“I don’t mind a bit of dirt,” says Alex, who’s as ready as ever for an argument.
“Knock it off, you two,” I burst out. “We get it; you’re both super-cool biker dudes. You can stop showing off now.”
Everyone stares at me.
“Sorry, I mutter,” feeling like I’ve overreacted. “I’m just a bit thirsty after that ride. It’s making me cranky.”
“I’m not surprised,” says Chloe. “You look like you’ve swallowed half the desert. Come on, I think they’re handing out drinks.”
She links arms with me as we head over to one of the picnic benches that are scattered around the viewpoint, while Alex and Jamie go and join the queue for drinks, which the group leader is distributing from a cool box attached to the back of his bike..
“What’s up with you?” Chloe asks as we sit down. “Are you not enjoying yourself? I’d have thought you’d be in your element, with two men fighting over you.”
“They’re not fighting over me,” I reply incredulously. “They’re just…fighting. Actually, it’s not even that. I think they’re just showing off.”
“Right. And they’re doing that for no reason, obviously. None at all. They’re not trying to impress anyone in particular. They’re just being boys, right?”
Chloe raises her perfect eyebrows to show how dense she thinks I’m being.
“If they’re trying to impress anyone, it’s much more likely to be you than me,” I point out. “At least you’re not going to be bringing half the island home in your hair.”
Chloe looks at me thoughtfully.
“You know, for the clever one, you can be surprisingly oblivious sometimes,” she says, smiling to soften the words. “Here, let me try to do something with that hair of yours.”
She delves into the bag she’s got slung across her body and produces a brush, which she starts dragging through my hair, trying to untangle it. I sit there and let her, and as she tugs away at my head, it occurs to me that there are two Chloes, layered one on top of the other. There’s the Chloe who combs my hair, lets me borrow her clothes, and makes me laugh more than anyone else I know; then there’s the Chloe who sees life as a competition, and me as the permanent runner-up.
The problem is, you never really know which Chloe you’re going to get on any given day; and today is no exception.
“Look, they’re coming back,” she tells me now, putting the brush back into her bag. “For God’s sake, Summer, stop frowning like that; you’re going to give yourself wrinkles.”
Alex and Jamie join us on the bench, both carrying bottles of water. I take mine gratefully and sit sipping it while Chloe holds court, chattering on about the bike ride, and the scenery, and what she’s planning to wear to dinner tonight. Now that we’re all sitting together, without the distraction of the bikes, I’m once again having flashbacks to last night, and Chloe’s big revelation to Jamie, which neither of us has had the opportunity to mention.
Should I mention it, though? Or should I just leave it?
I rest my chin on my hand and watch as Jamie laughs at something Chloe’s saying. The fact that he’s here at all suggests that either he doesn’t remember what she told him last night, or he isn’t phased by it; which I guess is a good thing. Could italsomean that he might actually behappyabout it, though? Because that wouldbe —
“Summer?”
I emerge blinking from the fog of my own thoughts to find Jamie watching me from across the table. He smiles as we make eye contact, and I instantly blush, then hate myself for it.
“You sure you’re okay?” Jamie asks. “You were miles away there.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say quickly, casting about for an excuse. “I was just thinking about… er… going to get another drink.”
“You’ve still got half a bottle of water left,” Chloe says, but I pretend I haven’t heard her and get up anyway, walking over to the cool box, which is just far enough away from our table to give me a bit of time to compose myself.
“Hey.”
Jamie’s voice behind me makes me jump in fright and spill some of my water.
“Oh. Hey. Do you… do you want some water too?” I ask stupidly, holding out the bottle to him.
“No. No, I’m good. I was, er, hoping we could have a chat, actually?” he says shyly. “Iwashoping we’d have a chance earlier, but well…”
His eyes flick over to the picnic table, where Alex and Chloe are sitting openly watching us. A low hum of anxiety starts up in the pit of my stomach as I realize what it is he wants to talk about.
“Look,” I say, clutching my bottle of water as if it’s a lifeline. “If it’s about what Chloe said last night, you don’t have to worry; she was just trying to get you to stay out with us for longer. You know what she’s like; anything to keep the party going.”
