21

Adeline

The first jet ski, designed mainly for girls, starts and one by one we follow along the pontoon to the area reserved for the activity. At first Jayden is cautious, but then she picks up speed and we have a little race with the others. The water splashes on us and makes us all laugh. Although the speed and humidity sometimes loosen my grip, Jayden always slows down and allows me to better position myself.

"I'll offer a beer to the first person who manages to drop their partner in the water!" Cameron shouts to the riders.

"No!" I shout along with Holly. "That's not fair."

"Too late!" Esther shouts before starting the machine at full speed.

"Jayden, don't..." My protest ends in a scream as, a second later, he accelerates and does circles on the water, trying his best to make me stumble. Initially annoyed by this game, I end up laughing quite a bit at the sight of our three jet skis trying desperately to make us fall off. Unfortunately, I may have been a little too distracted as one more turn and my arms lose their grip. I barely have time to hold my breath before my head is underwater. When I emerge, my vest rises uncomfortably against my chin.

"Shit!" I scream, laughing.

Everyone around me laughs out loud, teasing me for falling so fast. Ready to drown from laughing so much, I struggle to swim to the jet ski where Jayden is waiting for me.

"You still don't want help?" He teases me.

Damn smile.

"Yes," I finally say in a low voice.

"Come here!"

He holds out his hand, which I grab tightly before lifting myself up against him. This time I end up in front of the handlebars, my back against his chest and his hot breath cascading down my neck. Couldn't this position be less suggestive? If I shiver, I might as well write "you turn me on" in neon on the back of my neck. Distracted, I try to breathe as naturally as possible so as not to arouse suspicion of my discomfort. The feeling is strange, because for the first time we're acting like real friends, and it's... unsettling, because we're not friends and he's off-limits.

"I thought maybe you'd like to drive," he whispers in my ear, his voice deep.

"I don't know how," I stammer like a child, almost choking on my saliva.

He unhooks the cord from his wrist and wraps it around mine before placing my hands on the handlebars. The softness of his fingers, was it intentional or...?

Don't forget to breathe.

"Right, you move forward," he says, pushing my hands forward, "and when you let go, you slow down. The brake is here, and if you fall, the key will disconnect and the jet ski will stop".

I remain silent, completely fixated on all the points of contact between our bodies. His hands on mine, his mouth on my ear, his arms on mine, his legs around mine, his hips on my... butt. I instinctively blush, clearly imagining a completely different situation where we could be so close... without any barriers.

"Are you listening to me?" he asks, moving his face away from mine.

Not at all.

"Yes, yes," I choke.

"Then go ahead, start, very gently."

He accompanies his words with pressure on my hands, helping me to move the machine on the water, before wrapping his arms around my waist. A shitty job, did I say? Hell, no: may it never end.

***

Holly asks me, "So it wasn't too bad in the end?" as she looks at me in the rearview mirror.

I admit, "No, it was nice," without going into details.

She replies, "At least I laughed a lot. It was a good idea of mine."

I ask, "Are you okay with all the compliments?"

She challenges me, "Are you daring to say you didn't have fun?"

I just smile. No, I wouldn't dare say out loud that I had a fantastic afternoon. I won't say it because it would mean admitting that I owe it all to Jayden. It's in those moments, when he puts his stubbornness aside, that I appreciate the person he is. It's not just a crush. I like him, and telling the girls frightens me because it would make the feeling even more real, even harder to fight. I know the times he's nice to me are few and far between, and at any moment he could turn back into the annoying nuisance he's always been. I should stick to that. For everyone's sake.

As Esther parks in front of the house, I notice that Jayden's jeep is gone. They got back earlier than the girls and I because Tyler had to be home before five. I should have gone home with them so Esther wouldn't have to drop me off, but after the time I spent on the jet ski, I was afraid of what I would feel in the car. His car.

"See you tomorrow, girls!"

