CW: Themes of arson, stalking and sexual content.

1

It was warm already, the first in a seven-day stretch with predicted highs over one hundred. Seth ran a hand through his hair and jogged down the stairs. He could hear his mother’s voice, flirtatious, lilting. She was cooking breakfast for his father who sat at the kitchen counter watching her. Passing behind his mother to grab a yogurt, Seth closed his eyes, inhaling her airy perfume. Lavender, she’d told him once. She was dressed in a crisp linen blouse and pleated skirt, hair soft and curled, expensive makeup applied hours earlier before anyone, even - especially - his father could see her barefaced. Seth was struck by how curated she seemed just then, how beautifully manufactured. ‘All that effort for him’, he marveled, scoffing but at a desperation wrongly inferred.

Seth’s father ran a corporate marketing division with a multimillion dollar annual budget. Their house, cars, the neighborhood they lived in, vacations they took - all the fruit of his father’s labor. Seth grew up listening to his father’s stories about long hours, hard work, and sacrifice being the keys to a life well lived. He knew all too well the satisfaction his father took in providing for his ‘beautiful wife and talented, bright son’.

“Seth, my boy, ready for the tourney?” Seth was in a handball league and played in weekend tournaments all summer. “I looked at the data sheet; your performance today could bump you into the top three.” Smiling, his father continued, “That’s where I spent my varsity years, and trust me son, if I can do it…”

Seth finished the sentence, “...you can do it. Yeah, I know.” annoyed that his father’s encouragement inevitably made him feel worse. Pausing on his way out, he looked back. Seth got his height and good looks from his father. They had the same arresting blue eyes that won over men and women alike. They exchanged smiles. “I know. I got this, dad.”

2

After winning both matches, Seth was collecting his things when she caught his eye. Relaxed, she tossed her long auburn hair over her shoulder as she laughed at something said to her. He was certain he knew her from somewhere. He must have been staring; when she looked away from her friend, her eyes cut straight to him. Their gazes locked, her name came to him, whispered on lips that had gone dry…Aria. Yes, Aria from school.

He cocked a half smile, tilting his head so bangs swept one side of his face, a move he’d practiced in the mirror. She smiled and laughed, turning away. He was excited by her; she seemed different from the girl he remembered. Aria. Seth walked to his car, a four-year old Benz gifted to him this spring when his father upgraded. He felt her gaze on him. Good. He wanted her to notice the car. His heart pounded, but he did not look her way again as he pulled out of the lot and turned south.

Later he found her on social media. He could not believe he’d never taken notice before. She was stunning - hot. He shed his athletic wear, masturbated in the shower to his memory of her, and later spent hours driving down one county road after another to see if he could find her house. In a picture she’d posted online, she stood with two younger brothers in the front yard. Most of the house numbers on the mailbox were visible. Finally, a few days later he spotted one of her brothers playing out front. Every day since, he’d found a way to see her, to watch. Everything he saw made him ache with longing in high summer’s unbearable heat.

3

“Oh, honey. You have to get out of here! The ladies are coming for tea, and you cannot lay around like this. Here, take these down to the donation shop. You know, on 7th and Hamilton. Oh, sweetie, thank you. Yes, those there. And here, honey, take this. Get lunch with your friends. Go! Have fun! I love you, darling.”

Seth pulled into a shaded spot and cut the engine. He listened to the ticks and quiet whirs of the engine cooling, then to his heartbeat - in his jaw, his throat, pounding against his chest. He kept picturing her silhouette in the window last night. The day’s heat seeped into the car’s interior, warm and welcome, not yet sweltering.

At that moment a car pulled into a front row spot. His brows rose in surprise as none other than Aria stepped from the driver’s side and headed to the front doors. ‘What is she doing here? She didn’t work here? How tragically romantic to meet over a donation counter.’ he thought as he smiled in the rear view mirror, checking his teeth, genuinely pleased. After bringing boxes to someone who was most definitely not Aria, he walked toward the storefront. The doors swung open, and Aria stepped onto the sidewalk not two feet in front of him.

“Oh!” she cried, taking a step back. “Hi.” She smiled, meeting his gaze then quickly casting her eyes down and glancing back again. ‘She’s nervous’, he thought. Then, ‘She’s attracted to me. Good.’

“What’s up? You don’t actually work here, do you?” Seth stepped closer, laughed too loudly. “Hey, I'll double the pay and you can organize my closets.” He stopped, realizing he sounded like an ass and also that he was noticeably sweating. He laughed again, sheepish now; she laughed to let him off the hook, not finding him funny. She explained, but he was distracted by the small gold chain hanging from her neck, the sheen of sweat that dampened the collar of her tanktop. Her collarbone was dusted with freckles. A single drop of sweat rolled down his ribcage. Heat flushed his face and neck. They both shifted their weight on the bright hot sidewalk. She’d stopped speaking; he hadn’t heard a word she’d said and changed the subject.

