Chapter Text
Lily POV
Watching the long, wavy green hills change to thick pine trees through the window brought warmth and happy memories to my mind. My grandparents decided to finally leave the suburbs of New York and move south to the warm rays and calming waves that were offered at the lake in North Carolina. They retired three years ago and announced to everyone that they were moving to their house on the lake and selling their home. They had a big lake house that we have spent every summer at for the last eighteen years. The house was filled with pictures, and stories from my childhood. Walking the halls showed how my cousins and I grew up. You could find us in one picture with little floaties learning how to swim, then walk a few more steps to see terrified faces as they are being pulled on a tube, and a couple more would show you bonfires with teenage laughter filling the frame.
My seat is in the back of the jeep with my best friend Marlene right next to me, she has come with me to the lake the last two years. After Petunia married Vernon and refused to be a part of anything we did as a family, my parents saw how lonely I was at the lake and invited Marley to take her place. She was nodding her head to the beat while listening to The Lake Playlist. She’s been building a playlist of all the best songs to listen to while at the lake for years. The light is shining through the window on her long blonde hair that I had weaved into two braids that morning. Her golden hair next to her olive skin, made it look like she lived on the lake. She glanced over at me with a questioning look, I shook my head and looked back out the window. I couldn’t help but smile. This was going to be our summer. Both fresh from our first year at NYU where we lived together in a dorm and ready to see where the summer would take us.
I could see the sparkling water and lots of boats starting out on their adventure for the day. Every year we drive through the small town lined with candy shops, book stores and little clothing boutiques, they all have their doors open to feel the warm air from the breeze that carries in from the lake. Looking out the window I can see the street filled with bikes, families running around and colorful flowers in baskets hanging from the street lights. Ten more minutes go by and we finally turn to drive down the gravel lane that leads to our home away from home.
Pulling up to a stop next to the house my mom turns around in the passenger seat and says, “Last one to the lake has to carry in all the bags!” Marley and I race to get out of the Jeep and run to our room. All the girl cousins stay in the loft, it is lined with beds on each side of the room and has a big space in the middle with a huge rug that adorns the wood floors. Luckily I packed an extra suit in my backpack last night. I rip off my clothes and change into my green two piece. Running out the door I catch a glimpse of myself in the long mirror down the hall and stop. I did not look like a glowing goddess on the water like Marley, instead I was pale, freckled and had long tangled red hair. Petunia always commented on my freakish looks, and made comments like, “Couldn’t you try to be the same as everyone else? Use a self tanner or cover up! No one wants to see your ghostly skin on the lake.” Standing in front of the mirror I touch my snowy skin and cringe. I should go get my bag and change into something that covers up a little bit more skin. Before I can change I see Marley come up behind me in the mirror and tug on a fiery strand of my hair, “Don’t let that wench in your mind for one more second, she has fed you these lies long enough and I will not let her tear you down any longer. You have a bitchin’ bod and you need to show it off. Now let’s go before your mom makes us carry in all those big ass bags!”
Marley may look like an innocent and sweet girl on the outside, but she is not someone to mess with. She is blunt and will tell you exactly what she is thinking whether it hurts your feelings or not. This is one of many reasons Marley and Petunia have never gotten along. Marlene moved next door to my family when we were six and Petunia was nine, the first day we met Marlene she had overheard Petunia tell me my red hair was freakish and I could not join her tea party with her normal looking friends. She stormed over and told Petunia her face was weird, and she had a pointy nose. Marlene has been standing up for me against Petunia my whole life. I sigh at the memory while Marley tugs on my hair again and to get me out of my thoughts.
We thunder down the long staircase and burst through the door without stopping for a breath. The lake is sparkling, the sun’s warm rays are kissing my skin, and the breeze is gently blowing my hair, I feel at home. Marley races past me down the dock and does a perfect dive into the water. “Are you coming in?” she asks after she surfaces. “Or are you going to stand there and get sunburned, you pasty little thing!” Rolling my eyes and I run to the dock, and perform an excellent cannon ball into the water, with a satisfying splash in her face.
The sun hits its peak as we drag ourselves out of the water. Our stomachs growling surpassed our need to be in the cool water. The porch door creaks open and I am greeted with my favorite sight. My grandma's beautiful emerald green eyes and welcoming arms. “I was comin’ to drag your little behind out of the water so I could getta proper hello!” She said in her calming southern voice. I rush into her warm arms and I am immediately overwhelmed with her sweet scent. For as long as I can remember she has smelled like vanilla, my grandpa calls her Sweetie because she smelled like sweet vanilla when they met. She jokes that she should call him sweaty because he had just finished working in the hot southern sun and was covered in sweat. They met on the lake when grandpa visited from New York for work one summer long ago. “Come inside we have lunch ready for you girls.” she said. Marley and I followed her inside and sat on the stoles that surrounded the big island. We are the first to arrive of the Evans family. My dad has two other siblings, my aunt Cassidy and her husband Thomas have two twin girls that just graduated from high school. They are attending college next year on scholarships to sing and play soccer. And a brother named Micheal and his wife Caroline that have three boys. Their boys were a few years younger than us and caused lots of chaos around the house. I stuck with the twins and Marls.
