First There Was You

Chapter 6: Greyson

June 15

Port Carling, Muskoka

Elle's laughter carries up the hill to me as Theo runs down towards town with her clinging to his back piggyback style.

Her ass looks incredible in the tight denim cutoff shorts she's wearing.

I shake myself out of following that particular train of thought. Down, boy. Stay on mission, repair your relationship by any means necessary, that doesn't necessarily include checking her out.

Her arms cling to Theo's neck, her legs around his waist, and he's running like a complete maniac, his own arms thrown wide open.

He covers his eyes with his hands, telling Elle to guide him, wiggling and shaking her a little when she tries to pry his hands off his face. "You idiot, we're about to cross the street, watch where you're going, or I'll jump off and let you get hit by a car."

I laugh to myself. Elle is so bossy, our little dictator.

Theo drops his hands from his eyes and looks back over his shoulder at her, grinning. He says something which leaves her laughing, but his voice is too soft for me to catch it.

Elle has barely left Theo's side today. He doesn't seem to find anything strange about that, but he keeps looking between the two of us, a confused expression on his face each time I get too close, too familiar and she steps towards him, or drags him further ahead to get some space between us.

When Theo pulled up at my dock to give Ry and me a lift to town, she'd visibly tensed. Her surprised look didn't go unnoticed. Nor did the uncertainty in her eyes. Fortunately, she's too damn polite to do or say anything. But, I know Ry and Theo can feel the tension between us.

It made me realize that she hasn't told him the reason behind our changed relationship, our unease with one another. It makes me wonder whether she's told, well anyone.

Even as Theo starts to laugh with her, at whatever it is that he'd said, he shifts his grip to grab her thighs, boosting her up higher to hook his elbows under her knees before continuing down the hill towards Steamboat Bay and the shops Elle's begged us to check out with her.

Just as well, it's Father's Day in only a few days away, so I plan to do my one shop of the summer this visit, anyway. I'm not even sure if my dad will be here for Father's Day, but I never know and don't want another reason to argue with him.

At any rate, Elle's got this list she's made for the summer of everything we need to do together, and of course, this is on the list.

I will never question the list. None of us will. Elle makes it every summer, and as wonderful friends, we help her tick them off. The tricky thing is, they're never only her bucket wishes. Her list means we all have to do it, or at least one of us has to do it with her.

A few times, we've ended up playing rock paper scissors to decide which poor, unfortunate soul will accompany her. It's why Theo has one nipple pierced, from when she dragged him with her last summer to get a second piercing in her left ear.

The best part was when Tess went back less than a week later to get her belly button pierced. Needless to say, it drove Theo crazy since he wouldn't have needed to go with Elle if Tess had agreed to in the first place. He's grown rather fond of the small bar he wears, though, and the chicks seem to dig it.

I snicker, remembering as if it were yesterday.

As much as we tease Elle, and each other, those lists she makes bring us closer together each year. Cementing our friendship by creating a massive foundation of shared memories, experiences, and general hilarity.