...Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car"

Miles

Well, fuck.

She's not even my type.

I had absolutely no attraction to Augustine, my brother's soon-to-be girlfriend. My brain couldn't figure out what shifted. She was awkward and shy. I liked girls who were chatty and played sports. I only approached her on the beach because I noticed her staring at James. I wanted my brother to be happy. I really did. He deserved a great girl like Augustine.

Then James brought out her flirty and fun side. I saw them laughing, touching foreheads. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Augustine was, but I still wasn't into her.

I found myself telling Augustine how nothing had ever worked out with a me and a girl before. We joked about Rory, sitting almost knee-to-knee at the beach. When she met my gaze, I couldn't help but stare at her. I knew I was sending her signals and forced myself to walk away. I had no idea what had gotten into me.

*

I headed down to the kitchen the morning after seeing Augustine and Rory at the beach. My hair was a mess, but I didn't care. I needed to apologize to her. I could've texted, but I wanted to do it face-to-face.

I stopped when I reached the dining room. Augustine, Rory, and James were sitting at the table, talking and laughing. I walked in slowly as Leah came in from the kitchen, holding a tray of pancakes. The table was set with a cloth covered in forget-me-nots, with a bowl of strawberries and one of whipped cream accompanying the usual cutlery. Rory had a glass of orange juice she was currently chugging.

"There you are, sleepyhead!" Leah exclaimed. She sent me a smile as she placed the tray of pancakes on the table. She ruffled Rory's hair and left the kitchen.

"Morning," I muttered, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"Miles!" Rory exclaimed, rushing to me like we hadn't just seen each other yesterday. She had on a light purple sundress and black sneakers. Her favourite colour was purple, and she wore it everyday.

"Hi, Rory," I hugged her once I picked her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck like always and rested her head on my shoulder. I usually hated little kids, but Rory was adorable and not at all annoying. Her "crush" just showed she looked up to me, and it warmed my heart. I loved how she always gave me hugs and wanted to tell me everything about her day. In a way, she was becoming my little sister.

"Hi, Miles," Augustine smiled softly at me.

"Hi," I said, barely meeting her eyes.

She didn't seem annoyed or suspicious, so I went to sit down at the table, next to Rory who was beside James and across from Augustine. She looked pretty, her curly hair resting softly along her shoulders. She had on a purple headband and wore a light blue t-shirt. I sat down and reached for some pancakes.

"Since you were sleeping, I'll fill you in on the plan," Leah said, re-entering the room. "Today, I thought it'd be nice for us all to go to Sandspit, the amusement park in Cavendish."

"Huh, sounds fun," I said, placing more than enough strawberries and whipped cream on my stack of pancakes.

"Wow, someone's excited," James announced.

"Shut up, James. I'm tired," I reached over Rory to smack his shoulder.

"Yeah, James, shut up" Rory said saucily.

James's mouth dropped open in mock hurt as Augustine and I burst out laughing. Leah covered her mouth, but I could see her holding back a smile.

"How rude!" James said, fake glaring at Rory. Getting out of his seat, he picked her up and tickled her.

Rory shrieked as James tickled her stomach.

"Ok, calm down you two," Leah laughed. "Don't make her stomach hurt."

I smiled at how happy Rory looked, before glancing at Augustine. She was gazing at James with stars in her eyes. As Augustine looked over to me, I gestured that I wanted to say something.

"I'm sorry if I was acting weird yesterday," I said quietly enough that no one heard. I leaned closer. "I was feeling insecure, and you were there. I don't know."

Augustine's smile dropped as she realized I was being serious. "It's okay, Miles," she said. "We all get confused sometimes."

"Yeah, confused. I was just confused."

After a chatter-filled breakfast, we freshened up and headed out to the van, ready to get on some rides. I was excited for the roller coaster, Rory couldn't wait for the ferris wheel, and Augustine and James wanted to go on the ride where they get lifted high and then get dropped down. We were about to get in the van when we heard footsteps up the driveway.

"Mommy!" Rory yelled, rushing towards a grinning Francine. She wore a wide-brimmed had, and a long, yellow sundress decorated in flowers.

"Room for one more?" she laughed.

"Yes!" Rory squealed.

"Mom? I didn't know you were coming," Augustine spoke from beside me.

"Honey, I'm so sorry," her mom said. "I'm working on being there for you guys more. I wanted to come along and spend time with everybody."

Augustine rushed forward and hugged her mom. I didn't fully understand the significance of that moment, but I assumed her parents weren't great at being involved in their daughters' lives.

"Where's Dad?" Rory asked Francine.

"You know him," she replied with a sad smile. "He's worse than me when it comes to work."

Rory nodded in understanding, something no four-year-old should have to have done, but she was mature enough to get it.

"Let's go!" Leah smiled, getting into the van. She had on a wide-brimmed sun hat that looked exactly like Francine's. She wore a long, pink, flowered sundress. Again, it was very close to Francine's.

"I'm so excited," Rory announced the moment she got into her car seat.

"We all are," I smiled. I sat next to her, while James and Augustine were in the far back. James had told me about their kiss, and I hoped for both their sakes they'd take it further.