“When does everyone else get here?” I ask. We all arrive on the same day, the first of June every year and leave on the twentieth of July. “Michael, Caroline and the kids left a little later than they were planning this morning but will be here in a few hours. Cassidy, Thomas and the twins will be here in about forty-five minutes with the boat.” my mom replied. Caroline and Michael moved to Georgia when he got a job at a law firm, taking my cousins Wesley, Liam and Miles with him. I only get to see them when we get to the lake. My other cousins still live in New York about a half hour away from my family. Dorcas and Hattie Meadows are twins but you would never know. Dorcas is tall with rich brown skin and long braided locs and muscles built from years of soccer. And Hattie is shorter with a lighter skin tone and short curly dark hair. At the mention of the twins Marlene’s eyes go wide and she stops chewing the sandwich she had just taken a bite of. I give her a confused look but she shakes me off and continues eating. I will have to question her later. We race upstairs after we finish eating to claim our bunks and unpack the luggage my dad brought upstairs for us, having lost the race to the water.
“Did you see the house built down the road from your grandparents on the drive down here?” Marley asks as she unpacks her bathroom bag. “What house are you talking about?” I stop unpacking and ask with a puzzled look. “There was a fork in the lane when we were coming up to your Grandma's house, it looked like a mansion on the water. They had a big slide coming down from the top deck. Lots of floats and jet skis out on the water.” Marlene is shaking her head at me like I have worms crawling out of my ears. “You could see it from the water, has the lake already clouded your little head with daydreams?” I roll my eyes and move to unload my clothes in the dresser. “I have no idea what you're talking about Marls, the old couple that lives next to my grandparents would never sell that tiny little house and they haven’t left in years.” I explain. “Well that might be true but that house was huge and I have never seen it before, I think we should go…” Marley is interrupted by squealing coming up the stairs, Dorcas and Hattie have arrived. “LILY!” They scream. They slam into me with a huge hug and still holding all their bags, until we land in a big heap of clothes and girls on the floor.
After catching up and attempting to unpack some more we ventured out onto the water. “I can’t believe you convinced my parents to buy you this giant thing,” I say while rolling my eyes. Marlene had convinced my parents to buy a big floating unicorn that could fit all the girls. It had taken all four of us to blow it up and push it out onto the water. Marlene stretched out and smirked, “Yeah, but isn’t it worth it?” Floating on the blue sparkling water I look over at the girls that I get to spend the whole summer with. Marley is wearing a bright pink two piece with a one shoulder strap, she looks like Barbie. Perfect in every way with white sunglasses perched on top of her now loose flowing golden hair. She is stealing glances at Dorcas, my question has been answered without me having to try. I chuckle at the sight and she gives me a cold glare that would send anyone else running. I cannot blame her, my cousin has always been the gorgeous one, stealing the hearts of everyone she meets, year after year she leaves a string of broken hearts behind when she leaves the lake. It is no different this year, she is glowing in the rays of the sun, she has long braids with silver beads weaved into them. She is wearing a simple one piece that shows off all her soccer training. I splash Marlene with some water, “I don’t think you want to start that little red.” she says. “So Dorcas, when do you have to start back up with soccer training?” Marlene asks while twirling her hair around her finger.
I roll my eyes and tune out the girls talking and think about the lake and everything it means to me. Year after year we come to the lake and I spend the summer listening to stories from my dad and his siblings' youth at the lake, how my grandparents met here and I can’t help but dream of that for me. I have dreamed of a summer romance since I was ten, fresh off my first crush on a boy and began watching too many romcoms. I have thought up a million scenarios, I see him across the street of the small town, our eyes meet and its destiny. Or we both sneak out for a late night swim and our eyes meet at midnight. He saves me when I get a cramp swimming and we have a summer of romance (okay that is from Grease bit you get my point). I used to share these dreams with Petunia before she cut me out, that was the one thing we agreed on, a love story at the lake like my grandparents had.
I am torn from my thoughts as I feel a splash of water hit my face. Looking up I see a group of four boys on jet skis tearing through the water. There are two sets of boys, on one jet ski there is a tall boy with sandy blonde curls, with scars criss crossing his tan freckled face and body, behind him with his arms wrapped tightly around his middle is a muscular pale boy with long black hair tied into a ponytail. He has dark tattoos up and down his torso and arms. He looks like he could be found on the cover of a magazine somewhere. They have the biggest smiles on their faces as they race the other jet ski. I glance over at the other jet ski. There are two more boys, the one on the back is a short and husky boy with brown shaggy hair and rosy cheeks. He is holding onto the bar on the back of the jet ski, with a worried look on his face. Finally I look at the last boy, his tan hands are holding tight to the handle bars, my eyes are drawn up to his toned tan back and finally to his wild black hair. I gasp when he turns around to look back at the other boys.
Marlene, Dorcas and Hattie are screaming and laughing at the boys as they get closer and closer. Rocking the water to make strong waves that lap into the unicorn. “Lily what’s wrong?” Marley stops laughing as she sees my face frozen. I couldn’t take my eyes away. I was stuck looking at his strong jaw, dark lashes, messy hair and hazel eyes.
It was James, my James.