Where The Summer Wind Blows (book One)

Sitting in the back of my dad’s silver Acura, the sun filters through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the seats, as they sing along to ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinéad O'Connor. I shake my head, suppressing a grin as my parents belt out the lyrics, clearly lost in the moment. “You guys are so embarrassing,” I mutter under my breath, rolling my eyes.

“Hey, at least it’s not karaoke again from when Mom had that ‘Dinner party.’” My brother, Josh, nudges me, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Oh yeah, remember how Dad tried to sing I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston? It was like a vocal crime,” I chuckle.

“Hey! I was not that bad,” Dad interjects from the front seat, feigning indignation as we pull onto the winding road leading to our summer getaway.

“No, Jack, that was pretty bad,” Mom agrees, cringing as she pretends to cover her ears.

“Ouch, my own family betraying me,” Dad exclaims dramatically, clutching his heart as if wounded.

“Hey, are you ready to see Gavin?” Josh nudges me again, excitement bubbling in his voice.

“Shut up, Josh,” I retort, my cheeks heating up at the mention of Gavin.

As we draw closer to our summer house nestled between the grove of trees, I catch a glimpse of my best friend Gemma outside her house next door. An uncontrollable rush of excitement surges through me, and without thinking, I impulsively fling open the car door as we’re still moving.

“Ari, what are you doing? Wait, the car is still moving!” my mom gasps, her voice a mix of panic and urgency as she hits Dad to pull over. But I don’t listen. I leap out, sprinting toward Gemma, who hasn’t noticed me yet.

“Gemma!” I call out, my heart racing as I run towards her.

“Ari!” she beams, her face lighting up as she dashes toward me. We meet halfway, colliding in a warm embrace, laughter bubbling between us. “You’re finally here!”

“Yeah, my dad had to work an extra week and a half,” I reply, rolling my eyes, the familiar frustration bubbling up. We both know he’s a workaholic who rarely knows when to stop.

“Yeah, that tracks,” Gemma laughs, shaking her head in disbelief. After all, there’s no one like my dad when it comes to getting lost in his work. As we make our way toward the Miller’s house, anticipation buzzes in the air. 

 “Hey, have you seen the boys since you been here?” I ask nonchalantly, trying not to hint at maybe she seen Gavin.

 “No not yet, we only arrived two days ago and surprisingly they only showed up yesterday.” Gemma says as we get closer.

 “They are usually here before any of us, I’m a bit surprised.” I say their house coming into view.

 “Yeah it was a bit odd especially since we all hang out on the first night here.” Gemma says as we start walking towards their fence.

As we near the Miller’s fence, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. The sound of wet footsteps slapping against the pavement makes me turn.

And then there he is.

Gavin rounds the corner, surfboard tucked under one arm, his hair dripping and plastered to his forehead. Sunlight dances across the droplets trailing down his arms and chest, making him look like he’s been carved out of the ocean itself. He doesn’t rush, doesn’t even seem to notice the way the world tilts when he walks into it. That’s always been Gavin — the kind of boy who doesn’t have to try to take up space, who does it without realizing.

My chest tightens.

He’s different. Older. His shoulders broader, his jawline sharper than the boy who used to spend endless summer evenings sneaking Oreos with me in the kitchen or daring me to race him down dirt paths until we collapsed, breathless and laughing. The boy is still there, somewhere, but layered beneath something I can’t quite name.

Then his eyes find mine.

It’s like being caught in a current. For a second, it feels like the years fold in on themselves, like we’re back to being kids again. But then his mouth tugs into a small, crooked smile — not the wide, easy grin I grew up with, but something quieter. Softer. A piece of him he lets slip just for me.

“Hey, Ari,” he says, his voice low and rough from the salt air.

Just two words. Just my name. But it feels like the world has stopped, waiting for me to respond.

“Hey,” I breathe, my throat tight, hoping it doesn’t sound as shaky as I feel.

Gemma nudges me, and I know she sees it — the way my entire body reacts to him, the way my heart seems to beat louder in the silence that follows. But Gavin just shifts his board against his hip, glances past us like he’s already somewhere else, and then — almost reluctantly — looks back at me.

And in that look, in that unspoken warmth, I remember exactly why he’s the one thing I can never seem to outgrow.

 “Eben went out with some girl already,” Gavin mutters, dragging a hand through his wet hair. Droplets fall in a steady rhythm, forming a small puddle at his feet.

It takes me a second to catch up. My brain is still short-circuiting, caught on the way his voice rumbles low, rough from the salt air.

“What?” The word escapes too quickly, too sharp. Gemma’s elbow digs into my ribs, and when I glance at her, she’s grinning like she knows exactly what I’m not saying.

“Oh—Eben.” I clear my throat, forcing my voice steady. “Right. Is it Sophia again?”

“No.” Gavin shifts the board higher against his hip, gaze flicking away like he’s half-present, half miles off. “Some girl he met yesterday.”

Gemma lets out a gasp. “Yesterday? Eben wastes no time.”

A muscle twitches in Gavin’s jaw, but he doesn’t reply. Classic.

“Classic Eben,” I echo, rolling my eyes. “I bet he didn’t even bother to ask her last name.”