Augustine

"Whatcha thinking about?" James nudged me with his arm.

I nudged him back. "None of your business," I teased.

I was trying to figure out what Miles was talking about when he spoke to me at breakfast this morning. He confused me, but it seemed he wasn't into me, which I was relieved about. I also felt bad about the story he told me, how nothing worked out with a girl back home. I smiled as an idea struck me. I tapped James's shoulder and beckoned him to lean in close.

"We should find a girl for Miles today," I whispered.

James's eyes immediately brightened. "Good idea," he whispered back. "I know his type. I'm sure we could find a girl for him." His face became serious as he said, "Do you think Aurora would be sad?"

Of course, I had told James about the drawing as soon as I could, which was right before breakfast. I was going to text him, but I remembered I didn't have him number.

"Aurora will be fine. She just loves hanging out with him," I assured James. "She'd probably be happy if Miles found a girlfriend." I smiled, looking over at my sister. Her and Miles were playing an intense game of rock paper scissors. "We should probably exchange contacts," I continued. "It's weird we don't have each other's numbers yet."

A blush crept up his cheeks. "Ok, I'll give you mine," he said, so I handed him my phone. He entered his number in but didn't ask for me to give him mine.

"Um, want my number?" I asked, confused.

"You could just text me, and then I'd have it," he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"What are you hiding?" I smiled.

"Nothing."

"Give me your phone then."

"Why?"

Before he knew what I was doing, I reached in his pocket and grabbed his phone. Opening his contacts, the first name on the list caught my eye.

Auggie <3

"Aww," I said to him. "When did you get my number?"

"I gave it to him," Miles said, turning around. "He was too chicken to text you."

"Shut up, Miles," James said, still blushing.

"Just sayin'," he smirked.

I smiled, happy he was back to his old self.

"Are we almost there?" Aurora asked.

"Not quite, honey," Leah said. "To pass the time, you can tell Miles all about the rides you want to go on."

As Aurora chatted, James and I showed each other our playlists, learning we had similar music tastes. He liked indie music mixed with soft pop, while I listened to artists such as Shawn Mendes, One Direction, and Halsey. I found out James also liked Halsey "because of her voice."

"You probably have a crush on her," I teased.

"I don't!" James argued, but I saw right through it. He was the worst liar I had ever met.

"You do," Miles said, turning around again. James reached forward and hit his shoulder.

"Like you don't have a crush on Shawn Mendes," James rolled his eyes.

"Not my fault he's handsome," I shot back.

"I'm with Augustine on this one," Miles chimed in again. "He's hot as fuck."

"Miles!" I scolded, gesturing to Aurora, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

"That's not a good word," she told him, pointing her finger.

"You're right," he replied. "I'm sorry. Bad Miles." He smacked himself in the forehead, much to my sister's delight.

"Here we are!" Leah announced from the front seat, where her and my mom had been chatting endlessly for the entire ride.

"Ooh, I'm excited!" Mom said, adjusting her sun hat.

I smiled, glad she had come on this trip. As much as work was like an addiction to her, she was trying to spend time with us, an effort I truly appreciated.

We piled out of the van and headed towards the entrance. It looked busy, but not overcrowded. We got our bracelets and walked through the gates. I immediately saw people driving red boats shaped like tubes along water. At the end of the park, I saw a ferris wheel and a red roller coaster called the Cyclone.

"Sweet, go-karts!" Miles exclaimed.

I turned to my left to see a decent-sized track with go-karts zooming around. We headed forward, passing different rides, many of them for kids.

"Bumper cars!" Aurora yelled, rushing towards them.

"Honey, wait!" Mom said, running after her.

Leah laughed as we followed them. "Guess that's our first ride of the day," she said.

"I'm in," Miles said, approaching the line.

Once we got there, my mom stepped out to stand with Leah while we waited for our turn.

"You're not coming, Leah?" James asked.

"I'll sit this one out," she replied. "I need to catch up with Francine. Leave your phones with us, so you don't lose them."

"Uh huh," James smirked, as we handed over our phones. "You've had two weeks to 'catch up.' I bet you're just scared."

"Nuh uh," Leah retorted. "They make me feel sick is all. Plus, I want to take photos of you guys looking all cute in the bumper cars."

"Ooh, good idea!" my mom said, reaching into her purse. "I've got my phone ready."

We waited in line, Miles piggybacking Aurora, who smiled at me and formed her hands into a heart shape. I held back a laugh and blew a kiss to her.

"You're going to look all cute in the bumper car," I faked gushed to James, whose cheeks heated up immediately.

"Shut up," he said.

"No," I smiled, pulling him in and kissing his cheek.

To my luck, Miles turned around from in front of us at that exact moment.

"Aww," he smirked. "The two love birds."

"Love birds!" Aurora exclaimed, much to loudly for my liking and causing a few people in line to glance our way.

Miles laughed. "Us against you guys in the bumper cars."

"Oh, you're on," James said, crossing his arms. "You two are going down."

"No, you are!" Aurora squealed.

"God, my ears," Miles said, squinting.

"Sorry," Aurora said, patting his head.

