AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Let’s do this.
Patting my face dry, I look up into the mirror just in time to see my friend Summer enter the room. Her eyes find mine in the reflection and she smiles before arranging her long blonde hair into a messy bun on top of her head. “You ready to go?” she asks when she’s done, grabbing the sunscreen I just pulled from my bag and squeezing it into her palm. It’s strange to think that just over a year ago, she was a complete stranger to me, and now I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
For both my sake and my brother, Dylan’s.
Summer and Dylan started dating about ten months ago, and in such a short time it’s easy to see he’d be miserable without her. To paraphrase Usher…he’s got it bad.
“I’m ready,” I say, answering Summer and reminding myself at the same time.I’m ready.For what? I’m not sure but I feel good about it. And what a place to make a start on whateveritis. We’re currently sharing a room at a fancy beach resort just outside of San Francisco and about to take advantage of the services offered. I have to be here for a conference this week, and even though I live in San Francisco, my work offered to pay for my accommodation so I wasn’t the odd one out, with everyone else coming in from across the country.
Summer’s just here for the ride.
When I booked, they only had twin rooms available, and she called dibs on being my plus one. She’s “keeping me company,” apparently. It absolutely has nothing to do with my brother—a wide receiver for Denver—also being in San Francisco for a game this weekend. Not that he’s a starter yet. But any time on the field is amazing to see.
“What time does your conference start in the morning?” Summer asks as we walk toward the pool.
My eyes briefly flash to hers before the beautiful gardens steal my focus. “It starts at ten because a few people are still flying in, but the days following will start at seven.” I shiver. The thought of being ready by seven for an official breakfast each day doesn’t thrill me.
“Seven!?” Summer exclaims, making me laugh. “You better not wake me. I’m on vacay. I’m sleeping in.” She pouts, but a small smile shines through. She’s not actually on vacay at all. She’s supposed to be in class.
“I won’t wake you, but your ass better be up by the time I get back.”
Summer huffs out a laugh. “I don’t needthatmuch sleep. Just not seven a.m.”
“I get it. Oh, how I miss being twenty-one and in college.”
“Shut up, no you don’t. You love the real world. Plus you’re only twenty-four. Not that much older.”
“I know. I do love it. But I wouldn’t say no to sleeping in.”
“That’s one bonus to not living with your brother yet. I don’t get woken up by his early alarms. When I visit Denver, they’re awful.” Her nose crinkles and I laugh. Deep down I know she’d take Dylan over sleeping in any day, but I’m glad she’s here rather than there. While it was definitely Dylan that brought the two of us together, we’ve become fast friends in our own right, and she’s been a rock for me over the past few months, along with her best friend, Cory, and our friend Delilah. Not to mention my work colleague, Dani. I’m still getting used to having so many female friends in my life. I’ve spent most of my time around guys—having grown up close with Dylan and his best friend, Joel, and then spending most of my time with various boyfriends and their friends. I always thought it suited me and never questioned it. But now that I know what I’m missing, I don’t think I could go back.
When we reach the glass doors leading to the pools, Summer pauses and takes a deep breath. “Alright, let’s see if Dylan was telling the truth about it being heated,” she says as we step into the fresh San Francisco air.
It’s chaotic outside, considering it’s not a particularly warm day, but the sun is shining, and this is a resort, so it’s not unexpected.
Summer and I weave our way through the lounge chairs as we move toward the adult pool, which thankfully, at least looks a little quieter than the others.
“Okay, are we both doing this?” Summer asks after laying her towel out on one of the chairs before kicking off her flip-flops.
“I think that’s the best approach,” I agree, wriggling out of my denim shorts and tossing them onto my pile of clothes.
When we’re both ready to go, we stand by the edge, staring down at the glistening crystal water. “It doesn’t look heated,” I say with a furrowed brow.
Summer laughs beside me. “What were you expecting? Steam? It’s not a hot tub.”
“No, but I wasn’t expecting people to look like they were freezing their tits off.” I point to a woman who is literally holding herself as she shivers. “Case in point.”
“Shit.” Summer cringes. “Why did we think this was a good idea? And why do we believe Dylan?”
“I generally wouldn’t trust him, but I didn’t think he’d lie to you. Plus, we deserve a vacation, andonvacations, you’re supposed to relax by the pool. I’ll feel cheated if we don’t at least dip a toe in.”
We’re both silent for a beat, processing what we’re about to do, until Summer sighs. “Okay. It’s going to be fine. Let’s do this…on one?”
“Yep, three…two…one.” I jump into the water and immediately regret my decision. “Shit! Shit!” I’m vaguely aware of Summer’s laughter from above but can’t bring myself to concentrate on anything other than the icy feeling seeping into my bones.
“Jesus Christ, that’s cold.” I turn quickly to swim to the edge. “Dammit, Dylan’s a—”
Oomph. I crash straight into the hard body of someone trying to swim past, and the impact is strong. My feet come out from underneath me, and we both sink down in the water.
