Chapter 12
TWELVE
COLTON
“Zale, you're off balance,” Gabriel calls from the shore, fists planted on his hips.
The sun is sinking low, showering everything in gold, which means we’ve got maybe five minutes left in the water before Gabriel calls it a day.
He’s done a phenomenal job today of pretending I’m not even in the water with the rest of the team. No notes or corrections. Not even a glance my way—as if I’m not here.
It’s been like this for months, but today it stings more. The new members that just finished training are finally joining us, and I’ve caught every single one of them sneaking looks my way and trying to figure out why I’m the only one Gabriel ignores.
The sound of his whistle cuts sharply through the air, and we all begin to paddle back in. The others are laughing and excitedly talking over each other as they head for the sand, but I don’t. I head straight for Gabriel.
“Why do you always act like I don’t exist?” I ask, the words tumbling out harsher that I intend.
“Hello to you too.” He glances up from his clipboard, eyes narrowing slightly. “And I don’t do that.”
I let out a short laugh. “Really? Then what feedback did you give me today?”
My tone is harsher than I want it to be, but I’m past caring about whether or not I piss him off.
He lowers the clipboard slowly. “I don’t need to give you feedback.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because you’re a sub.”
I clench my fists as I hold his gaze. “That’s the problem,” I snap. “I’ve been a sub for a year. You’ve got new people coming in as permanent members, yet I’m still stuck on the sidelines? That’s bullshit and you know it.”
He steps close, not backing down. “I’m not putting you on this team permanently until you understand what it means to be on a team.”
I scoff. “What does that even mean?”
He gestures past me, toward the others. “Those people are your teammates. They’re supposed to be like a family to you because they’re the ones who’ll fight for you in the water, who’ll drag you out when things go bad, who’ll have your back when you wipe out—on the board and off it.”
His gaze sharpens as he looks me up and down.
“And you don’t just abandon family when things get tough,” he says. “I learned that the hard way, and I’ll be damned if I have someone on the team willing to make that same mistake.”
“I’m not leaving,” I say firmly. “I wouldn’t have come back if I was planning on coming back.”
“I know that,” he says, a line forming between his brows. “But your team? They don’t believe you’re going to stay, and you’re not focused on fixing things with them, instead you’re focused on what I’m doing.”
My jaw tightens. “How am I supposed to win them over as a sub?”
“I’m not asking you to impress them,” he says. “I’m asking you to make them trust that you won’t disappear the second things get messy again.”
“Everything good over here?” Griffin calls, coming up behind me. “Everyone’s heading to the Kooky Coconut to celebrate the new members joining the team. You two coming?”
Coach Matthews’ expression shifts instantly, as if our conversation never happened.
“I’ve got to get back to my wife and the twins,” he says, already turning away, but then he looks back at me with a knowing look in his eyes. “But you should join them, Colton. Good place to start.”
Frustration simmers under my skin as I watch him walk off. I’ve stayed through the crappy substitute pay, the constant benching at competitions, and the lack of feedback.
What more does he want from me?
“Are you coming? Griffin asks, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah. “I exhale slowly. “Just let me change first.”
The Kooky Coconut is filled with the loud sounds of music, obnoxious laughter, and the constant clink of glasses. This close to the ocean, the smell of salt still clings to everything, mixing with the smell of alcohol.
I sit at the bar, elbow propped up to support my head, bottle in hand as I stare straight ahead. Behind me, the team cheers, welcoming the new members.
Must be nice, I think to myself.
“Someone’s looking miserable.”
I glance sideways, watching as Kairi slides onto the stool next to me, curls still damp, catching the low light. She smells like coconut and vanilla.
“Hey stranger,” I say, lifting my bottle slightly. “Didn’t think you were coming.”
She shrugs. “My hair took a while to detangle today.”
I look at the imperfectly perfect curls that fall over her shoulders. “It looks good.”
Her lips twitch. “Thanks.”
She calls over the bartender and orders a mojito, then turns in her seat to stare at me.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re upset.”
“I’m not.”
She raises a brow. “You just rolled your eyes.”
I take a drink. “Still not upset.”
“Wow,” she murmurs. “Denial too? This is serious.”
I huff out a quiet laugh despite myself. She always manages to make me feel better, even when I feel my worst.
“So why aren’t you back there?” she asks, nodding toward the rest of our team behind me.
I pause, my bottle hovering near my lips. “Not really in the mood for celebrations,” I mutter, glaring at the wall across from me as I take another sip.
“Ohhh, are you jealous?” she asks slowly, leaning closer. “Is this what jealous Colton looks like?”
I let out a deep sigh. “I ain't jealous either.”
“Ain’t jealous?” she teases. “Wow. You’re so upset that your country roots are showing, cowboy.”
That pulls a smile out of me and she notices, smiling back.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” she says softly, placing her hand on my thigh and not pulling away.
The contact sends a jolt up my spine and it becomes harder to focus. I look anywhere but at her as she picks up her mojito and takes a sip, looking up at me through her lashes, her hand burning a hole through my pants.
