Page 16 of Hot Summer

“I know what you mean,” Cas said, though, in her heart of hearts, she was having a hard time believing it. Not believing that Ada truly wanted those things—she seemed like she was being genuine—but that those things could happen for people who weren’t like Amani and Yousef. That any random person could just come on this show and find someone that they clicked with, someone that they wanted to build a life with.

Ada shrugged, her smile soft. “I’m a catching-feelings type, I guess.”

“Uh-oh. I better watch out, then.”

Cas barely had time to register that it was Brad speaking when he sandwiched himself in on Ada’s left side, taking up the rest of the chair. He wasn’t paying attention to the fact that he was now squishing Cas and Ada together, Cas’s elbow stabbing into Ada’s hip, and was, instead, too busy laughing at something Charlie was shouting at him from across the garden. His laugh was too loud, too in-your-face, and it set off actual fight-or-flight signals in Cas’s brain.

She’d heard that exact laugh from these exact kinds of men on way too many nights out. Had had to suffer through their excruciating conversation more times than she could count.

She supposed she should thank him, though (however begrudgingly), for saving her from having to navigate the minefield that was their topic of conversation.

“Hey”—Brad finally spared a glance for Ada—“can you slide over a bit? I’m hanging off here.” He gestured down at his leg which, sure, was hanging off the edge of the chair, but there wasn’t any room for them to move.

“You should just sit there.” Cas pointed toward the chair behind them. He could also leave. Whichever.

Brad leaned forward, angling his head so that it was directly in Cas’s line of vision. Cas raised an eyebrow at him. A challenge.

“Cas, right?” Cas nodded, and Brad’s smile widened. “How have you found it in the villa so far?”

“Well, I’ve only been here for about ten more minutes than you have, so...” Cas thought the eye roll was more than obvious in her tone, but Brad either didn’t hear it or was choosing to ignore it.

Brad laughed and knocked her thigh with the back of his hand. “Fair enough. Anyway, I was thinking we should play a little game.”

“You can go back to playing football and leave us to our conversation.” It might have sounded like a suggestion, but the instruction was clear in Sienna’s voice. And, god, Cas loved her for it.

Brad just laughed again and spun, his shoulder knocking into Ada’s. “Jay! Come get your girl!”

Sienna scoffed. “Excuse me?”

Brad, though, ignored her, and continued shouting to the villa at large. “Guys! Come to the pool, we’re going to play Never Have I Ever!”

“Brad.” Ada turned toward him in a failed attempt to catch his eye. “We were having a conversation, we weren’t looking to play a game.”

“Nah, come on, a game’ll be jokes! We’ve got nothing else on anyway.”

“We were having a chat, mate,” Femi said, watching as everyone else came running from their corners of the garden and grabbed seats on the pool deck. “Next time just ask, yeah?”

But Brad was too focused on the gathering crowd to acknowledge Femi. “Okay, guys, sit down! We haven’t got drinks, so let’s, like, raise hands if we’ve done it. I’ll start first and then we’ll go round.”

There were only four deck chairs, but Jayden grabbed a few beanbags from the grass and tossed them over onto the deck for people to sit on. Lexi and Maddison perched on the end of the pool, their feet dangling in the water, and once everyone was settled, Brad clapped his hands, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Never have I ever kissed someone of the same gender.”

And fucking hell. Of course he’d started with this. He was already leering around at them all, practically salivating.

Cas refused to bend to his gaze as she, along with all the other girls and Jayden, raised their hands.

“Okay,” Cas said, jumping in to take control before Brad could say something else stupid. This was a hell of a lot more people than she expected, and she needed to know the lay of the land. “Were we just experimenting or are we queer?”

“Experimenting,” Maddison and Lexi said at the same time.

Sienna rocked her hand back and forth in a so-so gesture. “Experimenting at the time, but possibly? I’m still sorting it out to be honest.”

“Same,” Jayden agreed. “Though I had a boyfriend last year,” he continued, laughing awkwardly, “so maybe I’ve figured it out.”

Cas grinned and tapped her toe to the outside of Jayden’s trainer. “Yeah, maybe. I’m very bisexual, though I’ve dated more women, if that means anything?” Cas flicked her gaze to Ada, who was nodding.

“Yeah, me, too.”

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