Page 50 of Enemies to Lovers

I nod – at what, I’m not sure.

‘I’d better go,’ I say, slipping out of the door behind him.

At the bar where Adonis told me to meet him, he’s sitting at a table on the veranda with a group of people who are hanging on every word he says. But when he sees me, he interrupts himself and stands up to greet me, making me feel like the most special girl in the room.

‘You came!’ he says, kissing both of my cheeks.

‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘I promised I would.’

He shrugs as we settle in at his crowded table.

‘Everyone, this is Flo,’ he says, going round the table and saying names as he points. The only name that sticks is Jasmine. It’s Jamie’s Jasmine. The hair, the silly laugh – I remember both, from the cave. I give her a quick smile and settle in beside Adonis.

‘I played water games with Flo and her family at their villa today,’ Adonis tells them all. ‘I nearly drowned. They areverycompetitive.’

Everyone laughs and I lightly throw up my hands as if to say,What can I say? We can’t help it!

‘I grew up with two brothers,’ I respond. ‘I’ve had to learn to hold my own.’

Across the table Jasmine frowns. ‘I thought you had three brothers,’ she says.

I shake my head.

‘At the beach BBQ,’ she presses on. ‘There was …’

‘Oh,’ I say, understanding. ‘Jamie isn’t my brother. He’s my brother’s best friend. Adonis got it mixed up, too.’

‘Ohhh,’ she nods. ‘Well, he’s very handsome.’

I pull a face. ‘I couldn’t possibly comment,’ I say. ‘I suppose I don’t see him that way.’

I feel myself burning at the cheeks and tuck my hair behind my ear, willing the conversation to move on.

‘I thought he might be here,’ Jasmine persists. ‘I told him to come.’

‘He mentioned that actually,’ I reply. ‘I think he might be staying at the villa, though.’

Jasmine motions for Adonis to stand up and switch chairs with her.

‘Girl talk,’ she commands, and Adonis does as he is told. When she’s next to me, Jasmine leans in and whispers, ‘I don’t want to seem needy – can you text him and encourage him to get down here? Not to kiss and tell, but I’m kinda into finishing what we started the other night, if you know what I mean.’ She gives a leery wink, and I am gobsmacked. I donotwant to be talking about Jamie with her.

‘Urm,’ I say, staring at the table dead ahead of me.

‘Pretty please?’ she begs. ‘Girl code means you have to. Come on!’

There’s no logical reason why I wouldn’t help this girl out by texting Jamie, except for the fact that the thought of him with Jasmine makes me want to throw my cheap drink in her face.

I smile, forcing myself to seem more amenable than I feel. At the end of the day, Iamhere with Adonis. Should I care what Jamie does? Maybe he won’t even come.

‘Sure,’ I say, picking up my phone to fire off a missive.

Jamie doesn’t text back, but as we all mosey on down to the beach where there’s a fire and somebody has a guitar, he appears like an apparition at the edge of thesand. I nod at him, but don’t get up. Adonis has slipped his hand into mine and pulls me across onto his lap as we settle in around the fire. This is me, having fun, being young and wild and free, exactly like my mother tells me to be. And that Jamie has come to spend time with hisJasmineis absolutely fine. That’s his prerogative. He doesn’t owe me anything. In fact obviously we’re supposed to be learning how to be friends, so this is what friends do: they go to the same parties, don’t they, and they’re happy for one another’s holiday flings, or whatever. I don’t even know if I still fancy Adonis. He isgorgeous, but is that enough?

‘You’re so beautiful,’ Adonis whispers in my ear. Objectively, he is very handsome, and he gets on with everyone and is charismatic and fun. But it’s hard to ignore that he doesn’t make my heart skip a beat. I like his attention, but I don’t feel like I’d die without it. Is Holiday Flo trying too hard?

I look up just in time to see Jamie staring at us, but he glances away quickly, as if he wasn’t staring at all. My heart skips a beat for him, merely from seeing him across the sand – but I shake my head, willing the thought away. Maybe this is part of the exposure therapy, that in order to transcend his rejection I need to acknowledge, if only to myself, that he bruised my heart last Christmas. It’s untenable, hating being around him. This tender spot will not last. It can’t. Adonis tightens his grip on me, and I give him a smile.

‘I’m going to get another beer,’ I say. ‘Want anything?’

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