Chapter 14

fourteen

SEAWEED ENTANGLEMENTS

W ater rushes over my head as I duck dive under the wave, pushing my board forward and cutting out further into the ocean.

Someone grabs my ankle as my head pops out of the water and I kick Zac away from me. The jerk.

He appears at my side, laughing as if he actually scared me.

Him and Wilder have been on their best behavior this trip and I know it has everything to do with Colby being here. The problem is, she doesn’t surf. She’s sitting on the beach, relaxing with her book peacefully away from my idiot brother. Meaning, wild and Wilder, are getting all their kicks out here in the water. Double jerks.

“You’re the wor–” I start but am cut off when I’m pulled back under the water, taking in a mouthful of the ocean. Wilder pulls me far enough under that my board follows, tugging against where it’s strapped to my other ankle as it bobs back up to the surface. I come up spluttering, my nose burning from inhaling the salty water and I’m ready to curse both of those idiots out. Already planning the revenge I’m going to get. Once I can properly breathe again .

“You guys are going to drown her,” Tate snaps as he pulls up alongside us. Now that we’re past where the waves break, at least we don’t have to worry about any crashing over our heads.

I climb back on my board while Tate lectures both of the idiots and they look properly chastised for once in their lives.

“You good?” Xander asks, sitting atop his board at my side.

I nod, unable to look him in the eye. “Fine,” I answer, having to clear my throat after my voice cracks. I don’t know what to think when it comes to Xander anymore. He’s become the bane of my existence for a whole new reason.

We’re friends.

But his eyes linger on me when he thinks I’m not looking. And his hand brushes against my skin every time he walks by. Even here, when our rooms are right next door to each other, he texts me goodnight before he goes to sleep every single night. And when it’s just the two of us and no one is around, I swear I can see my desire reflected back to me in his eyes. But every time when I think he might actually do something about it, he pulls back.

We’re friends but I think we both want so much more than that and yet neither of us are brave enough to cross that line that has been set between us. It leaves us with nothing but stolen glances, awkward touches, and what feels like stilted conversations ever since we got to the island.

Something at the game made him pull away again.

“You sure?” he asks, his hand burning its imprint on my back when he rests it against me.

“Positive,” I chirp, laying my chest back down on my board and swimming into a better position to catch the next wave and get the hell away from the rising tension between us. I’m running away and I don’t care. Whatever is building between us is slowly suffocating me now and I’d rather choke on the salt water again.

Instead of heading back out to the guys, I come into shore and drop my board next to Colby. I strip off the upper half of my wet suit, but I’m honestly too lazy to do the rest so I just plop down at her side, sprawling my body over my towel and onto hers.

She smiles as she looks at me over the top of her book. “Done already?”

I only ended up catching a handful of waves, not nearly as many as I did yesterday. But I’m tired, my body is sore, and I needed my own space from Xander. Something about him putting walls back up is different this time. He’s not ignoring me like he did after our first near kiss. He’s not acting like I don’t exist. He’s still acting like my friend. Like he has been for weeks now. But he isn’t flirting anymore either. Not like he did before we came here.

Somehow it feels worse than when he was completely ignoring my existence. As if he’s made his decision that we’re friends and will never be anything more. Something about it feels final. And every interaction between us only hardens his resolve.

I watch where he and Tate splash each other, laughing and horsing around. Happier and more relaxed than I’ve seen either one of them in ages. It hurts because I know exactly why this feels different. Xander is choosing Tate and I can’t even be mad about him putting his friendship first.

It shouldn’t hurt this much to lose something I never even had.

“Needed a break from Wilder and Zac’s antics,” I say as an excuse instead of the real reason.

Maybe it would help if I had someone to talk about all my mixed up feelings, but I don’t have anyone who isn’t already too involved. I’m the odd one out here. They’re all in school together. It’s their friend group. My brother’s friends. I’m just the tag along.

I put my hands over my face, the depressing train of my thoughts making me feel even worse.

“Want me to beat them up for you?” Colby jokes, but I nod along.

“Splendid idea, Cece. Those two idiots could use a butt whooping.”

She giggles, shaking her head at me as she puts her book away. “Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”

I close my eyes, pushing away the temptation to unload on her. “I am tired,” I admit with a sigh. “I think I spent too long in the water yesterday and boy my body is feeling it today.” Every muscle practically screams with every move I make. Sprawled over Colby’s towel is the most comfortable I’ve been all day. Maybe I’ll live here from now on.

