Page 62 of Paint Our Song

The water falls down from moss-covered rock faces, right into a pool. The pool itself opens to a stream that leads toward the lake, and the currents are gentle enough that people can swim in it. There’s a lot of greenery and wildflowers surrounding them, and rocky shores where Miles has fallen asleep many times before. The painting he has framed back in the inn was from a memory when he was younger, in middle school, when Dad brought him here.

There’s a splash as Chase jumps into the water, and Gil follows after him.

Miles peers at Calvin for a long moment. He’s quiet most of the time, but his silence is even thicker today. He wonders if his friends have also noticed it. “Are we okay?” he asks, softly.

“Yes,” Calvin says. “I’m tired. I got up early and jogged around the lake… didn’t know these two were coming.”

Is that it, really? He knows Calvin jogs almost every morning, and that’s never been used as an excuse for a shift in his mood. Miles has a very strong feeling that his silence has a lot to do with what happened last night. It’s clear with how Calvin’s struggling to meet his eyes.

“Want to go in?” Miles points toward the water. There’s sweat on Calvin’s neck. He looks like he could use a swim.

“Not really.”

Miles snorts. He must really hate swimming. Calvin really does have the personality of a grouchy cat. “C’mon, what the hell? Have some fun.”

“I’m having fun.”

There’s a tense pause. Miles asks, very seriously, “You do know how to swim, right?”

Calvin squints at him. “Yes, Miles, I know how to swim.”

Touchy. Laughing, Miles walks toward the water. He takes off his shirt, kicks his shoes off, and he’s left in only his board shorts.

“Suit yourself!” he yells toward Calvin. For a split-second, Calvin’s eyes flicker to his arms and his bare chest, then he glances away the same moment his ears redden. It does something for Miles’s ego, but he doesn’t call Calvin out for clearly checking him out.

Miles jumps into the pool where Chase is trying to dunk Gil under the water. Calvin, determined to stick to his quiet guy image, keeps to himself and sits on the shore. He seems sleepy, his eyes fluttering half-lidded, and he yawns a few times.

The water’s cool and refreshing, and Miles swims off to the falls while Chase and Gil mess around. The current’s nice nearer to the rocks, and he sighs in contentment. It’s been a while since he’s been here. He lazes around a bit, alone, and maybe he does get why Calvin prefers being alone. It’s not so bad.

When he swims back to the group, Chase is trying to convince Calvin to get in the water.

“Come on!” Chase insists.

Shrugging, Calvin shakes his head. “No, thanks.”

“Fine. Can you hand me my phone, at least? I want to take a photo.”

With a grimace, Calvin relents. He rummages through Chase’s bag, searching for his phone. Miles approaches them, watching, and paddles toward a rock and rests his arms on it.

“Chase. No.” Gil’s voice is low but commanding. There should be a game based on how many times he says that, along with stop,and quit it.

Chase snickers. “Chase. Yes.”

“Don’t. He’s going to hate it.”

What are they up to? Calvin approaches them, leaning down to hand Chase his phone. With a huge smirk, Chase takes his phone, tosses it to the ground, and grabs his hand. Calvin’s eyes widen as he’s yanked into the water. There’s a huge splash and Chase hoots loudly, swimming away before Calvin’s able to reorient himself. He reemerges, spluttering, and pushes his wet hair back from his face. Calvin clenches his jaw and the muscles in his neck go taut.

Gil sighs. “I told him not to.”

“Chase!” Calvin yells. His shirt clings to his skin. Cursing under his breath, Calvin furiously rubs his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Gil says. Chase is already on the other side of the pool, cackling.

Calvin blinks rapidly, then he sighs. “I accidentally rubbed a fucking contact off.”

“Did you bring your glasses?” Miles asks, still resting his arms on the rocks.

“Yes. In my bag.”