“Holy Shit Summer! ” Stiles exclaimed flabbergasted, trailing after the redhead with his mouth open.
“Summer, Wait!”
“So.. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? I’ve never really done something like that..” Stiles asked timidly, his blush intensifying, if that was even possible.
She looked up at him, eyes flickering up, then away, and gently touched her fingertips to his cheek. “Could we — could we go canoeing? Out on the lake? I’d like that .. “
“Canoeing? Is that even safe? Also what lake are we talking about here? I didn’t know there was a lake in Beacon Hills!” Stiles babbled in a confused tone, brows furrowing in an adorable way.
“Of course it’s safe!” Summer protested. She pouted at him. “If you don’t want to, then you suggest a date.”
“OK OK! We can go canoeing okay? Only if you promise to assemble a picnic basket filled with goodies. Deal?” Stiles grumbled, gripping her hand.
She frowned sadly up at him, taken aback. “If you really don’t want to … I can make the picnic basket for anything … “
Summer nodded sharply, concealing her surprise at his statements. It was possible he was older than he seemed, to be living alone, as a person of interest in a murder investigation. “The bathroom is that door over there,” she said, pointing across the room. “You can use anything you find in there, and don’t be alarmed by the cat.”
Isaac could smell the shock on her, it was impossible to ignore: certain emotions have stronger scents than others. He decided to clarify, just to clear the air a little. “I’m not wanted by the police,” he added abruptly, “they haven’t got any evidence against me…not yet anyway.” A short pause interrupted his words before he spoke again. “I didn’t kill him.” Without another word he disappeared off to the bathroom, ushering out the stubborn cat who’d been perching on the toilet seat.
She could only blink after him, taken aback by his statements. No boy with the concealed sweetness she sensed in him would kill. She knew that. Yet he’d felt the need to defend himself to her anyway. Shaking her head, she nudged Helios away from his sulk at the now-closed bathroom door, and picked up the few clothes she’d found of Isaac’s.
“Come on, silly kitty. He doesn’t want to share the shower with you,” she said. After she started the dryer, she rummaged up sheets and a blanket and pillows, piling them on the couch. Then she tapped on the bathroom door. “Everything alright in there?”
She stared at him, dumbfounded, for a long, silent moment. “You live alone.”
Putting her cup down, she leaned forward, very seriously. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re staying here tonight. If you come down with some kind of horrible pneumonia from … /that/, I don’t want you alone. So you’re going to get up and take a hot shower, and I’m going to dry your clothes.”
He nodded, “Yeah, I used to live with my father but he was- um…he was murdered a few weeks ago…it’s just been me since then…”
Isaac didn’t see the point in arguing with her about that, he was too tired, so he just agreed with a sigh. “Okay, I’ll go have a quick shower,” he agreed, sitting up slowly and smiling slightly at her. He knew now she was nothing like his father, she wanted to help him.
Summer nodded sharply, concealing her surprise at his statements. It was possible he was older than he seemed, to be living alone, as a person of interest in a murder investigation. “The bathroom is that door over there,” she said, pointing across the room. “You can use anything you find in there, and don’t be alarmed by the cat.”
[text: summer] cause you know i’m all about the base
[text to: isaac] I just want to know what your obsession with my butt is okay [text to: isaac] like when swim season starts is this going to be a problem?
“Okay, fine. You were staring at my ass because you wanted to be staring at my ass. You don’t seem to be having that much trouble talking to me, Isaac.”
“Look, it’s easier to talk when I’m kinda mad, m’kay?! It’s hard to explain.”
“It wasn’t an accident,” Summer said quietly. “I didn’t see anyone else, but the way your clothes were, the way you responded when I pulled you out … ” She shook her head, then glanced away and took a deep breath. He was so frightened, it was making her nauseous. A few more breaths, she closed her eyes and reinforced her shields, and turned back to Isaac. “Is there someone I can call for you?”
He paused to think about everything she’d just told him, considering what might have happened. Her next question snapped him out of his train of thought, “Oh-um…no, not really…” he shrugged as if It was no big deal. “I just kinda live on my own…” His eyes darted to the clock on the wall; it was almost midnight, he should probably get a move on if he was going to get any sleep before school tomorrow.
She stared at him, dumbfounded, for a long, silent moment. “You live alone.”
Putting her cup down, she leaned forward, very seriously. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re staying here tonight. If you come down with some kind of horrible pneumonia from … /that/, I don’t want you alone. So you’re going to get up and take a hot shower, and I’m going to dry your clothes.”
“Honey, look — whatever your name is — I’m sure you meant to be flattering, but I’m not, really. So, you know, you want to talk to me like a normal human being, fine, great, let’s go. But this staring and stumbling and stuttering just makes me think someone put you up to this as a big joke on me, and I am tired of it. So you go on back to your buddies and you tell them I didn’t fall for your little prank.”
“ — — Isaac. And, hey, I’m not that good at talking to people. I don’t really have friends, so stop being so full of yourself! It wasn’t a prank or whatever you said.”
“Okay, fine. You were staring at my ass because you wanted to be staring at my ass. You don’t seem to be having that much trouble talking to me, Isaac.”
Stiles ran out of the school, letting out a string of cuss words. He was late. Summer was going to murder him. “Oh my god I’m so so so sorry!” Stiles apologized as he reached the redhead, giving her his best puppy dog look.
Summer glanced up, shocked. She honestly hadn’t expected him to turn up at all. “Here’s your hoodie,” she said neutrally, pulling it out from under the straps of her backpack. “Which bit are you sorry for? Being late, or the stealing thing?”
“My /ass/? Was /intriguing/? Will you please make sense?”
“ — — It had been a good idea at the time…!”
[ she gives up ]
“Honey, look — whatever your name is — I’m sure you meant to be flattering, but I’m not, really. So, you know, you want to talk to me like a normal human being, fine, great, let’s go. But this staring and stumbling and stuttering just makes me think someone put you up to this as a big joke on me, and I am tired of it. So you go on back to your buddies and you tell them I didn’t fall for your little prank.”
