Page 21 of The Other Side of Paradise (Story of Paradise #2)

I tried to bury my nose in a book on my phone, underneath the umbrella that Stella had set up, and it almost worked until something drew my eye away, and I looked at where Stella came across the beach towards me, a bright-red Solo cup in hand and a loaded smile, and I could only imagine what that meant.

Probably something like hey, keep an eye on my stuff, I’m going to go ride Jacob’s dick until sunrise.

“Hey,” I said, sitting up taller and trying to pre-empt her, putting the phone away. “Did it go well with—”

She dumped the cup on me. I let out an embarrassing squeal, trying to bat it away—ocean water, turned out, not a drink, so it wasn’t ice-cold, but for an instant when she dumped it down my front, it felt like it, and I jumped up to my feet, whirling on where she was laughing so hard her cheeks were red.

“Just when I let my guard down,” I sputtered, bristling, and she laughed, again, just when she’d started regaining her composure.

“You—you look so funny with your face all scrunched up at me like that—”

“Give me that—” I reached for the cup, and she laughed, pulling it away, and I lunged again to grab it.

She squealed, turned and ran, and I chased after her, sand soft underfoot while we ran a course across the beach, until I was laughing too and I managed to catch up and grab her by the arm, and she wrestled against me in a battle that ended with both of us on the sand, me pinning her down and wrestling the cup away, and she squealed, giggling while she tried to push out from under me, but I got my shot—used the cup to scoop up sand, and I dashed it over her front, both of us laughing breathlessly.

“You’re faster than I thought,” she said, eyes sparkling.

“It’s the sand. I’ve probably run on beaches more than you have.”

“Ah, yeah. Beach girl.” She grinned, brushing back a long lock of my hair that had fallen down between us, and it was only really then that I realized I was pinning Stella Valerie Bell down underneath me.

Oh, god. My thigh was touching hers. Stella’s laugh didn’t do as much as I needed to pull me out of the reverie.

“Sorry for throwing water on you,” she said.

“You’re not remotely sorry.”

“Not even the tiniest little bit. It was cute when you were all—” She imitated my scrunched-up face, and I made it back at her.

“You’re a nightmare.”

“And proud of it.”

I shifted off of her, my head pounding with awareness at the brush of her skin on mine, her thigh so…

soft… Jesus Christ. I sat on the sand next to her, and she sprawled out, making herself comfortable lying down beside me.

I pulled myself together enough to ask in a voice that I think still came out a little shaky, “So, when’s the date?

I assume you’re waiting until hunky Mr. Lifeguard is off his shift. ”

She snorted, but there was something there in her voice, looking away. “I love the way you say hunky Mr. Lifeguard like it’s the most painful construction of words in the language.”

“Hunky Mr. Lifeguards aren’t really my thing…” Which was true, but not why I didn’t like this man.

“No date. He didn’t ask.”

Hallelujah. Still, I frowned. “And you didn’t, either?”

She shrugged, sitting up now, hunching over herself.

She fussed with the band on her bikini bottom, picking sand out, clearly just looking for something to do with her hand but—well—Stella in a swimsuit slipping her fingers under the band wasn’t really good for my, uh, concentration. “I dunno, that would feel weird.”

“Uh… because you don’t want a date?”

“No. Just, you know. It’s like I was telling you about.” She put her hands up. “I want a guy to make the first move.”

Right. Straight as they came, despite what Jessica may have thought. I plastered on a thin, awkward smile. “Have you ever asked a guy out first?”

“Nah. I’m not that cool,” she laughed, her voice a little weak. “I dunno. Maybe I’m doing something wrong here. I thought I was giving clear signals. Maybe I’m just not his type.”

Maybe if he was gay, but outside of that, I couldn’t see one situation in which a guy wouldn’t be into Stella.

She looked so achingly perfect like this, the late-evening sun lighting the brownish-blonde in her hair into a warm golden color, and impossibly, I wanted to run my fingers through it.

“Sorry it didn’t work out,” I said, about as sorry as she was for throwing water on me.

“It’s whatever. I’m sure I’ll get something next time. I dunno, maybe I’m not hot enough.”

