I’d worn my hair down and straight. Blake said hair was a girl’s best prop. Mine swished with my movements. I understood what he meant now, and I used all my assets to give these people a show. Everyone whistled and cheered. The song ended and I hugged Blake, laughing and out of breath.
And so the night went, with Blake keeping me at a steady buzz, never letting me stop moving long enough to overthink or overanalyze what might be happening on the other side of the world. Even after we got back to Kaidan’s place, Blake was intent on wearing me out. He made me change into my bathing suit, while he borrowed Kai’s swim trunks, and the two of us went swimming in the middle of the night. We weren’t the only ones there, but when Blake began doing trick flips and dives, others came out of their apartments to watch. Someone turned on music and brought drinks, making it an official starlight pool party. I kept my cell phone nearby, checking it occasionally, but no calls came.
I thought about Jay and Veronica back home. They thought I was visiting Dad, but I’d told them I might be seeing Kai. They didn’t understand the dynamics there, about how my family and Kai’s were “related,” except that our dads were somehow connected.
With a drunken grin, I climbed from the pool, picked up my phone, and texted Jay and Veronica.
Guess what? Me and Kai are BFGF!
I giggled, waiting.
Two seconds later it rang. Veronica. When I answered she said, “Shut the front door, you are not!” I laughed and she went on. “Are you really boyfriend-girlfriend? Oh, my gawd! How did this happen? What time is it there? Have you even gone to sleep? This is totally worth being woken up before six for. Tell me every single detail, and I swear if you leave anything out I’ll kill you. And if he’s stringing you along, he’s so dead!”
I couldn’t stop laughing through her entire rambling tirade. A text came in from Jay saying:
If this is a joke u r in big trbl 4 wakin me up. Call me when u get home.
I tried to explain everything to Veronica in as much detail as possible without making it sound strange. She kept screeching in my ear.
“I’ll let you go back to sleep,” I told her after I was done gushing. “Do me a favor and tell Jay something for me, would you?”
“Sure,” she said, yawning now.
“Tell him Kai so wrote that single. I was right.”
“You got it. In your face, Jay, from Anna. Good night, girl. I’m happy for you. But I meant what I said about killing him if he’s playing you.”
“I know, sweets. Don’t worry.”
We hung up, and Blake was standing there with another drink. When I finished it, he yanked me into the water, making me go around and around the edges with him and all the other people to cause a whirlpool effect that dragged us around like a current.
We got hungry around three in the morning, and ordered a ton of pizza from an all-night pizza place. Afterward, Blake talked a guy into letting him borrow his skateboard, and he once again entertained all of us. If it had wheels, Blake could work it.
“Is he your boyfriend?” a girl behind me asked.
I turned to the group of girls watching Blake. They were all coifed and beautiful in their bikinis, not having gone in the water. My wet hair was pulled back in a ponytail by this point and I was wrapped in a towel. “No, he’s my boyfriend’s best friend. We’re watching his place while he’s . . . out of town.”
A pang of fear jabbed me when I thought about Kai.
“What’s your name?” asked a brunette with glossy lips.
“Anna.” I smiled.
“Hey. I’m Jenny,” she said. “This is Daniela and Tara.”
“Hey,” I said to them.
“So, your boyfriend lives here?” asked the blonde, Daniela. She had a cool accent—something European.
“Yes,” I answered, pointing up to his apartment.
The girls all shared looks, raising their sculpted eyebrows.
“Wait,” said Jenny. “Is he that guy in the band?”
The third girl, named Tara, gasped. “The drummer?” When I nodded, they shared awed looks.
“Oh my gawd, don’t get mad at me for saying this,” said Jenny, “but he’s a total piece of eye candy.” Her friends all laughed.
“Yum drum,” whispered Tara, and Daniela playfully shoved her.
Jenny got serious. “But don’t worry. He, like, never comes out or talks to anyone. Now we know why.” She winked at me. “You are so adorable. Where are you from?”
“Georgia.”
This was met with a round of awwws. “Hey, you’re a Southern girl,” said Tara. “You should like this.”
She held out a bottle of bourbon and I felt a tug toward it. My fingers reached out.
“Maybe just one drink,” I said.
Daniela grinned and turned up the music.