The Summer We Ran Away Together

Milly held the car door open for Ester. She watched her drag her oversized suitcase across the parking lot in the rain. Ester had told her not to help and just keep the car running. But she couldn’t stop herself. She rushed out into the pouring rain and grabbed Ester's hand.

‘Come on, you’ll drown out here.’

She tugged at Ester's arm and pulled her towards the car. Ester hesitated and stopped both of them in the middle of the parking lot, letting the rain soak them both.

‘You came.’

Milly looked at her, confused. She was wearing an oversized puffer jacket, with her graduation hoodie underneath, ripped jeans, and taped-up Converse. Ester gave her a half-smile, the plaster under her eye creasing.

‘Yeah,’ Milly laughed a little. ‘Can we get out of the rain, please?’

Milly grabbed the other handle of the suitcase.

They ran through the flooded parking lot to the car. The pair of them laughed and spun around each other as they went, stopping only to stomp on the puddles forming across the ground, spraying the water everywhere. Ester caught sight of their reflections in the ripples of the water, a cheering crowd laughing along with them as they danced together.

Milly pulled her the rest of the way to the car and opened the trunk. They squeezed the suitcase into the small space, slamming it shut. In the car, the two were panting and giddy.

‘My hands, oh God.’

Ester laughed and shook her hands, trying to warm them up.

‘I’ll save them,’ Milly joked.

She grabbed Ester's hands playfully and held them close to her mouth. The warmth of her breath washed over Ester’s skin, driving out some of the numbness. Ester stopped giggling and watched Milly intently work the cold from her fingers. They looked at each other and laughed.

‘That was weird of me.’

‘It actually did work.’

Ester kept shaking and rubbing her hands, desperate to get the numbness out of them.

‘I could turn the heater on if you’d like?’

Milly smiled at Ester, hoping she wouldn’t think she was being stupid for not turning it on in the first place.

‘Yes, of course,’ Ester nodded.

Milly turned the dial of the heater to max. Ester pressed her hands into the vents of the heater, sighing deeply as colour came back to them.

‘You okay?’

Ester looked at the window.

‘Can we just drive, please?’

Milly started the car and pulled out onto the street. They drove in silence for a while, long enough for Ester to change out of her wet clothes and into a baggy pullover. Whilst she changed, Milly watched one of the droplets rolling down Ester's bare back. She had an urge to crush it against Ester's back with one of her fingertips. She ignored it and put her foot down and drove. The streets and sidewalks ahead of them were empty, letting them dart between the circles of lamplight on the ground freely.

‘Where are we heading?’ Milly asked.

Ester curled up into a ball, pressing her knees to her chest and crossing her arms over them. Milly didn’t ask again and just kept going into the night. Their town was behind them when their stomachs started growling.

‘Are you hungry?’

Ester held her finger up. A moment passed, and her stomach groaned again.

‘I think so.’

‘Funny.’

Milly parked the car, and they got out. She went up to the counter and waved one of the workers over.

‘Hey, is your ice cream machine working?’

The teenager nodded and went back to scrubbing the sides.

Ester dragged Milly to the self-service station and started ordering frantically.

‘Do we really need four cheeseburgers?’ Ester laughed.

‘Two for dinner and two for breakfast. It’s the perfect system.’

Milly nudged her gently on the shoulder and then covered the screen with her hands and body.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Buying you something,’ Milly said, grinning.

Ester stepped back, hugging herself, listening to Milly hum her favourite as she ordered. She took the ticket out of the machine and waited at the counter. The two of them leaned against each other, resting their heads on each other.

‘The coast,’ Ester muttered.

Milly nudged her again.

‘The coast. I’d like to see the coast.’ Ester yawned.

One of the fast-food workers rang up their order, and Milly grabbed the large brown paper bag, the cardboard frame holding their ice creams, and the Happy Meal. She passed the small cartoon box to Ester, who laughed under her breath. Ester looped a finger through the small handle and swung it around like a child’s school bag. She stepped close to Milly.

‘Can I have my ice cream, please?’

Milly held it out in front of her like a lure, moving it just out of reach until they left the building.

‘Please stop,’ Ester giggled exhaustedly.

‘You can have it when we get to the car,’ Milly taunted.

‘Fine,’ Ester slurred.

Then she snapped forward and snatched the ice cream out of the holder. They both looked shocked and paused in the middle of the room. Ester then gently tapped her ice cream on Milly’s nose.

After, she sprinted out into the parking lot and raised her hands above her head.

‘Victory!’

Milly followed her out, careful not to drop the rest of their food.

