Until the Sun Burns Out (12 page)

“Austin!” A girl’s voice rang out, startling me. I could tell it startled Austin too the way he flinched, his hand involuntarily squeezing mine.

We were walking back to my house after eating at our favorite burger joint in town. Dad needed the car today, but that was all right. After the huge burger I’d eaten, I knew I needed the exercise. When Austin whirled around, he took me with him since our hands were linked.

My stomach dropped when I spotted the girl he’d been playing volleyball with at the beginning of the summer. As she sashayed in our direction wearing a seductive grin, I felt a little self-conscious. Swallowing hard, I adjusted my top over my full belly.

“Hey, Krista,” Austin responded with a relaxed grin. It wasn’t flirty necessarily, but it still made me uncomfortable. In the time Austin and I had spent together, I’d never had to share him with another girl. In some ways it made our relationship perfect. No room for jealousy.

Her gaze flickered in my direction. “Hey. I’m Krista.”

“This is Mina,” Austin introduced me.

She offered a half-hearted smile. “I’ve never seen you around here before.”

“Mina’s a summer kid too.”

“Ah.” She glanced down at our conjoined hands with a look of confusion.

“We met last summer,” I answered her internal question.

“Cool.” She tossed a long strand of hair over her shoulder. “Hey, you two should come to the bonfire I’m having tonight. A bunch of teenagers will be there.”

“I don’t know,” Austin said slowly, eyeing me as if gauging whether or not I’d be open to it.

It didn’t appeal to me, but the last thing I wanted was to be a stick-in-the-mud. If Austin wanted to go to the bonfire, he shouldn’t miss out on it because of me. “Actually, that sounds like fun,” I lied.

“Great.” She flashed a smile. Only it was to Austin and not me. “It’s happening after dark on the beach in front of my house.” With one last grin, she sidestepped us and ambled down the street, leaving a trail of perfume in her wake.

I raised a brow. “You know where she lives?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, she’s friends with my sister.”

Fighting against my misgivings, I forced a smile and a nod.

***

I half expected Dad to say no to the bonfire, but he didn’t. In fact, he sounded delighted with the idea. It was only puzzling until I called Grace to consult her on what to wear. She helped me pick out a pair of cutoff shorts and a pink tank top. Afterward, I mentioned how surprised I was that Dad had given me consent to go. But then she pointed out that he was probably hoping I’d make some new friends, particularly female ones. And that’s when it all made sense. Dad liked Austin, but he didn’t love the fact that I spent all my time in the summer with a guy.

The bonfire was in full swing when we arrived. Teenagers peppered the beach, all laughing and talking while a large fire raged in the middle of them. Even if Austin hadn’t known where Krista lived, we would’ve only needed to follow the flames and plumes of smoke that circled in the sky.

As Austin and I walked down toward the fire, I was grateful for Grace’s fashion suggestion. Most of the other girls were in shorts and tanks too, so I fit right in. Had I gone with my original idea of a sundress and strappy sandals, I would’ve looked like I was trying too hard.

“You made it.” Krista rushed over to us, breathless, her face shiny. In her hand she held a can of beer. My insides churned. I’d never drank before, and I certainly didn’t want to start now.

“Yep,” Austin responded, his gaze sliding over Krista’s shoulder as if he was looking for someone else. And that peeked my curiosity. Up until now I’d always assumed Austin didn’t know the local teens.

“Thanks for inviting us,” I added, because it was the polite thing to do.

“Sure.” She spread her arms out. “There are coolers with drinks over there. Enjoy.” Someone called out her name, and she walked away from us without a backward glance.

When I saw her leap into some other guy’s arms, it made me feel kind of silly for my earlier jealousy. She clearly wasn’t interested in Austin that way. It was hard to imagine anyone not being attracted to him. But she was friends with his older sister, so I should’ve figured she wasn’t.

A group of guys neared us, and Austin’s hand landed on my back in a possessive way. When I peered up at him, his jaw was set, the vein in his head throbbing. His entire body went rigid the closer the guys got. Instinctually, I stepped into him, pressing my side to his. This seemed to comfort him a bit, and his hand curved further around me until his fingers lighted on my waist. One of the guys glanced at us, throwing Austin a wink.

But Austin didn’t look amused. In fact, he glared harder than I’d ever seen him do before. It caused dread to sink into my gut. Once the group had passed us, Austin visibly relaxed. The glare disappeared, his easy smile returning. It all happened so quickly, it made me wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me. Perhaps I’d imagined the entire thing. I was pretty jumpy tonight.

