Page 15 of Meet Me in the Valley
Still straddled over the seat, I look down to see Tia swinging her legs over the end of the dock, leaning back on her palms as her face tilts toward the sky. Nostalgia and memories come sweeping through me all at once, reminding me of that first night we both came here seeking escape.
I set the kickstand in place with my heel and make the trek down the hill to carry through with this silly bet. We may have outgrown the games, but that spark in Tia’s eyes when she faces a challenge never fades. She thrives on it—and deep down, so do I. It’s one of the ties that’s kept our friendship alive, no matter how much time passes.
“Hey, loser,” I call out. “You’ve got too many clothes on.”
Tia whips her head around at the sound of my teasing voice. Man, if I had a penny for every eye roll I get from this woman …
“You’re late.”
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I tap the screen. 10:02. I chuckle at her attempt to scold me for my lack of punctuality. I swear, punctuality makes Tia’s metaphorical dick hard. On time for her means showing up thirty minutes early. It also means every flight we take together, our asses are at the gate three hours before boarding.
“Two minutes is hardly late. I took the long way here, anyway. I had to stretch her legs.”
“Come again?” Tia gives me an incredulous look, and at first I’m confused why she’s looking at me like I have two heads. ThenI catch on, and I contemplate if I should goad her or let her off easy.
Ah. I guess I’ll let her off easy since she’s about to strip naked and freeze her ass off in a cold lake.
I point to my bike at the top of the hill, and Tia’s gaze follows. “My bike. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden her, so I took the long way here.”
Relief fills her features. Did she seriously think I was hooking up with someone between the engagement party and now?
Actually, it’s not that far off. But I digress.
Clearing my throat, I stuff my hands into the front pocket of my jeans. “Where the hell is everybody?”
“Dunno. Maybe they bailed. Everyone was pretty drunk. Maybe they’ve all passed out.”
Well, shit. Now I feel bad. The party ended a few hours ago. It definitely gave me enough time to sober up. The whole point of this drunken bet was for the girls to jump in together. Feels pointless now if Tia were to jump in all alone. Tia goes to stand. I won’t stop her if she walks up the hill to go back home. It’s cold out with a slight wind chill. I especially felt it speeding down the road to get here. Not the most ideal weather for a night swim.
But what I don’t expect is Tia’s next move.
She strips.
I avert my eyes on instinct because I’ve actually never seen my best friend naked before, and now I’m questioning why I even placed this stupid bet in the first place. Sure, I’ve seen her wear the skimpiest bikinis that were basically tiny pieces of fabric that covered barely anything—but naked? Never.
Hands on my hips and with my back to her, I puff a cold breath into the air with my head tilting toward the sky. “T, what are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m going skinny dipping.”
An exasperated chuckle leaves me. “Alone? Don’t you want to wait and see if the others get here first?”
“Not really. I want to get this over with.” The lack of emotion in her tone tells me that’s her pride talking. I grin, knowing I’ve dug under her skin. I’m not one to relish in her defeat, but I do a little. I can’t help it.
The sound of her toeing off her shoes and shedding her clothes has me clenching my jaw tight. I see them piling in my periphery.
Her sweater. Her leggings. Her nude lace bra and matching panties.
Jesus Christ.
The last thing I hear is a deep exhale before the sound of splashing water has me turning around. My mouth gapes open as I stare at the ripple of water, waiting for Tia to come up for air.
She jumped. She actually jumped. But of course she did.
When her head surfaces, she gasps for air and lets out a playful shriek. “Holy shit, it’s so cold!”
“Colder than Barton Springs?”
“It feels about the same.” Tia shivers, her teeth clatter against each other as her head bobs over the surface of the murky lake.
