CHAPTER 8. Connor #2
I dive under, the cold hitting me hard for a second before my body catches up. When I come back up, I find Noah watching me, smiling a little. He’s shivering now, his arms wrapped around himself.
Without thinking, I move closer. “Come on,” I say. “Keep moving. It helps.”
He nods and starts swimming beside me, stiff at first, then finding a steadier rhythm as his body adjusts to the temperature. We head farther out, away from the shore, where Rick has just waded in to join Cassidy.
Noah stays close beside me as we swim, never wandering far.
Every time I look over, I catch him looking at me, and there’s a new kind of softness in his face that wasn’t there yesterday.
It does something dangerous to my pulse, even though I know this is all part of the show we’re putting on to make his ex jealous.
“Race you to that floating dock?” I ask, nodding toward the wooden platform about fifty yards out.
Noah looks at it, then back at me, and shakes his head. “I’d lose. I’m already freezing to death.”
“I’ll give you a head start.”
“I’ll still lose.”
“Pretty please?” I say, and that gets a little more life back into his face.
“Alright,” he says. “I’ll try.”
He takes off before I can react, arms slicing through the water with a lot more speed than someone allegedly freezing to death should have.
I laugh and push off after him, keeping just behind on purpose.
I could pass him easily if I wanted to—swimming is the one athletic thing I’ve always been good at—but something tells me Noah needs this right now.
So I let him get there first.
He reaches the dock a second before I do and grabs the edge, breathing hard, grinning in a way that looks almost boyish.
“You let me win,” he says, splashing water at my face.
I wipe my eyes and give him an offended look. “I did not. You’re faster than you look.”
“Liar,” Noah says, but he’s still smiling, so I’ll take it.
From here, we can see the whole shoreline.
Rick and Cassidy are swimming farther out now, close enough that she keeps winding her arms around his neck like she needs help staying afloat, though I’m pretty sure that’s not what’s going on.
Onshore, Daniel catches sight of us and gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up before he and Brad wade in too, then strike out side by side along the shore.
A moment later, Maya swims up to the dock and hauls herself up onto the edge.
“Hey, guys,” she says, looking between us. “You two seem happier. Did you make out in the woods?”
“I think you mean make up,” Noah says, rolling his eyes, though his face goes a little pink. “I told you, we didn’t fight in the first place.”
“Sure,” Maya says, in a tone that makes it clear she doesn’t believe us for a second. But instead of pushing, she glances past us toward shore and lowers her voice. “What’s going on with Rick, by the way? He’s acting weird too.”
Noah flicks a quick unreadable look at me before looking back at her. “Weird how?”
Maya frowns. “I don’t know. He was kind of awkward last night. And today too. Just…off in general.”
Noah shrugs. “Didn’t notice.”
He tries to sound casual, but he’s not quite pulling it off.
Maya studies him for another second, then drops it. “Alrighty. Who’s up for a chicken fight?”
“Chicken fight?” I repeat, lifting an eyebrow.
“You know, when one person sits on someone’s shoulders and tries to knock the other person off.” She gestures with both hands so hard she nearly slides off the edge into the water. “Noah used to be terrible at it when we were kids. I could get him in like two seconds.”
“That’s because Dad was my base and he’s ticklish,” Noah says.
“No, it’s because you were clumsy as hell.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Noah says. “And I’d destroy you now.”
“Yeah, right,” Maya says, sliding back into the water. “I’m twice your size.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Noah says with a smirk. “It’s about tactics too, not just strength.”
“Alright then,” Maya says, grinning. “Show me what you’ve got. Connor can be your base.”
Noah glances at me, and the bravado slips a little. For a second he looks almost bashful, like the idea of climbing onto my shoulders has only just fully landed.
“I’m in,” I say before he can talk himself out of it.
“But Maya doesn’t have a base,” he says a little too quickly. “Dad can’t do it. He’s got that shoulder thing.”
“We’ve got Rick,” Maya says, and before Noah or I can object, she turns toward Cassidy and calls, “Hey, Cassie, mind if I borrow your fiancé for a chicken fight?”
Noah freezes beside me, his whole body going tense, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Chicken fight?” Cassidy shouts back.
“Yup!” Maya calls, and that’s when Cassidy and Rick start making their way toward us.
“You okay?” I ask quietly, reaching for Noah’s elbow and drawing him a little closer.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I don’t really believe him. He says it too fast, like he just wants to get through the moment, and something in me reacts before I can think better of it.
