‘Definitely on again,’ AJ says, his hands around my waist as my feet find the riverbed. I can feel his erection straining under his swim shorts. ‘Though next week, either one of ’em could go cold again.’
We both glance at them for a moment. It doesn’t seem that Nicole’s going to go cold on Balthazar anytime soon.
‘Bren hates it,’ AJ says, looking past me toward Chase, who is still setting up camp. ‘I mean, it’s not that. He hates that I’ve got a girl now.’
Something twists in my chest. A memory flashes through my mind. ‘You mean, he doesn’t like that I’m your girlfriend.’
‘It means it’s not just the two of us shooting pool all day.’
‘Does he mind? That I’ve taken you away?’
AJ strokes my cheek. ‘He can shoot pool with anybody, and besides, I always lose. I’d rather spend my time hanging out with you.’
I move closer and he kisses me again. It’s long and slow, our tongues sliding together. Under the water, I feel my intimate muscles clench. I think about telling AJ I love him, but my thoughts are shattered by the sound of Chase loudly entering the water with a strangled wail, sending water everywhere.
We spend the rest of the afternoon in and out of the river, jumping in from a tire swing, playing ball games and listening to music. At dusk, the temperature finally cools off.
The sky is a cobalt shade of blue when AJ and Chase gather wood for a fire, because Nicole brought two bags of giant toasting marshmallows. Once we’ve dried off, she and I search for long sticks in the undergrowth.
‘So…’ she says when we’re out of earshot of the three men. ‘Things seem pretty swell between you and AJ.’
In the dusk light, I feel myself blush. ‘Yeah. Things are good. Really good. So far, anyway.’
‘I’ve never seen him so into a girl before. Or like… ever, actually. He told me he’s got competition though.’
I blink at her. ‘Competition?’
‘Some guy in England who sends you poetry over email?’
A smile tugs at my lips. ‘Oh. Him. Yeah. It’s nothing. He’s an ex. My only ex.’
‘Good ex, or bad ex?’
I shrug. ‘Good ex, I suppose. I never wanted to break his heart. I think now I know I have to.’
‘’Cause of AJ?’
I’m looking at him when I say the words, watching him laughing and joking with his two best friends, ‘I don’t want to go back to England. My life is here now. I think I was just afraid to start living it.’
She follows my gaze. ‘Did you tell your daddy yet?’
I snap out of my wistful reverie. ‘Uh. No. He doesn’t know. And I don’t know that he’d have a problem with it, it’s more…’
‘Mayor Wallace? You know she’s gonna go ballistic when she finds out, right?’
She doesn’t see me wince. ‘I know that. Look, here’s one.’
I hold up a good stick for toasting marshmallows. ‘Awesome,’ Nicole says, bending down and picking up another. ‘I got one too.’
‘What about you and Balthazar? You seem to have patched things up.’
‘I don’t know about that. Reyes likes two things: sex and motorcycles. So long as he and I are keeping each other happy in the bedroom… Well. He’s a simple kinda guy. But maybe simple is what I need.’
The first time I feel out of place in the group is when we’re on our third round of toasted marshmallows, sitting in a circle around our small campfire, and I’m starting to feel a little sick.
‘What happened to your friend Marcie from high school?’ Nicole asks me. ‘That girl you used to hang out with?’
I lick marshmallowy stickiness from my fingertips. ‘Went to medical school in Dallas.’