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Eight
Shaw
The weather is perfect,and I’ve got enough food and beverages to feed an entire town. Summer is busy in the kitchen sipping on some colorful fruity drink that Sloane made her and making a charcuterie board that she insisted on making for the party and ignoring me for some strange reason.
Last night during the movie, she has been distant and I’m not exactly sure how to interpret any of it.
I leave a sign on the door telling guests to go through the side gate which leads into the backyard where the party will be focused. Thankfully, guests won’t have to travel far for a bathroom since there is one in the back mudroom that takes you into the backyard from the house.
People are slowly showing up and I’ve started mingling around with some local friends that I’ve known for years and a few teachers who like to socialize with one another.
Throughout the day, Summer and I have continued to be on opposite sides of the party. She’s had Sloane and one other woman hanging with them on the far side of the pool by the tiki bar for the majority of the time, and when I walked over to join in on their conversation as I mingled from group to group, Summer would be quiet in a nervous kind of way. By dusk, the party has dwindled down and only a few people remained. Summer stands in the kitchen with Sloane laughing when I walk in, with a beer in my hand and my buddy Luke trailing behind me.
Luke and I know one another from high school, he’s a hotshot business man now and hard to figure out. Sloane perks up immediately at seeing us, then pops a chip in her mouth.
“Shaw, good you’re here. Summer and I were talking about relationships,” Sloane slurs leaning on her elbow bent over the counter.
“Um, alright.”
“Let’s not bring Shaw into whatever game you’re planning,” Summer says with a slight slur as well.
How much have they been drinking?
“No, include me,” I smile, setting my beer on the counter and leaning back against the fridge.
“All right. Have you had a kiss that just blew your mind? Like a spark goes through you and you feel like you’ve found your person?” Sloane asks.
I wasn’t expecting that question; I take a moment and think back to anyone that I’ve dated. From my first kiss with Becky Hanson, to the girlfriend back in my junior year of high school that I lost my virginity to, Marie, Mason’s mom, I don’t recall any bolts of lightning.
“I think it’s obvious that I haven’t had a kiss to make me think that she is my person, but I would like to think that every kiss has the potential. Every kiss could be something great.”
“Oh, wow. That’s a really excellent answer.” Sloane stands straight, smiles, then claps her hands together excitedly. “I’ve got a fantastic idea.”
Summer stands up straight and suddenly looks nervous.
“Sloane, let’s get you to bed, come with me?” She pleads.
“No, no, no. I think this would be fun. Okay. Shaw, you and I have never kissed, right?” Sloane starts.
“Um, no—why would we have?”
“I don’t know for funsies, and you have never kissed Summer, right?” she asks.
“He hasn’t kissed me either, thanks for asking,” Luke says with a grin.
“I’ll get to you in a second, handsome,” Sloane practically purrs at him.
“What are you getting at?” I ask her.
“What if Summer was your person, or what about me?”
Summer crosses her arms.
“So, what are you proposing?” I ask, stepping forward.
“I’m saying, let’s experiment,” she grins widely as Summer covers her eyes and groans.
I’m not sure how to react to any of this, but I’m curious to do some extra research, you know, for science.
