Ryan swears under his breath, then stands up in one smooth motion—lifting me with him like I’m a goddamn feather. Which I’m not, he is just freakishly strong. One arm slides under my thighs, the other steady at my back.
“Ryan—!”
“Get ready to dive,” he says, already walking toward the water. Ryan ducks under, pulling me down with him until we’re fully under water.
When we resurface, I shove the wet hair out of my eyes, gasping a little at the cold. Ryan wipes water from his face, breathing out a short laugh.
“Better?” I ask.
Before he can answer, I splash a handful of water straight at him. It hits him right in the face.
Ryan blinks, stunned for half a second, then laughs, shaking the water out of his hair. “That definitely helped.”
I snort. “You’re welcome.”
Another small wave rolls around our legs and we both start wading back toward the shore, my heart still racing with what just happened.
Later, I end up curled up on a blanket with Kiara, Mel, and Liam, tucked into a quieter pocket of the beach. Out by the water, Noah and Ryan are playing soccer with a few other guys.
“Do you guys ever think that Noah might be superman?” Liam suddenly says, head titled to the side.
“Oh yeah,” Kiara immediately says, and Mel jumps in. “Give him the glasses and he’s basically Clark Kent.”
I laugh under my breath. “He would definitely disappear and then come back in his super suit.”
We laugh about it for a minute, and then turn back to watching the guys play.
Mel grins and nudges my knee. “You know, it’s actually really cute how Ryan keeps looking over here.”
I wave them off. “Yeah, yeah.”
Kiara snorts. “He kissed you on the head earlier like it was nothing. I’ve known Ryan since I was twelve. He does not do head kisses.”
A flashback of the other night appears in my head again.
“Yeah,” Liam adds easily. “He’s down bad.”
If only they knew it’s all fake. But I can’t deny that saying that now sounds weaker. Is everything still fake? I mean, it should be right? But is it?
I lean my head against Kiara’s shoulder, letting the warmth and noise settle around us. I glance toward the water, just in time to catch Ryan already looking at me. He lifts his brows slightly and gives me a quick wink before turning back to the game.
Oh, I’m so screwed.
A few minutes later the game breaks up and Ryan and Noah wander over, dropping onto the sand beside us.
Kiara immediately sits up straighter. “Okay,” she announces dramatically. “Can we talk about the event of the season?”
Everyone raises their eyebrows.
“The campus dance is this Friday,” she continues anyway.
“Oh right,” Noah mutters. “That’s this week.”
Kiara whips around to stare at him. “Gosh, how are you both my favourite person and the most boring man alive?”
Noah just shrugs, smiling.
Liam turns to Mel, suddenly much softer. “So… Mel. Do you want to go with me?”