Guiding me away from the guys and toward the bonfire, Austin said, “Name your poison, summer girl.”

“My poison?” I pursed my lips. Heat from the fire reached out and kissed my skin.

He faced me. “Yeah. Like what kind of drink do you want?”

Uncomfortable, my shoulders rose and fell quickly.

“What do you normally drink at parties?” He tried another tactic.

Biting my lip, my gaze darted to the sand. My toes were newly painted, and they shone brightly next to the fire. “I um….I’ve never really been to a party.”

“I see.”

Feeling stupid, I kept staring at the sand, unable to look at Austin. “And I’ve never drank either.”

I was startled when his arms shot out and he hooked two fingers into the belt loops of my jean shorts. Gently, he tugged me forward. “You really are little Miss Innocent, aren’t you?”

My whole body went hot. Hotter than the fire. “I guess so,” I admitted, wanting to cry.

“Hey, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” He drew me to him, and I splayed my palms against his chest.

“It’s not?”

He shook his head. “I could use a little more innocence in my life.”

His statement turned my stomach. “What do you mean?”

“Only that you’re a breath of fresh air, summer girl.”

I knew there was more to it than that, but before I could ask him, his arms came up as if to shield me, and his eyes darkened. To my right I saw that same guy again.

“What’s the story with that guy?”

Looking disgusted, he shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Seems like something.”

“You wanna get outta here? We could go back to my place. My parents are gone for the night.”

I sucked in a breath, and my eyes widened. First a party, and now hanging out alone with a boy at his house? It seemed I was breaking all the rules tonight.

A chuckle rose from his throat. “That clearly came out wrong. I’m not asking what you think I am.”

Man, by the end of the night he was going to think I was the biggest prude.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I didn’t mean to act so weird.”

“I would never ask you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with, Mina. I need you to trust me on that.”

“I do.” I nodded emphatically.

“Good.” He smiled. “And we can stay here if you want.”

“No,” I said. “I only agreed to come because I thought you wanted to.”

He laughed. “We’re doing it again.”

“Doing what again?”

“Making assumptions,” he answered.

Whooping and hollering sounded from across the fire. A guy was chugging beer, and his friends were egging him on. On the ground next to him, a girl and a guy were going at it. He even had his hand up her shirt. It sickened me, and I averted my gaze.

Austin’s hand folded around mine, and he yanked me away from the spectacle. “I never wanted to come tonight. I only came because you said yes to the invite. And there’s no way I’d let you come here alone.”

I had to work hard to keep up with Austin, and that was saying something. Normally I was the fast one, but I’d never seen Austin so determined to move quickly. He guided me up the beach, and then he hurried along the walkway. I was too breathless to speak as we practically ran to his house. It wasn’t until we were inside and I gulped in copious amounts of air that I could finally think straight.

My gaze swept the silent house. “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked, a chill running through me. His house always made me uncomfortable. Usually it was because his parents were here with their disapproving looks and condescending remarks. But even without them here, I felt out of place. Leaning against the back of the couch, I hugged myself.

“Yes. I promise this is okay. My parents won’t be back for hours.” Placing his hands on the couch on either side of me, he caged me in. Hovering me, his face sobered up. “I’m sorry about the bonfire. I never should’ve taken you there.”

“I’m the one who said I wanted to go. It’s my fault.”

“You didn’t know what it would be like. You’ve never even been to a party before, so I’m taking full responsibility on this one.”

“There’s no way you could’ve known I hadn’t been to a party.”

His lips pushed up in a slight smile. “I should’ve known. You’re innocent. That’s obvious.”

“Naïve is probably a better word.” I frowned.

“No,” he snapped harshly, and I flinched. “Sorry,” he murmured, his fingers brushing my arm. “Innocence is not a bad thing, and don’t let anyone ever tell you it is.”

I breathed in deeply through my nose and out through my mouth. Austin’s behavior had been puzzling all night, and I had to know why. “Austin, please tell me what happened with that guy at the party.”

