Sunkissed Serendipity

Chapter 21

Julian

Having Isla hang out with my friend and me was not part of the plan, but it went well. When we first got to the beach, I introduced her to my friends, and while my friends were joking around, she was smiling. I took that as she found them funny (maybe not Cameron) and not annoying.

Once everyone settles down after the introductions, Cole asks if anyone wants to play volleyball. I'm instantly in, as is everyone else, pairing themselves up in teams, and I look toward Isla. Nudging her by the shoulder, I say, "You should play as well."

She looks over at the guys who were full of chaos and then says, "I don't know."

"Why not?" I ask, giving her a light smile and adding, "It'll be fun."

"I guess."

"Not to mention, you'll absolutely humble Cameron," I say to her with a grin. "He is on the boys volleyball team as well, so imagine how it will feel for you to beat him."

"Hm," she says, and I watch as she takes the elastic off her wrist and gathers her hair into a ponytail high on her head. While she wraps it, she says, "What makes you think that I'll beat him?"

"Because this year was his first year on the team, and since then he has been showing off to us," I say and watch as she finishes off with her hair. Then she places her hand on the bottom of her shirt, reaching for the buttons, before deciding to ditch the shirt all together. She takes it off and places it on the chair we reserved for us earlier. As she pulls down her tank top, adjusting it to fit well, she says, "Really?"

I crouch down to get to her level, my hands pulling together in mock prayer as I say, "Please make him cry."

She snorts at my words, but I say, "It will be the highlight of my year. It will go down as my best summer in history."

Isla rolls her eyes at my dramatics and then says, "Okay, I'm in."

"I can't wait to see Cam cry," I say as she laughs, hitting me on the stomach for the first time since I've met her. Her hand wanders to where my right hand is, and she takes it in hers. The both of us run to catch up with the rest of the team, and once we see that there is evidently a chosen team for us, we run to that side of the net. Isla turns to me and pulls our hands out in front of us before moving her head to mine.

She moves her head to my ear and says, "I'll make him cry."

"Oh yes!" I whisper in glee, and she laughs in my ear, making my entire body light up from the sound. She moves away from me, and with a last squeeze of her hand, she takes it away from mine.

The guys on the other team look over at us, and Cameron says, "What are you guys doing over there?"

Isla cocks her head to the side, a large smile on her face as she shas, "Oh, nothing."

"Yeah, right," Cameron says with a snort, and then his eyes catch mine. He raises his eyebrow at me and says, "And the hand holding? Friends, my ass." He laughs at that, and I feel my cheeks heat up from his teasing. But Isla and I were just inclined to grab each other's hands at this point, and it's not even a romantic thing for us. It's a friendly thing, so I don't get it.

Cayden claps his hands together with our team and says, "Okay, let's get to it, everyone."

I thought Isla would be lost playing with guys she had never played before, but after a round or two, she is on her A game on the court. After a minute of warming up, she is shouting at our teammates, screaming at them to pass the balls to her and to do better. It's fun to see her energy on the court and how excited she gets when getting a point for us. She also has amazing teamwork because there was not one player on my team that didn't participate in the game.