June has only one more summer before she marries her high school sweetheart. She intends to make the most of it, but she has no idea what is waiting for her in Dolphin Coast. Socks on the Beach is a tale of steamy love, jaw-dropping heartbreak, and...
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With a couple of air mattresses blown up and Benji's baby blue hammock strung between the broad trunk of two Spanish-moss covered trees in the front yard, the eight of us were settling in for the greatest drunken slumber party of our lives.
I was relieved that I, for one, would not be participating in the intimate sleeping arrangement in the living room. My freshly washed sheets were calling my name. A safe recluse from Nate.
"Gather 'round! Gather 'round!" Perry's voice hollered from the breakfast nook, a small off-shoot from the kitchen with a round glass table and chairs. In order to accommodate the eight people there that night, we had pulled out three folding beach chairs earlier in the evening.
Rounding the end of the couch, I saw the only seat left: a folding chair in the back right corner. I stiffened when I realized that I'd be sitting next to Nate, Sam was a sight for sore eyes on the other side.
The night began.
During Never Have I Ever we learned that Sam had a pregnancy scare with a B-list rock star whose identity she couldn't disclose for 'legal reasons.' And that Nate had never watched lesbian porn, while everyone else had at least once. Fascinating, intellectual stuff.
When we had to waterfall, not ending our chug until the person who drew the card ended theirs, Johnny kept us all drinking for an unreasonable amount of time. We were drunk. Giggly.
It felt like having Friends.
Or it would've, if I hadn't been a little distracted.,
My heart was thumping in my ears, drowning out the chatter and waves of psychedelic rock mixing around me. I was consumed by my own thoughts of the practiced way that Nate's hand slid across the table, tucking a downturned card into his thick palm.
I remembered how my skin had tingled earlier, vibrating in the roots of my bones, when a single finger of his grazed against my arm.
When Nate's voice struck my muted eardrums, my eyes snapped to his face, grateful for an excuse to look.
"Two," he slurred, spinning the card to show everyone. He looked around, unsure of the card's meaning and waiting for clarification.
"You," Sam rhymed giddily. "It means you have to choose someone to drink."
"June," his gruff voice said nonchalantly.
I forgot how to breathe.
Why does it feel so good to hear my name fall from his lips?
Sam tapped me on the shoulder and I jumped, releasing my held breath.
"You gotta drink, hon."
With a less-than steady hand, I took a large swig of jungle juice, licking myself after to avoid leaving a sticky residue on my cracked lips. I was vaguely aware that I was acting strange, but quite frankly everyone was at this point. 'King's Cup' is a fast track to blacking out if you play it with the right crowd.
