“I don’t know. Honestly…” He ran a hand over his head. “I didn’t know what to say to you. I was kind of just rambling. I didn’t mean to say we weren’t friends. It just came out.”
“Freudian slip. ‘Cause that’s so much better.” I shook my head and took a sip of my drink. The cool taste was just what I needed with Leo this close and crowd feeling like it was growing around us by the second.
“It wasn’t…” He paused when someone shoved his shoulder, forcing him closer to me. We were a breath away and when we both realized it, immediately stepped back.
“It wasn’t a slip. I just was trying to see where your head was,” he confessed.
“Where my head was?”
Someone shouted a greeting to Leo and told him congrats on this swim season. He yelled ‘thanks’ and offered them a charming smile. A smile that looked so effortless. So why couldn’t he seem to spare one for me?
“Yeah, I’m back for the summer and…”
I shrugged, indicating he should finish his sentence. “And?”
“You’re very hard to get a read on.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “The hardest.”
“Fine. You want to know how I feel about you? I think you’re an asshole.”
“An asshole?” He genuinely looked surprised.
“Yeah. Like the definition.” I stepped closer so he could hear me because I didn’t want to have to repeat myself. “’Cause only assholes break promises and make others feel like they’ve done something wrong.”
“Promises?” He scanned my eyes like he’d forgotten.
“Swimming?” I held my hand up like it was obvious because, well, it was.
Realization washed over his face. “Swimming. Wait, did you not get my message? Did Caleb not show up?”
Of course, he thought a simple text would smooth things over. “Yeah. Your high school lackey showed up. And then flirted with some random tourists at the pool for the rest of our first and only lesson.”
“Shit,” he breathed. “I didn’t realize he didn’t teach you. Kira, you still don’t know how-”
“Okay.” I held a finger up for him to stop. “What we’re not going to do is talk about my business at the block party.”
“Sorry.” He nodded.
“And, yeah, I still don’t know.” I chewed on my bottom lip, embarrassed.
“I didn’t realize-”
“Hey, you made it.” Nate clapped Leo’s back, seeming to materialize out of nowhere.
I tried to fix my gaze somewhere else before my brother saw my face because he knew all my expressions. He’d call me out in an instant.
“What’s up?” Leo sounded normal because, of course, he did.
“Nothing.” Nate’s eyes fell on me. “What’s wrong with you?”
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
He blinked, not believing me for a second, and glanced at Leo before looking back at me. “Something happen?”
“No, everything’s cool,” Leo said, and I co-signed with a nod.
