Then Hepsi cracked a smile. “You want to help me color the flames?”
“It’s called process ,” Hepsi replied without looking up. “You wouldn’t get it.”
“It’s not done,” Hepsi said, almost defensively. Gwen Summer Heat - Hepsi WIP -SkuddButt-
Hepsi finally spun her chair around. Her tank top was soaked through at the collar. She pushed her glasses up, leaving a smear of screen light on her cheek.
“What’s that mean?” Gwen asked.
Outside, the cicadas finally paused. For one long second, there was only the hum of the laptop fan and the sound of two people breathing in the thick, golden air.
They left the WIP open on the screen— Gwen_SummerHeat_v04_Hepsi_SkuddButt —and walked out into the shimmer. The sun hadn’t let up. But for the first time that day, it felt less like a weight and more like a glow. End of piece. (WIP — more to come, maybe. If the heat lets up.) Then Hepsi cracked a smile
Gwen smirked. “I get heatstroke. Same thing.”
1. Sticky Afternoon
“I know,” Gwen said. She pulled a spare stool over and sat beside her. “That’s why I like it.”
“Only if we get ice cream first.”