Flirting with Jacob was a little easier than I’d thought it would be though. I lifted up one of the framed pictures on my nightstand. It was of me, Sophie, Jacob, and Axel a couple summers ago. We were at my parents’ beach house sitting on the edge of the pool.

The four of us had grown up together. We were all practically cousins even though only Sophie and I were related. But it was very important to note that I was not related to either of the guys. Not even a little bit. Hence no incest. I’d always thought of Jacob as just a friend. Always. Because for as long as I could remember, I’d been in love with Axel.

But now? I stared at the picture of the four of us. It didn’t quite fit in the frame because there had been some blonde girl next to Axel that I’d cut out of the picture. I wasn’t focused on that now though. I was focused on the fact that Jacob’s arm was around my shoulders. He was making a funny face down at me and I was laughing so hard I could almost remember the feeling of my cheeks hurting. He’d been trying to cheer me up because I’d been glum all day, thanks to Axel’s blonde that I’d cut out of the image.

Jacob was always there for me. He was funny, and kind, and smart, and actually cared if I was in a good mood. Clearly Axel didn’t care what kind of mood I was in. He’d been slowly torturing me for years with all the girls he dated. And when I stared at the picture now, my eyes gravitated to Jacob. I didn’t have just friendly thoughts anymore. I thought about the way that he’d stared at me as I’d licked the side of an ice cream cone.

My phone buzzed.

I looked down at another text from Sophie: “And if you’re wearing glasses when I see you, I’ll disown you.”

I laughed. I wasn’t going to wear my glasses again just because Axel suddenly decided he liked them. He didn’t control me. And I’d worked so hard to convince my dad to let me get contacts. I texted her back. “Axel can bite me.”

“Atta girl. I bet he will want to bite you when you show up in his jacket.”