Page 38

He definitely noticed.
He set his cup down between the spindles of the railing behind me, his eyes lowering down to my chest as his mouth opened with a soft inhale.
And…who was this guy?Calm and respectful on the exterior, but totally confident and overwhelming on the inside?
Or was it the other way around?
There were too many wires crossed in my brain to be sure, but he wasdefinitelyabout to kiss me—way sooner than I ever actually expected him to—when Sydney crashed into our bubble with, “Olivia!” she shouted my name in four separate syllables, and the look on her face said this was absolutely payback for my interrupting her make-out session the other week.
I wanted to strangle her.
But Neil coughed and looked down at the ground, and I was sufficiently distracted. His cheeks had gone red.Way red.I would’ve been pissed at Sydney if I didn’t enjoy the sight of it so much. I might’ve also needed the space to catch my breath, anyway.But who needed air to survive, really?
“Pictures!” She cheesed with a line of perfectly straight teeth.
Neil eased himself up from the ground and offered me his hand. Mine was embarrassingly sweaty, so I quickly wiped it on my dress before letting him pull me to my feet.
Sydney took a picture just then. I didn’t actually see her do it, but I heard the click of the camera and caught the flash of it on the side of my face. I watched her pull the film out from the top of the camera, and she stood there shaking it while eyeing us with a full-on, troublemaking smirk.
I scowled at her in return.
“Okay, okay,” she said, throwing her hands up into the air. “Just one more, and I’ll leave you two be. But first, we take a selfie.”
She skipped down the steps and held the camera up above us. I stuck my tongue out and closed my eyes to avoid the flash, squishing her face into mine—half aggression over interrupting an almost, maybe kiss, half because I still loved her anyway.
“Okay, your turn.” She pulled away, holding her hand out for Neil to shake. “I’m Sydney, by the way.”
“I know.” He smiled, slipping his hand into hers. “Neil.”
“Nice hands,” she commented, and I wanted to smack her all over again.
“Okay, scoot together,” she ordered, quickly manhandling us enough that I had to brace myself with a hand on Neil’s chest as she shoved us closer.
I didn’t let myself look up at him; I couldn’t hold myself liable for what might happen if I did.
“Okay, now do something cute. Something all… intense vibes and Romeo and Juliet-y,” Sydney directed.
What?
Neil was the one who took the initiative, pulling my hand off his chest and stepping half a foot away, before bending down to kiss it—just like the scene in the movie.
It felt far more real than just a recreated scene, though, when his full lips grazed my knuckles.
My heart certainly couldn’t tell the difference, pounding away.
His mouth was still on my hand when he glanced up at me, and I wasn’t sure what kind of awestruck look I was giving him as Sydney took the picture, but I knew it felt a whole lot likewant, andgreed, andinfatuation.They were tangled up in a knotted ball of need sitting heavy in my gut.
And my chest. A combination of both.
A mixture of shouts and splashes tore me out of my reverie, and I looked behind us to find a bunch of people crashing into the pool. The music in the backyard kicked up as I turned to Neil, and I knew exactly what would cool down these burning feelings: A nice dip in the pool.
A mischievous smirk twisted my lips; Sydney was already snickering, understanding my mind completely.
“Don’t even think about it.” Neil caught on, but it was too late. I pushed my hands up against his chest and shoved him in.
At the very last second, he wrapped his arms around me and took me down with him—right on top of him.
We crashed into the water, sinking beneath the surface, the sounds of the party drowning out completely. My fingers were clutched on to him, and his arms were still wrapped tightly around me, making me feel all kinds of things. Things that only amplified in the washed-out quiet.