He shoved off the couch and swung away from me. After running an agitated hand through his hair, he said, “The summer before I met you, my sister and I went to one of those bonfires. My sister was always the one befriending the locals. I preferred the summer kids. The locals rubbed me the wrong way.” I understood what he was saying. They definitely gave off a cliquish vibe whenever I saw them. “But not my sister. She liked the kids who lived here. I think part of it had to do with the fact that they could get her into local places, stuff like that. My sister uses people for what they can offer her.” He frowned. “Anyway, at the bonfire I lost track of my sister. I wasn’t doing anything bad, just tossing around a ball with another kid at the party.” I could picture a younger version of Austin turning the party into a sporting event, and it caused my lips to lift a little. “But then my sister found me, and she was crying and angry saying she wanted to leave.” Instantly I knew where this story was going, and nausea rolled over me. I held tightly to the couch as he continued, “On the way home, she told me that guy had tried to force her to do things she didn’t want to. Luckily, Krista had stepped in, had my sister’s back.” That explained why he was so nice to Krista. I felt even worse about how envious I’d been of her. “We agreed not to say anything to Mom and Dad, but I was too angry to let it go. A few days later I got in a fight with the guy. Broke his nose. Mom and Dad were livid. Alyssa wanted to tell them everything, but I wouldn’t let her. It was the least I could do since it was my fault it happened to her in the first place.”

His back was to me now, so I stepped forward and placed my hands on his tense shoulders. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I wasn’t keeping an eye on her.”

“You’re her younger brother. It’s not your job. Besides, you can’t be around to protect everyone all the time.”

He spun around, sliding his hands down my arms. “But I want to protect you. I want to keep you pure and innocent, just like you are now.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“It is while I’m around.”

This summer was flying by even faster than last summer did, days morphing into weeks. When the summer began I felt like I had so much time but now that time was slipping through my fingers like grains of sand, and it caused desperation to bloom in my chest. I was determined to savor every moment I had left with Austin.

“Mina,” Dad stopped me as I headed out one morning. “Where are you going?”

“Out with Austin. We’re gonna hit the gym.” Glancing down, I indicated the gym shorts and t-shirt I wore. “Remember? I told you last night.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I remember. I was just hoping you and I could have a little chat first.”

My stomach tightened. It was never good when Dad said that. I looked around for Luca. His absence made this even more suspicious.

“Have a seat.” Dad sat on the couch, patting the cushion next to him.

Yeah, this was bad.

Slowly, I made my way toward him. Then I hesitantly lowered down onto the couch. The cushion sank beneath me. “What’s up?” I attempted to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Austin this summer.”

“Not any more than last summer,” I said.

His gaze caught mine, his face serious. “But this is different than last summer, isn’t it?”

I opened my mouth, ready to spout off something sarcastic when his expression stopped me. In my sixteen years on this earth, I’d learned to gauge my dad, and it was never a good idea to joke with him when he was this serious. “Well…” I played with the hands in my lap, clasping and unclasping them in rapid succession. “I mean, our relationship has progressed, I guess.”

“I can tell,” Dad said, still studying me in a curious manner. “And you know I like Austin. I like him a lot.” I could tell a “but” was coming, so I sat perfectly still waiting for it. “I’m just not sure it’s smart for you two to get so serious.”

“Why? Is it because we don’t live near each other?” I knew from the beginning that this would be an issue. Austin had alluded to it as well. I was sure it was the main reason he always referred to me as his summer girl. That way we wouldn’t have to make a commitment to one another. That way we wouldn’t have to attempt to make a long distance relationship work. But I wanted to try. I didn’t mind dating someone far away. Austin was the only guy I wanted to be with, regardless of where he lived.

When Dad shook his head, it surprised me. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?” Now my stomach was in full-blown knots.

“I’m just…” he paused, averting his gaze. “I’m not sure Austin is who you think he is.”

I felt blindsided.
Where was this coming from?
Austin fit in here like part of the family. Dad seemed to genuinely like him. He even encouraged our friendship at first. “But you like Austin,” I reminded him.

“I do like him,” he said. “But I don’t know how much we really know about him. I mean, we only see him a couple of months in the summer. We have no idea what he’s like the rest of the year.”

“And he doesn’t know what I’m like the rest of the year,” I pointed out.

Dad smiled. “You’re the same all year long, Mina.”

“Right. So Austin probably is too.”

“I don’t think so.” Dad bit his lip.

I froze. This wasn’t merely a fishing expedition. “Okay, Dad. Why don’t you tell me what you know?” I wondered if he was going to bring up the fight Austin was in a few years back. Even though I couldn’t tell him why it had happened, at least I could ease his mind. Let him know that it’s not as bad as it sounded.

“Austin’s been in some trouble back home.”

My body went hot. “What kind of trouble?”

“I don’t know all the details.”

None of this made any sense. Troublemakers didn’t shield a girl from harm. They didn’t remain a perfect gentlemen even when they had a girl alone in their house. But I couldn’t say that to Dad, because I never told him we were at Austin’s house alone that night. “How do you know any of this?”

