Page 18 of Quiet Longing

Rhys raised his hand. “I think I’ll stay here, too. I’m not a great swimmer.”

Derek’s gaze met mine, a slight look of accusation in his eyes that said,See? He’s already making up excuses to be around you.As if I’d somehow intentionally led his friend on, which wasn’t the case at all. Rhys and I could be friends without either of us getting the wrong impression.

Tristan frowned at Rhys. “Fine. Are there any more objections or are we going?”

“We’re going,” Derek replied just as Nuala stood and pulled off the T-shirt and shorts she’d been wearing over her bikini.Derek glowered but was smart enough not to tell her to cover up. I would’ve had something to say about it if he did. He seemed to swallow down his irritation, especially at the way both Theo and Aidan took several long glances at her. I noticed Rhys was the only boy not related to Nuala to keep his eyes to himself. In fact, he’d pulled a book from his backpack and was already reading.

He was a reader. Yet another reason for me to like him.

The group headed out towards the water, and I watched as Theo picked up what appeared to be a dead crab and flung it at Nuala. Wow, teenage boy flirting techniques really were something to behold. She squealed then chuckled and leapt out of the way. Derek gave Theo a slap on the head, and Theo raised his hands in surrender.

It was official. Derek was the father figure of the group.

“How long have you been friends with Derek and Tristan?” I asked Rhys, who raised his eyes from his book,Duma Key. It was Stephen King’s latest, and I wondered if it was any good. He slid his sunglasses up his head and levelled his eyes on me. They seemed even bluer with the sun shining through them.

“I think you call it kindergarten?” Rhys replied. “That’s where I met Derek, and then I became friends with Tristan through him.”

“That’s a long time.”

“You don’t have any friends who you met at that age?”

“Actually, I do. Lydia and Gwyn, and I can do you one better because we met in preschool when we were, like, three.”

Rhys smiled faintly, his eyes tracing over my bare shoulders and neck before returning to my face. “Will you miss them, being here all summer?”

“Yeah, but Lydia’s doing an internship at a newspaper for the summer, and Gwyn’s working at her dad’s restaurant, so I wouldn’t have seen a whole lot of them anyway. Besides, this way, I get to spend time with Nuala.”

Rhys nodded then fell quiet, his eyes wandering out to the water for a moment.

“How’s that book, by the way? Would you recommend it?”

He glanced back at the paperback on his lap. “It’s great. I can hardly put it down.” He paused then said, “You can borrow it when I’m done if you like.”

“Really? Yes, I’d love that. I love reading.”

Rhys smiled. “Me, too.”

We shared a long moment of eye contact before I dragged my gaze away. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a small bottle of sunscreen and squeezed some onto my arms. Rhys looked away then picked his book back up and concentrated on reading.

“I haven’t had the chance to wash your hoodie yet, but I’ll do it today when we get home,” I said, and his eyes returned to me. His expression was unreadable.

Then he said, “Keep it. You might need it the next time we have to work in the freezer.”

Something about the way he’d saidKeep itmade my chest flutter. I knew I should decline, insist on returning it, but another part of me wanted to accept it, and that was the part that won out. I kept my mouth shut, and feeling brave, I pulled my maxi dress over my head. This way, I could get an all-over tan. Rhys’ attention flicked to me, his cheeks darkening before he looked away again. Something thrummed in my chest as I returned to putting on sunscreen, though I had trouble reaching my back. My swimsuit dipped low and I didn’t want to get burned, but my stupid arms just wouldn’t seem to reach.

“Here,” Rhys said quietly. “Let me do that for you.”

“Oh,” I replied, my voice breathier than intended. “Sure.”

A second later, he took the bottle from me, his fingers sliding along mine before he squirted a small amount of sunscreen into the palm of his hand. I watched him, my pulse spiking, then turned around to grant him access to my back. I didn’t need tohold my hair because it was already tied up, but I stilled when I felt him brush aside a few of the strands that had fallen free.

Next, his large, warm hand spread across the centre of my back, and I sucked in a sharp breath. I knew he heard when his hand paused before he asked, “You okay?”

I turned my head slightly, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Mm-hmm.”

A moment passed as our gazes held, and goose bumps rose on my arms. I hoped he didn’t notice. It was startling to realise that this quiet, unassuming boy had an effect on me no one else had before. There was just something about him. His energy drew me in. And his eyes, the way he was looking at me right then, it made my pulse spike in a new and unexpected way.

Rhys resumed applying the sun screen. The sun warming my back was nothing compared to his hands. The salty sea air filled my senses, combined with the coconut-scented sunscreen. Seagulls cawed in the distance and nearby families laughed and chattered; kids squealed in delight as they built sandcastles.

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