Six Summers to Fall

by C.W. Farnsworth

My ancient Jeep barely leaves the garage but runs reliably when it does, so I have no reason to replace it with a newer car that starts with simply the press of a button. Not that I would abandon this car even if it stopped running.

I love kissing Drew. Nothing I’ve ever experienced comes close to this thrill. I would rank it above oxygen or water as an essential to live.

Who falls in love in a week? Fools. But I think of Harper’s laugh. Her eyes. Her teasing. And there’s a good chance I’m a fool.

“I only called you Sunshine ironically once,” he tells me. “Every other time, it’s been because that’s how I feel around you. Bright and happy. Being around you makes me so fucking happy, Harper.”

It took us six summers to fall. And at the end was this. A lifetime of love.