“Penny’s friends with Austin’s mom, and--”

I cut him off. “This whole thing is ridiculous.” Standing, I threw my arms up in exasperation. “You don’t know Austin’s parents. Penny may think his mom is great, but she’s not. Trust me. You would be appalled if you saw the way she treats her son.”

I expected Dad to say something sympathetic, something in defense of Austin. Instead, he said, “Haven’t you ever wondered why she’s like that with him?”

Irritation rose inside of me. Penny had really gotten to him. “Yeah, I have wondered. I have often wondered how a woman could treat her child like that.” Shaking my head, I backed away from Dad. “You can think what you want about Austin, but I know him. He’s not a bad guy. He’s the nicest guy I know.”

Dad stood and took a step toward me. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“He’s not gonna hurt me, Dad.”

“You don’t know that,” Dad answered. “People hurt each other all the time without even meaning to.”

“Like you did when you left us,” I said without thinking.

Dad’s eyes widened. He was silent a moment before leaning forward. “I thought we’d moved past this.”

I thought we had too. Groaning inwardly, I wondered why I’d said that. I had no desire to rehash things with Dad again. Besides, I needed to focus on the conversation at hand. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I guess I was just upset about what you were saying about Austin.” I sighed. “Trust me, Dad. Penny is wrong about him.” Whirling around, I headed toward the door. “And I’m actually really late to pick him up now.”

“Why doesn’t he drive, Mina?”

I paused, my shoulders stiffening. Without turning around, I answered, “Um…I don’t know the whole story, but his parents won’t let him drive right now.”

“Don’t you think you should know the whole story?”

“Fine,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ll find out. Okay?” Blowing out a breath, I stepped forward.

“Maybe just stay home today. Hang out with Luca and me.”

Panic seized me, and I spun around. “Are you saying I can’t hang out with Austin anymore?”

He was quiet a minute, and my insides churned. “No,” he finally said, and the relief I felt was palpable. “I’m not. I just wanna spend some time with you.”

Shame washed over me. “Fair enough. I’ll go to the gym with Austin like I planned, and then I’ll have dinner tonight with you and Luca. Just the three of us. Okay?”

Dad’s lips curved upward slightly. “Looking forward to it.”

When I reached the door, Dad added, “And, Mina, I really do think you should have a talk with Austin. Make sure he really is who you think he is.”

Nodding, I hurriedly opened the front door and stepped outside. When I closed the door behind me, I wished I could close the door on Dad’s words just as easily.

***

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t ask him about his life back home. Maybe it was because I was a coward and scared of the answer. I knew Austin wasn’t perfect. He’d told me about the fight a few summers ago, and I got the impression at the bonfire that he’d been to plenty of parties before. He’d probably even drank at them. And he always acted like my innocence was such a novel thing. Therefore, I was certain he had some skeletons in his closet, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what they were.

But most likely it was because seeing Austin shirtless had rendered me useless. All rational thought had been tossed aside with his shirt that was now lying on the ground near his feet. As he hit the punching bag, sweat coating his skin, I couldn’t think of anything other than how good he looked.

However, when my gaze landed on his face, scrunched up and serious, I knew he was wrestling with his demons.

“How is Daniel?” I asked him. It was a question I’d only asked a couple of times since that night up at Serenity Point, but I knew his friend weighed heavily on his mind.

Grunting, he struck the bag again. “Same. Struggling. But he’s strong. The whole family is. They’ll get through it.”

I nodded, knowing I wouldn’t get any more out of him today.

“Your turn.” Austin hopped away from the punching bag. After peeling off his gloves, he reached down and plucked up his water bottle. Swallowing hard, I watched as he took a couple of large gulps.

I stepped toward the bag and got in position. After taking a deep breath, I threw out my first punch. Then another. And another.

“Whoa. Someone’s got some stuff they’re working through,” Austin spoke from over my shoulder. Warm hands landed on my waist, and my body melted beneath his touch. “What’s goin’ on, summer girl?”

I shrugged, not wishing to tell him the reason I was agitated. “Just the usual.”

“Is this about Penny again?”

Nodding, I realized it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Don’t worry about her.” His hands slid up my sides, and I leaned against him until my back was flush with his chest. Lowering his head, heat crept up my neck. Soft lips pressed against my cheek, and I closed my eyes. When his arms encased me, holding me tightly, I lost myself in the moment.

It didn’t matter to me whether Dad was right or not. Perhaps Austin was different back home. But all I cared about was who he was with me. And with me he was gentle and kind, caring even. That was the Austin I was interested in knowing more about.