Page 20 of Lost in the Current of You

I felt like I hadn’t ever smiled as much as I had in that week. It felt like the weight had lifted off my shoulders.

He hummed. “I know what you mean. This week has been…” He paused as he searched for the words before looking at me. “One to remember, that’s for sure.”

I beamed before looking back to our friends as we caught up to them.

“You are going to be so red tomorrow,” he said, eyes gliding over my shoulders and over my face.

“Yeah,” I laughed. “I’m going to hate myself tomorrow.”

He tsked. “Need to learn how to slip slop slap. That wouldn't happen then.”

I chuckled again. “I know. I forgot to reapply.”

“Bad mistake, Summers.”

It was another hour before we made our way back to the mainland and I could finally put sunscreen back on, albeit a little late.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, picking up a game of volleyball. Reece was finally on my team for our last game. We all did our rounds to serve the ball, and once it came to me, he stepped up beside me and gave a quick lesson on getting it over the net. I couldn’t remember anything he said since my entire focus was on the gentle hold he had on my waist and arm.

Even with his pointers, I failed, so they let me step closer to serve it. My cheeks heated in embarrassment at how bad I was. Even Avery was able to get it over the net from the back of the drawn-out court, and she’s a few inches shorter than me. I was just terrible at sports.

That didn’t stop me from having fun, though, especially with Reece’s encouragement and celebration whenever I eventually hit the ball over the net. He would sneak a high-five and smile before bringing his eyes back to the game.

I swallowed down the tiny swarm of butterflies that had taken flight at those little moments.

When the sun started to set, we got ready for the last night. It was the most excited I’d been the whole trip.

It was like a burst of colour. Literally. We were all dressed in white for the theme and as we entered the closed-off area of the park, we were handed balls of fluorescent coloured powder to throw around. We were instantly covered in different colours as soon as we walked in, standing out against our white clothing.

The sun was starting to set in the sky, but the view was obscured by the coloured powder whirling in the air as the music started to vibrate the sand beneath our feet.

As soon as I saw Reece, coloured powder exploded on his chest and drenched him in fluorescent pink, stopping him midstep a few metres away from us.

I hummed. “I thought so,” I started, lips twitching at his shocked face. “Pink looks good on you.”

His eyes narrowed on me, although they shone with amusement rather than the annoyance he tried to feign. “You’re going to regret that.”

He stalked towards me, and my face dropped as I watched him.

“Reece,” I breathed before I turned and started running away with a squeal escaping my lips. But he was faster than me, clearly. I only took about six steps before he wrapped an arm around my waist and spun us around once.

Blue exploded in front of my eyes, sprinkling down from the top of my head. I shielded my eyes quickly as his chest started to rumble against my back.

“You can’t run away from me, Kody.” His voice was low, right next to my ear, as he placed me back on the ground and spun me around to face him.

I ignored, once again, the unwanted butterflies at his words. Swiping my hands over my face, making sure not to get any powder in my eyes, I looked at him and shoved his shoulder gently with amusement. Blue powder speckled across his face, and a whole blob covering his cheek.

I could just picture how I probably looked: my hair no longer blonde but blue and a stupid grin I could never get rid of around him.

“Jerk,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

His lips widened before he stepped forward, and I was frozen in place when he gently took my face between his hands. It was hard not to lean into his touch as his thumbs swiped under my eyes. They fluttered closed at his touch, and then he brushed gently over my lids. The callous pads of his thumbs were rough from playing baseball, but they were the gentlest thing I had ever felt.

And just as quickly as it was there, his touch disappeared, and I swear I tried to follow them as they retreated. My eyes snapped open and up to Reece. His smile was softer, a curious glint in his eyes. It was gone in the next moment, replaced with his usual amusement.

He hummed. “Blue really does looks good on you.”

And I knew I was screwed.

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