Finally, I spotted him. Aah, there he is, looking as amazing as ever.
Sebastian sat on the edge of the pool, his strong calves submerged in the water. He wore a pair of black swim trunks that hung low on his waist, giving me a tasty view of his defined abs and torso.
While I was busy ogling Sebastian—my new favorite pastime—he shot me a curious glance. Though when he took in my bikini, it seemed it was my turn to be ogled by him.
His eyes traveled down my body, unapologetically, and seemingly in appreciation, leaving me overcome with happiness.
"Thank you, Lacey," I whispered.
I was glad she had insisted on the bikini… and the hair… and the makeup. It had turned out to be a trifecta win for me, based on Sebastian's reaction.
"I'm going to see what Tim is up to in the DJ booth," Lacey said. She nudged me toward the pool. "You should go talk to Sebastian."
That was fine with me, especially since Sebastian was smiling at me as if I were the prettiest girl on the planet. It was with newfound confidence that I walked over to the pool and sat down on the edge, right next to Sebastian.
As I lowered my legs into the warm water, he said, "You look very pretty, Brooks."
"Thanks."
I kicked my legs lightly in the water. An effort designed to distract myself from staring at Sebastian's chiseled chest.
Flames of several flickering Tiki torches illuminated the pool, the resulting amber glow making Sebastian appear more breathtaking than ever. Despite having spent a ton of time with him over the past several days, I now found myself tongue-tied.
Within minutes, though, I began to relax, and Sebastian and I engaged in small talk.
"So," I said at one point, "I can't believe this is our last night."
"Yeah." He sighed. "It's been fun."
"More than I ever expected," I agreed.
Under the water, he nudged my foot. "You had fun even with Seth Darling on the loose?"
I laughed. "Even with."
"You look sad," Sebastian noted when I blew out a resigned breath.
"I'm not. I'm just going to miss hanging out with you."
He smiled over at me. "It's not over, Brooks. Remember…." He raised a brow. "We agreed to hang out at school."
"That's right."
"You're not backing out now, are you?"
I couldn't believe he'd even think such a thing, and I was quick to say, "No way."
"That's good," he softly replied.
Tim's selection of upbeat summer tunes then took a turn to slower and softer music. The kids slowly began to head back to the cabins, exhausted from the busy day. Lacey was nowhere to be found. Still helping Tim choose the music selections, I assumed.
Finally, when Mike and Ginny climbed down from their lifeguard chairs, it was clear the party had ended.
Not for me and Sebastian, though.
"You want to stay for a while?" he asked.
"Absolutely."
Mike walked by just then. "Good night, guys. See you tomorrow," he said.
"Yeah, man." Sebastian fist-bumped him. "Have a good one."
Ginny leaned down and gave me an awkward one-armed hug. "Nite, Brooks."
"Good night, Ginny. Bye, Mike."
Then they were gone, leaving just Sebastian and me at the pool.
While Sebastian and I played footsie in the water, Dave Matthews's song "Crash into Me" began to play.
"I love this song," I blurted out.
"Me, too." Sebastian stood and reached for my hand. "Will you dance with me, Brooks." He paused. "Please?"
I took his hand, and he pulled me up to him.
We were skin to skin in the many areas our swimwear didn't cover. And, damn, people, that equated to a lot of bare skin contact. Oh, my.
I snaked my arms around Sebastian's neck, just as his hands came to rest at the small of my back. We moved to the music for what felt like an eternity, and then, slowly, tentatively, his hands traveled up my back, over the string tie of my bikini top, and into my hair.
I looked up at him through my lashes to find his piercing blue gaze peering back at me.
"Brooks," he whispered.
He then began to mouth the words to the Dave Matthews song, words of how he, Sebastian, was lost in me.
I sighed, and his lips moved closer and closer to mine.
It was perfect. Time stood still. This was my moment, the moment I'd been waiting for, seemingly forever.
When Sebastian's lips touched mine, I swear I heard angels singing. It was that divine.
I moved my lips with his in the most perfect first kiss ever, and when he nudged my mouth open, and our tongues touched, I was the one who became lost, lost in Sebastian.
That perfect first kiss continued throughout the entire song, and well into the next one, which I wouldn't have been able to tell you the title of even if I tried. I was too caught up in kissing Sebastian.
Not that the song title mattered. All that mattered was we were finally kissing.
I had received my first kiss at last. And you know what? All those interruptions were worth it, because that kiss was the only one that mattered.
The End