"What are you going to do for your birthday party, Claire?" Jackie asked as Collin left. Pretty much, she ignored me unless Collin was gone. Which was not very often.

We were currently sitting on the couch, in short shorts and bikini tops, waiting for this little heat wave to cool off.

"I don't know. Maybe me and a couple friends can go up to Vancouver or Victoria or something," I mused. I hadn't actually given it much thought; I still had lots of time until August.

"Ooh, perfect. Then mom will have to take you and I'll have the house to myself…" she started daydreaming. Ew.

"Or not," I corrected. "I don't know. I have a while." I wasn't really keeping track of dates this summer… most of my time was spent at first beach just hanging out and relaxing. No major plans.

"Not really, Claire. Unless you count a week enough to plan a trip across the border." She flipped the channel on the TV to some teenage reality show.

"A week? What day is it?" I backtracked the days in my head. I figured it must have been…

"August 2nd. The 9th really isn't so far away." She looked at me like I was stupid for not remembering my own birthday. Which I kind of was.

"Well, what should I do with a week to plan?" No body would be able to clear their schedules for a party with a week's notice. I'd probably end up babysitting my cousin, watching movies. Story of my life.

"I'll plan something, if you want." She offered.

"Really? Thanks! Don't make it too big. Only a couple people would have to come. Maybe they can just come over for cake or something."

"Yeah, sure. But don't worry- I'll take care of everything! It's the least I can do before I go off to college this fall." She tried to sound proud.

"Jacqueline, you're going to community college. You're going to be living here, still." She acted like she was moving across the world forever.

"Yeah, but I got accepted into Brown, which is the other side of the country. And I chose to stay here! Doesn't that say something?" she batted her eyelashes.

"Hah! Like you stayed for me. Everyone knows you stayed for your beloved Collin. Which reminds me, why didn't he just go with you to Rhode Island? You're both adults. Can't he get a new job there?" I tried to get Jacqueline, like I've tried on everyone for months, to tell me the secret. No one had slipped up.

Jackie sucked in a sharp breath. "He likes his work. He can't leave it."

Her tone finished the conversation. Stupid everyone who knew this stupid secret. Even my parents!

"Please tell me?"

"No."

"Damn." We finished watching the show in silence.

"I'm going to find Quil," I informed her. "See you later."

"Whatever."

I walked, barefoot over to Quil's house. He always said I could just walk in, but I never did. I've seen Showcase. I know what guys do when they're alone.

"Hey, Claire," Quil greeted after I knocked and he opened the door. He was wearing- or should I say not wearing- his usual; a pair of cutoff shorts and nothing else. I tried not to stare. "How are you?"

I hadn't seen Quil in a few days- he said work was busy, but lately whenever he DID see me, he acted all weird. Maybe he knew I was totally wanting him.

Yeah, yeah. So sue me. Quil is hot, okay? I can't help myself- I'm an almost sixteen year old girl who hangs around an extremely good looking and nice and funny guy all the time (well, until lately, that is. Pfft. Work.) How does anyone expect me not to start liking him?

Walking into his house and lazing across his huge couch, I said, "Meh. I just remembered my birthday was in a week, so I let Jacqueline plan a party for me. What about you?" Even in my scanty clothing, I was still way too hot. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

"Um… same old." His voice was strained. He stared at a spot on the ground and fidgeted.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Still trying to inconspicuously steal a glance at his… drool… abs…

"Yeah. Hey Claire, I've gotta work in a few." Gosh, what a surprise!

"What's with you working so much lately?" I rolled my eyes and walked outside, grabbing the hose.

"What are you doing with that?" Quil asked, totally ignoring my question.

"Cooling you down. I think the heat must be affecting your brain." I uncoiled the hose, trying to get all the kinks out.

"Claire…" he warned. "Claire, don't! So help me if you-" but he was cut off by a jet of cold water hitting his chest. Now that isn't fair. WATER gets to touch Quil's body before I do.

"You little…" he ran up to me and yanked the hose from my hands. He turned it off and started wrapping it up again.

"Fine. You're no fun anyway. I knew you were too chicken to-" This time I was cut off by a stream of ice cold water.

"Quil!" I squealed. "You're dead!" Luckily I was wearing a bikini top, so I wouldn't have a huge soaking shirt clinging to me.

"Oh yeah? How're you gonna do that?" He squirted me a couple more times.

"Ah!" I ran a few houses over to Jared and Kim's house, grabbed their son's awesome water gun and filled it up.

"So you came back?" Quil asked, grabbing the hose again.

I didn't reply, only aimed the water gun at his face and pulled the trigger.

We went on like that for about ten minutes, blinded by water and not able to see where we were shooting.

When I ran out of water, I didn't stop. I ran up to him and tried to angle the hose so he was spraying himself; unfortunately, he was way too strong. So we were laughing and wrestling for the hose and having what I thought was an awesome time when suddenly he stopped struggling for control of the water. I looked up at him to see him staring at me. With that look that made me feel extraordinary, the one that made my insides turn to jelly...

