Across the Pond

Chapter 36

We're having a great time at Nico's. So much so that I get mad at myself every time my mind begins to wonder where Cara is.

When Nico isn't looking, I opened Cara's Instagram Story to find that she posted a picture of her and her friends at the beach. As in, the local beach that's a 5-minute drive from Nico's house. My guess is, Nico never mentioned what he was doing today to his girlfriend.

"I thought we were here to jet-ski," Remi states as she lays on the lounge chair. She made Brooks get up, so he's now forced to sit on the edge of the chair. I'm on the other lounge chair, while Nico is relaxing on a blow-up chair in the pool.

"Are you in a rush or something?" Brooks asks.

"What if I am?" Remi pushes back. Their banter today has been hilarious.

"Remi's right, boys," I say. "What happened to the jet-skis?"

"Is that all I'm good for, BC?" Nico's the one to remark this time.

I lift my body up from the chair and angle it so that I'm looking at him. I have to shield my eyes from the sun so that I can see him better. He has this annoying smirk on his face that I can't help but find super cute.

"I'm not answering that," I finally say.

"You're no fun," Nico says, moving his hands in the water and guiding himself to the steps. "Okay. You heard the ladies, Brooks. They want to jet-ski...then jet-ski we shall."

Nico walks out of the pool, water dripping down his sides, with his 6-pack abs on full display.

I'm in trouble.

"Sheesh," Remi mumbles under her breath as she takes in Nico's body. "Is there even an ounce of fat on your bones, Nico?"

"Rem," I say, playfully swatting her knee, urging her to play it cool. I grab the rolled up towel that's on the end of my lounge chair and hand it to Nico once he makes it to me.

"Thanks," he says as he takes it from my grip. He wipes his body down, starting at his athletic shoulders and then down to his perfectly muscular legs. "We ready?"

"Ready," I say first.

"Ready," then Brooks.

"Ready," finally Remi.

We walk down Nico's private dock that leads to the stationed jet-skis. Nico's parents just gifted him with two for his high school graduation.

"We better be the first ones to drive these things," I joke.

"Yeah, right, B. This is like our fifth time taking these babies out," Brooks says.

"Shut up, man," Nico says, playfully shoving his friend's shoulder. "Brooks is lying, BC."

"Yeah, I'm...lying," Brooks winks.

"Nice try, Nico," I shake my head at him and say.

"These are pretty sweet, Nico," Remi says as we stand at the end of the dock. "I call dibs."

"Ladies first," Nico glides his hand in the air and says.

He hands me and Remi a pair of life vests. Once we're strapped in, Nico lends me his hand and watches me take a seat on the jet-ski. Brooks does the same for Remi.

I lean forward and reach for the handle bars, struggling to get comfortable. "You good, BC?" Nico asks me.

"I don't know. Do I look okay?"

Nico takes a while to answer me, and when I look up at him, I see him staring at me.

"You look great," he finally says with a smile.

"Okay, can we get this show on the road before I barf?" Brooks interrupts. "My patience is wearing thin here."

"You ready, Rem?" I call out to her, and she gives me a thumbs up.

"Let's do this!"

Remi and I both steer the jet-skis at a careful speed. There was only one other time that I had ever been on a jet-ski and it was in Mexico when I was vacationing with my mom's family. I was too young to drive, so I was on the back while my older cousin maneuvered it.

After about 20 minutes, Remi and I head back to the docks, where Nico and Brooks are waiting for us. They're seated with their hands planted behind their backs and their feet in the water.

"About time, ladies," Brooks says as they come to a stand.

"Remi, I should warn you. 98 percent of what comes out of Brooks' mouth is sarcasm," Nico says as he wipes his hands together to remove the dust.

"And the other 2 percent?" Remi asks.

"Would you believe me if I said that Brooks can get deep and give good advice?"

"Nope, probably not."

"Then it doesn't matter."

"Hey, fuck you guys," Brooks shakes his head and says. "The only one who has my back here is Bella." He reaches for my waist and pulls me into a hug, which causes Nico to subtly flare his nostrils.

"Okay," Nico says, pulling Brooks away from me. "That's enough. BC, you're riding with me. Remi, I'm sorry to do this, but you're with Brooks."

Before I can ask any questions, Nico hops onto one of the jet-skis, while Brooks does the same.

"If you think that I'm letting Brooks drive me anywhere, you're out of your mind," Remi states.

"You should be so lucky," Brooks says back.

"Bella," Remi turns to me and says, holding her palms up and pressing them together, "please don't make me do this."

I tilt my head and smirk at her. "C'mon, Rem."

"C'mon, Rem," she mimics my tone. "If I had a nickel for every time that I heard 'C'mon, Rem', I'd be a billionaire."

I simply roll my eyes at her, but in my mind, I'm laughing. She does have a point.

I walk my feet to the end of the dock, where Nico lends his hand out for me to take. He watches me carefully as I climb onto the jet-ski, and waits for me to properly sit before taking a seat himself. I don't fail to notice the cautious attention that he's taking.

I instinctively wrap my hands around his waist, and everything about the motion feels right. The way holding him warms up my body. The way I naturally feel safe just by being in his presence.

"You okay?" he turns around and asks.

"Perfect," I tell him. Because it's the truth. I feel perfect.

A pang of guilt consumes me as I remember that this isn't my place. I shouldn't be holding him like this. My body shouldn't respond to his proximity the way that it is. Simply because he's not mine. He's not mine to hold onto. He's not mine to make me feel safe.

"Hold on tight," he tells me...like it's not the first thing on my mind.