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Gavin scoffed. “I’m not Simeon. I don’t have those super quarterback powers.”
“Fine. Whatever. But we need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I know where you stand, and I’ll respect that. But you bringing mechanic boy over here is a low blow.”
“How is it a low blow?”
“Oh, come on, Noah. Be real.”
Gavin turned again, striding towards the pool. He ripped off his shirt and tossed it on the ground before kicking off his sneakers. He had nothing else on but tight shorts and his ankle monitor. I watched for a second before joining him by the diving board.
“We just had lunch, Gavin. That’s it.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Gavin said, standing in his shorts and glaring down at the water. “It’s none of my business what you do.”
“Yeah, that’s true, but whatever you’re thinking is completely inaccurate. The only sparks between me and Case ignite when we start talking about food and books. We’re just friends.”
“Whatever.”
Gavin jumped into the pool, causing water to splash over the side and wet my sneakers. He stayed beneath the water for several seconds before breaking the surface. It was like a goddamn Sandals commercial with the sun reflecting off his golden hair as he combed his fingers through the wet strands.
I squatted by the side of the pool so we could glare at each other at a closer proximity.
“The next four months are going to be awful if this is the way you act,” I said. “Can’t things just go back to normal?”
“Normal?” he demanded incredulously. “What’s normal to you?”
“I don’t know!” I waved my hand. “Us talking? Eating together? Not being pissed off and ragey?”
A shadow crossed Gavin’s face, and his brows puckered. He swept a hand through his hair again. “I’m not pissed at you. I’m really not.”
“Then why have you avoided me all morning?”
“Because it’s easier that way,” he growled. “It’s easier if we’re not in each other’s faces all the time. If there are no cameras for me to watch you or for you to use to find me. For the next four months, I’ll text you whatever I need you to do and—”
“This is bullshit,” I blurted. “Total fucking bullshit.”
Gavin gripped the edge of the pool. “It’s not bullshit. It’s the way I’d originally planned for this to be, and it’s the way it needs to be.”
“No, it doesn’t need to be that way. You’re just punishing me because of the way I left on Friday night. And for being friends with Case.”
“I am not!” Gavin slammed the tile with his hand. “It’s just like you said the other day. I’m your boss. You’re my assistant. We’re not anything else. We don’t need to act like we are. If we didn’t spend so much time together, none of that would have happened. And you know it.”
I did know it. And he was saying exactly what I needed to hear to put all of this to bed. My feelings for him, my desire for him, and the part of me that really felt like we’d become friends and had cherished that closeness. But instead of relief that we were on the same page, it was undeniable that we weren’t at all. The only thing I knew, at that moment, was that the idea of us not speaking anymore, not confiding in each other again, crushed my heart.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“It does.” Gavin opened his mouth, closed it, and then swallowed hard. “Noah, until I can want you without it legally being classified as sexual harassment, I just need to stay the fuck away from you.”
“But if we stuck to our bou—”
“Forget boundaries!” His voice rose, booming through the empty property and echoing. “It’s not just about me touching you. I like you, goddamnit. I don’t just want to fuck you. I want you in my bed, with me at breakfast and dinner, watching football with me even if you don’t know the difference between a kicker and a punt—”
I kissed him.
And he jerked away so abruptly that I lost my balance and fell into the water.
“Goddamnit, Gavin!” I shouted, spluttering and spitting out water after coming up for air. “What the hell?”
“What the hell yourself? I just told you we need to stay away from each other.”
Gavin was so naturally loud that he sounded angry, but once I blinked the water out of my eyes I realized he was once again fighting a laugh. Glaring, I splashed water in his face.
“You jackass. I’m completely soaked.”
“It’s not like you have to go far for a change of clothes.”
“Oh, whatever. Just forget it.”
I swam away from him and towards the steps. My ears were burning despite the water being colder than I’d been prepared for, and I wanted to be away. To give him what he wanted and create all of this distance so this tug-of-war could dead itself once and for all. But when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards him, my heart sped and relief washed over me just like the water. I melted against him once my back was pinned to his hard chest.
