The afternoon sun beat down warmly on the cabin's porch, where Damian and Luke were tossing a frisbee back and forth like restless children. "We should go swimming," Luke announced suddenly, dropping the frisbee when Damian threw it too high. "There's a lake just a little way from here. Perfect weather."
Damian's grin stretched wide. "Now that's an idea. What do you all think?"
Emily perked up immediately. "Yes! I'm in. It's been ages since I swam."
Luke looked over at Adrian, who was stretched out on a chair with a book in hand. "What about you?"
Adrian didn't look up. "Doesn't matter to me."
Damian clapped his hands once. "That's a yes. Amara?"
All eyes turned to me. My stomach fluttered. "I… I didn't bring anything to swim in."
Emily waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry. I packed extra." She sprang from her seat before I could argue, pulling me inside with her.
Emily laid a neatly folded swimsuit across my bed. It was a simple one-piece, black with a faint shimmer in the fabric, elegant but still… revealing. My heart skipped nervously just looking at it.
"Emily," I said slowly, "I don't know if I can..."
"You'll be fine," she cut in, smiling warmly. "Trust me, you'll look amazing."
That wasn't the problem. The problem was that I would look amazing, and people would notice. I wasn't used to that kind of attention, and the thought of Adrian seeing me like that made my stomach twist in knots I didn't want to name.
Still, Emily's enthusiasm was impossible to argue with. She left me to change, and after a moment of hesitation, I slipped into the suit. The fabric hugged me tightly, barer than anything I'd worn in front of others. I threw on a pair of shorts and a loose shirt over it before following her outside.
The path to the lake was short, sunlight filtering through the trees as Damian and Luke bantered ahead of us. Adrian walked slightly behind, silent as usual, his hands tucked in his pockets. I tried not to look at him, tried not to think about how different it felt just being near him after everything that had happened last night.
When we reached the lake, the water sparkled under the sun, calm and inviting. Damian whooped like a child, stripping off his shirt and diving straight in. Luke followed with equal enthusiasm, splashing so hard Emily squealed as she jumped back.
Emily laughed, tugging at my arm. "Come on." She peeled off her cover-up, confident as ever, and ran into the water.
I lingered at the shore, tugging at the hem of my shirt. I didn't want to draw attention, but I couldn't exactly stay dry while everyone else swam. With a shaky breath, I pulled the shirt over my head and kicked off the shorts.
Almost instantly, I felt it....eyes.
Not Adrian's. Someone else.
A man I didn't know, probably another visitor at the lake, strolled by with a lazy grin. His gaze dragged too slowly over me, lingering in a way that made my skin crawl. He gave a low whistle. "Looking good."
I froze, my stomach churning. I'd dealt with comments before, but out here, exposed like this, it struck sharper. I crossed my arms over my chest, wishing desperately for something to hide in.
Before I could react further, a voice cut through, low but firm. "That's enough."
Adrian.
I turned to see him standing just behind me, eyes narrowed at the stranger. His presence alone was enough to make the man laugh awkwardly and wander off, muttering something under his breath.
I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Thanks," I murmured.
Adrian glanced at me, and for the first time, I noticed the faintest shift in his expression. Not anger. Not indifference. Something protective, simmering beneath the surface. Without a word, he pulled off the light gray shirt he was wearing and handed it to me.
"Here," he said simply.
I blinked at him. "I can't...."
"You can." His tone left no room for argument.
I slipped it on, the fabric soft and warm from the sun. It draped over me easily, reaching mid-thigh, instantly making me feel less exposed. Relief washed through me, though it was tangled with something else....something that fluttered uncomfortably in my chest at the fact that it was his...his scent...
Emily called from the water. "Amara, come on!"
I gave Adrian a small smile before wading into the lake. The water was cool against my skin, the shirt floating lightly around me. Emily swam up with a grin. "See? Not so bad."
I tried to smile back, but my thoughts were still tangled in the moment on shore.
Behind us, Adrian finally stepped into the water. Damian splashed at him instantly, but Adrian barely reacted, swimming past with quiet strength. He didn't come near me, but I could feel him there, the way his presence lingered, the way his eyes flicked my way every now and then.
The afternoon drifted on in laughter and playful arguments, but my mind kept circling back. To the stranger's gaze, to Adrian's steady voice, to the shirt I still wore like a shield.
When the sun began to dip lower, painting the water gold, Damian suggested a race across the lake. Emily and Luke dove in immediately. I hung back, catching Adrian's eye across the rippling water.
He looked at me...not long, just a flicker but it was enough. Enough to remind me that beneath his silence, something was shifting.
And maybe, just maybe, last night wasn't the only thing that had changed.