The Boys of Summer by Madison Sarah

Author:Madison, Sarah [Madison, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Sarah Madison
Published: 2013-04-14T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

David woke with a start. The first pinkish rays of dawn were lighting the room from the open doorway. A single bird began to trill outside the hut, a solitary but joyous ode to the morning. He lay in a state of confusion, trying to remember where he was, to toss off the remnants of his dream like the light blanket wound around his legs. His nose was buried against another man’s neck, and for a split second, he wondered how he’d ended up hugging Paddy.

“I don’t make any promises I can’t keep,” Sutton said, his voice cracked and dry as the leather jacket he’d modeled the other evening.

David popped up on one elbow to look down at him. Sutt—that is—Rick rolled slightly onto his back, his hair damp with sweat. He looked terrible, but at least he was still alive.

“You’re breaking the code, dude,” David said, fighting to free himself from the blankets so that he could get up out of bed. “You’re supposed to promise me that everything will be okay, and that you’ll be fine.” He draped the blanket back over Rick, tucking it in around him.

“Everything will be okay,” Rick said mechanically. “I’m going to be fine.” He tossed the blanket back off of him again, splaying out in the position of someone unbearably hot.

“Now I see why you had to get out of the Air Force. You’re a crap liar.” David reached for one of the water bottles. “Sit up, you need to drink some water. Take some more aspirin, too, no doubt.” He helped Rick into a sitting position and dug out the aspirin bottle, shaking two tablets out into his hand and giving them to Rick.

Rick made a face at the bitter taste as he swallowed.

“May I offer you something to chase that down?” David asked. “Some coconut, perhaps? Or I know, how about some coconut?”

Rick exchanged the water bottle for the Scotch, unscrewing the cap and drinking directly out of the bottle. “Better go light that fire. Don’t worry about me. You keep the signal fire going. I’ll be fine sitting right here.” He leaned his head back against the wall, the bottle in one hand, the cap in the other.

David looked down at him. He liked it better when Sutton told the truth. This kind of lie scared him. “Right. Well, if you change your mind about the coconut, I’ll get the management to send some right over.”

Rick smiled just a little at that, but somehow, it didn’t feel like the same kind of victory as it did before.

David held out his hand. “I need your lighter.”

Rick sighed, not of exasperation, but of simple exhaustion. He recapped the bottle and worked the lighter out of his jeans pocket. David looked down in it in some confusion as he held it in his hand. It looked terribly familiar, and it suddenly dawned on him that it was the Zippo lighter from his dream the night before. Already the dream seemed less vivid, parts of it fading.

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