Summer time had finally arrived and school was no longer a problem for children and teens ages five to eight-teen. As for twenty-three year old Arthur Kirkland, he was stuck with his twelve year old brother for the summer in America. Florida of all places.

Arthur never was really fond of summer. In fact he preferred to skip right to autumn. Who needed heat and humidity anyway? He usually just spent his summers inside the cool house with a good book and a cold glass of lemonade, but his plans this year were rather abruptly halted when his mother informed him that she and his father would be taking a long- summer long- cruise and needed someone to take care of Peter. His older brothers were out of the picture. Scottie had his own problems right now with his wife in Scotland, William was somewhere drinking his troubles away in Ireland, and Dylan was on some kind of trip for his church or work or something Arthur hadn't a clue as to what. All he knew, was that he was stuck in one of the hottest places he had ever been to with this pesky little brat of a brother.

And of course, after a while a little boy is going to become bored in a place like Arthur's apartment. With a little persuasion of "I'll tell Mum!" Arthur finally agreed to take him to the pool in his apartment complex. It wasn't a very large pool, just large enough for Peter to splash around in but not to get lost in. It also had- to Arthur's nonexistent luck- there was a covered area with sealing fans and lawn chairs. Good thing he brought some lemonade and his copy of "The Secret Garden".

They weren't even there for an hour when Arthur's short-lived peace was crumbled by Peter tapping on his shoulder, leaving a small wet spot on his green t-shirt. He sighed and lifted his gaze from the page to his brother. "Yes, Peter, what is it now?"

"Do you happen to have any money on you?" He asked and smiled in a sickeningly sweet way that made Arthur suspicious.

"Yes. Why?"

"Because I hear the Ice cream truck!" He stated like it was obvious. Though now that Arthur listened more carefully, he could very much make out the music such trucks played.

"Peter, give me one good reason why I should waste the money that I've earned for myself on you because you wanted some frozen treat that only causes brain freezes and obesity?" Peter's expression turned evil and his blue eyes narrowed threateningly.

"Because I'll tell Mum that you locked me in the bathroom all summer with only your nasty scones to eat." Arthur knew he'd lost as soon as the words left his mouth. Of course Peter would resort to that, because their mother would always side with the little demon. Though later, she would always hug Arthur and apologize for siding with Peter even if she knew Arthur was right. Then they would have tea together and laugh and all would be forgiven, because the only reason she did side with Peter all the time was because after four other children, she was tired of the whining.

Arthur sighed and stood up, walking to the gate with Peter skipping along behind him. The ice cream truck pulled up by the curb a few feet from them and Peter ran up to it with a shout of "Hurry! Before it leaves!". It did not leave though, and Peter stared at the menu while Arthur pulled his leather wallet out. While the two were occupied with what they were doing, a young man came to the window and asked, "What can I get 'cha?" Arthur looked up and found his face growing warm for reasons other than the climate. This young man was at least a few years younger than Arthur himself but was five times as handsome. He was the complete image of summer with his flawless bronze tan and golden locks like the sun. Not to mention his eyes like a cloudless sky in June. Arthur was almost ashamed at how cliché that just sounded.

"I don't know! Arthur, what should I get?" Arthur nearly jumped at the sudden use of his name and looked away to hide the redness in his cheeks.

"I don't know. It's your ice cream, but make it something cheap. Money doesn't grow on trees you know." He sat down on the curb and turned his attention to the tennis courts.

"I'd get either the chocolate chip sandwich, the fudgesicle, or the lick-a-color popsicle thing. They're really good and only a dollar." The man suggested with a wink at Arthur's direction. Arthur blushed and Peter scratched his nose, not noticing the gesture towards his older brother.

"I think I'll get the fudgesicle, please." He smiled up at the man.

"Okey dokey." He turned to Arthur. "Hey, do you want anything?" Arthur thought his question over for a minute before grumbling his answer.

"I'll just take one of those lemon ice things."

"Sure thing!" He left the window and came back with the ice cream in his hands. Peter jumped up and grabbed his and Arthur stood up and placed the money on the window. As he took his lemon ice, his and the young man's hand brushed against each other. Arthur pulled his hand away at the touch and his face became redder. Arthur and Peter were walking way back to the pool when the man called out for them. "Hey, I was wandering if maybe I could join you guys since this is my last stop?" He scratched the back of his neck nervously and chuckled. Before Arthur had time to answer, Peter jumped up.

"Yeah!" He glared at Arthur. "It was getting lonely swimming all by myself." Arthur shot a glare right back at him.

"You were the one who wanted to come to the pool in the first place." Peter stuck out his tongue and Arthur rolled his eyes. The man chuckled again.

"Are you guys brothers or something', 'cause you sure act like it." Arthur turned his glare to the man which only made him laugh. "By the way, I'm Alfred."

"I'm Peter and this is my grumpy older brother, Arthur!" While they had their introductions, Arthur walked back to his chair and continued reading, but became distracted when Alfred and Peter came through the gate. Alfred had apparently already had his bathing suit and had taken his shirt off. Arthur found himself mesmerized with the abs of this man he hadn't even known two hours. Though anyone would have to be blind o not notice the way his muscles moved whenever he did and the way they were shaped perfectly as if he'd had years of physical activity to sculpt his body to perfection. He was probably just jealous, yeah that's it. Arthur tried to resume his reading, but often caught himself staring at Alfred and once he even found a trail of drool drip off his chin.

It was seven o'clock when Alfred and Peter got out of the pool, and Peter went off to the bathroom so Alfred sat down beside Arthur. "Whatcha reading?"

"None of your business." Arthur replied, trying incredibly hard not to take his eyes off the page. Alfred laughed and pointed at the page.

"You know you've been on the same page for a while. Are you that slow of a reader or are you too distracted?" Alfred smiled and him, but Arthur snarled at him.

"Oh, shut it, you twat!" He slammed the book shut and crossed his arms. Alfred was still smiling at him so intensely that Arthur's face grew hot.

"You know, your eyes are really pretty." He was so sincere that Arthur didn't have the will to insult him for the use of the word 'pretty'. He just turned away and whispered, "Thank you".

"Say, do you have anything planned this Friday?" Alfred asked with his bright grin.

"The only thing I'm doing for the whole summer is watching after Peter." Alfred's smile grew bigger.

"There's a new theater opening down the road from here, you wanna catch a movie there?"

"Sure." He offered a small smile back. "You can pick me up at seven o'clock and I'm in Apartment 157 over there." Arthur turned around to point at a building. "Don't you dare be late."

"I won't. Trust me." Peter came out and yawned.

"Alright, Peter, it's about time we got you home." They bid Alfred a goodbye and left to Arthur's apartment.

Come Friday, Alfred was true to his word and knocked on the door right at seven o'clock. Peter was at a friend's house, so he wouldn't have to have stayed home alone. Alfred had suggested a new horror movie that had come out, but Arthur completely ignored that suggestion. To say the least, Arthur had a great time.

Summer didn't seems so bad to Arthur anymore. Because who needs lemonade and a book when you have ice cream and a remarkably attractive young man to serve it to you.