Summer Nights (Book 1)

A dip and a declaration

Chapter 29

By sunset, the campsite was buzzing. Danny's friends—most of whom Yeon Jun still hadn't quite figured out—had turned the quiet beach into a full-on party zone. There was music, dancing, and enough energy to light up a city. Yeon Jun found himself standing off to the side, arms crossed like an annoyed bouncer. Diana, of course, was at the center of it all, laughing and dancing like she didn't have a care in the world.

He watched as she moved, her body swaying to the beat, and he felt the corners of his mouth twitch. She was a good dancer—too good, actually. But then again, everything about her seemed a little too good, and that was becoming a problem.

Danny joined her in the makeshift dance circle, his grin as bright as ever, and Yeon Jun felt his chest tighten. Relax. Just relax. It was nothing. She was just having fun. It wasn't like she was—

She threw her head back, laughing at something Danny whispered, and Yeon Jun's grip on his plastic cup tightened. Okay, that's it. He pushed himself off the bench, his eyes locked on her. If this was a movie, he'd be the guy storming in to claim the girl, but since this was his life, he felt more like the idiot about to do something regrettable.

Just before he could reach them, the music shifted to a slow song, and Diana's eyes found his across the crowd. She smiled, the kind that made his heart skip a beat, and crooked her finger in that come-here motion that always got him.

He walked over, trying to play it cool, even though his insides felt like a blender on high speed. She met him in the middle of the circle, the crowd parting like they'd choreographed the whole thing. He stopped right in front of her, and for a second, they just stared at each other.

She tilted her head. "Dance with me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? You saw my moves earlier."

"Oh, I'm sure." She smirked. "Besides, I figure it's only fair to let you redeem yourself after all the judgmental staring you've been doing."

He blinked. "Judgmental staring? I wasn't—"

"Please." She grabbed his hands, placing them on her waist. "You've got this brooding, 'I'm too cool for this party' look that's practically trademarked."

"Maybe that's just my face." He pulled her closer, his fingers tightening on her waist. "And maybe you're just really good at reading people."

"Or maybe," she said, pressing herself against him as they began to sway, "I'm good at reading you."

The way she looked up at him, eyes bright and full of mischief, made him forget everything else. Danny who? For all he cared, they were the only two people on the beach.

As they swayed to the music, the world felt like it slowed down. Yeon Jun found himself thinking about how he wished he could freeze this moment, stretch it out forever. But of course, life had other plans.

"Yeon Jun, Danny's right, you guys are such a cute couple!" one of Danny's friends called out.

Yeon Jun opened his mouth to protest, but Diana beat him to it with an enthusiastic, "Aren't we just?"

He blinked down at her, caught off guard. "We are?"

She grinned up at him, mischief in her eyes. "Oh, definitely."

The playful banter came to a halt when Danny's booming voice called out, "Alright, lovebirds! Time to cool down. Into the water, you go!"

Diana's eyes widened. "You wouldn't—"

Yeon Jun, now realizing the chaos about to unfold, took a cautious step back. "Yeah, Danny, maybe let's not—"

But it was too late. Before either of them could react, Danny and his friends swooped in, grabbing Diana first and then Yeon Jun, and carried them, thrashing and laughing, toward the water.

"This is a terrible idea!" Yeon Jun shouted as the cold night air and the rush of approaching waves hit him.

Diana shrieked, and a second later, they were both flung into the water. The shock of the cold left him sputtering, and when he finally surfaced, he caught a glimpse of Diana, soaking wet and laughing her head off. Despite himself, he couldn't help but laugh too. She was always like this—turning even the most annoying situations into something fun.

"Okay, okay, you got us!" she shouted, splashing at Danny and the others as they retreated back to the shore.

Yeon Jun wiped the water from his face, grinning as he swam over to her. "You're shivering."

"Yeah, but it was worth it," she said, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "Let's get you back to the camper before you freeze."

"Always the gentleman," she teased, but she didn't pull away, and for a moment, they just stood there, the cold waves lapping at their ankles.

It was perfect.