Before we knew it, we had reached the front of the line. We showed the attendant our bracelets, and she let us in.

"I want the purple one!" Aurora yelled!

"Purple one it is," Miles said, walking to the one across the floor.

James looked at me, waiting. "What colour?" he asked.

"Blue," I said, without hesitation.

"Let's do it."

We hopped in the car and put the seatbelt across our waists. I smiled as James squeezed me hand.

"Let's take them down," he said.

"Revenge for the sandcastle contest," I said, putting on my best serious face.

James laughed and kissed my cheek.

The buzzer sounded, and we were off. There was only one steering wheel, so James and I took turns. Across the floor, Miles let Aurora take control of the steering, and they were flying with no regard for good driving skills.

"We're coming for you!" Miles shouted as they neared our car.

"Not a chance!" I yelled back, turning hard to the right so they just missed up.

"Dammit!" I heard Miles yell from behind us, causing James to turn around and yell "Sucker!"

I high fived him as we drove away, before someone in an orange car slammed into us.

"Shit!" James cursed, grabbing the steering wheel.

"Let's go get Miles and Aurora!" I yelled over the noise.

James nodded, focusing on the steering wheel. We charged forward, maneuvering through different cars, hitting many of them in the process. It was cute how serious he was taking this. Miles and Aurora were facing the other way as we neared them. Our car smashed into theirs, causing Aurora to shriek with joy. Miles turned around, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Loser!" I shouted, as Miles took the wheel and spun the car around to face us.

"You're going down!" he yelled, ramming the car into us. The forced knocked me back, but James wrapped his right arm around me, so it didn't hurt.

We bumped back into their car, going back and forth between getting hit and hitting them. Aurora was laughing too much to drive, so Miles took over as she cheered him on. James and I still took turns, sometimes grabbing the wheel at the same time.

"Watch this!" Miles said, starting to turn around.

Just then, all the cars stopped, indicating the end of the ride.

"Dammit!" Miles exclaimed.

Laughing, James gave me a hug and kissed my forehead before we got out of cart. He offered his hand to me, and though I was more than capable of getting out of a bumper car myself, I took it, sending him a smile.

"Were you always this cute?" I asked him, walking towards the exit.

"Nope," he replied. "You bring it out of me."

I shook my head smiling. James looked at me as we walked down the exit ramp.

"You've always been cute," he said, causing me to blush. His hazel eyes would never fail to capture my attention. I never thought someone so...him would like me. He was cute, smart, and one of the kindest people I had ever met.

"Thanks, James," I smiled. "You're okay too, I guess."

"Rude!" he exclaimed, tickling my ribs.

I shrieked and jumped back, running the rest of the way to where our moms were standing.

"That was so much fun!" Aurora squealed, as her and Miles caught up to us.

"It was great," James agreed.

"You guys looked so cute!" Leah gushed.

"Alright, Leah, take it down a notch," Miles said.

"We took photos," my mom told me, holding up her phone.

"Great," I smiled. "Where should we go next?"

James took my hand in his, much to the delight of our moms, who unsubtly nudged each other and grinned. "What about the ride we were talking about earlier? It's right over there." He pointed to a ride called the Cliffhanger.

"Let's do it," I smiled.

"Can I come?" Aurora asked.

"Honey, you're a bit young for that one. It's pretty scary." She turned to us. "We'll watch Aurora. You guys go."

Miles, James and I headed toward the ride.

"Bye, Miles!" Aurora yelled from behind us.

Miles turned around and blew her a kiss.

"Man, she is into you," James laughed, earning a smack to his shoulder from me.

"She's four!" I said. "She just admires him. Plus, Miles isn't that good-looking."

"Hey!" Miles exclaimed, pushing me.

I stumbled for a second but caught my footing. "I'm kidding you weirdo!" I told him.

"You better be," he laughed. Pulling me back a bit, so James was ahead of us, he said, "Look, I just want to apologize again. I feel like I sent some signals, but honestly...I'm not into you. I'm used to girls flirting with me, and so far, every girl I've talked to this August has been very uninterested." He looked at the ground, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

"Miles, it's okay," I told him. "I get it. Girls flirt with you a lot."

"Not my point, but as long as we're good," he said.

"We're good," I assured him.

"What are you two talking about?" James said, coming back to walk alongside us.

"Nothing," Miles replied. "Here's the ride."

Looking up, I saw a very wide, square tower-like structure reaching upwards. At the bottom, it was blue, then changed to red then orange then yellow the higher up it went. Against the structure, there was a line of seats connected to the main part of it. Luckily for us, the line was short, and we got on right away. We were strapped in, and the ride began.

"Oh shit," I muttered, as we slowly rose higher and higher.

"Is someone scared?" Miles teased from my left.

"Shut up, Miles," James said from my right.

We kept rising. The ground slowly got smaller as we reached the top.

"Here we go," I mumbled. "This is where they drop us."

James took my hand in his. "This is going to be fun," he said.

"Why haven't they dropped us yet?" Miles asked.

"I think they like to build the suspen-" I was cut off as suddenly, whatever was holding us up was let go, and we pummeled towards the ground.

A/N: Thank you for 200 reads!