I slide my arms around him and pull him against me. Noah stills for a second before he looks up at me.
“Thanks,” he says softly.
Like he thinks I’m doing this to keep up the act.
To make Rick watch. And maybe that is part of it.
I do like getting under the guy’s skin, especially when he’s so clearly not over Noah.
But that’s not the only reason I’m holding him.
There’s a more selfish part of me too—the part that likes how he fits against me and wants an excuse to keep him there.
We stay like that for a few seconds, until Rick and Cassidy reach us. Then I let Noah go, and the second I do, I want him back in my arms.
“My brother thinks he can beat me,” Maya says to them. “I need a base, if you don’t mind.”
Cassidy laughs. “I don’t mind.”
Rick doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he glances at Noah, and the look lingers long enough to get under my skin.
He’s standing right there with Cassidy, but his attention is still on Noah.
Before I can stop myself, I slide a hand around Noah’s waist and pull him back against my side.
Heat flashes through me the second he leans into me.
Only then does Rick look away. He gives a short snort, lifts an eyebrow at Maya, and says, “Alright, I’m in.”
“Yay,” Maya says, completely oblivious to what just passed between us.
Rick swims over to her, pushing wet hair out of his face. “We’ll win for sure. Noah could never stay balanced for more than ten seconds.” He shoots him a smirk over his shoulder and winks.
And just like that, I hate the guy a little more.
It’s not even the trash talk. It’s the way he says Noah’s name. Like he still gets to reach for that older version of him whenever he wants.
“Actually,” Noah says quickly, “I don’t think I want to play—”
But Maya cuts him off, splashing water in his direction. “You already said you’d crush me. No backing out now.”
Noah sighs and looks at me, the plea in his face hitting me right in the chest.
I give him a small grin. “Come on. Let’s destroy them.”
He sighs again. “Okay, fine.”
Maya lets out a whoop and pumps her fist in the air. “That’s the spirit! Let’s go.”
Rick moves into place in front of her. “Ready when you are,” he calls, a smirk still tugging at his mouth. He dips lower in the water, and Maya climbs onto his shoulders, her strong thighs locking around his neck.
“Your turn,” I tell Noah, moving in front of him. “Hop on.”
Noah hesitates for half a second, then puts his hands on my shoulders.
I sink lower and brace myself, then feel his legs wrap around my neck, his thighs pressing against my ears.
The position is alarmingly intimate—his stomach against the back of my head, my hands gripping his calves to keep him stable.
I try very hard not to think about the fact that his boxer briefs are pressed right against the back of my neck.
“You good?” I ask, tilting my head enough to glance up at him.
Noah nods, his face pink. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
I rise slowly, lifting him out of the water. He wobbles for a second, his fingers digging into my shoulders, but then finds his balance. The water is deep enough here to reach my chest, which makes it easier to keep us upright.
“Uh, are you okay?” he asks, looking down at me, and there’s a note of embarrassment in his voice. “I’m not too heavy, am I?”
“You’re fine,” I say, my hands tightening on his legs. “I’ve got you.”
“Just don’t let me go,” Noah says, giving me a crooked smile. “I don’t want to break your neck.”
I laugh.
“I won’t let you go. Promise.”
“First team to three wins,” Maya announces, already keyed up for battle as Rick carries her toward us. “No hair-pulling, no scratching, no cheap shots.”
“Ready to lose, Caldwell?” Rick calls to Noah, and I can’t tell whether he’s trying to trash-talk or flirt. Either way, it pisses me off.
“In your dreams,” Noah shoots back, sounding firmer than I expected.
Cassidy steps in as referee and counts down from three.
Then we’re moving toward each other, the water dragging against me as I try to maneuver.
Noah leans forward as Maya reaches for him, and their hands meet in a tangle of shoving and grabbing.
I brace my feet against the lakebed and widen my stance as Rick does the same.
I try to ignore him, but he’s too close. I catch him looking at Noah, and something in his face makes my jaw tighten.
Whatever this asshole said to Noah in the woods, he’s clearly still not over him. And for some reason that pisses me off so much I want to dump him into the lake myself.
Above us, Noah and Maya are still grappling, their hands locked as they try to throw each other off balance.
I can feel every shift in Noah’s weight, every adjustment he makes as he pushes against her.
Then Rick surges forward, trying to knock us off center, but I counter with a quick step back, giving Noah a better angle.
“Come on,” I say, tightening my grip on his legs. “Push.”