He’s never going to be here again.
Closing my eyes, I breath in and out, trying to loosen some of the tightness in my chest. This lake holds so many memories. With Owen and Knox, but also with myself. Moments I learned who I was, what was important to me. Memories that had me raging mad, hiding my face in embarrassment, or feeling mind-numbingly happy.
Moments that live with me still.
I couldn’t sleep.The air conditioning was on the fritz and my room was like an oven. On top of that, my mind wouldn’t shut off. I’d been replaying the day in circles. Watching Knox teach some girl he met in town how to waterski, his hands on her waist as he helped her up, his laugh when she fell.
Owen had been there too, of course. Cheering from the dock, offering the girl encouragement when she wiped out, being supportive and nice. Knox was kind of a dick to her, teasing her in his usual Knox way, smirking and showing off.
The girl laughed, blushing, clearly loving the attention from both Aldrich brothers. And why wouldn’t she? Either was a catch. Owen with his gorgeous smile and sun-lightened hair, always turning everything into a good time. And Knox with his lean muscle, and gray eyes that somehow see all the things you try to hide. They were a package deal that summer, complete opposites that oddly balanced each other out.
I told myself I didn’t care. That Knox could flirt with whoever he wanted.
But I couldn’t sleep.
So I traded my nightshirt for a tank top and cotton shorts and snuck out of the house, walking barefoot down the path to the dock. The lake was black and silver under the full moon and the water was so still it looked like I could walk across it.
I thought I was alone until I saw him.
Knox sat at the end of the dock, dangling his feet in the water. He was still wearing his button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up that he wore to the restaurant we went to for dinner earlier. He didn’t turn around, but I knew he heard me.
“Can’t sleep either?” He sounded tired, his voice rough around the edges.
“It’s too hot.”
“Yeah.”
I should have gone back inside. I stood there thinking about it for a long moment. Being alone with Knox in the middle of the night felt dangerous in ways I couldn’t name…but I sat down beside him anyway, leaving space between us.
We sat in silence for a while. His shoulder was so close to mine I could feel the heat radiating off his skin. I focused on the water, on the way the moonlight made everything look like a dream.
“You know Cassiopeia is right there.” Knox pointed up, before hesitating and dropping his hand. “Nevermind, it’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid, it’s cool.” I tilted my head back to look. “Which one is it?”
“The W shape. See it?” He shifted closer, and even in the dark I knew his eyes had lit up. “In Greek mythology she was a queen who—” He stopped. “Okay, I know you don’t care about this shit.”
“I didn’t say that.” I kept looking at the stars. “You always assume people don’t want to hear what you’re thinking, or what you’re into.”
He was quiet for a moment, swinging his legs back and forth slowly. “Most people don’t.”
“Well, I’m not most people.” I bumped into his shoulder for emphasis.
“No,” he said quietly. “You’re really not.”
Warmth spread through my chest and I was acutely aware of the spots where our skin touched.
“Want to swim?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“It’s pitch-black out there.”
He turned to look at me, and even in the dim light I could see the challenge in his eyes. “Scared, Thorne?”
My pulse kicked up. “No.”
“Liar.”
Before I could respond, he stood and undid the buttons on his shirt, tossing it aside. I tried not to stare at his bare chest or at the way the moonlight carved shadows across his stomach and shoulders. Since he turned eighteen, his body had changed. He wasn't the lanky kid I grew up with. Then again, I wasn’t the same either.
