“I can manage, thanks,” I reply, the words coming out much more sharply than I meant them to.
“Just give me a second,” he says, going back to my shoulders again. “Just need to rub this bit in properly.”
His soft palm lazily circles my back, and my eyelids flutter closed. The sounds of the pool fade into the background as Alex’s fingers find their way under the straps of my bikini, making the hairs on my arms stand up despite the heat of the day. I can hear his breath close to my ear, and the warmth of his body close to mine. I’m certain the lotion on my skin must be well and truly gone by now, but his hands are still on my body, and I’m just thinking how good they feel when I hear the rumble of wheels approaching on the concrete of the pool deck.
“Well, well, well,” says a familiar voice from just behind me. “Looks like I’ve got a fair bit of gossip to catch up on. Why don’t you introduce me to your friend, Summer?”
I open my eyes, feeling like I’m surfacing from a particularly delicious dream, and look over my shoulder, a feeling of doom settling over me like a cloak.
Standing by my sun-lounger, her hair piled up on top of her head and a bright pink wheeled suitcase by her side, is the very last person I’d expected to see out here.
It’s Chloe.
Sixteen
“Chloe! What are you doing here?”
Alex and I ping guiltily apart as if one of us is on fire. It’s probably me, judging by how hot my cheeks are.
“Never mind that,” says my best friend, grinning widely. “Who’sthis?”
She bats her Bambi eyelashes at Alex, who gets to his feet and puts the cap back onto the sun lotion, before handing it to me wordlessly.
“Um, thanks,” I mutter, staring down at it as if it holds the answer to all of my problems; two of which are currently standing in front of me, both looking equally beautiful, and equally pissed off.
I was justimaginingI was the kind of woman Alex might go for earlier, but Chloe actuallyis. I’m still ‘growing into myself,’ as per the diary, but she’s completely in his league. They look like the perfect couple, in fact, standing there with their natural looking sun-tans and their very white teeth.
I have no idea why this thought bothers me so much.
“Goodgrief,” says Chloe, rolling her eyes dramatically. “What a welcome.”
“Sorry,” I say, jumping up and hugging her. “I’m just so surprised to see you here!”
And just a little horrified, if we’re being honest. Which we most definitely arenot.
“Well, thatwasthe general idea, Summer,” Chloe replies, looking put out. “It wouldn’t be a surprise visit otherwise, would it?”
“No. No. Of course not. It’s just… well, it’s a long way to come for a surprise,” I say carefully. “How did you even know where I was staying?”
“You tagged the hotel on Instagram, stupid,” Chloe replies, sitting down on the lounger I’ve just vacated and leaving me standing there in the sun with nowhere to go. “So I didn’t exactly have to call in Hercules to track you down, did I?”
“Hercule,” I say automatically. “It’s Hercule Poirot.”
“Whatever.” Chloe waves a hand dismissively. “Who cares about him, anyway? It’s what’s going onherethat ”
She looks from me to Alex, then back again. She’s dressed for travel, but Chloe’s one of those people who looks effortlessly glamorous even in a tracksuit, and I can’t help but feel sunburnt and greasy standing next to her with my hair scraped back from my face and a thick coat of SPF50 all over my pale blue skin.
“Nothing’s going on,” I tell her. “Alex was just helping me, that’s all.”
“Ibethe was. Alex, is it?” purrs Chloe, somehow managing to make his name sound absolutely filthy. “Very pleased to meet you, Alex. I’m Chloe.”
She holds out a hand, and I watch jealously as he shakes it.
“Well,” says Alex stiffly, turning to me. “I’ll be going, then.”
“Right. Sure,” I reply, eyes on the ground in front of me. I haven’t been able to bring myself to look at him since he stood up, because even though I told Chloe the truth about there being nothing going on between us, it somehow feels like a lie. It feels like something has changed between us in the ten minutes or so between him picking up that bottle of sunscreen and putting it back down again.
And I have a weird hunch that he thinks so, too.
