One Perfect Summer

afterglow I’d been experiencing disappeared the moment I walked in through the door and now I sit down at the table feeling glum.
    ‘He overslept,’ she says.
    ‘Really? That’s unusual for him.’
    ‘Mmm.’
    ‘Big night?’
    ‘Oh, no bigger than usual,’ she replies offhandedly. ‘But tell me about your night! You stayed at Lukas’s?’ She props her elbows on the table and leans in closer.
    ‘Yes.’ I shift in my seat, but can’t keep the smile from my face.
    Her eyes widen. ‘Did you do the dirty deed?’
    ‘What a thing to call it!’ I exclaim.
    ‘You did!’ she cries. ‘What was he like?’
    I smile.
    ‘He was good, wasn’t he?’ she asks eagerly.
    I shrug.
    ‘Come on, you have to kiss and tell!’ she squawks.
    ‘Alice, are you coming to work or not?’ Jessie demands to know from the doorway.
    I jump to my feet. ‘Yes. Give me five minutes to change.’
    He humphs, but I know he’ll wait.
    ‘Talk to you later,’ I say to Emily. She hunches over with disappointment and I rush upstairs to throw on some fresh clothes. A shower will have to wait until later.

 
    ‘So . . .’ Jessie says on the walk to the Magdalene Bridge punting station. (When I lived in halls I used to start tours near Silver Street Bridge, on the other side of town, but now Magdalene is much closer.) ‘You stayed over at Lukas ’ s ,’ he continues, saying ‘Lukas’ in a sardonic way.
    ‘Yes,’ I reply crossly. ‘Have you got a problem with that, Jessie ?’ I’m too annoyed to address him by his nickname.
    ‘Well, it would have been nice of you to tell us.’
    ‘I’ve already apologised for not calling. But, seriously, you’re starting to act like my dad.’
    Strangely enough, this comment does not bring him any closer to forgiving me.
    ‘I won’t bother worrying about you in the future, then!’ he snaps.
    ‘Please don’t!’ I bite back.
    We don’t speak to each other for the rest of the walk. In fact, we both continue to hold a grudge until later that afternoon when we see each other up ahead on the river. We’re going in opposite directions, and I glare at him as he gets closer, just as I’ve done on the last two tours I’ve taken today. Suddenly he punts straight into me.
    ‘Argh!’ I manage to keep my balance and am about to hurl abuse at him, when I see his expression.
    ‘Alright, China?’ he asks casually.
    My face breaks into a smile. ‘Bugger off,’ I say jokily, digging my pole into the mud to punt away from him.
    ‘What time are we going to the movies tonight?’ he asks as I glide past.
    ‘Are we still going, then?’
    ‘Unless you’ve got other plans with Lukas . . .’ he replies in that same sardonic tone, completely disregarding the fact that both sets of passengers are listening.
    ‘No, I told him I was going to the movies with you.’
    ‘That was good of you.’
    I glare over my shoulder at him, but he’s grinning.
    ‘Speak later.’ I return my attention to my tour as Trinity Bridge comes into view. I’ve been totally and utterly distracted today. I can’t think about last night – and this morning – without blushing. I really want to see Lukas again and I keep hoping he’ll be there on the bank each time I pass Trinity, but he never is. And once more I have to go past feeling deflated.
    Going to the movies turns out to be a total waste of time and money because in the darkness of the cinema all I can think about is Lukas. His eyes . . . his lips . . . his body . . . what he did to me . . . I’m so turned on I can barely breathe. I’m not sure I can wait until tomorrow to see him again. I desperately want to drop by his room later, but I don’t know if I should play it cool. He wasn’t there on the bridge today. Didn’t he want to see me? Out of the blue I feel uneasy and anxious.
    I never felt like that with Joe . . .
    At this thought, my desire is replaced with a deep and aching sadness. Where is Joe? Why didn’t he come to find me, like he promised? My bottom lip starts to wobble dangerously and I have an overwhelming urge to go home and cry into my pillow.
    What if he does still love me? What if he intends to come for me? What if I’ve just . . . What if I’ve just cheated on him? I feel sick at the thought. Yet it’s been well over a year . . . Surely he can’t expect me to wait forever? What if he ’ s found someone else? Pain shoots through my chest. The thought of him with another girl . . . Stop it, Alice! Stop thinking about