The cool water rushes over me, and I relish the chill, though it does little to dampen the heat of my skin. Heat that is purely a result of sitting in the sun, of course.

Because Jack is nothing more than a friend. A good friend, and a supportive roommate, and really, what does it matter how good he looks in a bathing suit? It means nothing.

Even though it’s really good.

I push through the turquoise surface of the pool, gliding into an easy breaststroke, hoping a couple of laps will help clear my head. By the time I’ve swum the length of the pool a few times and I make it back to the shallow end, the rest of the group has planted themselves in my path. Nick splashes me, which he knows I hate, so I jump on his back and attempt to force him under the water.

But the man outweighs me by a hundred pounds, so my efforts are futile. Until Harley and Gemma jump on too. The three of us manage to shove his head under for a few seconds at least, and he comes up sputtering.

Jack watches our roughhousing from his perch, leaning against the side wall of the pool, away from the fray. His lips are quirked up in his bemused smile, but when his eyes meet mine, the smile drops and his eyes darken. He swallows a couple of times.

I start to wade my way over to him, but as soon as he sees me coming, he jumps out of the pool.

“Drink time?” Jack calls over his shoulder as he heads to the cooler we brought outside with us.

Gemma catches my eyes and gives me a sympathetic smile. I shrug it off, dunking back under the water so I have an excuse to block out everyone around me. Because that rebuff actually hurt. But it shouldn’t. It’s not like seeing Jack in a bathing suit is so earth-shattering it changes my totally platonic feelings for him. And these feelings are only platonic. Jack is totally wrong for me. More important, I’m totally wrong for him.

After our long drive, dinner with Nick’s parents, and a night swim, everyone is wiped out. We all say good night at the bottom of the stairs and head off to our respective rooms. Nick and Jack are sharing, and so are Harley and Gemma, which leaves me on my own. I should be grateful to not have to share, but I’m kind of longing for my own sleepover buddy. I need a distraction. I could crash in Harley and Gemma’s room, but it’s only equipped with two twin beds and I don’t want to sleep on the floor.