Page 42 of Riverside Reverie

“Go easy on him,” she mouthed to Talia, and Talia nodded, winking at her. We all watched Kai struggle to move Talia’s arm, but she held it in place with barely any effort. She brought her other hand up to examine her nails, bored, while Kai struggled harder, his face going red with effort.

I wasn’t surprised—Talia was a professional arm-wrestler, even I couldn’t best her—and believe me, I’d tried. Kai had also tried, and lost, many times before. I don’t know what had him thinking this time would be different—it was probably the whiskey.

Talia seemed to be toying with him, enjoying that Jasmine and Lux were rooting for her while Zoey cheered for Kai, knowing full well he’d lose the second Talia got bored of playing with him. Baz felt bad for him too, and tried to hype him up, but we all knew it was pointless. Talia had won three arm-wrestling championships; she knew what she was doing.

About two minutes later, Talia slammed Kai’s arm down and claimed victory. “Better luck next time, muffin,” she said, blowing him a kiss before standing up.

Kai pouted like he’d really thought he stood a chance at beating her and was genuinely disappointed he hadn’t. He stood up too, swaying slightly. Zoey touched his elbow, steadying him. “I’ll get you next time!” he promised, his words slurring slightly. Talia threw back her head and laughed, unperturbed.

“Sure you will,” she patted him on the shoulder, then went back to her floaty and flopped on it with a deep sigh of contentment. “Ahh, look at those stars,” she pointed up at the sky, where thousands upon thousands of twinkling lights shone brightly in the night sky.

“Perfect evening for a midnight paddle,” I said, low enough for Lux to hear me. She glanced up at me, surprised. “Care to join me?”

Lux looked back at Jasmine, seeking permission.

“Go on, midnight paddles are the best!” Jasmine said, giving her an encouraging smile and nudging her with her arm. “I’m going to head to bed anyway, I’m beat. Des and I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Lux glanced back at me, her expression a mixture of nervousness and beautiful intrigue.

“Awesome, let me get some supplies, then we’ll head out.” I couldn’t contain my smile as I jogged up to my tent to grab a blanket. I folded it, tucking it beneath my arm, and grabbed a flashlight.

As I was leaving my tent, I passed Jasmine on the way up to hers.

She paused, giving me a knowing smile. “She likes you, you know,” she told me. I didn’t exactly need the confirmation, but it was nice to hear anyway.

“I like her too,” I replied.

Jasmine put her hand on my arm. “Take care of my girl, she’s had enough shitty dick in her life. Be a good dick, okay?”

“I’ll try my best,” I laughed, shaking my head. Jasmine was definitely feeling no pain. She nodded, satisfied with my answer, and continued on her quest to her tent.

When I returned to the beach, Lux was waiting by the dying embers. Zoey was wrangling a drunken Kai back to their tent, leaving Rhiannon, Baz, Talia and Desmond around the fire.

“Practice safe sex out there, kids!” Talia called from her floaty. Lux’s cheeks heated with embarrassment, and I shot Talia a glare.

“You can’t have sex in a canoe, Talia,” Rhiannon scoffed. “Believe me, we’ve tried. You end up capsizing the damn thing.”

“Is that why you and Baz came back soaked that one time?” Talia cackled. “You know what, don’t answer that.”

“Well, shall we?” I asked Lux lowly, ignoring my friends. She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

I grabbed a couple of water bottles, tucking them under my arm before we walked to Jasmine’s canoe. I placed the blanket, water bottles, and flashlight in before turning to Lux.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” she confirmed.

I pushed Jasmine’s canoe into the water, holding it steady while Lux climbed in, settling in the front. I climbed in after her, taking a seat in the back of the canoe. We both picked up the paddles and I guided the way.

The moon was high enough in the sky to light up our path on the water. We paddled for ten minutes, heading downstream.

Paddling at night was an entirely different experience than doing so during the day; you could feel the magic of the night all around you. It spoke promises of endless possibilities, and I hoped Lux was feeling the same way.

“Wow, the stars are breathtaking out here,” Lux remarked, her head tilted back as she gazed up at the sky.

“They really are,” I agreed, unable to stop looking at her, at the way the moonlight illuminated her. “Wait until we see the meteor shower.”

“We’re going to be able to see a meteor shower?” Lux asked, glancing over her shoulder at me, her pretty little mouth agape.

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