Jesus Christ. It took all my willpower to not gush about how she was the most beautiful human being alive. I opted to nudge her side instead. “Sure you are,” I said. “Why else would I have been hitting on you all this time?”

Once again, thankfully, she didn’t seem to realize I was fully telling the truth. She laughed. “Maybe you just have bad taste.”

“Nah. Denied.”

“I mean, based on the girls you’ve been with before… you said they were both examples of bad taste.”

“I said I’ve been with two before. And you know what they said about the third time.”

She laughed, nudging me back. “Hey, you are getting better at flirting. Speaking of which, how’d it go with your new girlfriend?”

I’d been soaring high for a second there, and I crashed hard. “Not my girlfriend. I’m pretty sure she’s straight. And I’m not really… I mean, she’s pretty, but I’m not really interested in her like that.”

“What? You so are. You were chatting up a storm with her. Couldn’t take your eyes off her.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off her when I was around Stella because it was much easier to look at Jessica than it was Stella. I laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, because… we were having a conversation. Sorry to let you down, but nope. Not happening.”

“I dunno. I saw her making some suggestive faces at you.”

Oh, god. Yes… she had been. She’d been making suggestive faces along the lines of damn, Stella’s flirting with you, after me having told her how I had a hopeless unrequited crush on Stella. But I couldn’t say that to Stella herself. “She’s just… uh… she just has expressive eyes.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure you’ll be enjoying seeing those eyes half-lidded while expressing all kinds of things soon.”

I swallowed, my pulse picking up, face prickling. Stella talking to me about… that kind of thing… gave my body a reaction that she completely misinterpreted, grinning at me.

“Oh, god, you’re really into that, huh? So, what, you’ve got a thing for eye contact?”

Jesus Christ. What was I supposed to say now?

No, no, that reaction was me getting turned on listening to you talk about giving me bedroom eyes?

I let out a deep, spiritual sigh, staring out into the horizon, ocean waves meeting the sky, and I opted for a different truth I didn’t want to have to admit. “Uh… yeah.”

“That’s kinda hot.”

Was it? Was it? I blinked, and Stella laughed.

“Oh, you’re fully having a breakdown. I hope you get to leave with Jessica tonight. Otherwise, I’m assuming she’s going to accompany you only in spirit tonight.”

Jesus, this girl was open about sex. How was I sitting out here with the hottest girl in the world listening to her talk about me masturbating? “I’m not going to—” I strained, struggling with it before I mouthed the words do that , “while thinking about Jessica.”

“Oh, someone’s stuffy. What, because it’s a sin?”

“No—it’s because I’m not interested.”

She laughed, and she stood up. “I’m gonna get another drink,” she said. “Do you want something?”

“I’m only nineteen.”

“So? You’ve gotta live a little. They’re not gonna ask me who the second drink is for.”

Ugh. I’d had people sneak me alcohol before, and it wasn’t like I was too straightlaced for it, but…

the problem was that I couldn’t guarantee what would come out of my mouth if I was drinking with Stella while talking to her about what I was going to think about while masturbating tonight.

“I’m good,” I insisted, and she shrugged.

“All right. But you can steal some of mine, if you want.”

Maybe just a little bit. Enough to stop me from panicking over Stella’s presence.

I guess the universe was trying to insist something, because of everything, she got a strawberry daiquiri, my favorite.

She was back just a minute later, sitting down next to me, and she took a sip of the drink, and she handed it to me, and I guess fuck it, because I took it without a word, taking a sip too.

They’d given it a stiff pour with the rum.

They normally skimped out on the alcohol at this spot out here.

My guess is that they wanted to flirt with Stella. I couldn’t blame them.

“Thanks,” I said, handing it back.

“Good, right?”

“My favorite drink, actually.”

“Oh, twinning. Well, I’ve got a lot of favorites, but I love strawberries.

” She took it back and drank a long sip before she settled in, and she took a long breath and let it out slowly, and when I thought she was going to say something serious, she said, “So, what are you going to be thinking about then?”

“Uh—” I pursed my lips, face suddenly fiery-red. It wasn’t like I even… masturbated, all that often, and I hadn’t exactly been planning on it tonight, but after all of this, now I would be. And I knew exactly what I was going to be thinking about. “I-I dunno. What, do you want the report?”