Page 17 of See You Next Tuesday

“Even though you hardly know me,” Gabe said pointedly.

Now he was offended by her? This was rich.

“Says the man who pretended not to know me for two solid weeks in Ohio,” she said coolly. “Are we done here? I’d like to take a swim.”

“By all means, do whatever you want.”

Gabe promptly went back to his phone, ignoring Anya completely. Well, good. Good! She walked to the other side of the pool, dropped her tote bag with her book and phone onto a chair, and slid into the water. It was colder than she expected—she couldn’t help letting out a surprised little “Oh!”

Gabe looked up sharply; she smiled tightly.

“Cold,” she explained.

He looked back down without saying anything—as if he were the one with a reason to be angry. As if she’d been an uncooperative jerk and said any number of shitty things to him last time they met, instead of the other way around.

That was two years ago, Anya admonished herself. You have no reason to care what he thinks of you. Let it go.

She sank beneath the water, taking down her bun and letting her curls unfurl. When she splashed up to the surface and took in a big breath, everything felt a little easier. She swam one lap, two, three—slow, lazy strokes, letting the last rays of daylight wash over her, pausing to rest her elbows on the edge of the infinity pool overlooking the ocean.

An easier feeling came into her body, a feeling of gratitude. It didn’t matter that Gabe was here; it mattered that she was. She sang a short Hebrew prayer under her breath, the one she always said in happy moments like this. She stayed in the pool for a few minutes longer, but when the sun dipped below the horizon it got cooler quickly, and Anya wanted to wrap herself in a big fluffy towel and go upstairs to have a hot shower before dinner.

Except—oh for the love of Christ, she hadn’t grabbed a towel from the stack up on the deck. And Simone and Kira still weren’t back, and everyone else was sitting at a big table near the house. The only person anywhere near the pool was Gabe, and she certainly wasn’t asking him for a favor. There was only one thing to do in this situation. It was fine, it was objectively not a big deal to walk fifteen feet in a wet bathing suit to retrieve a towel, except she’d had to go and put on this red bikini that was sort of skimpy in the first place, and unlined besides, and— Whatever, Anya. Stop overthinking for one second of your life and get the damn towel.

She kept her chin high as she walked up the steps out of the pool. If she thought Gabe might care how she looked, or notice her plight and run to grab a towel for her, she was sorely mistaken; he rolled over and turned his back on her within seconds of her emerging from the water. She thought she deserved a medal for not breaking into a sprint, because god she was cold, but she kept her gait steady, trying not to feel mortified by every wet smack of her feet as she walked across the pool deck.

Of course, the second Anya had a towel wrapped around her, Simone and Kira reappeared with four icy margaritas in hand.

“Hey!” Simone looked so happy, and Anya’s angst melted away when she saw her best friend in such high spirits. “We made you a marg, you coming?”

Simone nodded toward the deck chairs where Gabe was still facing away from them.

“I’m actually freezing, is it okay if I take mine inside?” Anya asked.

“Of course!” Kira handed Anya one of the drinks she was holding. “Dinner’s in an hour.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”

Anya went upstairs and perched on the big king bed she was sharing with Simone, looking out the window at their incredible view. She really was so happy to be here.

She just hoped it wouldn’t take the entire week for her body to stop tensing up every time she laid eyes on Gabe.

“Hey, can I ask you a favor? It’s kind of a big one.”

Kira was in her sleep clothes: oversized white boxers and a ribbed tank. Gabe usually slept in his underwear (black boxer briefs, to be specific), but since they were in a house full of people, he figured it was polite to add a T-shirt to the mix.

“Is the favor my blessing to sleep with Simone? Because I sort of feel like you’re doing that either way.” Gabe shot Kira a knowing look. Kira and Simone had flirted all through dinner, and for a couple of hours afterward.

“Dude, your ‘blessing’? Are you for real right now?”

“Just want to make sure you kids have thought this through.” Gabe affected a concerned dad voice, and Kira laughed. “What’s the favor?”

“If I’m gonna sleep in Simone’s bed, that means Anya can’t.”

“Oh, right.” Gabe suddenly went numb, the same way he had when he first saw Anya on the pool deck. “I can take the couch or whatever. Anya can have this room.”

“There are like a thousand beds in here.” Kira nodded at the bunks. “I think this room’s big enough for the both of you.”

“Did she say it was?” Gabe pressed.