The Summer of Us: A Romance Anthology

by AJ Matthews

  “Look, Oliver, I get the point of parading me in front of your friends. You want to show our relationship is real. But why would you want to spend time with me on our own?”

  “Because you’re new here and it would be the nice thing to do.”

  Chloe folded her arms. “You don’t do nice. Try again.”

  “Because I like you and want to hang out with you?”

  “Hah,” she gave a sarcastic bark of laughter, “we both know that wasn’t true in Egypt, so what’s changed now?”

  He scuffed his toe in the dust on the street. He could hardly admit that he liked her now simply because she was much prettier than he’d thought.

  Chloe raised her eyebrows when he didn’t answer. “We’re in on this secret together, so let me give you some honesty. I don’t think I like you, Oliver. We’ll spend time with your friends, do some stuff as a group so I can get to know them, and then I’ll ‘dump you’ because we don’t get along as well in person as we thought we did. How does that sound?”

  Oliver opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it again when he realised he didn’t actually have a leg to stand on.

  Maybe Chloe wasn’t so great after all, he decided.

  “Yeah, fine, whatever.” He watched her go into her house and then headed towards home, looking for something to kick on the way.

  Chloe leaned back against the inside of her front door and exhaled slowly. The day had gone far better than she could possibly have hoped. Oliver’s friends had been welcoming and fun, and she was absolutely sure that they would still be nice even if she and Oliver weren’t a couple anymore. But she would need some time to build those friendships on a personal level just to be certain. She needed to get to know them properly so that they liked her for her, and not just because she was dating Oliver. Which meant playing the girlfriend role for a while yet. The really hard part of the day had been keeping Oliver at arm’s length. It wouldn’t have taken much to let herself believe they were a real couple. The way he’d looked at her, like she was special, was unnerving. He was clearly an excellent actor. It would be way too easy to fall for that charm and end up being hurt again when it had to end. He was playing the part too well, sitting close to her, keeping an eye on her even during the basketball game, that protective arm around the back of the seat. All of it just for show, but it felt natural.

  She was very glad she had managed to put some distance in. Oliver was nothing more than a ticket in to some new friends. She needed to always keep that in mind.

  Oliver deliberately didn’t call Chloe for two days, but by the third day he was itching to see her again. She’d made it pretty clear she only wanted to meet when his friends were there, so he organised a day trip to the beach and sent a message inviting her.

  She declined.

  It was only later that he remembered that Chloe wasn’t a beach lover, and had a mad scramble to change the venue. The next invite was to an indoor pool that had a wave machine, and some killer tube slides.

  He knew it was a bit of a long shot, and she’d probably say no for a second time, but he really wanted to see her in a bikini again, and despite her misery in Egypt she had clearly loved being in the water.

  He stewed for three hours waiting for her to reply, but then felt ridiculously happy when she eventually sent a message saying yes.

  Chloe wondered if it was crazy to be washing her hair right before going swimming, but she needed the confidence boost. Having clean and bouncy hair could make or break your mood. She had been seriously hesitant about wearing the pink bikini, but she couldn’t face shopping for another one, and her one-piece swimsuit was a definite no-no. In fact she thought she ought to burn it, it was that ugly.

  When Oliver pulled up to collect her, she was relieved to see Kat and Carter in the backseat of the car. There was definitely safety in numbers. She let Oliver kiss her on the cheek as she slid into her seat beside him, but kept her conversation strictly on discussing music with Kat.

  In the foyer of the pool they met up with some more of Oliver’s friends, including two more guys she hadn’t met before, and then she and the other girls retreated giggling to their changing room.

  Stepping out into heated atmosphere of the pool was a tense moment for Chloe and she felt lost for a second.

  “We’re over here.” Oliver waved.

  Chloe kept herself covered with her towel until she was almost at the water’s edge, then dropped it with a pile of others at the side. She quickly lowered herself into the water, but didn’t miss Oliver giving her an approving once-over.

