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Matt resurfaces to find a sideways boat and an ex-girlfriend with her head in her hands, kneeling on the sails in six inches of water.

“Rem!” I can hear the worry in his voice. “Are you okay?” There’s splashing and then the sound of him climbing across the boat and poles to get to me. “Oh my gosh. Rem, did you hit your head?”

His hands are on my wrists, forcing my arms down so he can survey the damage. I can’t even tell him I’m okay, because I’m laughing so hard. I take one look at his anxious expression and double over.

“You’re fine!” He pushes my shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re laughing.”

I roll to my back, looking up at him. “You thought we were going to win the race,” I say through my laughter. I don’t know if that’s what it sounded like to Matt, but that’s what I said.

His annoyed facade breaks, and he spits out a laugh, causing me to howl even more. He lies next to me, both of us shaking with laughter.

“I thought I killed you,” he says, pushing his wet hair back from his face.

“You should’ve seen your body go flying.” I shake my head. “It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s not funny. I lost my sunglasses.”

“And the race.” I laugh again.

He rolls his body to the side, resting his head on his hand. Slowly, I turn my head so our eyes meet. For a moment, when he climbed out of the water, he was the old Matt. His voice was soft and full of concern. Even though I was laughing, I felt his interest in me, in my well-being. I miss that. I miss being loved so much that nothing else matters.

His lips lift into a slight smile as he reads my eyes.

Does he see traces of my love for him even though I keep pushing him away?

My eyes glance to his mouth. I have the sudden urge to kiss him, and I’m startled by it. I’m a walking contradiction. Kissing isn’t part of the war, and it definitely isn’t part of the breakup. What is wrong with me?

Our faces are inches apart. The only buffer we have between our bodies is our life jackets. I’ve never been so grateful for the bulky floatation device in my entire life.

I can’t let things go back to the way they were. Eventually, Matt would realize I’m not what he wants.

I look down, breaking the moment, and roll my body off the sail and into the water. “We should probably get this thing turned upright.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Is that disappointment in his voice?

I shake the thought away.

It doesn’t matter if he’s disappointed—or even if I’m disappointed.

Things between us are over.

They have to be.

CHAPTER 15

MATT

Tessa: How is it going?

Tessa: Are you following my advice and ignoring Remi?

Tessa has gone rogue. She broke away from the sibling group chat and has texted me privately. I pick up my phone from the hotel nightstand and sit on the edge of the bed, replying to her texts.

Matt: I’m trying to, but it’s not that easy. Whenever I’m near Remi, I don’t want to ignore her. I want to pull her into my arms and reassure her that we can work things out.

Tessa: Matt, you have to stay strong, not just for your stupid war. If you want her back, you need to give her a little dose of her own medicine. She needs to feel what it’s like not to be your number one priority. Once she does, she’ll come crawling back. Then, you can pull her into your arms and reassure her.

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