summer

Absolutely. No more pretending!

These three children own the summer. They know the wood as surely as they know the micro landscapes of their own grazed knees; put them down blindfolded in any dell or clearing and they could find their way out without putting a foot wrong. This is their territory, and they rule it wild and lordly as young animals; they scramble through its trees and hide-and-seek in its hollows all the endless day long, and all night in their dreams.

A week feels like a year when you__e seventeen and in love. A twenty minute drive might as well be an ocean. But we were together again and the whole world was rejoicing, even the gravel crunched melodiously under our feet as we danced onward through the night.

Champagne arrived in flûtes on trays, and we emptied them with gladness in our hearts... for when feasts are laid and classical music is played, where champagne is drunk once the sun has sunk and the season of summer is alive in spicy bloom, and beautiful women fill the room, and are generous with laughter and smiles... these things fill men's hearts with joy and remind one that life__ bounty is not always fleeting but can be captured, and enjoyed. It is in writing about this scene that I relive this night in my soul.

It is 32c today, and the only thing keeping me from hanging myself is the small sense of relief I glean from attaching my body to the vents of my delicious cooling piece. It is a stunning unit, exquisite in all its forms, exceptional in its application, and effective in all its functions. I would marry it, if only I knew it would not die on me sometime within the next five years. Appliances, like obedient children or silent extroverts, cannot last forever, and while my unbidden affection kept my other air conditioner alive for the better part of ten years, not all inanimate objects can be fueled by my love.

Can we get out of here?""Your chariot awaits.""In the form of a blue Ford ute?" I curved my brow."But of course," he said in an over-the-top French accent."Sacre blur, bad accent alert!""Wow," he said, "Le rude?""Le sorry?""Le hurt." Toby clutched his heart."What can I do to soothe your shattered ego?"Toby drummed his chin thoughtfully, pacing around me. He stopped just near enough to whisper in my ear."Le kiss?

That__ the thing. I__e never met anyone like you, Tess. You think you__e a no one? You__e so wrong. So wrong. You stand in a room with all the Angelas, even the Ellies. None of them can compare to you. I remember when you started working at the Onslow, I couldn__ keep my eyes off you. You were so terrified. You weren__ full of yourself like other girls. Every time you walked into the bar, you were like a breath of fresh air. Even when Angela was a bitch to you, you rose above it. You made me see the difference in people. You__e not a nobody, Tess, you__e a somebody.

She is something else.

He slid over to me and grabbed me closer to him. My smile fell from my face with the unexpectedness of it. His hands cupped my face, his lips hovering above mine.__ou seriously want to know, Tess?__e closed the space and claimed my mouth with an urgent, hot, delving kiss.He smiled. __ou are sexy, in your own goofball way, you__e sweet and beautiful and smart and funny and, although you kiss to the point where I feel like I want to go back for seconds, you__e my best friend, and that__ why I don__ want to tap that.

Tess, there isn't a drunken, screaming netballer in the world that would have made me not want to ... continue.

I may have been buzzed last night, but I remember everything. I can't promise you that I won't want to drive you home, or kiss you like crazy again. Because I will. I do.

Boat.Toby.1pm.Shit!

When you knock off work tonight, go looking for Toby, because, trust me, he will be looking for you.

What do you know? This is where it all began,_ he said.__egan?___his is exactly where I was when I wanted to kiss you,_ he whispered, his lips brushing along my neck causing me to melt under his touch. __o bad.___xcept this time there__ no drunk netballer squawking at us,_ I teased.__ wouldn__ care if the seven horseman of the Apocalypse charged through the garden right now, nothing__ gonna stop me from doing this._ He leaned down and captured my lips with tenderness, a completely perfect kiss, like it always was.

A 'T' for Tess, a 'T' for Toby.

Tess, will you marry me?" Toby laughed.

Do you want some words of advice, Tess?__ glanced at Adam__ profile as he sipped.__on__ give your heart away too easily._ He turned to me. __ake him earn it.

Well, if they set you in the kissing booth, let me know, I am always willing to donate for a worthy cause.