I've managed to keep Ariana and Romeo away from each other in the days that followed by forcing them both to do pointless activities with me all the time. I have to keep my eye on them. If that day on the yacht taught me anything, it's that Romeo is easily influenced.
"Just one more," I say to Ari. She groans impatiently.
"You're going to fall." She grumbles from below, arms crossed.
I ignore her as I reach out and stretch my fingers as far as they can go to reach the last coconut in the tree. I glance down, damn this is high up. I can see some people setting up the bonfire from here. My breath catches as I sway slightly, the rough bark biting into my skin, but I steady myself.
"Briar Crawford!" Ariana shouts at me, her anxiety unmissable. "There are about ten coconut stalls on the beach, you know? I could go get you one right now."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" I shout back, grinning despite the jittering in my stomach. The wind rustles through the leaves, the sound mingling with the distant sounds the ocean makes. It's a perfect day, sunny with a gentle breeze, and the air filled with the scent of sea and sand. If it wasn't for the constant spying on Romeo and Juliet (Ariana), I might even call it peaceful.
"Come on, I've got it," I mutter to myself, my fingertips finally brushing against the rough shell of the coconut. I stretch a little further, my muscles straining. Ariana's voice is a worried hum beneath me, but I block it out.
With a triumphant cry, I grip the coconut and twist it free. I let out a victorious yes, which shortly turns into a yelp. The shift in weight throws me off balance, and before I know it, I'm slipping.
"Whoa!' I shout, my heart leaping into my throat as I scrabble for a hold. The world tilts alarmingly, a blur of green, blue, and yellow as I begin falling
"Watch out!" Ariana yells, and I brace myself, for the hard landing.
The impact knocks the wind out of me but thanks to Ariana's attempt to catch me, I'm spared from any serious injury. She glares down at me in anger and relief.
"Thanks," I wheeze.
She huffs, "You could have seriously hurt yourself."
"I'm fine," I say, grinning sheepishly as I get to my feet.
"You're bleeding." She responds flatly.
I follow her gaze to my elbow and surely, a flow of blood is running down my arm. "It's just a little cut. I'm fine. And look," I hold up the coconut, a token of my victory. "I bet it'll taste even better after all that effort."
Ariana shakes her head, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. "Can't you just read a book or something? Why does everything you do have to be life threatening?"
I shrug. Ariana rolls her eyes but follows me back to the beach house. As soon as we step inside, she hands me the basket of coconuts and ditches me, heading upstairs without a backward glance, no doubt eager to get away from me. I'm struggling to lift the basket to the kitchen when Xander appears in front of me.
"Hey, I was just looking for you," he says, taking the basket from my hands effortlessly.
"You've found me." I reply, trying to keep my voice light.
"You wanna hang out? We could go help the guys set up for the bonfire."
I hesitate, feeling a flutter of nerves at the thought of spending time alone with him. We had agreed to just be friends, but it's hard to ignore the lingering tension between us. "I'm a bit preoccupied," I say, gesturing to the coconuts.
Xander chuckles. "I can see that, where did you even—"
A loud shattering sound from the kitchen, followed by a shout, cuts him off. Xander and I exchange a look before simultaneously rising from our seats. I regret stepping into the kitchen the moment we do. Romeo is sprawled on the floor in an apron, covered in flour, clutching a bag of chocolate chips like his life depends on it. Aki is trying to wrestle it from him, dragging Romeo by his legs across the floor. Romeo thrashes, refusing to let go.
Scanning the room, I spot the source of the shattering sound; a pan of freshly baked cookies scattered across the floor. I pick one up and take a bite as I watch the ridiculous scene unfold.
After about five minutes, the fight is interrupted only by the oven timer. Probably another batch of these delicious cookies. I clear my throat. "What are you guys doing?"
Romeo springs up at the sound of my voice. "Nothing. We're chilling."
I suppress a smile.
Aki stands, brushing off his jeans. "We're baking."