  He was looking rather delicious himself and she remembered afresh how much she had been attracted to him in Egypt. Right before he treated her like she didn’t exist!

  She let her eyes move over the rest of the group. They were a good-looking bunch in general, and she reminded herself they were most likely to be the “cool kids” of her new school. Definitely a bunch of alpha girls and boys. And there was Jaden, the most alpha-a-hole of them all, looking pretty buff with his rippling bare chest, his dark skin glistening in the water. Credit where credit was due, he was certainly an impressive piece of manflesh.

  Jaden turned and caught Chloe checking him out. She quickly looked away, but not before she’d seen his knowing smile.

  For the next hour the gang ran up the stairs and came down the chutes. There was a huge amount of races, wipeouts, pile-ons, and laughter. Until they were all exhausted.

  Chloe and the other girls wrapped themselves up in their towels and moved into the lounge area, where they ordered slushies and took seats by the divider window so they could watch the boys continue to mess around.

  “So did you have a nice time going around town on Wednesday? Did Oliver show you Christmas Street? Those boutique shops are to die for.” A girl called Ashley seated herself across from Chloe.

  “Oh, um” – Chloe’s eyes darted guiltily – “we never made it out in the end.”

  “I can guess why, too much catching up to do.” Kat elbowed Chloe jokingly, and all the girls laughed.

  “Something like that.” Chloe blushed at the lie, but decided it was at least helping with the pretence. “It was nice to have time to talk in person.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet. Lots of talking, with the curtains shut of course,” Stacey said.

  Chloe saw Ashley give Stacey a warning look. But Chloe thought Stacey sounded envious but not actually mean. She felt rather sorry for the other girl; it was rotten to like someone who didn’t like you back, and Chloe knew first-hand how that felt.

  Chloe gave the group a smile and tried to include Stacey in it. “Maybe it would be nicer to hit the boutiques with you guys rather than with Oliver…”

  Kat clapped her hands in excitement. “I feel a shopping trip coming on, all girls, no boyfriends invited.”

  “And let’s go for tapas afterwards,” Stacey suggested, perking up.

  Chloe sat back feeling happy. The bonding had started, and maybe even Stacey would warm to her, especially once Chloe and Oliver went their separate ways.

  After the drinks, Chloe returned to the changing rooms and repinned her hair. It was getting far too long, and the chlorine would be wreaking havoc with it. She twisted it up into a bun on the back of her head, to keep it out of the water, but she didn’t hold out much hope it would stay that way.

  She jumped in surprise when she found Jaden outside the door.

  “Hi, are you waiting for someone?”

  “Yes, you.” He stepped too close in her personal space. “I just wanted to say that maybe we should get together sometime after you and Oliver break up.”

  Chloe blinked at him, with no idea how to react. The question in her mind was why? Did he know something? Had they given the game away? Or had Oliver maybe told Jaden the full story? Or was this a cringey come-on because he thought she was easy?

  She scrutinised his face looking for a sign. She quickly came to the conclusion that Oliver would not have told Jaden the truth. Jaden’s attit
ude was probably the reason Oliver had lied in the first place.

  “We’re not going to break up.” Not true, but a good safe answer. It avoided insulting Jaden and still made it clear she wasn’t interested.

  “Oh really? He’s obviously much more in to you than you are to him. That never works out.”

  Ah-ha. This had clearly been brought on by her giving Jaden’s physique a once-over.

  “How would Oliver feel about your suggestion?” Chloe raised her eyebrows.

  “He’s done the same to me, it’s cool.”

  “He has?” Chloe was disappointed in Oliver for that.

  “Yeah, when we were eleven – stole my girl before I'd even got her name.”

  Chloe began to laugh, feeling glad it was so innocent. “I don’t think that’s really the same thing. Let’s get back to the others.” She shooed Jaden in front of her, keeping her eyes firmly off his buns of steel.

