But she’s fast. Like,actuallyfast.
Jesus.
Maddy’s a few steps ahead, laughing as she runs, hair flying behind her, already turning her head just enough to call back, “Hope you’re ready to lose, Drayton!”
I can’t help but smile. And somehow the song “Someone To You” from BANNERS starts playing in my mind.
The tower’s right there and she’s almost got it. And something in my brain goes,absolutely not. So I sprint. Two long strides and I’m on her. My hands catch her at the waist before she can react, momentum carrying us both forward as I lift her clean off the ground.
Her laugh breaks straight into a shout. “Hey—! Ryan!”
I toss her over my shoulder before she can fight me off, one arm locked around the back of her legs, the skin to skin contact making the hairs on my arm stand up.
“Ryan!” she yells, laughing and kicking uselessly. “That is cheating!”
“Desperate times,” I say, already running for the water.
We both crash into the ocean in a mess of cold water, bubbles, and tangled limbs.
“That was not fair,” she says, surfacing beside me. “I was winning.”
“Exactly,” I grin.
She’s smiling. Bright. Dimples fully out. And it feels like my heart just started racing like crazy. And a weird thought hits me out of nowhere:Has my body always reacted like this while looking at her?I mean, she has always been beautiful, but somehow I step a little closer without really thinking. Very close.
Her hair’s stuck across her cheek, so I reach up and brush it back, tucking the strand behind her ear. The second I touch her, something in my chest goes tight. She looks up at me and doesn’t move. I suddenly have the urge to lean closer and—
Splash. Water smacks me straight in the face.
I jerk back, sputtering. “Hey!”
“Oops,” she says, way too innocent and I wipe my eyes, shaking my head. “You’re gonna regret that.”
She’s laughing before I even move, turning to run through the shallows. So obviously, I chase her. Water flying, sand shifting under our feet, both of us laughing like idiots.
We swing bySalt & Scoopfor ice cream, both still half covered in sand.
Maddy’s hair is still wet from the ocean, dark strands clinging to her shoulders while droplets slowly soak into the fabric of her shirt. The saltwater is already starting to turn the ends into loose waves.
“I’ll get it,” Maddy says, opening the door and looking over her shoulder. “What flavour do you want?”
I give her a look. “I believe I already told you that.”
“Oh, right,” she says, tipping her head back dramatically. “You are a boring-vanilla-type of guy.”
“You gotta live with it.”
She rolls her eyes, but I catch a tiny smirk as she fully steps in and lets the door close behind her.
Two minutes later the door opens again and she walks out holding two cups, the ice cream bowls inside already melting.
“I cannot wait for these,” she says, almost groaning. “I am melting just as fast as the ice cream.”
I laugh under my breath and take the cup she holds out to me—which has three scoops, and none of them have that whitevanilla colour. One is a dark brown, one is a light green, and one a light brown with dark brown swirls.
“I believe this is notvanilla,” I say.
She shrugs her shoulders as she takes a scoop of her own. “I refuse to believe you don’t like any of these better than vanilla.”
