Despicable Desires

Episode 20

Adeline

Sitting in the backseat of Esther's car, I let the wind blowing through the windows whip my face and ruffle my hair. The soft melody of Kygo's latest hit fills the cabin, enveloping us in an atmosphere of relaxation. However, the recent events are still fresh in my mind and I am angry at Esther's low blow.

"I didn't mean to upset you by inviting him," my friend tries to defend herself.

"Then what were you hoping to achieve?" I reply, a bit defensively. "You know it's never pleasant when we're both in the same place."

"I know," she sighs. "I was just being polite. And he helped Adeline at three in the morning."

"He's no friend of ours," Holly counters. "He's a jerk."

"But he helped our friend," Esther reminds us, silencing us.

After a few seconds of silence, I take a deep breath, trying to release the tension that has built up in my body.

"Oh well, it's too late now. I don't want to ruin my day just because of him."

And on second thought, it might be an opportunity for the girls to see how he can behave towards me. Maybe he will act like a jerk and give me a reason to stop finding him attractive.

After parking the car, we wait patiently for the boys to arrive, and soon they show up in Jayden's Jeep. It's the first time I've seen Tyler since the drug party. When my eyes fall on him, my heart starts to race. Unlike before, I don't feel joy, but stress. I don't even know how to broach the subject with him. I think he must be as embarrassed about the drugs circulating at his party as I am about taking them and kissing him.

"Hey."

Tyler greets me with a quick hug before greeting the girls. No need to panic. At least he doesn't seem too angry, which is a good start. Excited by the activity, the girls and Cameron rush to the booth where Marlon, Esther's cousin, is waiting for us. With a sky-blue tank top that matches the color of the cabin banners and thin black sunglasses on his nose, he is the perfect cliché of a guy who works near the ocean.

"I need to see your IDs," he asks as we all reach for our wallets. "Esther, do you drive?"

"Yes, but can those who haven't driven before still participate?" she asks in a sweet voice.

"You can go to the yellow buoys, and for those who have done it before, you can go all the way to the red buoys," he answers.

We all look at the area he points to on the sea and nod in agreement. Anyway, I had no intention of going too far. I don't know why, but I'm afraid I won't feel comfortable driving this machine. I've done it before when I was younger with my father, but I've never driven one myself, and even though it doesn't seem too complicated, I'm not really reassured.

"Who's done it before?" Marlon asks.

Two arms go up and I silently pray not to be paired with one of them.

"All right, you three can start driving," he says to Esther, Jayden and Tyler. "I'll give you a life jacket and have you get ready while I get the jet skis ready."

He walks over to a metal rack with about twenty bright yellow life jackets hanging on it and hands them out to us.

Let's get started...

***

I suspected as much. I knew this day was not going to go well. Damn it. Three riders, and I have to ride with the one person I'm trying my hardest to avoid. And why is that? Because Tyler was automatically paired with his best friend, and Holly didn't want to spend her afternoon with my half-brother. I think we both almost fainted when we realized we were paired. What a joke.

"Isn't it possible to pair two people who have never driven before?" Esther asks her cousin. "Otherwise, girls, you can be together and I'll drive with your brother, Adeline."

Trying to be helpful, Esther looks at each of us with a smile on her face. It's not really a surprise that I'm paired with Jayden, but that Esther offers to take my place is unexpected.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Jayden replies before Marlon can say anything.

"You can do that! But you can only go as far as the yellow buoys," Marlon replies.

"No, let's keep it that way," Cameron chimes in. "Otherwise you'll never be with us."

Esther looks visibly disappointed at the answer, her expression competing with the resigned looks on Jayden and me as we're officially stuck together. Ready to go, we walk to the edge of the pontoon where three Jet Skis are tethered. I make sure to walk slowly behind them and end up next to Tyler.

"I wanted to apologize," I say in a low voice.

Surprised, he turns to meet my eyes.

"Really, it's me who should apologize for what happened to you," he says.

"No, I..."

The words are hard to say out loud, which makes them all the more real.

"I shouldn't have kissed you. It was stupid of me, I don't remember anything, and I..."

"It's okay, Adeline," he cuts in kindly. "I got the message. You didn't do it on purpose."

"I'm sorry, really," I insist, placing a hand on his forearm.

After giving me a forced wink, he moves away from me and joins Cameron on the second Jet Ski.

"I don't need to remind you of the rules," Marlon announces. "Stay within the perimeter of the buoys and don't bump into each other."

We all laugh at his joke, which probably isn't really a joke, and then we stand in front of the three machines. Jayden climbs on the first one, attaches the key cord to his wrist, and starts the engine.

"Do you need help?" he asks me as I prepare to sit behind him.

"No, I'm fine," I reply a little too hastily.

I slide in behind him, unable to resist putting a few inches between us. My behavior makes him chuckle.

"If you don't want to fall, you'll have to hold on to me," he says.

Why did we choose this activity again? I shift my hips to press against his back, my bare legs touching his. When I hesitate to hold on to him, he doesn't give me time to think: he grabs my wrists and wraps them around his waist.

"If you let go, we'll definitely go swimming. I think it'll be fun, but I'm not sure about you," he says.

"I get it," I say, increasingly nervous about our position.

If I could avoid falling into the water, it would do wonders for my dignity. Especially after I realized that Jayden (my step-brother, self-absorbed and always playing the knight in shining armor, ready to come to the rescue of damsels in distress or drunks - usually me) was starting to evoke too many conflicting sensations in my mind and body... I'd like to take a little break this afternoon. Just a little one to give my ego a boost.