Page 47 of Enemies to Lovers

‘Okay,’ he replies, and the way he looks at me – it’s hungry, and it makes my tummy do three somersaults in a row. Adonis wants me! With Jamie, it’s all so conflicting. What he says and what he does are at odds, don’t line up. Adonis and his intentions are crystal-clear. If Jamie doesn’t want me to hate him, he could start by taking a leaf out of Adonis’s book.

‘LAST GAME,’ Kate yells, ‘is the Pink Swan game.’

‘Oh god,’ groans Laurie. ‘I know what this means …’

‘Go on then,’ Kate invites. ‘Be my guest.’

‘The Pink Swan game is where you have to take a run and jump onto one of the big inflatable pink swans, paddle to the other side, get out, run and jump onto it again and get back to where you started, so that your teammate can have their turn. Am I right, or am I right?’

Kate rolls her eyes. ‘You’re right,’ she says. ‘Boys! Assemble the swans.’

Jamie hops into the pool with the swans, but they keep floating in all directions, so it’s decided that Dad will hold one at one side, and Mum will have to hold the other.

‘They’re not level,’ yells Alex. ‘Dad! Come forward.’

Dad inches forward and Alex reassesses.

‘Okay,’ he says. ‘Fine. I’m happy.’

I go first, against Laurie – Laurie is slightly in front, the jackass – and then Jamie and Adonis go.

‘Funny how they always seem to race each other, isn’t it?’ Alex comments as they thrash about like twohungry hippos running rampage in the lake of a national park.

‘Is it?’ I say, realising, as I speak, that it is, yeah.

They both climb out of the far side of the pool, and Mum and Dad grab the inflatables and hold them again. But before Adonis can run onto his, Jamie pushes him back so that he gets a head-start. Adonis stumbles, but isn’t fazed, and then instead of jumping onto his own inflatable, he lands on Jamie’s, pushing him off into the water.

‘Ah,’ says Alex,lovingthis turn of events. Are they doing this playfully? Or is it a fight? It seems pretty serious for two blokes who barely know each other … ‘Behold,’ he narrates, like he’s David Attenborough, ‘the peacocking rituals of the straight male. The tall Adonis, local to the area, is asserting his dominance over visiting breed Jamie, using his height and tan to wow the rest of the flock and take his place as alpha. Notice how Jamie is scrambling to give him a challenge, but is ultimately failing, perhaps from underestimating Adonis’s desire to show off to one Florence Greenberg.’

‘Shut up,’ I say, pulling a face. And although I do not approve of Adonis playing dirty, I scream for him to get to the finish line, so I can race Laurie. ‘Go on, Adonis,’ I yell, and Jamie looks up from where he’s trying to get on the other swan, hurt etched across his angry features. But he’s not on my team, is he? Why would I cheerhimon?

I get on the swan, passing Jamie in the water, who hisses, ‘Your boyfriend is a dick.’

I glide by, climb out and am almost all the way back to the start as Laurie gets on his swan to complete the race.

‘You all right there?’ I ask, as I swim beside him in the opposite direction. ‘Not your finest hour, is it?’ I say.

To which Laurie cries, ‘Fuck it!’, gets off his swan and pulls me off mine, with everyone launching into the water for a massive water fight that mostly involves ducking each other, until Adonis grabs my hand in the water and pulls me round.

Except, it isn’t Adonis.

It’s Jamie.

‘Oh,’ I say, my lips parting in surprise. ‘Sorry,’ I continue, pulling quickly away. ‘I thought you were …’

Jamie sighs. ‘Isn’t it time for him to go?’ he says.

I don’t know how to reply to that. ‘Be nice,’ I say, and Jamie shrugs.

‘He just makes it so hard,’ he replies, and anger flares across my face. Why does Jamie get an opinion? I don’t have an opinion onJasmine.And even if I did, it’s Jamie who told me he didn’t want me; Jamie who asked to never speak of ouralmostagain. And I’ve done that! Because of my massive embarrassment, I haven’t uttered a word about it. But dear Lord, I could almost throw that back in his face now, if he thinks he can comment on who else I see. He’s so … so … soJamie.

I climb out of the pool and wrap myself in a towel, and when Adonis comes over, I open it so it wraps around us both. I don’t care if it’s inappropriate around my family, I want to make my position clear to the oneperson I shouldn’t even care about at all – but here we are.

‘Thank you for having me,’ Adonis says. ‘I like your family very much. Although Jamie … I don’t think he’s my biggest fan. Is that how you say it?’

‘That’s how you say it,’ I smile. ‘And Jamie isn’t family,’ I explain. ‘He’s Laurie’s best friend.’

‘Oh,’ Adonis nods. ‘He’s not your brother?’

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