She hums as if she doesn't know if she should believe me, but doesn’t press the topic. “We could go inside and wrap our presents for tomorrow,” she offers, knowing I haven’t wrapped a single present yet.

“Or,” I counter, “we could find sand crabs and put them in Wilder’s and Zac’s beds.”

Her head is thrown back with her laughter. I preen at being able to make her cackle that way. It doesn't happen often that she totally lets go and each time I get her to feels like a new achievement. I knew she wouldn’t regret being my friend.

“That wouldn’t be fair to the sand crabs,” she points out once she catches her breath.

I roll over, putting my head near her lap. “Fair point,” I concede.

Cold water droplets splatter over my back and I groan. “ You guys were supposed to stay in the water and leave me alone.”

“What did I do to you?” Tate scoffs and I roll onto my back and look up at him.

I guess he has been unusually nice to me on this trip. I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion. “Nothing, yet.”

He snorts, shaking his hair out like a dog so it gets all over me. “You asked for that,” he taunts and Colby giggles, wiping the water from her bare legs. “I came over to let you know Xan and I are going into town. Do you girls want to come with?”

Tempting. There’s this place that has the absolute best ice cream and eating my feelings has always brought me comfort. But, spending more time with Xander sounds like a great way to get my feelings all twisted up again.

Colby looks to me, waiting for my answer and I groan. “We should wrap our presents for tonight.”

Tate arches a brow. “Didn’t you already do that?” he asks Colby. Of course she did. It’s only me that has procrastinated this much.

She smiles like the angel she is. “I’ll stay and help Emery,” she offers. “Plus I don’t think I can trust those three alone.” She points to where Wilder and Zac are still out in the water.

Tate tilts his head in acknowledgement. “Probably for the best,” he agrees.

I scoff. “I don’t need a babysitter to behave.”

Colby rolls her eyes. “You were just trying to convince me to put sand crabs in their beds.” Xander chooses that exact moment to join us. His own wet suit pulled down to his waist, showing off his six pack and deep v. Wow, he looks good. Even if he and Tate are cracking up at my expense.

I gasp, hitting her legs. “Cece! You can’t give away my brilliant plans. ”

“I’d pay to see that play out,” Xander says, running his fingers through his wet hair and my mouth goes dry.

Tate shoves him, and I scrunch my nose at him blocking my view. “Please don’t encourage her,” he chastises. I turn back onto my stomach, depriving myself of a fantastic view in order to keep my head on straight before I start drooling right here on the beach.

Xander bumps his shoulder against Tates, faux whispering, “You know you want to see it too.”

In my distraction, I make a critical error of taking my eyes off the water and lose track of where the two idiots are. My only warning something is about to happen is Tate’s sharp inhale of breath and his rushed warning, “Don’t–” but it comes too late as something cold, slimy, and smelling like the ocean and rotten eggs hits my back and Colby’s legs.

We both shriek as everyone else bursts into laughter around us. I rush to my feet, trying to get all the seaweed off of me, some of it getting caught in my hair and wet suit. I’m going to kill them both.

A hand trails down my spine, picking off pieces of the seaweed and chills wash over my whole body as Xander’s dark chuckle tickles my ear. Almost breaking through my anger. Almost.

I whirl on Zac and Wilder where they're in stitches on the sand. “Oh, it is so on,” I promise. Sorry sand crabs but you’re getting a new home today.

Tate smacks them both upside the heads. “You two idiots are coming with us. Can’t trust you alone.”

Wilder pants through his laugh, trying to get his argument out, but fails as he descends into another fit of laughter.

Xander’s lips twitch at my side and I glare up at him. “It’s not funny.”

He shrugs. “It was a little funny. ”

I bump into him, but he doesn’t even budge and I bounce back. “I’ll get you back too.”

He puts his hands up in defense. “Hey now, spitfire. I didn’t do shit. I helped you get the seaweed off.” His eyes dip down, lingering on my bikini top and I think he might be checking me out the same way I was doing to him only minutes ago, but then he reaches his hand out and pulls another piece of seaweed from my hair. “See, helpful,” he teases. “Keep me out of your revenge.”

I have no witty comeback to that. Still too lost the way his fingers felt against my skin and oh my god am I pathetic.

