Page 21

I 'm an idiot.

I resolved to terminate this bet instead of letting her become involved. I wanted to terminate this situation quickly, but my haste led me to blame her.

The situation has escalated because I created a much larger problem.

The outcome depends on our desire to win because it can conclude in these three days or extend over a few months. Despite my dislike of it the outcome will be the latter.

The situation became more complicated because our presence here has not been beneficial. She pretends to understand everything but misses half of what's happening in her surroundings.

This situation reminds me of how that guy at the bike rentals flirted with her. There's no way I asked her to attend a party. He stole a look at her face while he spoke to her. The thought of it infuriated me.

Just like now. As we moved along town streets toward the restaurant Sabrina discovered each man who passed by turned back to look at her again and again. She's completely clueless about everything going on.

Her ability to capture so much attention surprises me. She believes she understands how many guys approach her but barely half of the men who look at her try to talk to her.

The majority attempt to avoid my intense stare but other men defy me and approach her.

Those guys deserve credit for talking to her yet they are complete jerks. I understood Alec was in trouble when she lost all ability to look away from him.

He spoke horribly during the locker room discussion, yet I couldn't bring myself to say anything to her. She never bothered to spend time listening to what I had to say.

I have resumed my usual behavior which involves shooting daggers at the man. Many people don't pay attention to me while some people bow down to apologize. Idiots.

The moment when I noticed all these things remains a mystery to me and I am also unsure about when I started feeling concerned.

The bet requires us to work together and so I need her focus to stay on me instead of the clueless people who walk by her.

I decided to sit next to her tonight because that was exactly why I needed to do so. She shot me a glare, but I remained seated as if I hadn't noticed. The entire crowd of people engaged in conversation while we maintained complete silence.

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned it yet.

I moved my foot in a circular motion around her ankle to pull her closer to me. The distance between our seats made private conversation impossible because others could hear us.

Despite her kicking my foot away while trying to resist me I returned each time.

They fought silently until finally she moved close enough to whisper. Do you really want to move forward with this? I asked.

Her lips released a tiny chuckle. The lips that came close to kissing me just one hour earlier. I realized my mistake because I made the move. Her victorious smile widened as she pulled away from me. I deserve this shame because I want to kiss her again. That night's visions continued to deteriorate as the day progressed.

The visions became so clear that I couldn't possibly ignore them. I can't tell if my brain is improving how I feel but discovering that required taking the obvious step. To kiss her again.

My encounter with her at the house demonstrated that I needed to improve my performance for future opportunities.

"Never been surer in my life." While maintaining eye contact, she taunts me directly.

The grin crosses my face before we both fall into silence once more and I realize she's been maintaining eye contact with me more frequently. I don't understand why things change quickly but it doesn't bother me.

I take a final glance at her before placing my ankle back over hers.

Game on Em.

"Sunscreen."

"Check."

"Chairs."

"Check."

"No fucks to give."

"Obviously." I sang while leading the two women out of the door. As we walked along the street, we talked about all our possible activities for the day.

Tanning made sense as an option because there were no parties to attend. Should our current plans grow dull we'd find activities within town to occupy us. Whatever—whatever

We strolled along the road at 9 am which ran between colourful beach houses along the coast. The view of the sandy hill we had to climb filled me with complete bliss as we made our way to the beach.

My feet, feeling the fine sand crystals brought a smile onto my face. This spot feels exactly where I need to be.

From sundown to sunup.

We moved our chairs to the left before we opened an umbrella. The sweltering heat sunk into my skin. I was relieved to have sunscreen on because without it I would have felt like I was burning.

"Glasses?" The final time Hazel reviewed her mental checklist.

"Yep." In perfect synchronization we put on our sunglasses before readjusting our chairs.

We remained silent for several minutes until

Kylie posed her final question. "So Hazel, what is your goal today?" As I mentioned yesterday my plan is to sunburn myself so Felix won't recognize my blushing.

We both laughed at her response. I anticipated you'd follow through with your plan I told her with a stare.

Before Kylie could pose her next inquiry my friend stuck her tongue out at me. "And what about you, Em?"

"You know me, Kylie. I'm here to get a nice tan. I let out a groan about how these straps will become a nightmare.

She said a nude beach would help you as laughter started to form.

I wouldn't want to ever look up and find a 60-year-old man's genitals while I'm sunbathing. I rolled my eyes, completely serious. I would be traumatized.

My honest answer made both burst out laughing. It took me a while to stop laughing because the sun was beating down on me. I heard their return from above only later but had instructed them to refrain from disturbing me unless he appeared.

He also made no effort to disturb me, which surprised me.

He surprised me a lot.

The time dragged on so much that I needed to cool down. "Kylie..."

"Water?" She asked her question as though she somehow knew what I was thinking.

"Mhm." I hummed. "Hazel?"

"Yes. Please. I'm dying." Hazel whined as I sat up.

I removed my glasses and tossed them into the shade before walking towards the water. The sight we encountered on our way through left me quite surprised.

These guys wear their hats backwards and carry backpacks. One of the guys might be playing spike ball yet they use skim boards and play with a football which represents typical beach activities for teenage boys.

Their presence made them the main attraction for any girls at the beach. The scene was noteworthy. Six or seven girls surrounded them while engaging in a conversation. I paid no attention to anything because Camden and JAMIE dominate the conversation with their talk.

Camden and JAMIE seemed inseparable just like two peas sharing a pod. They were packages. However, Camden and JAMIE dominate hookup culture. Jaxon isn't good but those two earn just one word from me. Dangerous.

