Sable Square, Brindleton Bay...

August was the worst. I had firmly held on to that belief for several years now, quoting my reasons without hesitation.

For one, it managed to always be the hottest time of the year in Brindleton Bay, which otherwise enjoyed a rather cool and tolerable temperature. We only just managed to afford air conditioning this year but were still forbidden from turning it on unless it got truly unbearable. In the meanwhile, we had to resort to our old tricks of walking around with rags soaked in ice water around our necks and loading up on tons of ice cream when we took walks out to the town square. This year, Indigo suggested we get an inflatable pool. This was a ridiculous request because a) We had been too big for kiddie pools for some years now, and b) Noah had an actual pool at his house that we were more than welcome to use. But she said we had to do it “for the culture” or some shit, so I let her live out her dreams. In the end, the tiny pool had led to many afternoons spent like this one; lounging in the backyard, listening to music, sipping on lemonade spiked with the tequila we’d snuck in the house from the last major party of the year. We couldn’t have done that at Noah’s house. Not with one of his parents or little siblings around every corner ready to bust us. Our private pool had manifested some of the sweetest moments of the summer. I would be sad when I had to leave it behind.

I was already sad.

That was second on my list of why August sucked. It marked the beginning of the end.

As I contemplated this Indigo prattled in the background in her usual manner as she scrolled through her Simstagram feed. She’d been stalking one of her favorite photographers for months now; after she got her acceptance letter for the San Myshuno Institute of the Arts, she’d made it her mission to learn everything about him so that she could play teacher’s pet in the fall. She’d been crushed when she found out that he wouldn’t be instructing any courses that school year. Yet she still meticulously browsed his profile to admire his work. I could only pretend to understand when she talked about his techniques; exposure, composition, framing – none of it registered in my head like it did in hers. Noah at least understood the gist because of his own background with visual art, and he would do his best to appease my sister’s commentary so that we could move on to something we all could keep up with.

Today, I hadn’t even tried, too caught up in the monologue that looped in my head. Noah took notice when she didn’t. He’d been lounging in the pool and stroking my calf while he listened to my sister go on about Kengo Shimizu’s latest shoot. Her verboseness had only accentuated my muteness. I was so spaced out I hadn’t seen it coming when Noah grabbed on to my hands and pulled me into the pool. I landed solidly on his chest, the impact splashing a good amount of water out the pool. I looked into his eyes, which were barely more than an inch from mine, our lips barely a centimeter apart. It was crazy that my stomach still did flips when we were this close. We’d been going out for a year and a half now, but I still hadn’t gotten over how crazily hot Noah was. It was hard to pinpoint when that had happened; one year he was just that kid who sat in the back of class doodling more than he took notes, the next, all it took was one look from those honey-glazed eyes to turn me into a puddle. Puberty was a powerful thing.

Indigo got up from her throne on the cooler to head inside away from our PDA.

Indigo: I’m grabbing another beer. Either of you love birds want another?

Noah: How much beer did you guys get?

Indigo: [smirking] Enough.

Ivy: Indigo’s alcohol hookups are endless.

Indigo: And we’ve got to finish off the stash before the end of this week. Can’t have dad snooping through my room and chancing upon that.

A familiar pang of remembrance and sadness pierced my chest again. Less than a week. That’s all that was left. Somehow Noah seemed to sense the depression that was falling over me again and he answered for both of us.

Noah: We’ll both take one.

Indigo: Cool. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.