Track 7: Side B

15 Doodled Hearts

 

Lincoln

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and steeled my nerves as I tugged on the back door. It opened with a creak, and I slipped out, knowing I’d chicken out if I didn’t go now. In my fifteen years of life, I’d never been nervous to see Jace.

It didn’t make any sense to be this nervous. We’d spent every summer together for as long as I could remember. And so what if I’d started noticing Jace differently last summer? I was sure when I saw him again, everything would feel normal. I’d look at him and know he’s my bro like he’s always been.

I darted across the lawn separating our cabins and lifted my fist up to knock on his front door.

“Lincoln, I was wondering when you’d find your way over here,” Jace’s mom greeted me when she opened the door.

“Hi, Mrs. Greene. It’s good to see you again.”

“Always so polite. You’re growing like a weed just like Jace is. Do you have your learner’s permit yet?”

“Not yet, ma’am. I have drivers ed in the fall, so I’ll get it then.”

“Good, I don’t think my poor heart is ready to have either of you boys driving yet. Let me go grab Jace, and he’ll be right out. I know he’ll be thrilled to see you; he never stops talking about you.”

My heart gave a happy jolt at those words. Jace thought about me when we weren’t together? Was it possible he thought of me like I thought of him? Doubtful, but it was possible. Wasn’t it?

I lingered on the front porch, kicking sticks and watching squirrels run up and down the trees. The sound of the door opening behind me set my heart racing and put a smile on my face. I swear, I could feel Jace’s presence wrapping around me and filling me with beams of happiness.

I whipped around and found Jace smiling as widely as I was. I wanted to stride across the porch and pull him into a hug. I wanted to sniff him to find out if he was still using that coconut shampoo he used last year. I wanted to find out if his lips were as soft as they looked.

Shit, this is so far from the normal I was hoping for.

I shuffled my feet and shoved my hands into my pockets. “Hey, Freckles.”

Jace gave me the finger at his despised nickname. “You can’t call me that until I’ve at least gotten some sun to bring the magic of the freckles out in full force.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that rule.”

“It’s hot out, you want to go swimming?” he suggested, ignoring my teasing.

“Yeah, I have my suit on under my pants already.”

“Me too.”

An awkward silence hung between us that never existed before. I could only blame it on the weird feelings I must’ve been projecting at him. If I wanted to touch and kiss Jace, did that make me gay? I probably should’ve figured that out way before the age of fifteen, but I never thought very much about boys or girls until last summer when I’d started noticing Jace in a different way. Did Jace date a lot of girls back home?

I followed him down the steps and toward the lake only a few yards away. He stripped his shirt over his head as he walked, and my mouth went dry. I was hypnotized by the way the lean muscles in his back moved as he walked and the way the sun bathed his skin. I wanted to cover him as completely as the sun was able to.

“Do you ever date girls?” I blurted out as we neared the water’s edge, divesting ourselves of the rest of our clothes.

“Um…no, not really.” A pink blush crept over Jace’s cheeks, and I did an internal fist pump.

“Me neither. I was just curious.” I shrugged, and Jace cocked his head like he was trying to figure me out.

“Last one in the water is a rotten egg,” he declared without warning, leaving me with my pants half off as he cannonballed off the pier into the murky lake.

I nearly tripped scrambling out of my pants, and then I jumped off the pier, making sure to get a good splash just as Jace was popping out of the water.

Underwater, I opened my eyes and saw Jace a few inches in front of me. It was cloudy, but still good enough to make sure I was right in front of him when I surfaced with another splash.

“Hey!” Jace complained as I sprayed water at his face.

“Hey!” I shouted back with a smirk, splashing him again and laughing.

“You’re going to pay for that.” Jace pushed a wave of water at me.

I lunged at him, causing a tussle to ensue as we tried to dunk each other. The feeling of Jace’s wet skin against mine was quickly too much, making my blood heat and my body respond south of the border. I moved away from him, desperately praying that putting a little space between us would calm my body down.

I looked at my best friend, awed by the way the sun hit the water droplets clinging to his face and how bright his smile was. It hit me like a punch in the gut; I was in love with Jace.

“Are you okay, Linc? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“Great,” I responded in a weak, unconvincing tone. “Just realizing how hungry I am. Want to walk to the corner store and get something for lunch?”

“Yeah,” Jace agreed, brushing his hair back, then swimming back over to the pier.

My eyes followed him as he emerged from the water, his soggy trunks slipping down his hips and clinging to the curve of his ass.

“Are you coming?” he asked, turning around to find me still in the lake.

“Yeah.”

Jace

Lincoln was acting weird. Was it possible he’d figured out my secret? Did I give myself away somehow?

It had been my greatest fear for three years that Lincoln would figure it out and that he wouldn’t want to be friends with me anymore. I didn’t have any friends back home. The three months a year I spent with Lincoln was the only time I felt normal. All the kids at school knew, including my brother. I was glad he hadn’t told our parents, but I knew I should soon. I didn’t want to hide who I was, but I knew Lincoln would feel weird if he knew.

“Race you to the shower,” Lincoln suggested with a wicked grin, taking off before I had a chance to respond.

I sprinted after him toward the outdoor shower behind his cabin. When I caught up, he was already dropping his trunks.

The sight of Lincoln’s bare, round ass made my mouth go instantly dry. It wiggled back and forth as he stepped out of his trunks, and then he bent over, and an audible gasp escaped me.

“You okay, Freckles?” Lincoln asked, glancing over his shoulder. I spun quickly in an attempt to hide my erection. I hurried to pull off my swim trunks, willing my erection to subside before I had to turn around again. I grasped my jeans and pulled them up quickly, my heart going wild with fear that Lincoln might see.

Lincoln’s hand touched my back, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Whoa, sorry.” I looked over my shoulder again to see him looking chagrined.

“It’s okay,” I waved him off, pulling my shirt over my head. “Let’s go.”

If I couldn’t get my crush on Lincoln under control, this summer was going to be torture.