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"Keep the money. It's the least I owe you after this weekend. I'm going to miss you tomorrow, that's all. First Caleb left today, and now you and AJ tomorrow. It's gonna be so quiet around the house."
"That's what you wanted out of this summer," he said smiling at me and trying to see the bright side.
I smiled, faking it again. "You're right," I said thoughtfully, as if his words might have changed my mind, which they hadn't. I held the smile as I went into the restroom. I used cold water and a paper towel to dab my face.
***
It was roughly an hour later when I found myself in the house, in the pineapple bathroom, doing much the same thing. I leaned over the sink, staring at myself and working up the nerve to go outside and get down to my bathing suit in front of Beau.
"Just go out there and be his friend," I told myself, speaking in a low whisper.
I knew what I was getting into last March when I started pretending to have feelings for Beau. We had even joked about the possibility of falling in love. Back then, when we first said it, I thought it was ludicrous, but tonight, I felt desperate to have him.
I knew I had to keep my end of the bargain, though. I gave myself one last pep talk and checked my reflection in the mirror before going to meet them in the pool. I took a towel with me and whistled for Ralphie to follow.
Beau was in the hallway, but I didn't see him until I made it across the threshold. Ralphie got to him before I did and by the time I made it into the hallway, they were standing a few feet away. Beau was stooped down, petting Ralphie. He had on a t-shirt with swim trunks, and I knew the t-shirt was coming off in a minute. I had seen him shirtless during this trip. I knew what was under there. My heart was already racing.
"Hey," he said. "I was coming to see what was taking you so long."
"I've only been in here like ten minutes," I said.
"Actually, I was hoping to catch you while you were still in the room."
"To tell me something?" I asked, looking at him curiously.
"No, I just haven't seen you alone at all today."
"I know, it's crazy," I agreed.
I had already closed the door, and we took off walking toward the pool in spite of the fact that both of us seemed to want to go back to my room and have a moment alone.
"I ate too many nachos," I said. "And they made me sweat. They were too spicy."
"Mine weren't spicy," he said. "You need to get the chicken instead of the ground beef next time."
A moment ago, Beau was trying to tell me that he hoped he ran into me in the room. He was trying to flirt with me, and now there we were talking about spicy ground beef.
"I will get the chicken next time," I said.
He glanced at me. "I can't believe it's our last day."
"I can't either," I said with wide eyes. "It's cliché to say, but it really does feel like you got here yesterday."
"I was thinking that same thing."
"But next week, you'll be in Japan."
He shook his head in disbelief. "I know."
"Are you excited? I hear AJ talking about it more than you."
"I am excited. AJ just talks more than me in general."
I laughed at him for saying that.
Beau opened the sliding glass door, and it took him all of three seconds to take off his shirt. He started stretching upward and shrugging out of it, and I looked the other way. I walked the other way. I set my stuff on a different table than he did.
Three people, Charlie, Hope, and AJ, were already in the pool.
