“Don’t go too far,” he jumps out of my mouth before I can stop him.
-What are you going to do? Her legs kick underwater, pushing her further away. You’re too scared to come here.
I press my thumbs against my fingertips and count to four again.
“What would Beau do?”
I stop and look at her blankly. Only she would have the balls to throw that in my face right now. All the rest of us have walked on eggshells, but she doesn’t allow it.
It’s refreshing.
I run my right hand over my shoulders and pull my shirt off the back of my neck. It falls to the sand, and I catch Sloane’s eyes roaming over my torso before he forces himself to quickly look away at the peaks around us.
The silence is almost deafening. All I hear is the gentle lapping of water on the sandy shore and the hum of highway traffic in the distance. I quickly take off my jeans and socks before stretching an arm across my chest, hoping he won’t stare at me too much.
“What would Beau do?” His head turns in my direction at the sound of my voice, and I smile at him, feeling instantly lighter.
“I would run in and wet your ass.”
And that’s exactly what I do. I launch myself into the glacial lake and dive right into it, ignoring the way the icy water sucks the air from my lungs.
She tries to swim, but I catch up with her right away. My hands slide through the water and over her soft skin as I grab her, lift her, and throw her into the air.
Their playful squeals make me flinch, and when they hit the water with a loud slap, I let out a laugh that echoes around us, bouncing off the mountains. I don’t know where Beau is, but I know he’d approve. And somehow that comforts me.
He surfaces, babbling and wiping his face.
“Jasper Gervais!” You didn’t just do that to me!
-I did it. And you squealed like a pig.
He gasps, pretending to be offended.
“Take that back!”
-Okay, fine. You squealed like a little pig. Much sharper and more feminine than a simple pig.
-Fool! He laughs breathlessly as he lunges at me. He wraps his strong thighs around my ribcage and puts his hands on top of my head, trying to pull me down.
The position puts her breasts right at my eye level. And my God. I try to be a good friend and not stare, but the bra pushes them up in the most annoying way. The cold air and even colder water give me goosebumps. The nipples strain against the flimsy fabric.
“You’re going to fall, Gervais!” “He keeps pushing me, laughing and shimmying and trying his hardest. He’s strong, but not strong enough, and his words are so open to being misinterpreted that I can’t even stand it.
“Oh, I will fall, Winthrop. But I’ll take you with me.
And with that warning, I tumble backwards, plunging us both into the icy depths. For a few moments, everything is silent and dark.
He grabs me and I grant myself four seconds of madness in our private bubble under the lake.
Our hands run frantically over each other’s bodies, sliding through the water. My hand, his thigh. His hand, my ribs.
We are playing? Fighting like when we were children?
Or are we taking liberties we would never take above water?
At the fourth second, I push up and away, and we both reach the crest of the water, panting and staring at each other. His tongue slides across his lips, tasting the glacial water that clings to them, and his eyes rest on my mouth as I imitate the movement.
The water between us is not so cold anymore. I stare at her for another four seconds. The tension expands in my chest, pressing until it feels like it will burst.
It reminds me of when we played in the river as children. Jumping off the bridge in the back room.
She blinks, as if he’s just woken her up, and gives a flat smile.
-Yeah. I never dared to jump off that bridge.
“Next summer,” I offer, moving away from her so as not to commit something colossal stupidity, like getting my hands on her again.
-Yeah. His teeth chatter as the word passes his lips, and I nod toward the shore.
-Let’s go. Let’s warm up. Find some food.
“I could use a drink,” he says.
Damn, I think the same.
We swim until we can stand. The small pebbles dig into the bottoms of my feet, and I struggle to stay focused on where I’m going instead of letting my eyes wander over Sloane’s body in the fading light.
She’s too tempting and I’m too confused. His eyes also remain on the ground.
On the shore, he dries off with his bathrobe and tries to give it to me to use as a towel, pressing his arms over his almost naked body. But it’s his big eyes that catch my attention. I can’t identify his look, but I know I’m not going to let him go back to the room unclothed and cold.
I smile and shake my head, taking the robe from her hand and putting it around her shoulders.
“But you’re going to be cold,” he says as I give him a quick massage up and down his arms a few times once the garment is on.
I take her hand and start walking towards our room.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Sunny.
I don’t look back when I hear his soft response.
“I always worry about you, Jas.
2 They are small books that students use to help them with various subjects.
14
Sloane
Sloane: This waitress is a fan.
Jasper: Sloane.
Sloane: What? It looks like it’s going to swallow you up.
Jasper: Don’t do it.
Sloane: Are you blushing?
Jasper: She’s a stranger. Doing your job. He doesn’t look at me like I’m something.
Jasper: Don’t make that face.
Sloane: If you need space, leave a sock on the hotel room door.
Jasper: Sunny, shut up. I would never do that to you.
The waitress seats us next to one of the huge windows overlooking the lake. We didn’t know what to expect from Rose Hill Reach, just that it was right next to the hotel. However, it is a lovely place. All the windows face the lake and a door opens onto a long dock with a wide landing that I suppose could double as a patio in the summer.