Chapter 05.7

That evening, we went dancing at a friendly little club that played modern hits. The bar stretched along the wall near the entrance, the DJ booth was set up on a small platform directly opposite the door, and the velvet-upholstered booths with high backs lined the wall across from the bar.

By the time we arrived, the dance floor was already pretty full, but we managed to squeeze into an empty booth.

I danced with almost everyone—except Jenny. She didn’t want to dance with me, but Brian got her on the floor. After a while, we guys just sat around, chatting. I kept watching my girl as she danced in a group with the other girls.

Whenever Jenny went to the bar to order a drink, the bartender kept chatting with her. She even laughed once. I wanted to get up and go to her, but Brian—still talking to Daryl across from him—casually pressed a hand to my shoulder, keeping me in my seat.

Luckily we didn’t stay too long—tomorrow was going to be a big day.

At breakfast, the girls were already curious.

“So, boys,” Susy asked, ”what’s the plan?”

“We head out, find a nice clearing, and spend the day there,” I said simply.

“Today is Jay’s birthday gift,” Brian laughed.

“That’s true,” Jenny agreed.

After eating, everyone got ready in their rooms and met in the lobby. Susy and Jenny were the last to arrive.

“Jenny,” I teased when I saw her, ”are you sure you want to come dressed like that?”

She wore long pants, socks, hiking boots, and a long-sleeved top.

“Why? What’s wrong with it?” she asked.

“It’s summer—you’re going to be hot,” I laughed. ”But hey, your call.”

“Isn’t that backpack a bit much?” I grinned, eyeing the fully packed bag on her back.

“I packed for the night, but not the day, so I had to shift a few things around.”

“Fair enough.”

All the girls came prepared with bags. We guys brought nothing more than a single tote.

“Don’t catch a cold,” Paul teased Diane and Jenny, both of whom were dressed for a hike.

The rest of the girls were in shorts and T-shirts, ready for a sunny day.

The forest was just outside the city, with a beautiful large lake where swimming was allowed, though there wasn’t a designated beach area. The shoreline was shallow, making it easy to walk into the water from almost anywhere. The guys and I found a clearing with direct access to the lake—spacious enough for five tents arranged in a semicircle, with no trees in the way.

We dropped our gear and started setting up the tents while the girls went back to the store for food.

“Jay,” Daryl called out, ”we’re inflating the boats too, right?”

“Of course,” I nodded. This year, we’d brought two larger inflatable boats—Daryl had gotten them for us.

By the time the girls returned, the tents were up and the boats were ready.

“Everyone brought swimsuits, right?” Brian asked. The girls nodded, and most of them disappeared into the tents. Jenny, however, just sat down on a log and started taking off her shoes.

“Jenny,” I called over, ”what are you doing?”

I didn’t like that she was changing out here, but I couldn’t say more than that.

“Getting changed,” she said calmly, pulling off her socks.

“Jenny,” I said, a little tense, ”the guys are here.”

“I can see that,” she smiled, unbuttoning her jeans.

In my mind’s eye, I saw Jenny’s private dance from last year, and I started to lose control at the thought that now everyone could see it. I gently took her hand, trying to stay calm.

“What are you doing?” I asked firmly.

“Still getting changed,” she smiled, and kept going. I was starting to lose my cool.

“Jay,” Paul said, ”if she wants to change, let her.” His tone was serious.

“I agree,” Aaron grinned.

Jenny pulled off her jeans, revealing a pair of shorts underneath.

“Jay,” she smiled at me, ”I don’t think this is your call—but whatever.” She laughed and, with one smooth motion, pulled off her shirt to reveal her swimsuit. The guys burst out laughing.

“What did you think was happening?” she asked, now fully dressed for swimming.

“I don’t think he was thinking at all,” Brian laughed. ”It was obvious to me—and to Paul.”

“We were just hoping we were wrong,” Daryl and Aaron teased.

“Sorry,” I said. ”I overreacted. I wasn’t thinking.”

“We noticed,” Brian smirked, snapping me out of my daze.