The last thing I need right now is to get another hard-on in this place, and especially in front of her when I’m the one that put a boundary in place for us.
“I talked to Gabriel,” I finally say, tapping the pool of condensation around my bottle. “He basically told me I’m not becoming a permanent member until everyone trusts I won’t leave again.”
Her expression softens. “But doesn’t he remember why you left in the first place?”
“Doesn’t matter to him.” I shrug, taking another sip before looking at her. “What about you? Why aren’t you celebrating?”
She sighs, finally removing her hand from my thigh as she looks over her shoulder. I follow her gaze and land on Zale, whose hands and mouth are all over Alessia.
“Wow,” I mutter. “They’re really going at it in front of everyone, huh?”
“Tell me about it,” she mumbles, turning around and taking another sip of her drink. “And the worst part is she keeps looking at me like she’s waiting for some sort of reaction.”
“Yikes. Sounds like she’s having some doubts about Zale.”
Kairi nods. “I wish I could make him as uncomfortable as he makes me.”
I look at her, my eyes dropping to her lips as I remember how soft and consuming they felt when we kissed.
I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I don’t know if the adrenaline from my anger was behind the experience, or whether or not she felt it too.
But I can’t help wondering if it’d feel the same if I kissed her right now.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asks quietly.
I peek over my shoulder and as expected, Zale is watching so I quickly turn back to her.
“Do you trust me?”
She doesn’t hesitate before she nods and it makes me feel warm inside. “Yeah. Why?”
“Good.” I smile to myself. “Keep that in mind.”
“Wha—”
Before she can ask anything else I reach for her, my hand settling at the back of her neck, and pull her toward me until our lips collide. She’s stiff for half a second before she melts into the kiss.
The noise of the bar fades away, along with everything else, and the only thing I’m able to focus on is the steady rhythm of our kiss and the way our tongues dance together.
I tilt her head back and deepen the kiss, completely aware of how hard I’m becoming every time she lets out a whimper or moan.
Her hands grip my shirt tightly, and she leans into me like she wanted this kiss just as badly as I did. I’m so lost in the feeling that I don’t know how long we kiss for before the spell breaks at the sound of a throat clearing beside us.
I already know who it is, so when we pull apart to find Zale standing next to us, I’m not one bit surprised.
“Yes?” I ask, my tone annoyed.
He looks between me and Kairi, jaw tight. “I heard a rumour that you two were caught kissing at this bar a few days ago.”
“It’s not a rumour,” I say. “It happened.”
His eyes narrow. “Are you two…dating now or something?”
I wish I could say yes, just to see his expression; just to make him feel as shitty as he’s been making Kairi feel for years; just to—
“Yes,” Kairi says, reaching forward and grabbing my hand with a death grip. “He’s my boyfriend.”
My brain short circuits and it takes everything in me not to react surprised. I lean back against the bar slightly, pulling her closer into me, and letting a smirk settle on my face as I watch shock and rage ripple across Zale’s face.
“Is that a problem for you?” I ask.
He ignores me and looks at Kairi. “Can we talk?”
“She’s busy,” I cut in, “and your girlfriend is waiting for you.”
I lift my bottle in Alessia’s direction, who’s watching this all play out from her seat.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he hisses, looking over his shoulder to see if she heard him, and I can’t help but chuckle and shake my head in disbelief.
“Sure, whatever you say.”
“Kairi,” he tries again.
She exhales. “We can talk tomorrow before practice.”
Zale presses his lips into a thin line, surprised to hear her say no to him, and I’m so glad I’m here to witness this monumental moment. He hesitates, then nods stiffly and returns to his spot next to Alessia.
Once I’m sure he isn’t looking, I let go of Kairi and slowly turn back around. “So apparently I’m your boyfriend now.”
“I’m sorry,” she says quickly. “I panicked.”
I study her. “What’s the plan here, Kai?”
“Well,” she twists a curl around her finger. “What if we just…fake date?”
I almost choke on my drink. “Are you joking, or are you being serious?”
“It makes sense. You can teach me everything I need to know about dating without me needing to go on a million dates with random guys, and it’ll make Zale jealous.”
I stare at her with my lips parted and brows raised because this is a terrible idea. A really terrible idea. It’s no secret to either of us that we have chemistry, and this could blur the lines of our friendship too much.
And yet…if I agree to this, I’d be close to her all the time.
I’d be able to touch her, kiss her, and call her mine—even if it’s just an act.
This might be the only version of dating her I’ll ever get, so why would I say no?
I stare into her hopeful, hazel green eyes, and when she flutters her lashes I know I don’t stand a chance.
“I’ll do it,” I say slowly. “On two conditions.”
She goes still and looks at me cautiously. “What’re the conditions?”
“We only do this for the summer,” I say. “And we don’t have sex.”
She blinks, surprised, but nods. “I can agree to those terms.”
“Then you have yourself a boyfriend.”
I hold out my pinky and she smiles softly as she hooks hers around mine.
“And you have yourself a girlfriend.”
My chest tightens at her words, and I force a smile in return.
I wish this wasn’t pretend.