  But her mind was on what he’d said, about how she wasn’t that into Oliver. Which meant that she had been doing a bad job of playing her role.

  She went straight over to where Oliver was in the pool and dangled her legs over the edge. He climbed out to sit beside her.

  “Everything alright? No awkward questions?”

  She knew he meant from the girls, and decided he was better off not knowing exactly what awkward question she’d had.

  “Everything’s fine.” She scooted a little closer to him, and Oliver gave her a slow smile that made her insides squiggle. Every instinct told her to pull away again, and not let him get to her, but she was determined to look more in to him. She kicked her feet in the water. She had to walk a fine line. Keep her own heart safe, not let Oliver too close, but still fake being in love with him. She was about to tell him that she intended to try harder, when somebody shouted “Wave machine!” and everyone rushed to the edge of the pool where they were seated. Together they all plunged into the water as the waves began to swell.

  Chloe immediately got swamped by a wave and came up spluttering. The second wave was even bigger and carried her straight into the deep end of the pool before she could meet it, or ride it, or whatever it was that everyone else but her was managing to do. As the third wave banged her painfully into the high walls around her, she swore and skinned her knee, pushing back at the wall before she got battered again.

  “Here, I’ve got you.” Oliver placed himself between her and the rough tiles, and lifted her by the waist as the fourth wave hit. She rose gracefully above it with his help and then came down, sliding the length of his body. He let go when they were nose to nose again.

  “Thanks.” She paddled water in front of him, keeping her back to the waves so she didn’t get a face full with the next one. Oliver braced himself against the wall and held his arms out either side of her, to warn her that another was on its way. This time they lifted together and she let his body cushion her from the wall as they were crushed into each other from either direction.

  Awareness spiked through her. This was way too intimate for comfort. They were practically naked and chest-to-chest. She tried not to even feel the way her legs were tangled with his.

  Damn, why did he have to be suddenly nice, as well as too hot to handle, at a time like this? It was much better when Oliver was being, well, Oliver. A guy she wasn’t even sure she liked much.

  She made to swim away from him and put some distance between them, when she noticed Jaden watching them from further down the wall.

  After only the briefest of internal battles, she didn’t move away. Instead she wound her arms around Oliver’s neck and pulled herself even closer. His head tilted for the kiss before she realised she was angling to one. But she undoubtedly was. Her treacherous lips were parting to meet his, and the next wave lifted her the rest of the way. Their bodies came together again, much harder than she’d expected, and the resulting kiss was far more physical than she’d intended. The fuse was instantly lit and her brain went haywire as the bomb went off inside it with sensation overload.

  Oliver, kiss, feel, touch, kiss, Oliver. Her thoughts were anything but coherent as she moved her mouth against his and he kissed her right back. The next wave lifted them entwined together but she hardly registered it. He kept her steady and her head above water, as she clung to him and simply revelled in the kiss that went on and on.

  “Oy, no bonking in the pool,” Carter shouted, and Oliver laughed against her lips, breaking the moment.

  Chloe looked around in confusion. The waves had subsided without her noticing, and the others were splashing about nearby. No one was looking at them strangely, yet Chloe felt as though she had just done something really outrageous and out of character. She felt breathless, and unable to meet Oliver’s eye.

  “Will that cost me too?” Oliver joked, “Or was it on the house?”

  “We had an audience.” Chloe jerked her head towards Jaden, and then swam away from Oliver towards Kat.

  Two days later and Oliver still couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. Hadn’t she felt anything? To him it had been pretty spectacular, yet after it happened Chloe had gone straight back to keeping him at arms length. It was like she had done her bit for the day. But, man, what a kiss it had been. He could still feel the imprint of her body crushed against his.

  She was so contradictory, kissing him one minute and then ignoring him the next. Was she still trying to pay him back for Egypt? That kind of pettiness didn’t seem Chloe’s style. He frowned, trying to work her out.

