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I take one of the brownies, then innocently place the container on my other side. She shoots me a glare, then moves towards me, reaching across my body. Her pomegranate shampoo fills my nostrils as she almost falls across my lap. I move the container above my head, and she presses her hands on my shoulders as she scrambles to grab it. “Come on, Ethan!” She laughs.
“Wait your turn,” I tease her.
She sits back on her heels, pouting, and I take a bite of my brownie.
I barely catch the light in her eyes, the flash of mischief, before…
She bites down on the other side.
Her face is literally inches away, her gaze level and locked with mine. She seems almost as surprised as I am by what she did, but I don’t mind it one bit. Having Val’s face so close is completely fine with me.
She bites down and sits back, chewing triumphantly. Her hip is pressed against my thigh, and her soft, bare skin is so tempting to run my fingers across. The brownie dries in my mouth and I almost reluctantly chew it.
Let’s do that again.
But Val has other ideas. She licks her lips, methodically licks the tops of her fingers from when she grabbed the brownie earlier. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“To throw you in the lake.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s only fair.” She shrugs. “I liked the brownie, but I didn’t like it that much.”
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
She smiles angelically, but her eyes are full of a challenge. “What? You scared?”
“Absolutely not.”
“So do it.”
I feel like we’re teenagers, having one of those ridiculous banter-y, flirty fights. I consider the lake ahead of us, and maybe I do want to jump in. After all, it is really hot, and I could use some cooling down from the whole Lady and the Tramp brownie sharing moment.
Without another word, I stand and take my shirt off. Val’s eyes grow wide and her gaze lingers on my shoulders and chest for two heated seconds. Then, her eyes drops to my forearm. “That’s new,” she blurts.
I rotate my arm a little, but I already know what she’s talking about. I cock an eyebrow at her. “Never seen a tattoo before, Teeny?”
She shrugs. “Not on you.”
I place my other hand over the small tattoo and flex my forearm, remembering every detail of the hours I sat with the tattoo artist. How meaningful it felt. “I got it done right before my grandma died. To remember my childhood and our perfectly imperfect family.”
Val nods and I register the way her eyes trace the small, intricate, swooping design, inlaid with an H for Holmes. She probably doesn’t see the V hidden in there, too. Val is as much a part of my history as anyone else.
“It looks nice,” she says quietly.
Her eyes rise to meet mine and my heart slams in my chest. Feeling suddenly bold, I reach for her and pick her up. Sling her over my shoulder like I did at the water park.
“What’re you—” she screeches. “NOT AGAIN, ETHAN!”
But it’s too late because I’m running for the lake with her over my shoulder. I jump in, plunging us both underwater. Val kicks out away from me, and when I come to the surface, she splashes me in the face.
“You are a child!” she yells, laughing. “An absolute child!”
I swim towards her, laughing too, and her hands reach for my shoulders. She pulls herself towards me, and I cradle her hips. It’s shallow enough that I can stand, holding her up.
“What can I say?” I smile at her. Her mascara’s running and her hair is sopping wet, but this might be my favorite look yet. “You bring out the best in me.”
