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He releases me and I slide against him until my feet hit the muddy sand below. I turn to the others and find Jamie laughing at us.
“Flirting it is then,” Jamie jokes as she swims to the rocks with Milo.
From behind me, Parker pulls his arms around my middle and rests his chin on my shoulder.
As my body lifts in the water, I grab onto his forearms as he moves us toward the group. “Let’s join the others, Kikki.”
I groan. “Don’t call me that.”
He pecks my cheek. “Admit you love it.”
I roll my eyes. My gaze wanders to the right, and I find Lewis gawking at us. A blush sparks in my cheek, and I sink lower in the water. I’d hide my entire head if Parker wasn’t holding onto me.
How long has he been staring?
Did it work?
Is he actually jealous?
I give Lewis a smile and then rest my cheek against Parker’s.
Okay. Maybe faking a relationship does have some perks.
“Kylie, is this your first time at the lake?” Tabitha asks.
“Yeah, it is. I can’t believe how beautiful it is. I feel a little dumb for not coming out sooner.”
Tabitha bats a hand. “I never came out to Logan’s Point before dating Kai. This cove is my favorite place out here.”
“I tried telling you to come out to Logan’s Point more often,” Yvette pipes up. “My cousins, the Ashworths, totally approve of coming out here. They call it the perfect place to let off steam.”
Tabitha practically shudders when Yvette brags about being related to the Ashworth siblings.
Lewis pulls an arm around Yvette. “Good thing it didn’t take much convincing for you to come out here with me.”
Parker nudges me and, from the corner of his mouth, says, “Remember which one you’re supposed to be friends with.”
Not wanting to get between two warring, former best friends, I choose to keep conversation around the stunning nature. “I kinda want to swim to the waterfall.”
“We can do that,” Parker says, and then swims toward Lewis and Yvette. “Kylie and I are swimming over to the waterfall. Wanna join?”
“Cute,” Yvette cheers. She grabs onto Lewis’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Oh boy. I’d really prefer to swim without dealing with Yvette squealing the entire time.
Swimming a lap is my speed. The thought of splashing, tackling, and jumping off rocks has my anxiety spiking. I swim ahead of the others, needing the breathing room. With every stroke, I’m deliberate with my breath and concentrate on the hum of the waterfall.
On the approach, the water bounces off the rocks with a cool temperature. It’s not unsettling like my first experience of getting into the water. It’s calming and renewing. I breathe out with relief and take in the white noise of rushing water, muting everyone in the cove.
Soon, Parker passes me, grabbing onto the rocks at the base of the waterfall and pulls himself up. In a rush, Lewis passes on my other side and pulls himself onto the rock base. It takes me a moment to realize they’re racing. Before I can take them both in, they backflip off the rock base, Parker narrowly beating Lewis into the air.
The splashes rain over me, made worse by Yvette shrieking behind me.
So much for the serenity.
The waves from the boys hitting the water shoves me against the rocks. Unflatteringly, I spit out water and wipe my face.
Parker makes his way over to me with a cheesy grin. “So, who won?”
