Summer Strokes

I looked like a straight-up zombie. Three consecutive nights of falling asleep while texting Leo will do that to you. My phone had slipped from my palm around 2 AM for the third night in a row, leaving me with dead arm and approximately four hours of sleep.

"You alive?" Maya asked, flopping onto the lounge chair next to mine. The pool deck at the community center was basically our second home. Palm trees lined the perimeter, their fronds dripping in the humidity.

"Barely," I groaned, sliding my sunglasses down my nose. "Leo replied to my 3 AM text with 'sorry, fell asleep.' I'm spiraling, obviously."

"You're not spiraling, you're dramatic," she said, though not without sympathy. "Anyway, you coming to watch me crush it at padel today? Coach said I might actually start tomorrow's match."

I perked up. Padel had become Maya's obsession this summer, and I'd developed a weird fascination with it too—mostly because Leo played every Tuesday and Thursday.

"Obviously. I need to see if he actually texts me back in person, or if I'm getting ghosted."

*spoiler: I was not getting ghosted.*

The padel courts were packed. Leo was already there, messing with his racket strings near the bench. When he saw me, he actually smiled—like, full-on genuine smile, not the polite half-smile he gave everyone.

"Hey," he said, jogging over. His hair was damp from swimming earlier. "About last night... I felt terrible when I woke up and realized I'd passed out mid-conversation."

"It's fine," I said, probably too quickly. My palms were sweating. Great. "Happens to the best of us."

"Let me make it up to you," he said. "A bunch of us are going night swimming at the quarry on Saturday. You should come."

My stomach did that embarrassing flip thing. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd love that."

Saturday arrived with the kind of sunset that makes you feel like everything is about to change. The quarry was this hidden spot a few miles out of town—crystal clear water surrounded by limestone cliffs, completely magical and completely illegal.

Leo was already in the water when I got there, treading water near the center.

"Finally!" he called. "Get in here, it's perfect."

I waded in, the cool water shocking my skin. Swimming under the moonlight felt different somehow—like gravity had loosened its grip, like I could float away and that would be okay.

Leo swam over to me, water dripping from his hair. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too," I said, and I meant it.

We floated there for a minute, just existing. The zombie exhaustion from the past week evaporated. My palms weren't sweating anymore. Everything slowed down—the lapping water, the distant laughter from the shore, the way Leo was looking at me like I was the only person who existed.

"Hey," he said softly. "Can I tell you something?"

My heart hammered. "Always."

"I didn't fall asleep on purpose this week," he said. "I was trying to stay awake because talking to you was literally the best part of my day."

The air left my lungs. "Really?"

"Really." He reached under the water, finding my hand. His palm was warm against mine. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out sometime. You know, not through a screen."

I grinned so hard my face hurt. "I'd love that. Like, a lot."

Walking home under the streetlights, my phone buzzed.

*Leo: Tonight was perfect. Can't wait for our not-through-a-screen hangout. Also, I promise to stay awake this time.*

I laughed, typing back: *You'd better, zombie. Goodnight <3*

The real summer had finally begun.