The Summer Solstice ~ Enchanted by K.K. Allen

of the stunning homes.
    My thigh and calf muscles tighten and release with
each stride. I am stronger with each second that passes. Usually at this point
in my runs I start to get tired but it’s as if I could go for miles.
    Alec takes us in and out of the small intercostal
neighborhoods outside of ours and I’m suddenly curious to see a map of Apollo
Beach. It’s as if we’re making a star in our path.
    Alec doesn’t begin to slow down until we are back
on our community beach. I slow down with him and look at him for the first time
since the beginning of our run. He’s sweating and breathing heavily. I assume I
should be just as tired – but I want to keep running.
    Dejected, I slow to a walk with him. He’s looking
at me now. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
    I make a face, twisting my lips into a hesitant
smile, my eyebrows raised. “I guess I just have a lot of energy tonight?”
    Alec shakes his head. “We just ran five miles and
you haven’t even broken a sweat.”
    I laugh. “I’ve been running a lot.”
    “You are superhuman woman. Come on.”
    He pulls me towards the shore and kicks off his
shoes. His brief touch on my hand leaves goose bumps all over my body. He
slides his shirt off his back and it lands in the sand. I turn my eyes away
quickly once I realize I’m staring. I peek up at him now, trying not to look
directly at his toned chest and abdominal muscles. I slide my shoes and socks
off and meet him down at the shore.
    Half of Alec’s body is under the water now and I go
to meet him. He splashes me gently, his eyes never leaving mine. I laugh and
cup my hands in the water in retaliation. But before I can release the water
and splash him back, there’s a hungry rumble in the sky.
    We look up just as a bolt of lightning strikes in
the distance and a shower of rain pours down on us. As if reading each other’s
mind, we take off for the shore and stumble our way out. Alec runs ahead and
scrambles to grab our things. We trip along the shore’s edge to our homes. The
sound of our laughter is barely audible over the tropical storm that pours down
on us. His hair is sopping wet, rain dripping down onto his face. I want to
reach out to him and wipe the drops away but I restrain myself. “Thanks for the
run,” I shout. The wind whips my hair around my head.
    “Tomorrow night?” He asks.
    I nod and turn before
he can see how giddy I am. I flee into the cover of Summer Estates.
    Summer Library
is quickly becoming my favorite room in the house. Some days I spend time
skimming the wood paneled bookcases. Other times I just come here to sit and
think under the sunlight.
    The book selection is filled with classic
literature from the works of Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, Joyce, and the list goes
on and on. There’s a special Greek Mythology section and that’s where I spend
most of my time, skimming through fragile, mesmerizing pages of each one.
    Every story I read is either an interpretation or
reinterpretation of stories, but with each one, I learn more. There is only one
book I am able to find on the Wiccan religion. I read it just out of curiosity.
The next time anyone asks me if I’m a Wiccan, at least I can understand what
I’m answering.
    Wiccan beliefs aren’t as outrageous as I once
thought. I realize now that a lot of my predisposed views were way off. They
didn’t worship Satan, sacrifice babies or cast dark evil spells on anyone that
crossed their paths. They are actually decent human beings that strongly
believe in preserving the earth. The only difference is just as Rose has
already told me. Wiccans worship the gods and goddesses. It’s more of a
spiritual existence.
    I sink down into the oversized chair. Thinking of
Wicca brings up an image of Alec. I smile. I look forward to our nightly runs
and how playful he can be. Every night we’d end our run with a cool down jog
from the community beach to the shore. From there we’d walk back to our homes.
    I laugh out loud as I think of