He turns to Shelby. “What about you, gorgeous? Got a drink for me?”
“Don’t call me that. What are you, like, twelve?”
Brady puffs out his chest. “Fourteen.”
“Go away,” Shelby says, and Myles and I laugh.
We watch the next game together, side by side with thighs nearly touching. Myles taps my knee whenever he wants to point something out, and leans his shoulder into mine each time he laughs. His skin is warm and gritty with sand, and smells faintly of sunscreen.
Too soon Brady says, “Dude, we’d better head back before your mom sends someone after us.”
Myles sighs. “You’re probably right.” He gives me a forlorn look, like he doesn’t want to go, and lumbers to his feet.
“Amelia, go ahead and give Myles his kiss so we can be on our way,” Brady says.
Myles shakes his head. “I’m sorry I brought you.”
“It was Shelby’s idea,” Brady defends.
“That’s true,” Shelby adds.
“If Amelia ever decides to kiss me, it won’t be in front of both of you,” Myles says. He looks down at me and holds out a hand. “I will take a hug, though.”
Butterflies take off in my belly as I reach toward him and let him gently pull me up. I wrap my arms around his waist at the same time he curves his around me. His shirt’s still off, and I’m in a bikini, and a zing of electricity arcs through me at the feeling of so much of his warm, smooth skin on mine.
“Sorry about my cousin,” he whispers, and I don’t know where I get the nerve, but I sneak a peck to his cheek. He sucks in a breath and pulls back, eyes bright and grin wide. He gives my hand a quick squeeze before they leave.
“See?” Shelby says when they’re out of earshot. “Big plans.”
I sink back down to the towel and bask in that moment for a good half hour.
As we continue to periodically rotate like rotisserie chicken, Shelby tells me about college and how weird it was the first few weeks, having zero accountability to anyone.
“I swear, for the first month I kept panicking when I realized I was at a party past midnight. But then I’d remember I wasn’t livingat home and didn’t have a curfew. My roommate stayed with her boyfriend and didn’t sleep in our room once, so it’s not like anyone was waiting up for me.”
“Wow, a dorm all to yourself? That sounds pretty nice.”
“It was.” She waggles her eyebrows. “Especially after I met Brian.”
“Are the dorms coed?” I ask.
She chuckles. “No, but it was pretty easy to sneak him in. We just had to be quiet.”
My cheeks heat, and it must show because she laughs again, this time louder.
“Oh God, I didn’t mean, like… be quiet while we were doingthat.” She pauses. “Though, that was true, sometimes…”
I elbow her with a grin. “Dang, girl.”
She just smiles secretly and shrugs, then tilts her head. “Have you ever…?”
I shake my head. Kat and I are both still virgins, but I’ve heard all about it from Ruby, who kept us well informed as her relationship with Julian progressed. I know more about their sex life than I ever cared to.
“I hadn’t either, at your age,” Shelby says. “My mom’s only advice was to wait until I was in college. And to make sure I was really, really sure about the guy.”
“That’s what my mom said too! Behind my dad’s back, though… I think he’d rather I wait until I’m thirty or so.” I roll my eyes. “So, did you? Wait?”
“Yeah. I never had a serious boyfriend in high school. Thenonce I was at Brown and I’d been dating Brian for a few months, it was kind of weird how one day I just felt… ready.”
