“I’ll come down,” I say, being careful not to fall as I make my way to the window. I’ve learned where all the creaks in the stairs are, but I’m surprised everyone is asleep tonight. My family has a tendency to be the lightest sleepers in the whole world, and they’re often awake at all hours of the night.
Kait is leaning against the railing on the deck with her arms crossed over her chest. “Took you long enough,” she teases, giving me a once over.
“My bad. Next time, I’ll make it snappy and jump off the roof.”
She covers her mouth to hide her laugh, and I move closer, drawn to her like a magnet. “Bailey.”
My heart flutters, and I want to ask her to say my name again. It’s like Kaitlyn has a superpower that makes me feel like everything isn’t falling apart around me.
I like this far better than the look of disappointment she gave me when Henry pulled me out of their parents’ home.
“I’m surprised you called me instead of Hunter,” I say, and Kaitlyn frowns, tilting her head.
“Why are you surprised?”
“I-I just thought he would’ve been your first call,” I admit, leaning against the railing next to her. They’ve gotten a lot closer since she joined the cheerleading squad, and I’m glad she’s found something that makes her happy. I’m glad she has Hunt too, but it hasn’t stopped me from feeling a little left out. I have no one to blame but myself for putting distance between us.
“I don’t know why you’d think that, but it’s not true,” she says, knocking my arm with hers. My breathing hitches at thecontact, and Kaitlyn slides her hand into mine. “Come with me.”
I let her pull me down the stairs toward the beach, following wordlessly. Truth is, I would follow her anywhere.
“We’re going swimming,” Kaitlyn says, letting go of my hand to strip out of her shorts and sweatshirt, leaving her in a sports bra and underwear.
Her dark hair is unbound and falling down her back as she runs into the waves. I can’t help but stare at her for a moment, utterly entranced by how full of life she is.
“Are you coming?” she calls, and I can’t get my clothes off fast enough to follow her into the water, wearing only my boxers. The ocean is warmer than the air, causing goosebumps to pebble across my exposed skin.
Thankfully, it’s a full moon tonight, giving me just enough light to see her pretty face. I chuckle when she sticks her tongue out at me.
I wade further into the water, feeling some resistance from the waves rolling in. From behind me, Kaitlyn splashes water on my back, laughing when I jump in surprise. “Don’t be a scaredy cat, Walker,” she teases, and I roll my eyes.
“I’m not scared.”
She splashes me again as the waves lap at my legs, and I kick water at her in return. Kaitlyn shrieks, trying to block the water with her hands, but instead trips over her own feet. I laugh when she falls into the water, my face feeling like it’s being split in half from how wide my smile is.
“Price, it seems like you’re the one afraid of getting wet,” I joke after she surfaces, wiping her hair out of her face.
“You’re so going down,” she says, just before launching herself at me, knocking us both into the warm water.
My arms immediately wrap around her, preventing Kaitlyn from escaping me now that I have her. I pull us up outof the water, sputtering since she caught me off guard. She wipes the saltwater from her eyes before grinning at me.
“That was mean,” I choke out, turning my head away to cough as Kaitlyn’s body shakes against mine with silent laughter.
“What are you going to do about it?” Kaitlyn taunts, and I can feel my heart rate increase rapidly in my chest. I’m positive she can feel it.
“What do you want me to do?”
She pulls her lower lip into her mouth, her breathing hitching as if realizing how close we are. Still, she doesn’t pull away, and my hand shakes with nerves as I lift it to wipe away the trail of water left on Kaitlyn’s cheek. Her dark eyes quickly dart between my eyes and mouth as she tips her head up toward me.
I know exactly what I’m going to do about it.
I’m going to cross the line in the sand.
Lowering my head to graze my lips over hers, I’m terrified if I move too suddenly, I’ll scare her away. Kaitlyn stills against me, and our breath mingles in the space between us.
Oh my god.I read the signals wrong. She doesn’t feel this way about me. I’m just her best friend, and now I’ve taken things way too far.
I’m about to back away, praying this is a nightmare gone horribly wrong as my stomach drops to my feet. Except I know it’s not when Kaitlyn’s arms lift to pull me closer, and her warm lips press against mine again.
