Page 9 of Until We Fall

He reaches down to cup a handful of water, then in one fluid motion, he tosses the water at me. Droplets flicker in the moonlight as they arc and land on my shirt.

I blink down at where the water hit me, and when I look up, he’s grinning at me expectantly.

My smile grows. “Oh, you’re in for it now, summa cum laude.”

He giggles, backstepping. “Only if you catch me.”

Ohshit.

My bare feet slap on the wet sand as I snatch a handful of water and then launch it at him. He laughs, ducking away.

Soon, we’re shin deep in the waves. It’s cold without the sun, and Rory twists around me. He gets me in the back before he sprints up the shore.

I toss a huge handful after him, and he shrieks as it hits him.

We run. Full speed down the beach. Rory’sfast. He moves around me, dodging me, making me think I need to spend a lot more time on cardio at the gym. And he laughs, so damn energetic.

I don’t see it all that often. He’s usually working on all those theories in his head. But right now, he’s playful. Easy. I kindafeel like I give him that—the ability to get out of his head and just have fun.

Another wave rolls in, bigger this time, swirling around my thighs, and I dart up to where he’s now standing, a few feet out of the waves.

“Fuck, that’s cold.” I’m shivering a little, my arms crossing over my chest. The bottom half of my jeans are sopping wet and heavy. I can’t wait to get out of them and into boardshorts, which is the only thing I’m going to wear for the next five days.

“It feels good.” He pushes back his hair, damp now, and it sweeps off his forehead. His gray eyes settle on me. “But you didn’t catch me, D.”

My heart pounds out a beat. That tickle in my stomach is back.

Is he teasing? Am I supposed to say something playful back?

I lick salt water off my lips. “Want to go for round?—”

“Heyyyy, guys.” Carter jogs over to us. He’s soaking wet. Both he and Theo are. They must have gone fully into the water, and now they’re shivering like hell. “We’re freezing. We’ve gotta get to the room. Are you coming?”

“Yeah, come on, D.” Rory grins at me before he takes off up the beach, toward our bags. “Race me.”

Fuck. I stare after him, his shorts plastered to his thighs as he sprints up the sand. I can’t… What am Idoing?

Carter slaps me on the shoulder with athwack. “Go, dude, you’re losing.”

I know.

3

Casablanca Lilies framethe pea gravel pathway, their pale blooms lit by the moon, brushing at our legs and suitcases, their sweet scent surrounding with that heavenly summer smell.

It feels like home here. I mean, Clua’s different from where I grew up in California—I can already tell. It’s more tropical here, warmer year-round and more humid, the foliage denser. But it’s still the beach, still the ocean, with the moon shimmering across the water and that drift of plumeria.

I’ve missed this so much while in Colorado. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved my time at IFU. But snow and mountains aren’t what make me thrive. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have stayed there if it weren’t for Rory. Theo and Carter, too, but that first semester was pretty rough, especially with how challenging college can be for me, until Rory came along.

So I drag in another whiff of balmy, tropical night air as we step into a hallway leading to our rooms. Rory’s ahead of me, reading the door numbers as we pass. He’s been quiet since we left the beach, and maybe I keep looking at him too much.

So, I try to chat with Theo as we walk, the sand sticking between my toes, a layer of humidity across the back of myshoulders. I stripped off my shirt on the way back from the beach, loving the weight of the air on my skin.

Carter’s bumping along behind Theo and me, making a ton of noise and talking about everything full-volume, like he does. He and Theo are shivering pretty hard now. I side-glance Theo, a little worried.

Ahead of me, Rory slows and pushes open our door.

Theo and Carter head across the hall. I’m about to say something to Carter about how cold Theo seems when Carter gives me a thumbs up and ushers Theo inside their room before hollering, “Good night, dudes!” and then slamming their door closed.

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