"Baking," I hum, bemused. The only thing I've ever seen either of them use in the kitchen is the fridge.
Aki nods earnestly. "We're baking love cookies."
Both Xander and I laugh at this, prompting Aki to glare at us. He says to me, exasperated. "Yes, because you had to go and piss off Ira. And when Ira's mad at you, she's mad at the whole world."
I take a bite out of my cookie. "I didn't do anything to Ira. I don't know why she's so mad."
Ira has been acting weird since the day after the orgy party. Whatever she's upset about, it has nothing to do with me. But this is Ira; she gets into these moods and becomes a complete and total bitch. I can't be held responsible for that.
"Well, she is. And she's a raging pain in my a—"
"Careful." I warn.
"Whatever. Just please sort this out before our anniversary tomorrow," Aki pleads.
"Ah! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Romeo yelps as he hurriedly scrambles with a tray of cookies from the oven to the kitchen counter.
"Yes! Those look perfect," Aki says, reaching for the tray, but Romeo slaps his hand away.
"No! This batch is mine."
"Come on, man. You knocked mine over. I need them more than you do!"
"No, you knocked yours over trying to eat all the chocolate chips. And I need them more than you do! You already have a girlfriend."
"Woah," I cut in. "You're making love cookies too, O'Brian?"
Romeo's cheeks flush. "Yeah."
I guess he took my advice on the beach and invited the girl he's in love with.
"Our boy here has got it bad for Ariana," Aki says with a smirk.
Oh. My heart pangs as an unfamiliar feeling surge through me. I try my hardest not to let it show on my face as I try to process what I just heard and, most importantly, why it bothers me so much. I remind myself it's only because I don't want to see him get hurt.
"Ariana? Huh."
It's only when everyone's eyes flicker to me that I realize I said that out loud. I cringe. What am I doing? Ariana's my best friend; I have to give her some credit.
"Ari doesn't like chocolate chip cookies," I tell Romeo.
"Yes!" Aki exclaims triumphantly, swiping the batch from Romeo.
"How about I take you out and help you find the perfect gift for her?" I offer, mostly out of guilt.
Romeo's eyes light up, and I avoid his gaze as that unfamiliar feeling grips me again. All the things he said at the beach…does he really feel that way for Ariana?
"Yeah?" he asks.
"Yeah."
"Sweet, let's go then."
I laugh, taking in his appearance. He's wearing an apron, which ironically is the only part of him not covered in flour. It's all over his hands, chest (he isn't wearing a shirt underneath), and his face. His hair is messy on his head but I can't lie, it's working for him.
"You should get cleaned up first," I tell him.
He glances down at himself. "Right." With a quick nod, he dashes out of the room.
"Damn, Bry," Xander says, scratching behind his head. "I was kind of hoping you and I could hang out. Kick back and chill like old times."
I scrunch my nose apologetically. "Sorry. You can come along with us if you want."
"Actually!" Aki interjects, his voice louder than necessary, "Xander has to stay here with me. I can't decorate all these cookies myself."
It's only eight cookies.
Xander smiles tightly. "Dude."
"Dude," Aki blinks, "You owe me. Now come on, Ira will be back soon."
I watch as Xander stalks towards him, grumbling, "Who even decorates chocolate chip cookies?" under his breath. He snatches the bag of chocolate chips out of Aki's hand with a huff.
I smile at the interaction before leaving the kitchen to wait for Romeo at the base of the stairs. Moments later, he appears. His dirty blonde hair is wet, giving him a gruff, exotic look. He's wearing a blue dress shirt, the three buttons undone at the top, revealing his chiseled chest. A golden pendant dangles from his neck, glinting in the light, and fuck if he didn't look like a Lana Del Rey song.
A smile plays on my lips when I notice that he's carrying a Spider-man backpack. He smiles back at me, and my heart skips a beat. He's so beautiful, it almost feels wrong to look at him.
"Ready to go?" he asks, his voice like honey.
"Yeah,"