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my head, preparing to get in the water. When it comes over my eyes, I see five faces staring at me with their mouths open. “What? You guys are looking at me like I just flashed you or something.”
    “I told you the purple one.” Mel smiles.
    Charlie had come out without me noticing, and he’s staring right along with everyone else. He shakes his head, looks away, and jumps in the water with a splash.
    “That is a fantastic bathing suit!” Austin compliments.
    I shrug and dip my toe into the water. “Holy shit! You guys, the water is freaking freezing!”
    “Really? It feels perfect to me after what I just watched,” Charlie jokes.
    Before I can back away, Mel walks by and shoves me into the arctic pool toward where Charlie is treading in the water. My body brushes his as I come up from under the water. The sensation of our wet bodies brushing against each other sends tingling sensations through my entire being. I come up for air and look up into Charlie’s very serious, clouded eyes. “Sorry for that,” I start to say, but am interrupted when splash after splash hits us from around as the others jump in, also.
    Once the splashes subside, I look at Charlie, who is still so close we’re practically touching. I can feel the warmth radiating off his body, and he has this scorching look in his eyes.
    “Are you trying to kill me here? The freezing cold water isn’t even helping after the show you just put on.”
    “What are you talking about?” I’m confused.
    “The hair, the striptease, the bathing suit,” he says in a low voice.
    “I think you’re losing it.”
    “I sure the fuck am,” he says swimming over to grab the volleyball. We all move to the shallow end with the net. After three games of volleyball—Austin, Mel, and I versus Charlie, Ray, and Gina—I’m starting to feel both waterlogged and annoyed. Every chance she can, Gina is touching Charlie. It’s a no contact sport, so why does she keep touching him, and more importantly, why do I care?
    “I’m going to go dry off on a lounge for a while and catch some sun before I have to get back to studying for finals,” I announce to the group as I head toward the ladder to get out of the pool.
    “I’ll come with,” Charlie offers and follows. We lay out on some chaise lounges near the pool in the sun. I lay the chair all the way down and lay on my stomach to get some color on my back since I was facing the sun during the games. I cross my arms and rest my head on them facing Charlie.
    “Did Gina mind that you came over to help me study last night?” I fish.
    “Why would she care?” he looks bemused.
    “I figured you two were seeing each other or something. She was just really friendly during the game,” I point out.
    “Nah, Gina is a nice girl and all, but she’s not really my thing.”
    “Really? Because I’m pretty sure she’s most guys’ thing .”
    “I’m not most guys. Besides, I’m interested in someone else,” he states.
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah, but it’ll never happen. She’s way out of my league,” he says solemnly and then changes the subject. “If you need anyone to help you study anymore this weekend, let me know. Although, I’m pretty sure you’re golden after studying with you last night. You seem to know your stuff. It’s scorching out, I’m going to jump back in for a few.” He rises and dives under the water before I can respond.
    After getting some much-needed vitamin D at Charlie’s house, I spend the rest of the weekend brushing up on everything for finals week. Monday morning, I walk out the door, arms full, gigantic backpack strapped on and heading to the car where Mel is waiting for me. As I get to the stairs of the porch, I notice there is something resting on the banister. I stop in my tracks and realize it’s a bundle of pencils. What the heck? I bend down to pick up the pencils. They are all sharpened to perfection and bound by a ribbon with a note attached.
     
    Good luck on finals this week,