I glanced around, feeling exposed under everyone’s gaze. “I’m so sorry.” I said it to everyone, but my eyes stayed on Luke. I wasn’t even sure at this point if I was apologizing for myoutburst or my feelings. Norah pulled me into a hug, and I let out a nervous laugh.
“Yeah, Hazel, don’t stress. You’re cool. Actually, you help balance the group,” Alex slurred, tripping over every other syllable. I shook my head, cheeks burning. Balance the group? I could barely balance myself right now.
“Oh, riiiight,” Luke suddenly said, dragging the word out with exaggerated clarity. “I totally forgot to mention this.” Then, locking eyes with me, he grinned wickedly. “Hazel is completely and uncontrollably uncomfortable with compliments.”
Heat rushed to my face, but I rolled my eyes, even as my pulse tried to pound its way out of my chest. Luke opened his mouth again, placing a hand over his chest as if taking an oath, and I just knew he was about to start a ridiculous chain of embarrassing statements. I was right.
“Hazel, you—”
“Stop it!” I stepped in front of him, pointing a warning finger. He just laughed and yanked me down onto the couch beside him.
“Let’s take the photo,” Norah called, setting the timer before rushing over.
Luke shifted closer, his hand finding mine. The second his fingers brushed against my skin, I instinctively squeezed back, eyes shutting as warmth flooded through my whole body. Our hands, folded together, were tucked between us, hidden from view, but I felt his touch more than I’d felt Norah’s whole weight against me seconds ago.
A whisper brushed my ear. “I told you, Hazel. You deserve them all.”
His words wrapped around me, filling me with something light, something whole. And when Luke’s strong hands pulled me into his embrace, I heard a quiet confession—in the softest of voices, in the deepest corners of my mind.
His hands were where I longed to find myself for most of the nights anyway.
* * *
At 2 AM, everyone had finally settled down. After all the truths, dares, laughter, and tears, exhaustion took over, and we decided to watch a movie. One excruciatingly long debate later, we landed on the 90s classic “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”. One by one, everyone passed out on the couch except for me, Luke, and Alex. Luke and I shared a blanket, both trying not to touch, though the warmth radiating from him was hard to ignore.
“Jim Carrey will always be comedy gold,” I said as Ace yelled behind the soundproof glass. “He’s one of a kind.”
“Oh, please. He’s just making faces. I could do that too,” Alex scoffed, not even comprehending how stupid he sounded.
“Can you talk out of your butt and make it not disgusting?” Luke shot back.
“Do you know how many people think he was wearing a mask inThe Grinchwhen it was just his face painted green?” I added before Alex could respond. Luke was thoroughly enjoying our banter. “You couldn’t give a performance like that if you were dried up like a raisin. He’s timeless.”
“Mhm,” Alex grunted, and I took it as a sign of victory.
It was strange. My body felt both exhausted and alert at once. Warm and cool, lightheaded from the weed yet oddly sharp, every nerve aware of the body next to mine. I tried to focus on the movie, but I could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath. I was pretty sure he kept sneaking glances at me from the corner of his eye, but I couldn’t trust my senses. At least, not tonight.
After a heated debate on Jim Carrey’s best roles that made both my brain and body boil, I started feeling too warm again. As Ace held a fish over the rich man’s pool, unaware of the shark lurking below, it hit me. I needed to cool down.
“Oh no,” I murmured. Luke turned to me.
“What?”
“Do you know how sometimes you watch a character eat something in a movie and suddenly you want the exact same thing?” He nodded.
“It’s the same thing,” I whispered with a smile before jumping off the couch and heading to the other side of the house.
“Hazel?” Luke called somewhere behind me, laughter in his voice.
I ran straight to the pool and paused. Luke caught on, but before he could say a word, I dove in. The cool water was nothing like the ocean, but to my overheated skin, it was heaven. I lingered underwater, savoring the relief before finally resurfacing. Luke stood at the edge, hands in his pockets, watching me.
“Well, well, well, who knew that high Hazel is more fun than sober Hazel,” he teased. His voice matched his eyes, flirtatious and intense.
“Isn’t everybody more fun when high, Mr. Lifeguard?”
“Not always. Some just get tired and boring. I think they’re called couch potatoes,” he said, glancing back over his shoulder.
I laughed in the crisp air, water gliding like silk over my skin. Letting my head fall back, I floated, my hair spreading out in all directions. I’ve never felt so light. But every time I closed my eyes, trying to relax completely, my legs and hips kept sinking. Kicking like a frog, I resurfaced, only to sink again.
