At the edge of the pool, I dip my foot in, and water soaks through my shoe.
Ricky storms off angrily, leaving me behind. Again.
Topher moves beside me, his arm wrapping around myshoulder as I shake water off my shoe. “Everything okay?” He looks down at my sopping wet foot, then in the direction where Ricky disappeared.
One sock squishes as I push down more brand-new emotions that threaten to completely derail me. Again. “Totally. All good. Never better.”
Topher sighs. “This must be a lot for you.”
“I stepped in it. Literally.”
He tightens his grip and pulls me closer. “Heard there was an incident in the kitchen earlier. If you need to talk, I’m here.”
“Sorry about that. It is. A lot. To be here. With—But I don’t want to ruin this week for you and Sienna.”
“Trust me, you won’t.”
I wouldn’t be so sure.
TUESDAY
Chapter 11
I’ve Seen You a Lot More Naked ThanThat!
I’ve been awake for hours.
Matty is passed out, flat on his stomach, one sock on, one off, snoring so loudly that even if I hadn’t had the most awkwardly painful encounter with Ricky, I wouldn’t be getting any sleep anyway.
As the golden sun rises, I make my way down the winding natural stone stairs carved into the rocky mountainside from the villa toward the sea to clear my mind. All I’ve done is replay the scene with Ricky, where I went wrong, what I could have said or done, going as far back as the breakup or further, questioning the entirety of our relationship, what was real and what wasn’t.
I wish Matty was awake. He’s good at centering me when I’m spiraling. I can’t exactly go to Topher without him thinking I’m up to no good.Which. . .
I’m on my own.
Right now, it’s me, the sea, and you, dear reader.
At the end of the path is not a beach, but a stone patio builtseamlessly into the natural rocks lined with a few deep blue loungers. There’s a rope around the perimeter, and clear No Jumping signs due to rocks in the water below. At the far end of the patio is a ladder that leads into the water. There’s a rolled-up linen towel at the foot of the lounger closest to the sea, but it’s far too early for anybody to be awake yet.
The sea is calm this early, but there’s a salty mist in the air, and though the air is chilly, the sun has a prickly warmth that creates a beautiful dichotomy of sensations that lulls me into a false sense of security.
I close my eyes and see Ricky. But he’s not my Ricky; he’s a different version, one I don’t have access to, and I’m reaching out my hands, but I can’t grab hold, and suddenly it’s like I’m outside my own body looking down, and holy shit this is a feeling I haven’t felt since the breakup, and I was hardcore disassociating andfuck, fuck, fuck—
Bolting upright, I reach for my phone, but my hands are numb and I send it flying straight off the lounger and skidding across the patio toward the sea.
My heart stops.
In that moment, a head emerges from the ladder. With catlike reflexes, an arm reaches out and stops my skidding phone just before it slides off the stone and into the sea.
Too late for me, though, because I’m already tumbling to the ground, scrambling to chase after it.
“This is why I leave my phone in my room,” my phone savior says.
When I register it’s coming from Cam(!), I have to brace myself because my knees give out due to the sheer shock. Well,that and the confirmation that, yes, Cam does in fact have a total sleeper bod.
Cam continues his ascension from the sea, water dripping from his Olympic swimmer body complete with broad shoulders and slim waist, abs for days, and not a single ounce of fat. If I didn’t hate him already, I would now. Cam bounds up the ladder toward me, all leggy strides the way tall guys do, grinning like a nice guy who’s already won. His scruff is unkempt, but it doesn’t hide a jawline that can cut glass. Big wet curls sit on top of his head, which I didn’t notice yesterday because he was wearing a skater beanie.
He places my phone on the lounger next to me, then reaches out a hand to hoist me up. I look at him hesitantly. “I don’t bite, promise.” His palms are wet, and despite all the chiseled marble, his grip isn’t that strong and I nearly bring him down. Once we’re both on our feet, I take a step back, unsure what to do next.