He took a step closer, reached out, and touched my wet hair. His fingers trailed down my cheek and then down my shoulders and spine. His warm fingers on my cold bare back made me shudder. When his fingers reached the small of my back, his hand opened and he guided me closer to him, breathing in his scent that reminded me of campfire and cinnamon...

I could feel his other hand twirling my hair around his fingers, his hot breath on my neck... but instead of warming it up, it send goosebumps across it. His fingers traced up and down my spine, sending tingles through my entire body.

I should have known it wouldn't last. Leave it to me to let out a noise (and I will not call it a moan, because that is way too embarrassing), and snap him out of it. He quickly pulled his hands out of my hair and off my back, then placed them on my shoulders to push me away. I needed to catch my breath; I must have been holding it.

His eyes closed, his head bowed, and he rubbed his forehead with his palm, his elbow resting in his other hand. "I don't know what to do with myself anymore," he muttered. "I don't know how to act, how to think when I'm around you."

"Good! Don't think," I pleaded. He opened his eyes, and they were filled with anger. But I think he was angry at himself.

"No! You have no idea how hard it is to stay over here when you want me to be with you. It's taking all I have, and encouraging me is making it worse. Especially in your... outfit." he waved his hand up and down my body; I blushed.

"You notice that stuff?" I asked.

"I can't not. I'm glad I've fooled you this long." He shook his head and the anger left his eyes.

"What kind of other stuff makes you... not want to stay over there?" I couldn't believe Quil was starting to think of me more like a woman than a little kid.

He grinned a little. "It's everything you do- things you don't even notice you're doing, sometimes. When you shake your hair out, when you grab my elbow to keep your balance, when you grab my hand when we go cliff diving together. Some things are worse: like when you come over in the middle of summer in barely anything at all, when I knock on your door and you answer it with a towel on. Those are bad- usually when I run off to go to work." He looked sheepish.

"Do you choose your own hours or something?" It seemed every time something was about to happen, he had to run off.

"I trade shifts a lot," he said.

"So..." I got back to the question that was begging to be answered. "Where does that leave us?"

He looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"What is going on between us?"

"Nothing," he said as if it were the most obvious thing. "I'm telling you this so you know not to wear soaking wet bikinis around me."

This last part took me by surprise. I widened my eyes and my mouth popped open. "It's summer!" I reminded him. "Super pretty 20 year old girls are running around the beach in less clothes than me, and they have... 'more to clothe'. Why don't you tell them to cover up?"

He was silent for a few minutes. "I've gotta work," he finally said.

Well, that wasn't awkward at all.

The next morning, I stretched and wiped a thin layer of sweat from my forehead. So, the heat hadn't let up yet. Perfect.

I pulled on a miniskirt (usually I had a no-skirt rule, but it was so hot I didn't even care) and a tank top. Walking downstairs, I saw Jacqueline and Collin making out (EW) and Quil sitting on another couch, looking uncomfortable and trying to pretend two people weren't fondling each other across the room from him. When he saw me, he jumped up.

"Claire!" he exclaimed, walking toward me. I stuck my hand out, telling him I'd be back in a minute, then ran to the bathroom. There, I brushed my teeth and hair and put on a little makeup.

"I'm back," I said as I returned. Quil grabbed my hand and pulled me outside.

"Okay, this may come as a surprise to a 100 foot tall giant, but I can't even run as fast as you walk. Slow down!" He did so, but only to pick me up and start running with me. His bare chest that I was nestled into did not go unnoticed.

"Where are we going?" I asked. "Oh, and be careful about where you hold me- I'm wearing a skirt."

He smiled coyly. "Believe me, I've noticed. Don't worry, you're not showing anything." He didn't answer my question, but he seemed excited.

"What, you finally got some time off work?" Not only was he actually hanging out with me- in a skirt, no less- he actually seemed comfortable.

"I've been working overtime. They owe me," he explained with a wink.

"So where are we going?" I asked again, impatient.

"Into the woods."

"I noticed." The trees whizzed by, almost as if I were riding my bike as fast as I could. Though I would never ride a bike through a forest with these many trees.

We ran for a little while longer. "Aren't you tired yet?" I asked. It had been almost ten minutes. Not only was he sprinting over uneven terrain, he was also carrying a hundred and fifteen pound girl.

He just laughed. He was in such a good mood! This, I realized, was how Quil acted before a few months ago. This was the Quil I had grown up with.

After a few more minutes, we were deep in the forest, where almost no one ever went. He set me down.

"I'm allowed to tell you something." He seemed almost giddy.

"You could have told me something at the house!"

"I want to tell you where you'll be comfortable. It's cool in the forest, so you won't be sweating the whole time... I just want this to be absoloutely perfect."

"Okay Quil, so you carried me out to the middle of no where so I'll be at a happy temperature. What do you want to say?" I was just waiting for him to say 'I have to go to work.' He didn't, thankfully.

He did, however say something I wasn't expecting.

"I'm in love with you, Claire."