After nearly another hour of driving, we finally reach the west coast. The sun begins its slow descent over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the beach. That familiar warmth sinks into my skin, and a fuzzy, nostalgic feeling swirls in my chest.
I slide my sunglasses down and glance over at Romeo. He's offering me the last slice of pizza. I lean in slightly, taking a bite as we cruise along the final stretch of the road.
"You're being awfully sweet today," I say, glancing at him just as he brings the pizza to his own open mouth.
"Life is about service," he replies, all mock-seriousness.
Before I could respond, Ira squeals from the back seat. "There it is!" she yells, practically throwing herself out the window. "AH! I'm so excited!"
"Really?" Aki deadpans. "Didn't notice." He earns a warning glance from me.
"I'm so excited too, babe," I say, reaching back to pat Ira's leg.
"Hands on the wheel." They all say in unison. I roll my eyes.
Romeo peers out the window, brows furrowed. "Why are there so many cars out front?"
Aki leans forward between the seats, his own confusion mirroring Romeo's before the realisation dawns on him. "Wait... I know those cars."
"Surprise!" I say, my voice light with anticipation as I pull into the driveway, the wheels of my jeep crunching over gravel. "Our friends are joining us for the entire summer!"
Ira screams again—louder this time—and bolts out of the car without hesitation, making a beeline for the backyard pool. I throw the car in park and follow.
And there they are.
Cody, Keith, Ariana and Xander, all gathered by the poolside like the cast of a dream I forgot I had. Ariana is the first to break from the group, her arms flung wide as she pulls us into a tight hug. Cody, dripping with pool water, crashes into us a beat later.
"Cody," Ira groans, pushing him with a laugh, "You're getting me wet."
He pulls back and grins. "Shh, not in front of Aki.
And just like that, she's chasing him. I watch in amusement before catching sight of Aki and Romeo in the middle of a very heated, and over-animated conversation. I can't hear what they're saying, but it's clear that Romeo is having a little temper tantrum. I laugh as I watch him throw his arms up dramatically, as if asking, 'WHY?!'
I approach them, curiosity tugging at my steps. "What's going on?" I ask, gently.
"Nothing," says Romeo, suspiciously fast.
I tilt my head, unconvinced.
Aki doesn't miss a beat. "Romeo here," He throws his arm around Romeo's shoulder, "is upset that you guys didn't tell us we were inviting friends. He would've brought his little...lady friend."
My eyebrows lift. "You have a girlfriend?"
Romeo scoffs. "Child, please." His voice is pure scandal, as if it was the most insulting thing to ask him. I've never seen him act this way but I can't say that I'm not slightly amused right now.
I raise a brow at him, and they both burst into hysterical laughter. "What? Tell me." I say.
"She's not his girlfriend," Aki explains, with a glint in his eye. "She's his fuck buddy."
For a few moments, none of us speak, the only sound coming from the background noise of our friends by the pool and distant laughter. After processing the words that just left Aki's mouth, I conclude that nope. There's no way.
"It's true," Aki insists, but I ignore him. I need to hear it from Romeo. I tilt my head, staring down the man of the hour, demanding answers from him with one look. He just shrugs.
My mouth falls open. No. No no no. Romeo was way too sweet. Nothing could've prepared me for this. When did he have time to do this while he was studying or sailing or swimming? I've never even seen him bring a girl home, let alone talk to one.
I glare at Aki before punching him in the arm.
"Ow!"
"You're a bad influence!" I scold, but it's becoming harder for me to hide my amusement. I couldn't believe it. It doesn't make sense. This is like seeing a teacher pregnant and then realizing they have sex too. "Why does Aki of all people know?"
Romeo grins, "Because he caught us."
"At school," Aki adds, matter of factly.
I didn't think it was possible for my mouth to reach any closer to the ground, but here we are. I don't know if to cringe, if to slap him, if to tell… I'm utterly shocked.
"Romeo O'Brian!" I go with yelling his name.
He laughs again, guilty but unrepentant. "Sorry."
Disappointment tugs at me, but I don't let it show. Why should I be disappointed? He's not a kid anymore. I guess I always thought of him as being this sweet, romantic and sensitive guy. Maybe he is. But at the end of the day, he's still just a guy. It's definitely a tough pill to swallow.
"It's cool." I smile. "I'm just surprised, that's all. Just promise me one thing."
"Anything," He breathes.
I pin him with a look. "Don't go around breaking hearts, okay? Be better."
"I think that can be arranged." He jokes. I slap his arm.
"I'm gonna get a drink," Aki says, "You want anything, bro?"
"Yeah, sure," Romeo tells him, surprising me once again.
I watch Aki leave before I set my eyes back on Romeo. Tilting my head, I ask, "Since when do you drink?"
"I don't know, I just do. Sometimes."
I scan his face, sensing a change in him. "Who are you and what have you done with Romeo?" I joke, but there's a hint of seriousness in my voice.
For a moment a sad expression crosses his own face, but it vanishes quickly. I instantly feel like the biggest asshole for pushing him. I brought all my friends here to intrude on our tradition, and I didn't even think to ask him if he'd be okay with it.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about all this," I say, touching his arm gently. "But you know I won't leave you alone, right?"
He smiles and nods.
"And with this newfound personality of yours, you'd fit right in with my band of idiot friends."
He laughs nervously, "I don't doubt it."
"So," I extend my hand to him, "shall we?"
He hesitates for a moment before clasping my hand. I pull him along with me to the poolside but pause after seeing that Aki, who was supposed to be getting our drinks is now preoccupied. "Um actually, why don't I go get your drink, and you save us some seats?"
Aki, now in the middle of making out with Ira, was supposed to bring it. But unless Romeo's drink is somewhere down Ira's throat, I don't think he'll be getting it anytime soon.
"Sure."
I head to the bar on the other side of the pool. Remembering his recent revelations, I decide to mess with him a bit. I don't know what to believe about Romeo's sex life and the fact that he got caught at school of all places, but I know for a fact he isn't a substance man.
I laugh to myself as I pour him what I believe to be the most disgustingly strong drink i can think of. Hopefully it isn't as dangerous as it seems, and it's not like he'll finish it anyway. I just want to see how he'll react.
"What are you up to?" Xander's voice startles me.
"Shit, Xander. Don't do that," I laugh.
He laughs, taking the cup from my hand and raising it to his nose. He instantly recoils."Who are you trying to kill?"
"Kill? No," I reply, taking the cup back. "Maybe knock unconscious?"
I start to walk away but he grabs my arm. "Wait."
I sigh, turning to face him. "What's up?"
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Act like you don't know. It's me, Briar. Xander, your friend. Don't you respect me in any way? I thought—"
"You thought what?" I cut him off, irritation spiking, "I told you I didn't want to do anything because I knew eventually it would come in between us. But you manipulated me into being with you, Xan. And now here you are, trying to manipulate me again into doing what exactly? Feeling sorry enough for you so that I'll be with you? I respect you, but I'm over it, Xander."
He nods, his expression softening. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said you don't respect me. I just want us to go back to before."
I sigh, "I don't think that's a good idea."
"No, no not like that. I mean, back to when you didn't avoid me, and I didn't act like a wounded puppy around you."
"Really? Can we? Because I really miss you,"
"I know, I miss you too." He smiles and opens his arms. "Come here."
I'm skeptical but I walk into his embrace, hugging him tightly. He rocks me gently, making me laugh as some of Romeo's drink spills. I let out a breath of relief, glad we resolved this. The summer could've gotten very awkward otherwise.