Wild Summer Read Free Page B

he’d spent in some long-lost paradise in a painful, hiccupping loop.
    He’d hoped coming to stay with Romeo and Julian at their tiny cottage in the middle of deepest Cornwall, cut off from everything, would help break the cycle somehow. But he’d been wrong. If anything the dreams were becoming even more painful.
    From the fact that Romeo had asked who Summer was, he rationalized that at some point in the night he must have spoken Summer’s name aloud. Maybe he’d woken Romeo and Julian with it.
    He winced.
    Nightmares were bad enough, but this was infinitely worse somehow…. Maybe he’d said more than Summer’s name….
    He flicked his eyes away from Romeo’s and stared at the morning sun streaming in the tiny railway-house window, the bright colors of the small garden beyond. Romeo always saw too much, knew too much without being told—as though being on the streets for so long had left him with the ability to see into the heart of things, once everything else was stripped away.
    And this was not something Crash could bring himself to talk about, to anyone, however close he was to them—and there was no one he was closer to than Romeo. It hurt. Perhaps it always would.
    Julian handed him a plate of toast and sat down at the table, surreptitiously turning his head, giving Romeo a look as if to say Did I miss something? What’s going on? Romeo barely moved when he glanced at Julian, but his look was full of meaning.
    Their little idiosyncratic ways of communicating were fascinating, and though it made his heart ache a little, Crash could watch them all day.
    He’d only had that profound connection with one person. And something told him he wouldn’t find it in anyone else. How could he? You only got that deep connection when you gave yourself up fully to someone, and he would never do that again, could never do that again. His heart would always belong to someone who didn’t want it—and he could never take it back.
     
     
    S OMETHING ’ S UP , Romeo signed.
    They sat in the gently moving surf, their boards rolling on the waves beneath them. The whole of the ocean stretched out endlessly in front of them, a never-ending wave generator, so deep and dark below. Behind them, Julian was just a tiny speck on the curve of sandy Cornish beach.
    Crash shook his head.
    Romeo turned so they were facing each other, a determined look in his dark eyes. You are my best friend….
    Crash glanced at the figure on the beach.
    You both are. Romeo frowned. You’re not yourself. It’s like all the energy you usually have is wound up inside you somehow.
    It scared Crash sometimes how close Romeo came to the very bones of the truth.
    If you were yourself, we’d be swimming or diving or just trying to surf on these nonexistent fucking waves, but you’re staring out to sea like you’re looking for the answer to a question you can’t even voice.
    Stop! Crash held up his hand. It was too much.
    Lying flat, he started to paddle back toward the beach. But Romeo wasn’t going to give up so easily and grabbed the back of his board. For a few strokes, Crash carried on, pulling the both of them, but it was exhausting and pointless—they were hardly moving.
    Look, I thought it was strange when you texted me and said you were coming down for a few days in the middle of term. I mean, summer break is what, three weeks away? You told me last time you were here that if your exams weren’t so bloody important, you would have gone to Russia with Peter and Pasha to meet Pasha’s family, so I thought something was up before you even got here…. And of course you don’t have to fucking tell me. I just… I want you to know I’m here, we’re here — Julian cares for you too, we both do, deeply. If you’d rather talk to him, he’ll listen — he’s good at that. Just, don’t bottle it up, okay…? I won’t mention it again…. Romeo rolled his shoulders back, unable to hide the hurt in his eyes that Crash wouldn’t talk to him,