Page 44

And right on cue, they popped up from their underwater wrestling match, Bren spitting water like a pro.

“I swear this one’s tryin’ to date me,” Bren said, cocking his thumb over his shoulder.

“I think he’s already taken, actually.” Morgan framed her chin with her hands, batting her eyelashes for dramatic effect, and Dustin wrapped his arm around her waist with a laugh.

“Sorry, Ireland, maybe next time.”

Morgan melted into his touch while Nat suppressed a shudder and mumbled something that sounded like, “Carpet burn.”

Bren took A.J. by the waist, though there were too many eyes for him to melt like Morgan had. “Don’t think I’m gonna be on the market anytime soon. Unless A.J. here realizes how much better he can do.”

He gave Bren a peck before slipping out of his arm to sit back down. He leaned his head back to look at the stars, ignoring the shadow that flickered over Morgan’s face.

“Aw, you’re like an old married couple,” Dustin said, while Morgan cuddled so close she was practically in his lap.

“He’s been my ball and chain for over a year now,” Bren said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Says the one who keeps glomming onto me,” A.J. replied, though he did lean into Bren’s touch before pushing him away.

“Already ran off once. Gonna hold on better this time.”

A.J.’s cheeks would have turned red if they weren’t already blushing from the heat.

“I didn’t. I mean—” He glanced around and saw he was the only one who cared.

“Alright, let’s talk about somethin’ else before Robolad short circuits.”

“As long as it’s not about arabesques,” Morgan said with a meaningful look.

Even Nat groaned at that. There were only so many times you could hear, “Point your toes!” before you wanted to commit homicide with a jazz shoe.

“You should try suckin’ as bad as me at dancin’,” Bren said, his chest puffed out with pride. “Didn’t even try to teach me that one.”

“Well, we can’t all suck as bad as you,” Nat said, grunting like she was annoyed that she’d been drawn into the conversation.

“Hey,” Bren said, shooting A.J. a glance. “I’m actually pretty good at—”

A.J. slapped a hand over Bren’s mouth and tried to dunk him. They grappled while Dustin cheered them on, and then, recognizing it as the only way to achieve his goal, he let Bren pull them both underwater.

When they surfaced, Dustin was laughing, and even Nat looked like she was suppressing a smile. Morgan was fighting the urge to say something, but in the end she hitched a smile on her face and leaned back into Dustin’s shoulder.

Bren did an impression of a fountain for the third time that night, batting his eyes like a six foot Shirley Temple.

“Sorry,” A.J. said, wiping steaming water out of his eyes. “He’s really good at saying sorry when he’s being gross, right?”

“I was gonna say sissonne, actually. Get your head out of the gutter.”

The world spun, and A.J. couldn’t tell whether it was thanks to Bren speaking French or the hot water. But he took it as a sign to seek dry land regardless.

“Alright, I’m going to go get some water,” he said.

Bren grinned as he followed him to the stairs, practicing a clumsy sissonne while Dustin and Nat snickered. When A.J. had climbed enough steps that only his ankles were wet, Bren stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled from his spot at the base of the stairs.

“All that dancin’s paying off, like.”

Dustin peered around Bren’s shoulder and gave a wolf-whistle of his own.

“Alright. Nat, you’re driving Bren home now, OK?” A.J. said.