I shook my head before I walked into the water.

The water rose past my shoulders as I submerged myself and closed my eyes to imagine Savannah days ahead.

The beach routine consisted of getting sand in my hair and Sunkissed cheeks before showering at home and then going out with friends before waking up to repeat it all the next day.

God, it sounded terrific.

My imagination suddenly halted when someone pushed my shoulders underwater. I released my breath as I stood back up while Kylie laughed.

"Dude, I was having a relaxing moment!" My laughter surfaced while I brushed my hair from my face.

Our laughter kept going until I saw Hazel standing there looking sad. My smile vanished when my laughter stopped. "Hey Hazel, you okay?" I ask genuinely.

"Yeah-it's just, uhm..." she paused while her fingers fidgeted nervously.

My mood dipped slightly because of her noticeable frown. I understood the situation better when I looked beyond her head. "Why don't you Call him over here?" I asked.

She's quick to shake her head. "No, it's fine."

I gave her a look. "I'm serious, Hazel. Get him over here." I work to convince her to lead Felix away from the group.

Again, she shut me down. "It's fine, Em. Plus, it would be awkward," she shrugged.

"Why?" Kylie butts in.

"I don't know...we haven't spoken since-you know...that." She dodges the main issue while trying to convey her point. "I'm just really confused, that's all."

"Hazel." Kylie gave her a stern stare. "Tell us what happened."

"Well, it's what hasn't happened. After our kiss happened everything just stopped moving forward. We talked about it with jokes at the diner, but our relationship stayed the same. At least that's what I've noticed." She shared her story while fatigue clearly covered her face.

The truth is I developed feelings for him after that kiss. I assumed he felt the same way after our kiss but now I'm uncertain. She lets out an exhausted breath. I believe Savannah used me as a rebound because she cheated on him.

"Don't say that." I blurt. I noticed her frown and immediately searched my mind for something comforting to say to her. "I'm sure that's not true, Hazel."

"Well, what am I supposed to think?" she asked. I felt completely alone with my anxiety while we drove in the car. Maybe the only one is thinking about it." Kylie showed the same level of distress about this situation when I looked at her. The way

Hazel looked defeated and pushed me to the edge while Kylie reacted the same way. Of our group of three people she stands out as the most joyful one. "Alright, c'mon." Kylie pipes up. "We're taking a walk."

As I follow them Hazel gets pulled out of the water by her. My heart becomes heavy as I watch Felix from behind our group.

I glanced at Jaxon who looked puzzled as we passed him while walking. I look away and join up with the two girls for a walk.

"We're all officially mad at Felix." Kylie declares. "Why?" Kylie places her arm around Hazel's shoulder while asking a question.

The reason for our anger stems from his behavior of kissing my best friend and pretending there's nothing wrong. she reasons, and I agree. I can't imagine him doing it. —forgetting all just like that. I'm sure there's another reason. There must be.

As I come out of the shower, I hear voices in a room that I know and it's the room with the spinny chair.

As I unlock the door, I find exactly who I need to speak with on the other side. "Finley. Sawyer." His name slips from my mind as I close the door.

"Oh god. What did I do now?" With a sarcastic tone he breathes while JAMIE laughs next to him.

I shake my head and give him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Ow."

"Are you an idiot!?" I ask him.

"What? What are you talking about?" he asks, confused.

"I'm talking about Hazel, you dimwit. What makes you act like an idiot around Hazel? I stress.

"And that's my cue. My relationships always end after just one encounter. I don't do that emotional shit." He feels disgusted before he stands from the chair.

I roll my eyes again. You'll never find yourself in a relationship. "And I don't want to. I am perfectly content to remain a single man who turns heads, thank you very much. He uses sarcasm while raising a hand to his chest.

"JAMIE." We say in unison.

"Get out." Felix deadpans.

He leaves the room with an easy shrug and a playful salute.

What kind of idiotic behavior am I displaying with Hazel? He sat down in JAMIE’s chair while he asked about why he seemed an idiot to Hazel.

"You're making her upset."

"Why am I making her upset?" he asks.

Felix you're behaving like you don't understand what's going on. How is it possible for you to forget that you kissed her? I press him.

"I didn't forget," he answers.

Why does your behavior suggest that nothing happens? I genuinely question him.

He pauses to think before I lift an eyebrow to encourage him to continue talking.

I want to avoid pretending everything is normal but I'm unsure about how to proceed. he shrugs.

My heart dropped. "Do you...regret it?" I managed to say my bitter words and his surprised reaction showed he didn't expect such a thing to come from me.

"No. I don't regret it at all. I think I'm nervous." His laugh while speaking affirmed how he felt.

He was nervous.

"Why are you nervous?"

Before Kylie and your brother everyone in this group remained single. Doing that with someone else feels risky. He states that kissing someone within this group means you cannot reverse the situation.

My heart lifted from its lowest point before falling back down.

There's no going back. The same words kept replaying in my thoughts. Shit.

I cleared my throat and continued. "So, do you like her...like that?"

He moved his lips repeatedly while searching for the right answer. I feel attracted to her, yet I fear that pursuing it could ruin our current relationship.

I sighed. Staying inactive means you'll ruin things. I give it to him straight.

He lets out a groan before wiping his face with his hand. "So, then what, just go for it?"

"Yes. She loves you more than she should, which makes me feel awkward. I laugh. His face lights up with a smile when he sits back in satisfaction.

I rotate my body and move my hand to the doorknob. If you ever break Kylie's heart, then you will never hear from me again. I point at him.

"Thanks for the warning." He throws his hands up in defence