Did I scare you? There aren’t any sharks around here, you know.”
Celeste rubbed her eyes. “You’re an idiot, Nick,” she said. She turned her back on him just as Travis splashed into the water next to her.
“Wow, this is really hot!” he said. Before Celeste could answer, Devon waded up. She had that trashed, glassy-eyed look Celeste recognized immediately.
“Hey, let’s have a chicken fight!” Devon yelled, and started trying to climb on Nick’s back. She must have been pretty drunk though, because she slipped off and fell back into the water with a splash.
Nick rolled his eyes at Celeste and Travis and turned around to fish Devon out. “What do you think, Trav, can we handle them?” Nick asked.
Celeste winced automatically at Nick talking to Travis directly, but Travis didn’t even seem to notice that his mortal enemy had presumed to address him.
“Awesome!” he said. “Me and Celeste against you
and Devon.” He slipped under the murky water, and Celeste suddenly felt herself rising in the air, perched precariously on his shoulders. She tipped one way and then the other and saved herself from falling off only by grabbing Travis’s head.
“Ow! No death grips!” he yelled from beneath her.
Nick seemed to be having a little more trouble balancing Devon. She fell off several times before he managed to stand up with her. The boys walked slowly toward each other. Celeste and Devon screamed and grappled with each other’s hands. Celeste was surprised to hear Nick and Travis fake-growling at each other and laughing. Who would ever have thought Travis would be laughing with Nick? she thought fleetingly, trying to grab one of Devon’s slippery arms.
Nick slipped suddenly and fell, dumping Devon
headfirst into the water with a massive splash. “We are the champions!” Celeste screamed. “Let me down, Travis.”
“Oh no,” he said and suddenly tipped forward. Celeste squealed as she tumbled from his shoulders and fell with a thump into his arms. Awkwardly, he clambered out of the pool, still holding her.
“Where are you taking me, big strong man?” Celeste giggled. She shivered as the cool night air brushed her still-steaming skin.
Travis leaned down and kissed her deeply as she
wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m going to take you back to the Jeep,” he whispered huskily. “There’s an old blanket in the back. We can spread it out under the stars—”
“And have a little alone time,” Celeste finished. She reached up and kissed him again. His broad, warm chest felt so good against her body. She huddled close to him as he carried her over the rocks toward the cars.
“Mmm, that air smells so good,” Travis said, inhaling deeply.
She took a deep breath of the clean, cold air. “It does.
It smells amazing.”
“Mmmm.” Travis inhaled again. “Arrroo!” he sud-
denly howled at the sky like a coyote and started running, bumping Celeste over the rocky path.
“Hey!” she protested, laughing and hanging on to his neck. “If you drop me, you’re dead, Travis.”
“I won’t drop you!” he shouted, running faster. The wind blew against Celeste’s cheeks and she gripped his shoulders tighter.
“Okay, that’s good, Travis!” she shouted. “Stop!
You’re going too fast.” He didn’t seem to hear her.
Suddenly, near the cars, he stopped running and twirled around, whipping Celeste around with him.
“Okay, try this,” he shouted. “Just look up at the sky while you’re twirling. The stars look amazing.”
“No, wait, Travis, don’t twirl me, it makes me sick!”
Celeste yelled, holding on tighter. The dark world of rocks and stars spun around her in a blur. “Put me down!
Stop!”
Suddenly there was a thunk and Celeste felt her head connect with something hard. Travis stumbled and dropped her. “Ow!” Celeste cried as she landed on the sharp rocks.
“Shit, sorry,” Travis said, sounding subdued. He kneeled beside her. Celeste could hear him breathing in the dark.
“Oooh, my head.” Slowly, Celeste sat up, rubbing the back of her skull. “You ran me right into one of the cars, Travis. Nice going.” She could feel a lump already rising up under her fingertips.
“Sorry,” Travis repeated. He slid a hand under her elbow and tried to haul her to her feet.
“Stop!” Celeste snapped. “Just don’t touch me,
okay?” She pulled herself up and carefully dusted off her wet, sandy rear. “Thanks for dropping me right on the rocks too.” She turned and started heading back to the campfire, shivering as the wind caught her damp skin.
“I said I was sorry,” Travis mumbled. “Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m going back to where it’s warm,” Celeste shot over her shoulder. “Sorry if I’m not feeling super-romantic right now.”
Travis trotted to catch up with her. “Come on,
Celeste, don’t be mad.”
“I’m not. I just don’t appreciate having my head bashed into a car door, that’s all.” She walked faster and, reaching the warm orange ring of the campfire, sank down gratefully on the sand. Travis sat down next to her.
After a minute, she felt the touch of fleece and looked up as he wrapped his big hooded sweatshirt around her shoulders. He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the forehead.
“I’m really sorry,” he said quietly. “I’m a moron sometimes.”
“You are,” she agreed, but his big stubbly face looked so pitiful that she softened and leaned against him. He pulled her into the crook of his arm. Devon and Nick staggered up panting and laughing, their clothes clinging to them. Devon flopped down on the sand. She took a deep breath and tried to wipe her face off with her sandy hands. Nick plopped down next to her.
“Whew!” he said. “That was awesome. Where’s the
beer?”
“Oh baby, we don’t need beer,” Devon giggled tipsily and leaned into Nick’s lap. “Here, have some of this.”
She waved the silver flask in his face.
Nick pawed it away. “You’re totally trashed, Devon,”
he told her. “I should cut you
