I made some coffee and picked at my food, trying not to feel disappointed. All that tension between Nate and me over the years, and it all came down to this awkward moment, a few days before he left for his big road trip. Would I even see him again before he left?

****

“Oh my god!” Marnie blurted, shocked and excited. I had described last night’s events to her over burritos at a dingy strip-mall taco shop.  The story was probably the juiciest thing she had ever heard. “You should call him right now.”

I wished Marnie would stop salivating over the whole situation and pity me instead. A few days ago I had been excited about a lavish vacation, and a carefree summer before going off to college.  Now I was stuck at home. And whatever could have potentially existed between Nate and myself had come to a truly miserable and awkward end.  I was actually looking forward to school tomorrow.  At least being busy would take my mind off things.

“Let’s go hiking in Sabino Canyon,” Marnie said. “We should go one last time before the summer’s here and I have to go.”

“Okay,” I said. It would take my mind off things, and I was already dressed for the part, in running shorts and a t-shirt.

“Great!” Marnie chirped happily. She seemed oblivious to the anxiety churning in my stomach. Or maybe she knew just how awful I felt and wanted to cheer me up.

So we took off and went hiking.  The canyon was just as pretty as I remembered it. I looked around at the massive granite walls rising out of the desert next to the stream and the rocky, overgrown trail. I let the burn in my legs take my mind off the last few days’ events.

We stopped on a big flat rock by the stream. We walked further up than we ever had before, and we hadn’t seen anyone else hiking in the brutal midday heat.

“Ugh,” Marnie panted, “let’s stop here and rest a bit.”

“Yeah, okay,” I breathed, already clawing at the laces of my hiking boots. My feet were sore and burning up, like the rest of my body. I pulled my sweat-soaked clothes off and dove into the rushing waters of the stream. Marnie followed. After a minute, I felt incredible. The water had been so refreshing.

“Thanks for taking me out,” I said, washing the sweat and grime off my face.

After I was finally cold, I dragged myself out of the water and laid down on a rock to dry. Marnie laid down next to me, and we sunbathed for what felt like an hour. We moved into the paltry shade of a scraggly mesquite tree.

“Hey, look at that,” Marnie signaled, pointing off into the distance, to one of the steep canyon walls, where there was a scree-choked gully between two steep cliffs.

“What?” I asked. I peered off into the distance, straining to figure out what Marnie was pointing at. Then I saw it: someone was running down a faint, zig-zagging trail down the gully. I reached for my clothes--probably some freaky granola athlete, like the nuts who were always riding their bikes up-and-down the switchbacks of Mount Lemmon highway.

The figure got closer, and I felt a knot start to twist my stomach. He was wearing a familiar green-and-gold football jersey, number 19. Nate’s jersey.

I could recognize those broad shoulders and that fluid, loping stride, even from this far off. The running man reached the canyon floor and disappeared from view as the trail contoured around the rugged terrain and into a little side canyon. In another few minutes he would come splashing across the creek right next to us.

I felt my heart start to beat a little harder. Part of me was relieved. Now I could deal with this whole thing right now, tell him everything was cool.

If only my white t-shirt wasn’t still clinging to my chest. Most of the time I didn’t have to wear a bra, but right now I would have killed for one. I plucked the front of my shirt away from my skin but it clung right back onto me. Shit.

And why did Marnie have to be here for what was going to be an awkward reconciliation, at best?

Then the man emerged out of a thicket of spiny trees and splashed across the water, never breaking stride.  My heart pounded harder and harder as he neared.

But it wasn’t Nate! He was a guy about his age, and one who looked vaguely familiar.

“Hey, Missy!” he called brightly, coming to a stop next to us. He was totally soaked in sweat.

“Hey,” I ventured, one arm covering my breasts.

“You probably don’t recognize me. I was on the football team with Nate. Me and him used to go running out here all the time.”

“Oh, okay,” I said. I felt less anxious already.

“This place brings back memories,” he said, grinning.

Then he turned, a little shyly, to Marnie.

“Hey, Marnie.”

“Hey,” she cooed back, flicking back a strand of her wet hair. Those two obviously knew each other from somewhere.

We all shared an awkward moment of silence, staring at each other.  Then the stranger said, “There’s a party tonight at my place. You guys are welcome to swing by.  You remember where I live, right Marnie?”

“Yeah, of course. I'm pretty sure we'll be able to make it,” Marnie said happily.

“Nate and a bunch of our old football buddies will be there.  It’ll be a blast from the past. See you ladies tonight! Have fun on the rest of your hike!” The mystery man jogged off down the trail and into the waves of heat rising off the ground, like a mirage.

"Who was that?" I asked.

“Ah, I can't remember.  I slept with him once, after a party.  I'm pretty sure I'm Facebook friends with him, I'll have to search him out when we get home.  But in any case, this is going to be fun tonight,” Marnie gushed. She slapped my chest with the back of her hand. “And you can work things out with Nate there.”

“Ugh. Whatever. Okay, let’s go then.”

Marnie looked at me, the excitement draining from her face a little. “Oh come on, Missy. You’re going to have to talk to Nate sometime. It might as well be tonight.”

“I don’t want to,” I said archly as we started walking back down the trail.

In the end, Marnie couldn’t convince me to go. She dropped me off at my house and reluctantly got back in her car without me. She squeezed me hard before she left.

“Bye. Call me if you change your mind.”

“Okay.”  Maybe I would reconsider, but right now I didn’t feel like it. I lazily walked through the cool, empty house, finally settling down on the couch and in front of the TV. A party sure would beat a night of idle channel-flipping. Whatever I decided to do I needed a bite to eat first; hiking all day had made me ravenous. I threw a frozen pizza in the oven and trudged upstairs.

What the hell? The light was on in my room. I peered through the crack between the door and the frame. Nate was sitting on the floor, his back against my bed. He didn’t look like he was doing anything other than just sitting there with a pensive look on his face.

I slowly pulled the door open. He looked up.

“Hey, sis.”

“Hey...uh, what are you doing?”

“I dunno,” he said, sounding deflated. “I heard you were going to my friend’s party tonight. I guess I didn’t want to see you there.”

“Ah." I paused. “Actually, I’m avoiding you, too. That’s why I’m home." I sat down next to him.

“Oh,” he said, staring at the carpet dolefully. He stood up to go. “I’ll stop being a creep, sorry."

“No!” I exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing his arm, bringing him back down next to me.  In one smooth motion he leaned over and kissed me. Then he got up and straddled my legs, and squeezed one hand between my ass and the carpet. With the other he placed it firmly against the small of my back. He scooped me up in one smooth motion, not straining in the slightest.

I let myself relax into his arms, already swept away. He laid me down on the bed and settled over me. I wrapped my legs around him and gasped when I realized that I could feel his hot cock pushing into me, between my legs.