Page 22 of Riverside Reverie

“I like it,” Lux admitted, sounding surprised. “I actually slept great last night, even if it felt like I was going to slide off my mattress and down the hill.”

“It’s all that fresh air,” I grinned. She smiled back, a little shy, but I could see the intrigue dancing in her irises. “It’s good for the soul, even at that angle.”

“Yeah. I’m glad I came. I mean, I might change my mind if Jasmine throws me off the cliff today, but for now, I’m really glad I let her talk me into coming.”

“I’m really glad you let her talk you into coming, too,” I told her, trying to keep my tone light. Even if what I was feeling was…heavier. An attraction I couldn’t deny, an intrigue I couldn’t ignore.

Lux’s smile brightened, her eyes catching the glow of the morning sun, and I swear my heart tripped over its beat in my chest.

“Well, I better go get changed,” she said, moving away from the wash station. I nodded, watching her go.

* * *

After breakfast clean up, we packed some food for our day excursion and then Desmond, Baz and I set to securing the coolers. We tied them off with thick ropes, hoisting them up in the trees out of reach so no animals would be lured over while we were gone.

We had never come across a bear while camping along the French River, but none of us wanted to take any chances. Even squirrels and raccoons could ruin a trip if they got into our food, so we didn’t want to risk it. The nearest grocery store was an hour-long paddle and a forty-five-minute drive away.

With that task complete, we started getting ready. Everyone changed into their swimsuits, and then the canoes and kayaks were packed and pulled out into the water.

It wasn’t a long paddle down the river to the best cliff jumping spot, but we took our time, enjoying the sights along the way.

Desmond kept pace with me, and for the first half of the trip we lingered behind. I knew he was keeping an eye on everyone. He was the protector of the group. The fixer. He might be slinging back cold ones like the rest of us, but he always kept his senses about him.

I hadn’t seen him drunk in years—hell, I was pretty sure the only time I’d ever seen Desmond drunk was the first time we’d raided our parents’ liquor cabinets before a camping trip at Baz’s, way back when none of us knew our limits.

But Desmond was even more quiet than usual, his gaze kept focusing on Jasmine. Each time she laughed as she teased Lux, he’d smile.

“You really should tell her how you feel,” I said quietly, careful to not let my voice carry over the water. Desmond looked at me, his brow furrowing.

“It’s not that simple. Whether she feels the same or…whether she doesn’t, it’ll change everything.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I cocked a brow at him.

He shrugged. “It could be. Especially if she doesn’t feel the same. Then everything changes for nothing. I could lose her friendship, and I don’t want that.”

I nodded slowly, absorbing his worries. I couldn’t promise him the ending he desired, but I knew him; keeping it to himself was doing them both a disservice. I’d caught Jasmine watching him a few times, too. There was something there, but they were both too afraid to peel back the layers and see what it was.

“Remember Stacy?” Desmond said out of the blue. Stacy was a friend we’d had back in middle school. Desmond had developed feelings for her that went beyond friendship, and was crushed when he’d asked her to the grade eight graduation dance and she’d said no.

“Stacy wasn’t destined to be in your life, or mine, for long.” I shrugged. “And furthermore: Jasmine isn’t Stacy.”

“I know,” Desmond nodded, his gaze going back to her. “She’s so much…more. And I don’t want to lose her friendship or make things awkward.”

“What if she feels the same?” I challenged. “You could be missing out on the one.”

Desmond lifted his shoulder in a shrug, a contemplative look on his face.

Lux

I stared up at the rocky cliff with my jaw slack, my throat impossibly dry. “You guys jump off of that?” I asked, my fingers clinging to the paddle I’d rested over my knees, craning my neck to look up.

“Yeah, it’s a straight drop, and the water’s really deep.” Jasmine shrugged with a grin.

“Okay,” I nodded, taking a few deep breaths to steady my racing heart. “Yeah, I don’t think I’m participating in that madness.” I dropped my gaze, my eyes landing on Theo. He’d stopped in front of us, turning and offering me a smile that calmed the frantic beats of my heart, rebooting it, making it beat rapidly for an entirely different reason, one that wasn’t all that unpleasant.

“You don’t have to,” Jasmine assured me. “None of this is compulsory. Just enjoy yourself.”

I picked up my paddle again, slicing it through the water. Theo’s paddle cut through the water with powerful strokes, his muscles taut and glistening with water droplets as he rowed away. He looked back at me as he passed, and I felt it thrum throughout me, a resounding echo.

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