The moment is broken as Colby tells Wilder and Zac she’s staying with me instead of going into town with the rest of them. Their outrage brings a smile to my face.

“Best friend stealer,” Wilder accuses me, pointing his finger at my face.

I laugh, shoving his hand away from me. “Shouldn’t have thrown seaweed at your best friend then.”

Colby nods along, swiping at her legs again as if she can still feel the nasty seaweed against her skin. Ugh. I wipe at my own back. Who knows how many bugs were in there? I need a shower. ASAP.

I grab Colby’s hand and our bags, leaving the rest of our stuff for them to clean up. “See you losers later,” I call out and drag her with me back to the house.

As soon as we’re far enough away from them I take a deep breath. “I should throw out their presents,” I grumble. But Colby just pats me on the back, knowing I would never do such a thing. I’m too proud of them.

After we both shower, we meet back up in my room and she helps me wrap the framed photos and photo books I made for each of the guys and my dad. The plan had originally been for each one to get a framed action shot of themselves, but I had too many I liked. Plus, I added a few extra shots in each of their books, including some of Colby cheering for the boys and wearing their jerseys.

They should really be nicer to me. They’re going to flip when they see them.

I have a sixth book hidden away in my suitcase still for her. She probably knows it’s coming, but I want there to be some element of surprise.

Xander’s book was a little harder to make since I didn’t have any recent action shots of him but I was able to go along with Tate and him to practice on their own. I included a couple pictures of him and us in the crowd at games and left some space to add more photos from the rest of the season.

“I can’t get over how good this photo is,” Colby says, holding up Xander’s book and showing the picture I took of him at the game after Thanksgiving, before everything went to shit.

I’ll never forget the way I knew immediately it was the best photo I had ever taken, even without looking at it. I was terrified to see what I had captured, and I had been right to be. I’ve stared at that photo of Xander countless times. The moment I knew I was totally done for and could almost see what could have been in a different life reflected in his eyes.

The intensity of his stare still renders me speechless now as I stare at it in Colby’s hands. The emotion nearly comes off the page and I debated including it, letting anyone else see the photo when his desire seems so clearly written on his face. It feels vulnerable for anyone else to witness that moment. But it was too good to keep hidden away. I wanted Xander to see the way I see him.

Not only arrogant, stubborn, and infuriating. But also charming, intoxicating, and stunningly gorgeous .

“Thanks,” I respond, blushing when I realize I was staring at the photo for too long without saying anything.

She starts wrapping it, looking around once she’s finished. “Did you have a framed photo for him?”

I shake my head, looking for the bag I have. “I wanted to wait until I had a better action shot of him. I do have something else for him though.” Something small and stupid. I find the bag from my pile of crap and pull out the Westbrook beanie I bought for him. It’s silly because I know he’ll get a ton of gear as an athlete, but I wanted to get him something as a congratulations for his first season at Westbrook.

Instead of handing it to her to wrap, I reach my hand out for her to pass me the wrapped book for him. We’ve been keeping all the gifts together for each person, but I want to be the one to wrap the beanie. As silly as it is.

There’s one other small thing I got him, but I can’t decide if I should give it to him or not. It feels like something that wouldn’t come from a friend, and that’s what we’re supposed to be. It was an impulse buy, but as soon as I saw it, I thought of Xander. A big part of me liked the idea of him having it and thinking of me every time he sees it.

The thought of him opening it in front of my dad and brothers is a different matter altogether though.

I leave it out as I wrap up the beanie and tie it to the book, carefully writing his name on it before putting it to the side. Maybe I’ll leave the other present in his room for him.

“You know,” Colby starts, “you’ve been awfully quiet about the whole revenge thing.”

I grin at her, pushing the presents to the side now that we’re finished wrapping, “Oh sweet summer child,” I tease her. “They’ll be expecting something when they get home, which means their guards will be up. ”

She chews on that, and I grin at her truly being on my side now. “So you’re waiting until their guards are down?”

“No,” I correct her. “ We’re waiting for their guards to be down. Then we’ll get them in ways they never expected.”

She tries to hide it, but her excitement makes her eyes gleam. “Why am I getting the feeling this isn’t going to end with just sand crabs?”

I pat her on the shoulder. “Because that’s only step one.”

She sighs, but there’s laughter in it. “What have I gotten myself into?”

I beam at her. “Welcome to the dark side.”