“Tomorrow’s going to be fucking hot again. It’s this heat dome.” He ran his hand through his hair. "Let’s meet up. I’ll take us to Walton Park. We can hike the lake side where it’s shady.” Silent, she held his gaze. Realizing he hadn’t asked or invited exactly, he decided not to backtrack. He took her silence as acceptance and picked the time. “I’ll get you at 11:00.” He was pleased he remembered to ask for her address.

4

Her family lived down an old country road where big farm houses sat on expansive properties surrounded by sweeping fields of hay, alfalfa, fruit trees, sometimes hazelnuts. Hers was the last on the left. She stood on the front porch, already hot, impatient in short jean cut-offs and a t-shirt she’d cut the sleeves from. She bit her lip thinking about him, watching his car wind down the long drive. He stirred an attraction in her that felt above her and beneath her at the same time. She hopped into the passenger seat, unrolling the window as the leather seats chilled the backs of her legs and cold air blasted through the vents.

She couldn’t even remember what she originally asked him, but, God, he was going on. “He built his business and his reputation from nothing. It’s big, yeah. But, I mean, it could be bigger. He’s just not going after it, you know?” His hands sliced the air as he spoke, occasionally thumping the steering wheel for emphasis. “His brand isn’t even in the same league; it’s not even the same thing, really. I started building my brand in high school. I’m about to launch into a new stratosphere of revenue and exposure. I’m ready to pop.” He paused, aware he’d grown animated. Pulling into an available parking spot, he turned, expecting her to be equally as excited by his success, his ambition.

“Yeah, but it’s really not the same thing though. You and your dad. I mean come on. Your dad didn’t have the same tools or the same platforms we do, right? Why even compare yourself? I guess I don’t understand tearing down his accomplishments. You don’t need to do that to stand in your own right. You know?”

He turned to her slowly. She’d completely missed the point. His eyes narrowed as it sunk in that she was correcting him. Seth was incredulous, annoyed. No, he was furious. He allowed his grip to tighten on the steering wheel, a few knuckles whitening.

They sat in silence. He watched as her surprise gave way to dismay. He knew he was glaring at her, that he should speak. Masking irritation, he went for a flirtatious tone. “You know,” placing his hand on the seat next to her knee, “I thought you would have understood the nuance of my point.” Watching her reaction to the compliment and admonishment, he moved his open palm to her thigh. He was attracted to her, but he expected some adulation from her, not this…this haughty counsel. He realized he was kneading her leg and stopped.

“Ah…yeah…” her hand fell over his. She lifted his hand, returning it to his thigh, patting it once before moving her hand back to her lap. “I stand by what I said. You’re obviously talented, Seth, and you have an impressive social following, but -”

He raised a hand in the air between them, cutting her off. “I’m going to stop you there. You don’t need to repeat yourself. I don’t really want to hear another word from you, actually. Just get out.” He turned to face forward again, seething.

“Wait, what?!? Are you serious right now?”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now!” She stepped from his car, turning back to speak with him through the open door. He started the engine and slammed his foot on the petal; back tires kicking up gravel, her door slammed shut from the momentum. He rolled down his window, yelling “Fucking bitch!” as he turned out of the parking lot leaving Aria standing shocked and alone.

5

Later, as Aria toweled off from her shower, she marveled that, while she’d washed away the sweat and grimy memory of the morning with Seth, she hadn’t even dressed yet and already felt sticky again. She unwrapped her damp hair, shaking it loose over her shoulders. No way she was blow drying today. Watching herself in the full-length mirror, she spoke in an exaggerated southern accent. “I simply cannot bear this heat.” She swiveled her hips from side to side. Naked and clean, she didn’t hate what she saw. “Not bad, dahling.” She courtseyed to herself before dressing and heading downstairs to help her mom clean out a linen closet.

Seth watched her with keen attention. He stood behind a large oak with small pocket binoculars. ‘It’s like watching the ballet’, he thought, wishing he could hear what she was saying. She looked so pretty, so happy. He was still angry she’d spoiled all of this for him. Clenching his jaw kept him from drifting too far into thoughts of anger and frustration. He couldn’t bear to continue looking at her. When she bounced from her room and out of sight, he could finally exhale. He turned on his heel, wanting to grind much more into oblivion than the pebbles and twigs beneath his boot.

He made his way down a game trail in the small woods between her family’s alfalfa fields and the road. He stepped into the dry alfalfa. It stood thigh-high, especially tall for early July. Tiny purple buds shriveled under the afternoon sun. Aria had told him they’d moved “second cut” up a week to next week because of the heat. He bent, snapping a dried husk. As he rose, Seth fingered the matchbox and withdrew it from his pants pocket.

He stayed long enough to see the flames begin to spread, then stepped back through the game trail. He could smell the smoke by the time he reached his car, hidden in the shrubs off a nearby crossroad. He saw the first proper plume rising in the sky as he turned onto the highway and headed to town.

