“We are very good friends,” Em agrees, leaning across so he can kiss me and then Auggie.
“Good friends who kiss,” Auggie agrees.
“And snuggle,” I say.
Emory hums. “I love snuggling with my very good friends.”
“Maybe I should do lifeguard training. I could get a summer job at the pool.”
“Why do you love water so much?” Auggie asks.
“He’s part dolphin,” Em says.
I smile and shrug. “I don’t know. I always have. Mum took me swimming right from when I was a baby. I feel free in the water.”
“Being good at it probably helps,” Em muses.
I chuckle. “Probably. But I’m only good at it because I enjoy it.”
“Oh, so it’s a chicken and egg scenario. It’s hard to say which came first,” Auggie says.
“Basically, yes.” I splash Em. “Why do you like science so much?”
“It’s fascinating.”
“I bet being good at it doesn’t hurt.” I wink at him.
“Not one bit.”
“I envy you both,” Auggie says.
I sit upright and stare at him. “Why?”
“You’ve found your thing. Science. Swimming. My thing was partying.”
“I thought you threw parties to fill a hole in your life,” Em says.
Auggie sighs. “Yeah. But I don’t need to anymore because you filled that hole.” He pulls us close.
“You have found your thing. Cooking,” I say.
“Maybe you could get a job in a kitchen over the summer,” Em suggests.
Auggie purses his lips. “Summer jobs all around?”
Em nods. “With a week off to go on holiday with Casey’s parents.”
“If you want to. We don’t have to,” I say.
Auggie lifts one foot out of the water and wriggles his toes. “A week somewhere warm, and all we have to pay for is flights? I’d be an idiot to turn that down.”
“I’d say our summer is planned,” Em says.
“Aside from finding those jobs,” Auggie points out.
Em waves his hand. “Eh, details, details. That won’t be a problem. Do you know why?”
Auggie and I shake our heads.
