At the exact moment I think I’m safe, a hand pushes on my back and I slip into the pool. While I’m underwater, I reach and grab Brad’s legs. He buckles his knees, trying to stay firm and displaying his strength, but I fight dirty by scratching his legs with my short nails. When everything in my power doesn’t work, I dig my nails into his skin until he relents, and then I yank his legs up. Finally, submerging him, I push on his chest to keep him down while he grabs a hold of one of my arms.
When I free myself from Brad and come up for air, I’m caught off guard when a hand covers my head, plunging me back down. The three of us fight for dominance with pulling limbs and pushing shoulders down while water splashes around us. When we finally exhaust ourselves, breaking the surface, we’re all laughing. I rush through the water to escape and swim to the side, finding another pair of legs standing in front of me.
What a shitty girlfriend I am. I forgot Curtis was even here. The whole re-enactment of times when we were younger, brought back memories of days long before Curtis. I push my body up from the water and stand on the edge of the pool.
“Sorry!” I cringe, my eyes bouncing everywhere but on Curtis.
As the sun streams through my parents’ trees, the shine making sparkles in the water, and I contemplate what exactly I’m doing.
“I thought you were going to drown.”
I twist his way and witness the sheer fear in his eyes, and guilt begins to weed inside of me.
I step into the towel he’s holding out for me, and he secures it around my shoulders, giving my upper arms a small rub up and down. Then he sits back down on the edge and I follow.
“Please, I can take them.” I toss my hand out to the two, who are whispering about their surprise attack, I’m sure. “They know two moves—dunking and tossing. In the years, I’ve mastered the art of wrestling underwater.”
“You were pretty feisty. I’ve never seen that side of you before.” His legs go back to swishing back and forth in the water.
“Piper is as feisty as a wet noodle,” Brad sneers.
I shake my head at his comment. As he swims our way, I glance at Tanner at the other end of the pool. He’s floating with his head leaned back as the wet drops of water glisten on his chest. He’s as impassive by my existence as he should be, I guess. My only wish is he wasn’t.
“She definitely got you.” Curtis sticks up for me.
I love him for protecting me, but it won’t change Brad’s tune.
“Once.” He shakes his head, tossing me a go again look. “What do you say, sis? Round two?”
Under normal circumstances, I’d jump back into the water and take him up on his offer. But looking over at Curtis and seeing the confused expression on his face tells me I should stay by his side for now.
“No. You should grow up, Brad.” Instead of listening to my inner guidance, I just pick on Brad about how immature his antics are.
“I’ll catch you when you’re completely off guard,” he assures me.
From previous experience, I know his threat isn’t an empty one.
“I’ll be waiting.” I cock my head to the side as a challenge.
A rupture of laughter floats across the small ripples of the pool. When I pick up my head, Tanner’s laughing, looking right at me.
“You’re screwed, Brad.” Tanner slowly swims over to join his best friend.
He stops on the side closest to me, and instinctively, my legs part slightly before I close them fast and swing them toward Curtis.
“You know Piper never lets her guard down,” he says, his finger runs down the back of my calf.
My eyes flash down to Tanner, then over to Curtis, and back to Tanner. He looks up at me with his devilish gleam and smirks. It’s evident he couldn’t care less about what his consequences will be.
“If I backed down, you two would walk all over me.” I hope Tanner understands the underlying meaning in my comment.
“Oh, Piper, a little trust. But that’s never been your strong suit.” His eyebrows raise and lips straighten.
His finger stops the grazing, and I hate that I miss it.
“I guess it’s from being disappointed so many times.” I shrug my shoulders.
He shakes his head before swimming to the opposite edge. “Stubborn as hell.” He remains at the south end of our pool, his arms stretched behind him in a beginner’s position to race. His muscles are stretched and defined. The small contours have deepened around his muscles in the years he’s been training.
I’m surprised drool isn’t falling from my mouth. How can one person bring so much hate, lust, and love to my surface? Tanner jumbles all those feelings inside of me, and I never know which reaction will emerge when he’s near me.
“Let’s race, Brad,” Tanner says.
Brad swims over to Tanner, never one to turn down competition. “Loser pays for the first round tonight.”
Damn it, here comes curiosity on what their plans are, and I’m fairly certain it will kill me.
“Shit. Loser pays first and last,” Tanner counters.
Brad laughs. “I won’t be around for your last. If all goes well with Viv, you won’t either.” He splashes Tanner’s face.
My stomach drops, with the thought of whoever Viv is. I pull my legs out of the water as though it’s scorching oil now not wanting to be anywhere near Tanner.
“Where are you going?” Curtis asks Brad.
I smile at how courteous he is. I’m sure it was ingrained in him to be polite and encourage conversations. Numerous times, he’s told me how, since he was little, he’d be left with strangers for hours at parties. Due to his sincerity, I’m reminded of the great boyfriend right next to me. I should be appreciating him rather than being upset about an ex.
I sit down on the lounge chair with the towel wrapped around my shoulders, the water dripping off of me into puddles on the cement.
“Going down to Breakers. It’s a pool hall on the outskirt of town.” Brad prepares his position, and he and Tanner share some cocky grins, no doubt revving the other one up for their impromptu race. “Three times there and back.”
“Four?” Tanner offers.
They agree and nod their heads.
Once the decision’s made, Brad turns our way again. “You guys should join us,” Brad says nonchalantly.
I practically choke on the inhale of air I sucked in. “Oh, thanks, but—”
“We’ll be there,” Curtis agrees before I can politely decline.
He turns my way, and I fake a tight smile.
“Should be fun.” He stands up, grabbing a towel of his own, and joins me on the lounge chair.
“Yeah. You play pool, Curtis?” Tanner’s egomaniacal grin splashes across his face.
His assumption that Curtis doesn’t play is probably correct.
“A few times during my college years.”
“Aren’t you kind of in your college years still?” Tanner chuckles.
I pin him with my eyes, only inducing the laughter further.
“Law school is a different scale than undergrad,” Curtis politely responds.
I wish I could tell him not to worry about the cocky bastard in the pool, he’s purposely being an asshole.
If only I didn’t want to jump in the water and pin the cocky bastard to the wall until his fingers manipulated me into oblivion like two years earlier . . .
“I suppose so. We had some great times in undergrad. Shit, this one time . . .” Tanner’s eyes roam up and down my body. “Let’s just say, some things, you never forget.” His sights shift to Curtis.
I try to calm my nerves that are in overdrive now.
“I doubt I have to confirm this with you, Curtis, but Tanner enjoyed a lot of great times in undergrad.” Brad winks at Tanner, enticing an agreeable laugh from Curtis.
Then, the thought of how many partners Curtis has been with all these years invades my mind. Reevaluating him now, I could see girls throwing themselves at him. He’s not as attractive as Tanner, but he’s sweet and nice, which aren’t Tanner’s finer points right now.
“Some are much more memorable than others.” Tanner’s eyes are straight on me, making me shift in my seat from the memory of us together.