  Why did it annoy him so much that she didn’t seem to like him as a person? It wasn’t as if she was all that.

  He flopped on his bed, remembering not just the kiss, but also how she’d looked when her hair had fallen out of that ridiculous bun. She had gorgeous hair.

  But that wasn’t what made him check his messages ten times an hour. It was Chloe herself. The real Chloe. He liked her, and he had a suspicion that she was all that, and more.

  Chloe relived the kiss yet again in her mind. It definitely couldn’t happen a second time. It had messed with her self-control too much, and she’d been wanting to call Oliver ever since. Like a need to talk to him, to be with him. Danger signs flashed constantly.

  But it was worth it. Kat had invited her over, and once comfortably ensconced on the other girl’s bed, Chloe was willing to risk carrying on the charade if it helped her bond further with Kat. She just had to keep it straight in her head. Oliver was using her, and she was using Oliver. It was a simple plan and they were both getting what they wanted. A business arrangement. Strictly business. No more kissing… well, unless it was necessary of course.

  “You’re thinking about Oliver, aren’t you?” Kat came out of her closet holding up another dress for inspection.

  “How did you know?”

  “That loved-up look on your face, it’s how I feel when I think about Carter.”

  Chloe quickly wiped off the expression.

  “Can I ask you a personal question?” Kat looked awkward and perched on the bed next to Chloe.

  “Of course.” Chloe raised her brows expectantly.

  “The thing is, I’m thinking about taking my relationship with Carter to the next level tonight. I was wondering how it changed things… We haven’t been together all that long and we’d be idiots to rush into it.” Kat stopped and clapped her hand over her mouth, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to suggest it wasn’t okay to do it as soon as you feel ready.”

  Chloe blushed and wished she could tell Kat the truth. “Don’t worry about it. Oliver and I definitely rushed things. Slow is good.” She searched her mind for what to say next. “I think you need to be in love. Oliver and I thought we were, but holiday romances are not like the real thing.”

  “Don’t you love him?” Kat looked concerned.

  Chloe bit her lip. “It isn’t the same now that we’re here together. I’m not sure, it’s like a whole new relationship to have to work out.” Chloe consoled herself that at least her answer was mostly honest, and it laid t
he groundwork for their eventual break-up.

  “Give it time. I’m sure you’ll work it out. But we’ll be friends even if you don’t.” Kat patted Chloe on the hand in a gesture of comfort, but Chloe was glowing with joy already. If she got a friendship with Kat out of the deal then it was more than enough.

  Can you meet me early tomorrow? Say 8 am?

  Chloe looked at the message from Oliver with suspicion. She was well aware that neither him nor any of his friends were generally up at that time. Teenagers and early mornings did not gel well during the holidays.

  Why?

  It’s a surprise, I want to show you something.

  Chloe argued with herself for several minutes, wondering whether to question who else would be there or whether to just risk it. She usually loved surprises, but maybe not where Oliver was concerned. But if Oliver was willing to get up early for it then it must be something good.

  OK

  Great, bring your bike.

  She was waiting outside when Oliver rode up.

  “Is anyone else meeting us?” She couldn’t help asking.

  “Not today, this won’t take long I promise. Just something I thought you might like.”

  She followed him through town, her hair streaming out behind her in the cool morning breeze, and had to admit she was already feeling a buzz. Maybe it was okay just to enjoy being with Oliver, it didn’t automatically mean she would fall head over heels in love with him and get hurt. That was just her fear talking.

  “Can you tell me where we’re going yet?” She called.

  He grinned and pointed upwards. Her eyes followed his finger to a small hill on the edge of town, where a tower stood. Her heart skipped a beat, the tower looked way too romantic for comfort, like something Rapunzel would lean out of.

  They each chained their bikes to railings at the bottom of the hill and walked up from there. Oliver stretched his hand out to help Chloe up a steep bank, but she declined and scrambled instead.