Chapter 6

When I arrived at the pool, everyone else had already settled in, and I discovered that two more couples had joined us after arriving on their own. Christopher introduced me to them, and they explained that they would be staying at another house nearby.

There were fourteen of us in total, although I suspected that number could easily double by nightfall.

I chose a lounge chair far enough away from the others to avoid attracting too much attention and settled down with my book, determined to make the most of my time while everyone else enjoyed the pool.

"Hey, Mia! Want a beer?" Jeff called from the bar.

"Mia doesn't drink alcohol," Christopher answered before I could even open my mouth. "And don't even think about offering her any."

"Why doesn't she drink?" Sienna asked, narrowing her eyes with obvious curiosity. "How old are you, Mia?"

"Seventeen."

The mocking smiles that appeared on Serena's and Sienna's faces made me wish I hadn't answered.

"And when do you turn eighteen?" Ryan asked.

"In a couple of weeks," I replied quietly, uncomfortable with the way everyone's attention had suddenly shifted back to me.

"Interesting," Ryan murmured, studying me in a way that made me feel exposed, despite the fact that I was still wearing my beach cover-up.

I looked toward Christopher and discovered that he was gripping a beer can so tightly that the aluminum had begun to buckle beneath his fingers. His jaw was clenched, and he was watching Ryan with an expression that promised nothing good, although, fortunately, he chose to remain silent.

I understood that he didn't want to give Ryan another reason to provoke him, but that didn't make me feel any less uncomfortable.

Coming along had definitely been a terrible idea.

Shortly afterward, music began playing through the speakers, and everyone's attention finally shifted away from me. Conversations mingled with laughter and games as the group enjoyed the sunshine, the pool, and the nearby ocean.

"How many books did you bring?" Christopher asked when he approached my lounge chair carrying an unopened bottle of water.

He sat down beside me and offered it to me, a gesture I appreciated because I preferred not to accept open drinks when I was surrounded by people I barely knew.

"Three, but I'm starting to think that wasn't enough," I replied, taking the bottle.

Christopher burst out laughing, although his expression grew serious a moment later.

"I'm sorry, Mia. Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here."

"As cannon fodder?"

My comment made him laugh again, but when he ran a hand through his hair, I realized he genuinely felt guilty.

"If you'd rather stay in your room, I'd understand. Just remember what I asked you."

"I'll be fine, Christopher. Go have fun."

He looked at me as though I had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"I'd tell you to stay in my room, but Serena..."

"Christopher, go enjoy yourself," I interrupted with a smile. "We're already here, and they're your friends. Everything's going to be fine."

"If you need anything..."

"I'll pull the fire alarm, and everyone will come running to rescue me."

My answer earned a hearty laugh from him, and he finally stood up to rejoin his friends.

"Try to have some fun too, Mia."

I spent the next two hours reading peacefully until Jeff called out to me from the pool.

"Mia! Feel like playing some volleyball? We're heading down to the beach."

The invitation was a pleasant surprise, and I almost accepted immediately, although out of habit, I looked toward Christopher first. He seemed to understand my silent question and gave me a slight nod.

"Sure! I'll come with you!"

I gathered my things and headed down to the beach with the group, where we organized several teams to play.

Jeff and I ended up facing Christopher and Blair, another of his friends, and we soon discovered that we made an excellent team. Our coordination was so good that we began beating them by a rather humiliating margin.

"Since when do you play like that?" Christopher complained with mock indignation after diving onto the sand in an attempt to reach one of my spikes.

Seeing him completely covered in sand made me burst out laughing.

"Maybe the problem is that you're just really bad at it."

Christopher responded with a growl that only made me laugh harder, while Jeff celebrated our lead as though we were competing in an international championship.

We continued playing until, during one of our breaks, I noticed a small stain on the back of Blair's bikini bottoms. I discreetly approached her and led her a few steps away from the court so nobody else could overhear our conversation.

"Blair, I think you've started your period."

"Seriously?" she asked, her eyes widening as she reached toward her waist, trying to check what I had just told her.

"Don't worry, it's okay," I replied as I slipped off my beach cover-up. "Here, put this on so you can go change without worrying about it. Did you bring everything you need? I just finished my period, but I have a few extra things in case you need anything."

"Yeah, I think I have everything," she answered, accepting the garment with obvious relief.

"Perfect. Go get changed, and if you need anything, just come out to the terrace railing. I'll keep an eye out in case you need help."

"Thanks, Mia. You're a sweetheart."

"You're welcome."

I watched Blair walk toward the stairs leading up to the house, and just as I was about to return to the court, I felt someone drape a T-shirt over my shoulders.

Before I could react, Christopher turned me around to face him.

"Would you mind telling me what you think you're doing?" he asked in a reproachful tone that made me raise my eyebrows.

"Would you mind telling me what you're doing?" I shot back as he helped me slip my arms through the sleeves of his shirt. "We're at the beach, Christopher. I'm wearing a swimsuit, and Blair needed my cover-up. Besides, I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of women sunbathing without their bikini tops."

"Well, you're not going to walk around like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that," he replied, gesturing toward my outfit without offering anything resembling a reasonable explanation.

I nearly laughed, but his expression made me reconsider. Christopher glanced briefly toward his friends, and I realized that his irritation had less to do with my swimsuit than with the looks some of them had been giving me since our arrival.

I made the mistake of looking toward Serena and discovered that she was watching us with pursed lips and an expression of utter displeasure.

"I don't think putting your shirt on me was a very good idea," I murmured.

"I don't give a fuck whether it was a good idea or not. You're not allowed to take it off."

I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing. Christopher could be extraordinarily sweet with me, but when he got into one of those moods, reasoning with him became practically impossible.

I decided to nod, more to avoid another argument than because I agreed with his behavior.

I stayed near the stairs in case Blair needed any help, and a few minutes later, I saw her return wearing a different bikini and a pair of shorts.

She approached to give me back my beach cover-up, although when she noticed Christopher's T-shirt, she made a surprised face.

"Don't even ask," I commented as I accepted my cover-up and placed it with my belongings.

Blair let out a small laugh before giving me a genuine smile.

"Thanks for telling me. I'm not sure anyone else would have handled it so discreetly."

"You don't have to thank me."

Her comment left me thinking for a moment. She was supposed to be surrounded by friends, and yet she seemed genuinely surprised that someone had cared enough to spare her an embarrassing situation.

It wasn't my place to judge other people's relationships, so I decided not to dwell on it.

After spending the afternoon at the beach, we returned to the house for dinner, and shortly afterward, more guests began arriving. Music once again filled the common areas, and the conversations grew increasingly louder as the evening progressed.

Around ten o'clock, I decided to quietly retreat to my bedroom. I made sure to lock the door, just as Christopher had asked, and after taking a shower, I changed into my pajamas and settled into bed with one of my books.

I managed to finish it before exhaustion finally caught up with me.

I don't know what time it was when, sometime in the early hours of the morning, I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me and pull me against a familiar chest. I immediately recognized the scent of Christopher's soap, and when I rested my cheek against him, I noticed that a few droplets of water still clung to his hair.

He must have showered before coming to find me.

Without fully opening my eyes, I nestled into his embrace and drifted back to sleep, grateful that, at least for that night, everything had ended without any major complications.

The first day had passed without too much trouble, or at least that was what I believed.

We still had three more to go.