutter. "It really does."

"You know what?" she asks, sitting up straight. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up – it's ruining the night."

I hold back a sarcastic comment.

"What I should be asking is how you and Em are doing."

Whether I like it or not, the change of topic lightens my mood. I smile and say, "We're good. Though I don't understand why she won't shut up about my birthday." I rub the back of my neck. "She's a little obsessed, actually."

Val waggles her eyebrows. "You don't think she's...?" She makes a gesture with her hand.

I frown, thinking about what the hell she could possibly mean, and then I get it. My jaw drops open. "No way, Val," I say, shaking my head. But as soon as I say those words, I don't necessarily believe them. I think about the chemistry between us, and then the comment she made earlier.

"What can I say? There are a lot of dirty things I can do. Just wait until you see what I have planned for your birthday."

"Shit," I say, running a hand through my hair. "You really think she's planning something like that?"

Val shrugs and eyes me playfully. "She's Emyln Juliette Walker. What do you think? The minute that girl knows what she wants, she goes for it."

My palms start to sweat, and just when I look over my shoulder, Ems comes walking out onto the deck, looking hotter than ever in the dusky light. Her eyes instantly find mine and she smiles. I bite down on the inside of my cheek.

Holy hell, I hope Val is right about what Ems could be planning.