Ignoring my apprehension, I wave goodbye to the girls as I leave the car. With my beach bag in hand, I walk into the garden to hang up my wet clothes. When I return, I find Cameron and my sister already slumped on the couch.

"What are you going to watch?" I ask.

"Betrayals," my sister replies, focusing on the TV screen.

"What's it about?" I ask.

"A forbidden romance during World War II," Cameron explains with a shrug.

"Isn't that too mature for you, Astrid?" I ask.

I lean over my phone, trying to gather information about the plot before it is too late.

"I'm not ten anymore, Adeline. Besides, it's the censored version."

Not sure if that is reassuring.

"Censored? And yet you watch it, Cam?" I scoff, but he remains unfazed.

"In truth, it looks classy, and it stars one of the actors in Divergent."

Intrigued, I sit down on the sofa next to my sister and let myself be seduced by the images flashing on the screen. The story doesn't seem very happy for a summer night, but it's exactly my kind of movie, and...

"I mean, that guy is hot," I add.

Cameron looks at me with a mischievous smile and says, "I thought you were more into brunettes."

I panic, wondering if he's referring to his brother.

I ask, "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Tyler is blond, so it wasn't hard to deduce that you weren't a fan anymore," he explains.

Relieved, I laugh softly and turn my attention back to the movie. I don't see Jayden for the rest of the evening or the next day. I can't tell if the jet ski made him lower his guard around me, and if he, too, sensed that we were...getting closer. Part of me wants to believe that he disappeared to avoid me, that running away is the most appropriate response to the feelings he has for me. The more rational part of me slaps me mentally and brings me back to reality. Just because my world has started to revolve around Jayden White lately doesn't mean it's the same for him. I just have to try and distance myself from recent events and his sudden kindness, or I might end up doing something stupid...like kissing him when I'm drunk and coming out of the bathroom one night.

Because of the rainy weather, I didn't leave my room all day on Monday. I spent hours in front of my computer, checking my emails every two minutes, hoping to hear from the university. Resigned, I finally called them. A very nice woman tried to calm me down by telling me that someone had just dropped out of the class I wanted. Only two places left...a paltry number responsible for my future.

At six o'clock I hear my father coming through the front door. I decide to leave my cave and join him. To my surprise, Mia and Jayden are there as well. The three of them are chatting happily around the counter in the kitchen.

As soon as I see him, my heart skips a beat and my stomach flutters. I really have to learn to control all of this. I used to be on the defensive as soon as he walked through the door, and now... all I want to do is get his attention and smile foolishly as I listen to him.

Pause. How long will this go on?

My stepbrother starts, "Anyway..." but stops abruptly when he sees me.

When I enter the kitchen, my father greets me and gives me a hug. He asks me how my day was and I reply with a simple "It's fine" before going to kiss Mia. She persists, "Were you going to say something, Jayden?" and he replies, "Yes. The boys have offered me a week in New York. Peter's brother is letting us use his apartment."

He gives me a quick look before avoiding my gaze completely, and I suddenly get the impression that he's trying to escape more than just that look.

It's nice to dream, old girl, but you're the only one between the two of you who wants to give in to the temptation of Jayden White.

"That's a great idea," my father encourages with a smile.

"What about work?" his mother asks in surprise.

"I was thinking of taking the week off. Well, if you agree, Henri?" Jayden asks, and my father just shakes his hand warmly and says, "No problem, son."

Mia expresses her surprise, "Is that all? He asks you for a week to hang out with his friends and you just give it to him?"

"Why not?" my father replies. "I was young like him, and if I had such a cool boss, I would have taken advantage," he adds, winking at Jayden.

"Thank you, Henri." After hugging him, Jayden leaves the kitchen to pack his bags. He plans to leave the next morning. An unpleasant feeling of emptiness settles in my stomach. He's barely arrived and he's already leaving. Let's try to look on the bright side of things, that way I can distance myself from the situation, even put it out of my mind.

Out of sight, out of mind.