Page 21 of The Heartbreakers
“Are you now?” I asked and shifted away from him. His comment made me uncomfortable because it reminded me of exactly whom I was sitting with.
“You know it, babe,” he said with a lazy smile.
“Don’t call me that,” I said. I had no problem with pet names, but when guys used them in such a casual way, they came off as demeaning. Appetite gone, I pushed the box of pickles and ham away from me. Maybe coming out here with him had been a bad idea.
Oliver froze, the smug smile wiped off his face. “Sorry,” he said, sitting up straight. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“It’s fine,” I told him, even though it wasn’t. For a moment, I had forgotten that I was sitting with the leader singer of the Heartbreakers. Oliver’s goofy personality had made me bubbly, but now I only felt deflated. And with my disappointment came the realization that I actually kind of liked Oliver—that was, when he wasn’t being pretentious.
Unable to hold his piercing gaze, I focused on my nails. The black polish was chipped in places, my left pinkie completely free of paint.
“Stella?”
“Hmm?”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Why?”
An almost silent sigh hissed out of his mouth. “Nothing.”
Thankfully, my phone buzzed. “It’s Drew,” I said, glancing down at the text. “We should head to the pool. He’s wondering where we are.”
Oliver studied my face. “You’re right,” he said, his expression unreadable. Then he stood up, brushed off his jeans, and held open the door. “After you.”
Chapter 6
The door to the pool was unlocked, and when we stepped inside, I inhaled a deep breath of chlorine. I scanned the room quickly, looking for the guys. There were deck chairs and white plastic tables, a towel rack, and a sign that read: WARNING! No Lifeguard on Duty. Someone had dumped a cell phone, car keys, and a T-shirt on the nearby table. I recognized them as my brother’s stuff, but I didn’t see the boys anywhere.
“Where are they?” I asked and turned to Oliver. He smiled and pointed to the deep end of the long, rectangular pool. All four guys were sitting at the bottom under the bright blue water. “What the heck are they doing?” I asked, as air bubbled up and broke the surface.
As the words left my mouth, one of the dark shapes on the bottom shot up. Xander gasped when he reached the air. “Dang it!” He wheezed and slapped his fist across the water. “I always lose.”
“Oh! A breath-holding contest,” I said with a laugh. “They don’t stand a chance. My brother used to be on a club swim team.”
“You need to cheat!” Oliver shouted across the room.
Xander turned around in the water at the sound of Oliver’s voice. “But I did!” he complained when he spotted Oliver. “I waited almost fifteen seconds after they went under, and I still can’t hold my breath long enough. Oh God, I think I need my inhaler.”
As Xander made his way over to the edge of the pool, Alec popped up, followed by JJ. “There you guys are,” JJ said. “We were starting to think you didn’t get away from Aaron.”
“Aaron?” I asked, turning to look at Oliver.
“Our bodyguard.”
“You know, the one without hair?” Xander added when he reached the table. He grabbed his inhaler off the table and sucked in a deep breath as he sprayed it.
Drew finally shot to the surface and inhaled a deep breath of air. “I am the champion, my friends!” he sang in victory. Alec and JJ responded by splashing him in the face.
“Hey, don’t be sore losers.” Drew grinned and splashed them back.
“Maybe someone shouldn’t be such an obnoxious winner,” I teased.
Drew’s head snapped up at the sound of my voice. “Stella.” The grin on his face disappeared, and he raced to the edge of the pool. After pulling himself out of the water, he stormed over to me. During his approach, Oliver took a hasty step back. I didn’t blame him; my brother could be intimidating sometimes.
“Where were you?” he demanded. Both of his hands gently grasped my shoulders, and he looked me up and down to make sure everything was okay. “You were only supposed to be gone for ten minutes.”
I rolled my eyes. “We stopped for some dinner. I’m fine, promise.” Knowing that this interrogation still wasn’t over, I planted my feet firmly on the concrete and crossed my arms.