“That would require effort,” Gemma adds, laughing. Then, of course, she turns her smile on Gavin, her voice dripping with fake innocence. “So… Gavin. Did you miss Ari? Because she was practically counting down the days.”

My cheeks burn hot. “Gemma—” I hiss, but she only winks at me.

Gavin glances at me, and for a second, the world shrinks to just that look. His hair drips into his eyes, and there’s something unreadable there — like he wants to say more but won’t. Then, with a barely-there shrug, he says, “Maybe.”

The word lands heavy in my chest, knocking the air out of me.

Before I can think of what to do with it, a familiar voice cuts through the air.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to show up.”

Eben strides up the path, grinning like he owns the place. His hair’s still damp too, but unlike Gavin’s messy, broody wet look, Eben’s is pushed back in that effortless way that says he knows people are watching. He takes one glance at me and spreads his arms wide.

“Ari Faye,” he announces, “still running into summers headfirst, I see.”

I laugh despite myself, shaking my head. “Still charming, huh?”

“Always,” he fires back without hesitation. “You missed me, don’t lie.”

Gemma bursts out laughing, clapping her hands together. “See, now this is the Miller energy I’ve been missing. Eben’s already two girlfriends ahead, and Gavin’s still brooding by the fence.”

Gavin doesn’t rise to the bait. He just shifts his board again, eyes flicking between his brother and me, unreadable.

Eben slings an arm casually around Gemma’s shoulders, but his grin stays aimed at me. “Don’t worry, Ari. I’ll make sure your first night back isn’t boring.”

And just like that, I’m caught between the two Miller brothers — one magnetic in all the wrong ways, and one who can break me with a single word.

Before I can figure out what to say, a voice pipes up behind me.

“Well, well, you didn’t even wait for the car to stop, huh?”

I spin around to see Josh jogging up the path, hair sticking up from the ride, still in his worn-out hoodie despite the summer heat. Typical.

“Josh!” Gemma beams, throwing her arms around him. “Finally, the other half of the chaos has arrived.”

Josh grins, hugging her back before looking at Gavin. “What’s up, Miller? Still pretending to be a god of the ocean, I see.”

Eben appears just then, laughing as he claps Josh on the shoulder. “Better than whatever you’ve been doing — video games in a basement, right?”

Josh shrugs easily. “At least I don’t reek of seaweed and overconfidence.”

Gemma snorts, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing. Gavin doesn’t rise to it, just shifts his surfboard and watches quietly, eyes flicking to me every now and then like he’s listening to everything but choosing silence.

Josh notices the glance. Of course he does. He smirks. “So… did you miss my sister, or are you too busy brooding for the Pacific?”

My whole body stiffens. “Josh—!”

Gemma practically doubles over, giggling. Eben smirks like he’s watching a show. Gavin’s jaw tightens, and then, after a pause, he mutters, “Maybe.”

Just one word. And it steals the breath right out of me.

Gemma is the first to recover. “God, I forgot how much I missed this,” she says, still laughing. “It’s like no time has passed at all.”

“Except Gavin’s got muscles now,” Josh adds casually, nudging me with his elbow. “Ari, you notice that?”

“Josh!” My voice cracks, and my face burns so hot I swear the sun has competition.

Eben bursts out laughing. “Man, she’s turning redder than a lobster.”

“Shut up, all of you,” I mutter, trying to fold into myself, but Josh just slings an arm around my shoulder, completely ignoring my glare.

“Don’t worry, sis,” he says dramatically. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“There is no secret,” I snap, but it’s useless. Josh has that smug older-brother energy, and everyone knows when he sets his sights on embarrassing me, there’s no escape.

Gemma, ever the peacemaker, claps her hands together. “Okay, okay, let’s not kill Ari on her first day back. How about we all head down to the store by the pier? They still have those cream sodas you’re obsessed with, Ari.”

My chest tightens at the memory. Summer after summer, sticky fingers, cold bottles sweating in the heat, laughter echoing across the wooden boardwalk. It feels like a piece of my childhood is waiting there, untouched.

“Yeah,” I say softly. “Let’s go.”

Josh and Eben are off instantly, racing each other down the road like kids who never grew up. Gemma shakes her head, jogging after them.

That leaves me walking beside Gavin.

He doesn’t say anything at first, just adjusts the surfboard under his arm, droplets of seawater still trailing down his tanned skin. The silence isn’t awkward, though—it’s heavy, charged, like the air right before a summer storm.

Finally, Gavin speaks, his voice low and even. “Still chasing cream sodas, huh?”

My head snaps toward him. “You remember that?”

He smirks, the smallest tug at his mouth. “Hard to forget you making me trade half my candy stash for one every year.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks. “That was a fair trade, and you know it.”

His laugh is soft, almost reluctant, but it warms me all the same.

We fall into step together, the sound of the waves in the distance and Gemma’s laughter carrying on the breeze ahead of us. The store is close, I know, but a part of me wishes the walk could stretch on forever.

I take a quick peek at Gavin, his eyes distant yet he’s caught up in his thoughts. “How was your year before coming for summer.”

“Ari Faye asking me about school? Since when do you do small talk?” He shows me the crooked smile he gives when he teases me.

He’s right though, I’m not one for small talk. “It’s not my fault I’m trying to make conversation when your so silent today.”

 It was meant as a joke, but it followed with the smile fading and the silence building.