A plan

Emily settled deeper into the couch, trying to relax as the tension in her body slowly ebbed away. The moans from the screen filled the room, and she felt a mix of awkwardness and amusement as the couple onscreen got more intense. Derek was leaning forward, his eyes glued to the TV.

"Man, that's hot," Derek muttered, taking a swig from his beer.

Chloe sighed wistfully. "I wish I had someone to do it with right now." She gave a playful glance at the guys.

Kyle smirked, nudging Emily with his elbow. "Hey, Emily's already got someone to recreate those scenes with, don't ya, Em?"

Tyler chuckled, giving her a teasing look.

Emily felt her cheeks flush and she gave Kyle a light shove. "Shut up, Kyle," she said with a half-smile, rolling her eyes.

Jake got up from his seat, stretching his arms. "I gotta hit the bathroom. Be right back," he said casually, and made his way down the dim hallway.

Kyle snickered as Jake left. "We all know what he's really going to do," he whispered under his breath, making the others chuckle.

The scene on the screen continued to get steamier, drawing their attention back to the TV. Chloe, her eyes still fixed on the screen, leaned in closer to the group. "So, what's the plan for the holidays? We should do something crazy."

Derek's eyes lit up. "You know the lake is reopened now, right? We should go check it out. I heard it's all safe and cleaned up now. Could be fun."

At the mention of the lake, a chill ran down Emily's spine. Her mother's old stories about that place echoed in her mind—tales of disappearances, strange occurrences, and dark rumors that always made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. But she shook off the unease, reminding herself that those stories were from long ago. It was safe now, or so everyone said.

"Yeah, that could be cool," Emily finally said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I mean, if the place is really safe, why not?"

The rest of the gang quickly voiced their agreement, and the decision seemed to bring a new excitement to the room. Jake came back from the bathroom, a smug look on his face. "What did I miss?" he asked, plopping back down on the couch.

Kyle grinned at him. "We're talking about taking a trip to the lake, man. Might leave you here though, but don't worry, we'll send you postcards."

The room erupted in laughter, and Jake rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll just be here holding down the fort."

Derek waved a hand to get everyone's attention, pointing at the screen. "All right, enough chatter. Focus up, guys—this is the best part. The sexiest scene is coming up."