‘You’re dead!’ Milly laughed.

As they left, the old man mopping the floors watched them leave and smiled at them as they danced around each other again. He watched them until they left for the empty park across the street, shook his head, and went back to work.

When the pair of them reached the park, the sun had started pushing against the night, casting the sky into a subtle purple. Milly pointed to the playground, and they ran over to sit on the swings. The chains squeaked and wheezed under their weight. Milly opened the bag and started dividing the food between them.

Ester held her burger cautiously, getting used to the weight of it in her hands. She unwrapped it slowly and then hovered the burger in front of her face. The edges of her mouth started watering. Milly gently cupped her elbow, not pushing her, just letting her know she was there next to her. Ester touched her lips to the bun and bit down, and her whole body relaxed.

‘Thank you,’ Ester said, muffled through her burger.

Milly ate her fries, dipping them into the ice cream cone, and watched the sky ahead of them get brighter. The last of the rain clouds above them turned green in the light.

‘Is that even good?’

‘Don’t judge. Try it.’

Milly held out a fry for Ester with a dollop of ice cream on the tip. Ester took it and quickly shoved it into her mouth and closed her eyes.

‘Good, right?’

Ester slowly turned her head to Milly and looked at her.

‘No, that’s so disappointing.’

‘What?’

‘I’ve just got sweet, cold potato in my mouth.’

Ester rolled some of the cold chunks around in her mouth.

‘You have no class.’

Milly climbed up the chain of her swing and balanced herself on the seat, rocking back and forth like a pendulum. She couldn’t look down at Ester and kept her eyes on the horizon.

‘What happened, Ester?’

Ester stopped, moving her eyes onto the floor.

‘You don’t have to take me to the coast, Milly. Just take me as far as you can.’

‘Ester, that’s... not what I mea—’

Ester looked up at Milly and caught her eye. It stopped her talking, and Milly looked away, embarrassed.

‘Sorry.’ Milly paused. ‘What toy did you get?’

Ester slowly grabbed the Happy Meal box and quietly opened it. She smiled and took out a squishy monster. It had a wide grin, with a dark red tongue draping over its chin, one large bulbous blue eye, and hard plastic spikes all over its skin. Ester turned it over in her hands and mirrored the toy's smile. She turned to Milly, holding the monster to the side of her face, and let out a playful growl. Milly tried to smile back at her but couldn’t, and turned away.

Ester stood up.

‘Let’s get back to the car.’

She left the monster on the floor and crossed her arms, pressing them to her chest. Milly hopped off the swing and followed behind her to the car. She waited before getting in, letting Ester have the car to herself.

The window had fogged up, but she saw Ester's silhouette through the haze. She was asleep, her head resting against the dashboard.

Milly climbed in carefully, making sure to slowly close the car door. She looked over at Ester, peacefully sleeping. Milly was surprised to see her hand reaching out and hovering over Ester’s face, feeling the heat from her skin radiate outwards to touch her. Ester shifted slightly and winced. Milly gently rested her hand on Ester’s cheek, and she fell still again, sleeping calmly.

When she woke in the morning, Ester was lying across the back seat of the car with Milly’s jacket pulled up to her chin. She rubbed the soreness from her eyes and saw Milly still in the driver's seat, the world outside moving by at a steady pace.

When she sat up, Ester could see that Milly was smiling at her in the rear-view mirror. Milly raised her hand and pointed out the window.

A flock of seagulls was flying next to them as they crossed over the suspension bridge.

Ester smiled and pressed her face against the window, watching them fly under the road, and then finally saw it.

Stretching out to the horizon were the gentle, creasing waves of the sea, with only a thin line far beyond them letting her see where the sky ended and the ocean began. She laughed slowly, then all at once, slamming open the sunroof. Milly laughed alongside her.

The salt in the air filled her lungs, and she began to scream with joy, stomping her feet and shaking uncontrollably.

‘Careful,’ Milly said, laughing.

Ester ducked back into the car and climbed into the front seat. She gripped Milly’s hand, kissing her on the cheek. Milly’s cheeks burned, and her face pulled tight from smiling. She turned to face Ester, pulling the car over suddenly.

They stared at one another, only inches apart, breathing heavily.

Milly placed her hand on Ester’s cheek, who leaned into the touch, closing her eyes as she sighed deeply. Milly pulled her in cautiously, waiting for Ester to push away, but then she felt Ester’s lips on hers.

They relaxed into each other’s arms, gripping each other as if to make sure they weren’t leaving one another.

When they parted, Ester rested her head against Milly’s chest and listened to her heartbeat for her.

‘Thank you.’