She thought of her white sundress and (gulp) white underwear— and no bra—and said a brief, fervent prayer that he wouldn’t drop her in the water. Luckily, Nick spun her around a few times and then set her on her feet in the knee-deep water.
“Oh, you’re going to get it now,” Celeste said,
advancing slowly toward him. She kicked at the water.
“Hey!” he protested, looking down at his wet shirt.
“How can you expect me to not get you back for that?”
Celeste laughed and turned, running away as best she could in the water, lifting both her skirt and her knees high. Nick splashed after her, and she tried to run faster.
She felt his fingers graze her back and then suddenly, there was an even bigger splash and she felt a wave of water hit her back. She looked behind her but there was no Nick.
“Nick?” she called, looking around. Nothing. “Nick?”
she called again. Still nothing. Suddenly, with a heave, he emerged from the water, dripping and totally soaked.
His shorts hung off him, running with water, and his shirt was transparent.
Celeste choked a little and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. He looked so forlorn, standing there with his hair plastered to his head. A few chortles escaped her and finally, she gave in, laughing so hard she had to double over and hold her stomach for a minute.
Nick just stood there while she laughed, his hands hanging at his sides and a woebegone expression on his face. When her giggles finally petered out, he looked at her through the wet strands of hair over his eyes. “Don’t you know it’s not nice to laugh at those less fortunate than you?”
Celeste swallowed another set of giggles and held out her hand. “I’m sorry—you just look really funny.”
Privately, she was thankful that it was Nick who was standing there soaked in water and not her. At least his pants weren’t see-through.
Nick took her hand and together, they sloshed
through the water back to the bank. Nick dropped to the grass. “Let’s hang out for a minute and I’ll let my clothes dry.” He stripped off his shirt and wrung it out, spreading it in the sun next to him.
“Um …” Celeste looked at her watch, trying not to stare at his lean chest and ropy, corded arms. “I should probably be getting back.”
Nick patted the ground next to him. “Ten minutes. I can’t get back into the Alfa Romeo this wet—if I drip on that leather, my dad will disown me.” He tried to squeeze some water out of his shorts.
Celeste sank down and carefully stretched her wet legs out in front of her. The grass prickled against the backs of her calves. She lay back and stared at the endless blue sky vaulting overhead. It did feel good to just veg out here, with only the sound of the breeze in her ears, and no one asking her for a clean towel or a glass of water with only limes and no lemons. Nick lay down next to her and tucked his hands under his head. For a long moment, they were just quiet.
Then Nick asked, “So, what’s the story with you two anyway?” Celeste’s eyes sprang open. She raised her head.
“What?”
“What’s the deal with you two?”
“Who?”
“You and Travis.”
She lowered her head warily and affected noncha-
lance. “What do you mean, what’s the deal? He’s my boyfriend.” She could hear a little tension entering her voice. A couple of days of getting along and now he’s going to bring up Travis. Great.
Nick’s eyes were shut tight against the sun and his face was expressionless. “I just wouldn’t put the two of you together, you know, if you asked me.” His voice was soft and calm, but something about it irritated Celeste.
She sat up.
“What are you talking about? Travis is a really nice guy, for your information. We’ve been together almost a year now.” Her voice rose at the end.
“Okay, that’s cool.” Nick still didn’t move or open his eyes. “I’m just kind of surprised you’re into him. He doesn’t seem that bright.”
“What?” Now Celeste’s voice rose into a screech.
“Who are you to be talking about bright? As far as I can tell, all you ever do is lie around, flirt with girls, and play with your daddy’s money.”
Nick flinched as if she’d hit him. He didn’t say anything. Celeste got to her feet and dusted off the rear of her dress. The sun felt like it was baking her face, and the wind had picked up. It whistled hotly past her face like the air in an oven.
“I want to go back,” Celeste said tightly.
“Fine.” He got up, not looking at her.
The asphalt burned under her feet as Celeste tramped back across the grass to the car. She stood by the locked door of the car, waiting for Nick and fuming. How dare he insult Travis like that? Here she’d been thinking that they were working really well together planning the party, and then the minute she’d let her guard down, he’d swooped right in and started trying to make trouble between her and Travis again.
The car beeped and she looked across the parking lot.
Nick had unlocked it with his remote. She slid into the baking interior and sat there with the door open. Nick climbed in and started the engine. Silently, he tossed two wet objects into her lap. Celeste looked down at them, confused, before she recognized her discarded flip-flops.
“I had my personal valet pick these up for you,” Nick said, looking behind him to back out of the parking lot.
“It’s what all of us lazy rich boys do.”
Silently, Celeste slipped them onto her feet. She folded her hands in her
