Free Drawn to You — Volume Two by Vanessa Booke

soon. I brought the sexiest outfits I could find in my drawer and now I’m feeling stupid. Tristan doesn’t want me. I shouldn’t want him, and on top of that, he thinks Augie’s my boyfriend.
    “I think we should all just follow in that guy’s footsteps and get naked,” Augie says.
    Without thinking, my attention is pulled to the one hot looking guy standing within a few feet. I try my best to keep my eyes trained on his face, but his abs are far too tempting not to let my gaze linger. The three of us stare at the sexy specimen, taking in all of his wonderful glory.
    “I don’t mind getting naked,” Ceci says, untying the top of her bikini.
    “Ceci, no,” I argue.
    “Tristan and Nicholas are coming.” Augie laughs.
    “Even better.”
    My heart beats in a chaotic rhythm as I spot Nicholas’s white BMW parking just outside of our beach house. This weekend was supposed to be a relaxing getaway from the shitty reunion I had several days ago. Damn Augie for telling Nick to invite the one person I really don’t want to see right now and damn Ceci for getting naked. In a matter of minutes, I’ll be forced to come face to face with Tristan yet again. It doesn’t seem fortuitous to be meeting like this.
    My nerves are showing as they exit the car and immediately head our way. I spot a large ice cooler in Nick’s hands. He probably brought beer. I turn back to my friends and catch Ceci lying back on her towel with her top off. She scoffs as I grab my towel and throw it on her chest. Augie laughs in the background obviously amused with the scene in front of him.
    “Hey, sis,” Nick says, sitting down between Ceci and me. “Are you enjoying your birthday weekend so far?”
    “Yes, of course.”
    I’m almost thankful that Nicholas sitting next to me forces Tristan on the other side of us. That is until I realize he’s sitting next to Ceci. Tristan’s gaze briefly catches mine before he begins a quiet conversation with my best friend. I can’t help but feel a slight tinge of jealousy as the two laugh together. The private smiles they share fill me with frustration.
    “I’m going to go swimming.”
    Eyes fall on me as I get up and unwrap my towel from me.
    “Yes, finally!” Augie says.
    The black bikini I brought hugs my body tightly as I walk towards the water. Augie doesn’t wait for me to get in the water; he simply pulls me in with him. Cold saltwater hits me, and I cough as some of it gets in my mouth. The water is cold, but our bodies quickly get used to the temperature as we tread through the water.
    “Yuck, this is so gross,” I say, avoiding the dead seaweed that floats by me.
    “He’s staring at you,” Augie says, nodding to Tristan back on the beach.
    I look to the beach and spot Tristan standing next to Ceci and Nicholas. To my surprise, Ceci’s top is back on. For a brief moment, Tristan’s gaze lingers over toward us in the water.
    “He’s too busy flirting with Ceci.”
    “Oooh, do I detect some jealousy?”
    “Fuck you,” I laugh, splashing Augie.
    Augie pulls me into his arms and pushes me underwater. When I rise back up, my eyes search for Tristan. This time, I see him standing close to the water and Ceci’s with him. I turn to Augie trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach at the sight of them together. Augie looks down at me with a sympathetic smile.
    “It’s okay to let yourself like him.”
    “I don’t.”
    “That’s why you lied and said I was your boyfriend?”
    I swim away from Augie toward the beach, but he quietly follows behind me. Sadness fills my heart as I watch Tristan walking along the beach laughing with Ceci about something. I wish I could be that carefree around the person who took my virginity. Took is the wrong word. I freely gave it to him. It’s my body that betrayed me. I shiver, but I’m not sure if it’s at the memory or the temperature of the water.
    I turn back to Augie as a volcano of emotions threatens to explode.
    “I