6

Seth showered immediately, masturbating again to her. He played out scenes of her begging his forgiveness. He shivered as he toweled off, goosebumps standing on his forearms and thighs. The air conditioning was set too low, but he suspected he’d probably been the one to lower it. His mother would try to turn it up, but when it was sweltering like this he’d just creep in after her and crank it back down again.

He’d give Aria time. Let things sink in. Then they could try the lake again. He’d be ready to forgive her, already had really.

7

They were all safe and together in a hotel room reserved by the insurance company. Her parents were still reeling, chattering through plans for the hours and days ahead; her little brothers played and whispered in the corner. The fire had burned it all, rolling through the crops and across their property like a flooding river. Days later, the fields were scorched, still smoldering. Everything stunk of wet ash and dead earth. Where a farmhouse, garage, and barn had stood full of sound and purpose days prior, every inch had been razed.

As Aria lay on the bed, her cell vibrated. She rolled to her side and pulled her phone from her pocket. She didn’t recognize the number, but her heart stopped as she read and reread the text.

Yo, what happened? That fire was crazy. Karma’s a bitch, though, right? Ready to apologize? Me, too. I’ll pick you up.

She sat up; knowing immediately who sent it, her thoughts began to race. ‘Was he implying that I caused…That he…? He couldn’t have. No way. But, he knows where I live.’ She reread the message and felt sick. “Mom…come here. Look at this.”

Within the hour Sheriff Hank Lancer filled their doorway. “Let me see the phone.” He stepped past her father and into the room. Hours later, after the sheriff left, taking her phone with him, her parents had repacked the car, and they were on the road to Aria’s aunt and uncle’s place four hours south in Springfield. They would regroup there, her mom declared shakily.

Prints were recovered from a small plastic bottle that had inexplicably escaped the flames. Sheriff Lancer needed less than ten minutes with Seth’s father. Completely confident that his son was innocent, his father consented to fingerprinting Seth without hesitation.

After Seth was arrested, his father’s money bought a persuasive mental defect defense and a plea of a few years served at a facility more resort than psych ward. By summer’s end, Seth was well-rested, tanned from afternoons napping on chaise lounges. As fall’s warm colors gave way to winter’s melancholy, he ruminated, forgiving himself the “outburst”, attributing it to heat derangement, the lunacy of lust, an infatuation gone too far. He could see he’d gotten a little swept away. In reality, she was a very plain girl who shopped consignment. She’d explained that day - when he wasn’t listening - that she enjoyed bargain hunting. He was embarrassed to remember it - for her.

8

Seth hiked daily and completed a dog training-patient rehab program. Balmy, spring-scented breezes soon swept away the memory of Aria and her farm. Just such a breeze caressed his legs, stomach, and chest; a playful wind swept hair from his brow as he lay sleepy on a sun-warmed towel. ‘It was like they said. Cooler heads do prevail.’ He’d worked on his composure, on understanding himself. He was a Romeo, nothing wrong with that. He just couldn’t let it get to him. He’d never wanted to fight with Aria, hadn’t wanted any of what happened. So, he determined, it wouldn’t happen again. ‘Simple as that’, he thought, bending and wiggling his browned toes in the sun.

He felt so good to talk through these ideas with his therapist. She was fantastic - and good looking. They talked and laughed the days away. In fact, she mentioned the possibility of an early release if things continued going so well. Out in time to watch Fourth of July fireworks! It was thrilling to think of getting back to his life. He was ready, and Caroline - Dr. Murphy - seemed more than willing to help make it happen. He could tell she was falling for him and felt the flutter of his own attraction.

One afternoon they sat side by side in the garden, both laughing at something he’d said. He took her hand in his. She hadn’t immediately pulled back; after a few moments she had, but not immediately. Sitting back, folding his hands neatly in his lap, Seth inhaled deeply and asked her, “What is this? Lavendar?” wanting to impress her. “We should get back, Seth. Group is starting soon.” They both stood.

9

Only eight o’clock and already hot as hell. Seth lay on his own bed in his own room, smiling with arms folded behind his head. He fantasized about seeing her again - for the first time ‘on the outside’. He laughed out loud, couldn’t help it. He grabbed his phone to check the weather. This week would be summer’s hottest yet - another heat dome. He hadn’t forgotten something she told him once in group. She rarely spoke about herself, but that morning her eyes shone as she talked about escaping the scorching heat of summer taking in a weekend matinee; she loved the air-conditioned darkness, ice-cold sodas, and watching whatever - it hardly mattered. His smile widened as he replayed the memory over and over. Remembering this - her in that moment - was his own little movie.

Today was the fourth Saturday Seth would drive forty-five minutes to the only movie theater in her town. He hadn’t spotted her yet but remained undeterred. Taking his time was excruciating, but he was learning.