Friends Don't, But We Do

18. Got Plans Tonight

That night and the next day, we split time between hanging out with Tanner and hanging around Aimee and her friends, because Nolan thinks she has a boyfriend and wants to find out more.

I told him he probably shouldn't hold a secret boyfriend against her since we have our own secret relationship. It's different though, he says, because she's his little sister, and because we're only friends. I can't argue with that. And Aimee's friends are funny, I like hanging out with them.

With Tanner comes Kale and Rhett and Miles, along with Vanessa and Jen. In the lake, the boys are passing around a football while Vanessa and Jen ask me about work. But the football hitting my shoulder interrupts. Turning around, I see all the guys laughing and Nolan standing a few feet from me with a sheepish smile. "Sorry Teegs."

I pick up the ball and cup it close to my body.
"What, you're not gonna throw it back?"

I shake my head and shut my lips. He takes it as a challenge and is next to me in a minute, picks me up and then drops me back in the water. I emerge with water in my eyes and my hair soaked. "Nolan!" I yell and push his chest as he goes to help me stand.

The boys are all laughing while we play fight, Nolan finally clawing the ball out of my arms and holding it high above me. His height helps with that, and even jumping I don't come close.

"Nolan you suck," I say laughing. He pouts and reaches for my elbow, pulling me against him. "You don't mean that," he says.

"Maybe I do," I flirt, my hands braced against his ribs. He squints his eyes in the sun, but is grinning widely at me.

"Uh you guys want us to leave or something?" Tanner yells, everyone else laughing. The two of us step back from each other, shaking our heads and laughing along with our oblivious friends. And Nolan continues the game of catch with the boys, and I go back to talking with the girls.

Close call.

The next close call came later that night. We invited everyone back to our place, because Maddie and Aimee had already said they were bringing people over and we thought that a few more guests wouldn't hurt. Everyone was outside around a huge fire that the boys had set up, and I escaped inside for a quick second to grab a water bottle.

I didn't realize that Nolan was going to follow me in, but he did. He walked straight through the kitchen, gesturing for me to follow, and we end up in the garage. "What are we-"

"I'm gonna bring a few more logs out to the fires," he explains, bending over a near stack of logs. "Oh did you think I came in to kiss you?" He teases.

I roll my eyes at him, appreciative of his wit, and join him at the pile. "How many?" I ask.

"As many as you can carry."

"So one?"

He laughs, "c'mon Teegs, you're stronger than that."

"What girl have you been sleeping with the past month? I'm a weakling," I argue. He laughs, his whole face breaking into a smile, and pulls on my hands so I'm closer to him. "You are not."

Before I can further protest, he raises my arms from my side, positions them at a 90 degree angle. "I'll give you two, I think you can handle two."

I raise my eyebrows and watch as he picks up one log and lays it across my arms, then follows it with another one on top. "Not bad right?"

"Yeah I guess," I admit."Don't be so pouty," he tells me, leans in and kisses the pout of my lips. This weekend at the lake has shown me one thing- we've been kissing more and more casually.