𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝

Chapter Nineteen

B E L L A M Y

Maria let out a content sigh as she closed her eyes, and I smiled, equally as happy about the fact that we could spend this hot day at the pool.

I loved the warmer weather of the summer, but to be able to take a dive in the pool when it got too hot was bliss.

"You know what I've decided?" Maria asked, rolling her head to the side to face me.

"Hmm?" I looked at her, shielding my eyes from the sun with a hand against my forehead.

She sat up, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I'm going to stay single for a while."

I raised my brows, swinging my legs over the edge of the lounge chair and leaning back onto my hands. "Ok."

"Yeah. Maybe just mess around," she said with a wink, and I chuckled.

I stood up, wiping the sweat from my forehead, and took off my coverup. My blood was boiling—and not because I was mad—and I needed to dip into the cool water of the pool for a sec.

"I fully support that plan," I replied, walking into the pool and wading to the only corner left without direct sun exposure. I was getting mad sunburned.

She smiled broadly, sinking back in her chair. "So how're things between you and Reed?"

I froze, though not because of the cold water, and looked at my best friend like I had seen a ghost.

"What?"

"Oh, come on, Bella," she said, adjusting her glasses. "You went to dinner with him and you always smile when you talk about him."

Whoa, Maria was the worst at reading some signs that's for sure.

"We're just friends." I chuckled, my mind going to a different person.

"What? Oh," she replied, sitting back up and frowning at me. "Well, maybe you should tell him that."

I looked inside the house through the open sliding doors, and raised my brows when I saw Reed in the living room, talking to an annoyed Noah.

"Eh..." I didn't know what to do. Sure, I liked Reed and we were good friends, but Maria's words began swirling in my head when he looked up and waved at me.

I sighed and waded back to the stairs, quickly getting out of the pool to greet him. Maria watched the exchange from her lounger, subtly lowering her sunglasses to get a better look.

"Hey, Bella," Reed chirped, stepping into the backyard.

I redid my bun, tying my hair back and preventing it from sticking to my wet skin. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I was having lunch with my parents and thought I'd stop by on my way home."

"Why?" Noah asked from behind me, and I jumped slightly at his voice. When did he get outside?

Reed's smile faltered ever so slightly, and I noticed his eyes lowering a little over my face.

Startling me again, Noah placed a towel over my shoulders, wrapping it around me and making sure I was completely covered before he let go. Our skin touched only for a second, but the contact shot tingles up my spine.