Unlike everything else, Kaley’s room felt homier. It had a four-poster bed in the center of one wall, a large TV hung above the dresser, and a Mac desktop sat on a clean white desk, but the rest was not too different from Lila’s room. Clothes and books littered the bed and floor. A fuzzy green blanket sat tossed over the desk chair.
Lila trailed a hand over the softness as Kaley moved to the dresser. She pulled out a pink bikini and turned around. “Here, this should fit.”
After a slight hesitation, Lila took it. She changed in the attached bathroom that was bigger than her own closet and bathroom combined. When she came back out, Kaley smiled. “Perfect.”
Lila moved to the tall mirror in the corner. Crossing her arms over her stomach, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Kaley appeared in the reflection beside her. “You look great.”
The soft pink fabric was far more revealing than Lila was used to. She liked her t-shirts and wore cardigans most of the year. Kaley linked their arms together and all but dragged her back outside.
Everyone sat where they’d left them, talking and laughing. Gavin told some story with wild hand motions as they walked up to the group. His eyes landed on Lila, and he stopped mid-sentence, hands still in the air.
Kaley chuckled and whispered, “Told you.”
She left Lila standing before Gavin and stepped up into the hot tub. Lila felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. The music played on while the others began talking again. She tucked a piece of hair back before wrapping her arms around herself.
Dylan raised a hand in front of Gavin’s face. To his credit, Gavin shoved him away and cleared his throat. His normal nonchalance slid back in place as he stripped off his t-shirt and kicked his shoes out of the way. Lila looked around, avoiding his gaze.
“Ready?” he asked, holding out a hand.
With a deep breath, she took it. He squeezed her fingers gently before running toward the pool. Together, they jumped into the heated water. Lila stayed under, letting the calm quietness consume her. Beneath the water, the rest of the world was cut off. There wasn’t a dwindling timeline. She didn’t feel the deep regret of missing out from so much the last few years.
Kicking to the surface, Lila broke through, gasping for air. She wiped excess water from her face and pushed her hair back. Blinking past the chlorine, she found Gavin grinning at her.
The difficulty breathing had nothing to do with staying underwater so long or the chilly night air. He moved closer, but she swam over to the edge of the pool. She felt eyes boring into them as he cornered her.
“Gavin,” she said. “Thank you for this.”
“Of course.” He placed a hand on the ledge beside her head. “I told you, Weston, we’ll get everything on this list checked off.”
The more private parts of her list—the parts she hadn’t wanted anyone to see—came to mind. She hoped he hadn’t remembered all the details, but his heated, pointed look told her he was thinking of them too. The tension overwhelmed her, and she tried to duck out of the conversation.
His hand found her waist, holding her in place. “Wait, please.”
She stilled. She needed to change the subject. Anything to break the heat of the moment. “Kaley can see us.”
Gavin’s brow scrunched. “What? So?”
“I’ve seen you two.” She felt silly having to say it out loud, but it did the trick. Gavin let go and put some space between them. Lila continued, “She’s always smiling at you and getting close to you at work.”
He laughed at that. “We work in an ice cream shop. There’s not exactly a lot of room to spread out. Besides, that’s what people do; they smile at each other when they’re not trying so hard to hate the other person.”
“Not like that.”
His lips pinched, as if fighting a smile. He seemed to consider his words a moment before moving back in toward her. “Kaley and I are friends. Just friends.”
Lila caught herself letting out a relieved sigh. She leaned in, struggling with the urge to pull him closer. His words about trying so hard to hate someone floated back to her. She had spent the last seven years hating Gavin. How could she suddenly feel like he was the only person in her world? Like they were alone in the universe and nothing else mattered? She wanted to push him away, to go back to fighting. At least then it wouldn’t be so hard in the end.
Lila’s Summer Bucket List
Sleep under the stars
Attend a party
Get a tattoo
Use fake ID to sing karaoke in a bar
Stand under the lights on the football field
Go on a date
Sneak out of the house
Visit the baby goat farm
Go to Chicago
Midnight swim
Spend a day in bed watching movies
Stay up to watch the sunrise
Be kissed in the rain
Run through the halls of the high school
Conquer a fear
Paintball
Try something new
Dye hair pink
Sneak into movie theater
Climb water tower
8
Friday
A bell chimed as Gavin pushed open the door. He looked around, hoping he wasn’t too late. It had surprised him to find Lila took the afternoon off. Even more so when he got a text about checking the next thing off the list without him. He had told his mom he needed to go look for her, and she let him. Kaley learned fast, and the two of them could handle the Scoop without him. A fact they repeated many times as his mom removed him and Lila completely from the schedule for the weekend.
Their conversation played on a loop from the night before. He couldn’t get the image of Lila’s jealousy out of his mind. Something shifted in that pool. Something
