Summer With the Bertram Brothers

I scribble on some paper as I glare at Eva forever. She models in her mini skirt.
“Ugh, this doesn’t fit,” she mumbles, pressing her hands above her waist. I look down at my pen.
“Why didn’t you get a bigger size?” I forget that I wasn’t talking to her anymore.
She looks at me through the mirror, “Why don’t you zip your mouth shut?”
“Your not fat, Eva,” I say. I’m no therapist, but I try to help sometimes. I feel the need to when the bathroom smells like vomit.
“Who said I was fat?” she laughs snobbishly.
I breathe, “No one.”
She looks back at herself, “Would make sense, right?”
I bite my tongue. It’s still early in the morning. We don’t have to fight.
She shreds out of her clothes and changes again.
“I wish mom could make us breakfast...” I sigh to myself.
“I can use a piña colada.”
“You think mom is okay?”
Eva groans as she puts on a top, “Who cares, Ambi.”
Giving up, I hop off my bed and walk through the door.
“Hey,” Eva stops me. I turn, “Stay away from Rico.”
I pull my hair back, “I’m nowhere near him.”
She gave me a ‘you know what I mean’ face. But I ignore it and walk out the house. I don’t know what she means at all.

Trim’s smile is to die for. The damp air mixed with the heat of the sun feels good on my skin. White petals fall out of the trees every time the wind blows. I reach for one stuck in Trim’s curls.
“I hope you got your bathing suit on,” he says, shaking his head, as if a reflex from my touch. I couldn’t help but bite my smile.
“Yeah, why?”
He playfully wriggles his brows at me, making me suddenly self-conscious.
“I want to show you something,” he looks away and gets up.
“What is it?”
He stops in his tracks and looks back at me. I stare expectantly.
“It’s something you’ll need your bathing suit for,” he grins. It’s so easy to follow him. It’s so easy to fall for him. I feel some distance though. I don’t know anything about him. He doesn’t know anything about me. But I guess when we’re together, none of those things matter. He takes my hand in his and leads me away from town. Palm trees and citrus trees grow wild. The large leaves shade us from the sun. Maybe it’s no good if it’s too easy. The path is steep as we go down. The more we walked, the louder the shushing sound got. I listen closely to hear it. Before I can figure out the sound and where it’s coming from, we are at the pool of a waterfall. My mouth drops at how cool the sight looks.
“Trim this is awesome,” I say, walking on top of the rocks. I ask myself how come I’ve never discovered this. Judging by the absence of human life, not many people know about this spot. I can practically see my reflection in the clear water. It must be the death of the lake. I turn and look at Trim. He walks up next to me and pulls his shirt above his head. A bit startled, I take a step back. He tosses it aside and shrugs.
“Are you coming in?”
The mist coming from the fall moistens me and it feels cold. I bend to dip my foot in the water. The cold numbs my toes. I pull back, shaking my head.
“Cold,” I say. Trim laughs at me.
“Chicken—once you get in it’s not so bad. Alright, how about we both go on a count of three?”
His proposition seems reasonable.
“Alright,” I agree. I pout nervously and take off my shorts and my tank top. Trim’s eyes are on me the whole time. I try to stare ahead. I ball my hands into fists, readying myself to freeze. I hear Trim’s voice.
“1,2,3!” he chimes.
I dive, showing him I’m no chicken. I hit the icy water and swim my head above the water, only to find Trim still lovely and dry.
“Hey!” I scream, shivering crazy, “Y-y-you l-l-liar!”
He can’t help himself laughing. I splash water on him. He backs up far away. I fix my bikini and watch him run into a cannonball. It made me wave in the water. He surfaces and attacks me. I feel the pebbles beneath my toes. After splashing each other for a long while, Trim rubs his soaked head.
“See, it’s not so bad,” he pants.
“Still you tricked me,” I pretend to sulk. He floats on his back. I sink myself under the water except my eyes. I watch him. He’s different from his brother. We fall silent. The noise of the water drowns my thoughts. I don’t know why I like him so much. I want to hope I’m the only girl he’s shown this place to. But I can’t. I’m afraid to waste energy. Trim twists away and swims towards the wall of water. He takes a glance back at me and goes under water. I quickly follow him behind the fall. It was indented, creating a small cave like opening. The top with white abstract dancing shapes reflected from the sunlight on the water. The pebbles make the ground shallower. I stand, half in the water.
I rub my eyes open. Trim turns and I’m exposed to his toned body. I inhale hard, trying to rip my eyes away from him. I feel the ends of my ears heat up. Stare at the rock. Stare at the rock. Stare at any rock... I think to myself. Trim pulls me in his arms close to him. Like magnet, out wet bodies stick together. He tucks his head under my chin, leaving kisses down my neck. I pant and my chest lifts and drops and lift rapidly. I bind my fingers on his shoulders as I’m trapped between the rocky wall and him. He’s no longer gentle. He strokes my back and kisses me with hot lips. His hands grip parts of me all over. I let him touch me. I hesitate though, when he hooks his index on the elastic waist of my bikini. I pull back, opening my eyes to see Trim gazing at me, wondering. I stare down at his chest. I feel his breath on me. Still, he continues kissing me. He pushes his finger down my bikini.
“Mm—” I swallow in my throat. The sudden feeling put me in some kind of shock. Something bolts through my insides and I lock the oxygen in my lungs. I have no control on the events happening between my legs. Embarrassed, I push Trim away from me. It doesn’t take his hand away though.
“Stop,” I push him some more. He finally keeps his hand to himself. I suddenly feel the need to cover myself. He’s entered untouched territory. This feeling’s different from a simply kiss.
“What’s the matter?” he asks, out of breath too.
“Nothing,” I say, “I just... think you’re going too fast.”
I watch his face go back into relax mode, forming what will be a grin soon. I look away, even more embarrassed. He’s probably done this plenty times with many girls. I shouldn’t have acted like a chicken. I should have let him... But, I have this feeling that he just wants to get in my... bikini. And that he doesn’t really like me. The thoughts keep building up to the point that I feel like crying. But before I explode, Trim backs up a little.
“Sorry,” he whispers in my ear, “If you want, we’ll take it slowly.”
Great, I think, I messed up. He thinks now I’m a loser... I close my eyes, keeping my frustration inside. I want to disappear. I feel his lips on my forehead and then my skin freezes up. I open my eyes to see him walking away from me. It’s as if someone turned off the heater. I stare at his back. I watch the lines it makes when he moves. Water dripping from the ends of his hair... The curve at his waist...
“Yeah, but,” I say out. He turns his head to me. I sigh and lick my lips... where his were. I blush by his mesmerizing gaze, “We don’t have to go that slow.”
His grin appears.