53

I should have known this was a bad idea.

The lake was beautiful, sure. The water sparkled under the sun, reflecting the sky like glass. The air smelled like fresh grass and sunscreen, and birds chirped lazily in the trees.

It was the perfect setting for a relaxing afternoon. Except I was surrounded by absolute menaces.

"You look tense, Cora," Levi teased, standing way too close to me near the edge of the dock.

"I wonder why," I muttered, taking a small step back.

Spencer and Ethan were already in the water, splashing each other like five-year-olds. Mia sat on the dock, dipping her feet in, while I hovered just far enough away to avoid getting soaked.

Levi grinned. "You're not scared, are you?"

I scoffed. "Of course not."

His smirk deepened. "Then why are you acting like the water is lava?"

"I just don't want to get pushed in," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "Which, knowing you, is very possible."

Levi placed a hand over his heart, feigning innocence. "Cora, I would never."

Ethan snorted. "He absolutely would."

Levi shot him a glare. "Not helping."

Spencer grinned up at me from the water. "Come on, Cora! It's nice once you're in."

I hesitated, glancing at the water. It did look inviting. The summer heat clung to my skin, and I knew I'd probably feel better after jumping in.

But before I could make up my mind, Levi moved.

One second, I was standing safely on the dock. The next, Levi's hands were on my waist, and everything tilted.

"Levi, don't you dare—"

A splash.

Cold water engulfed me, stealing the breath from my lungs. I surfaced with a gasp, pushing my wet hair out of my face, and immediately locked eyes with Levi—who was laughing.

"I hate you," I sputtered, wiping water from my eyes.

He crouched on the dock, looking way too pleased with himself. "You look like you needed some help."

Mia cackled. "That was so smooth."

Ethan whistled. "And she fell right for it—literally."

Spencer was laughing so hard she had to hold onto the dock. "Your face, Cora. Priceless."

I glared up at Levi, my mind racing for payback.

Then an idea hit me.

I forced a sweet smile. "You know what? You're right. The water is great."

Levi raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious. "Uh-huh?"

Before he could react, I grabbed his wrist and yanked.

He barely had time to say, "Oh, come on, Cora—" before he tumbled into the water beside me.

The splash was even bigger than mine.

Now it was my turn to laugh.

Levi surfaced, shaking water from his hair, blinking at me like he couldn't believe I'd actually done it.

"Okay," he said, running a hand through his soaked hair, "I probably deserved that."

I smirked. "You definitely deserved that."

The others were cheering from the dock, thoroughly entertained.

Levi chuckled, tilting his head at me. "You know this means war, right?"

A shiver ran down my spine—but not from the water.

Uh-oh.

Levi wiped the water from his face, his smirk turning downright dangerous. I barely had time to react before he lunged.

"No—Levi, wait—"

Too late. His hands wrapped around my waist, and before I could escape, I was lifted and dunked right back under the water.

I resurfaced with a gasp, coughing and pushing my soaked hair away from my face.

"LEVI!"

He was laughing so hard he had to wipe tears—actual tears—from his eyes. "Your face—"

"You're so dead," I growled, splashing water straight at him.

He didn't even try to block it, just let it hit him, still grinning. "Totally worth it."

"Can you two flirt later?" Ethan called out. "We're trying to enjoy the water without witnessing a rom-com in real time."

"We're NOT flirting," I snapped, my face heating up.

Mia, still sitting on the dock with her feet in the water, grinned knowingly. "Sure. And the sky isn't blue."

Before I could argue, someone new arrived.

Nathan walked up with a casual wave, a towel slung over his shoulder. He was chill, sarcastic, and somehow the only one in our group who didn't thrive on chaos. He took one look at us—me drenched, Levi still smirking, Spencer laughing so hard she nearly slipped off the dock—and sighed.

"I leave you guys alone for one hour," Nathan said, dropping his towel onto the dock. "And already, Cora's a victim."

"She's fine," Levi said, floating lazily on his back. "She fought back."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Did she win?"

"She got me in, if that counts," Levi admitted.

Nathan smirked. "Then yeah, I'd say she won."

I shot Levi a smug look, but before I could say anything, Spencer splashed a wave of water at Ethan, nearly drowning him.

"SPENCER!" Ethan choked, spitting out lake water. "What was that for?!"

"For existing."

"Unbelievable."

Mia turned to Nathan with a pleading look. "Are you coming in or what?"

Nathan sighed dramatically. "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," she said sweetly, before grabbing his wrist and yanking him into the water.

Nathan barely had time to react before he hit the surface with a loud splash.

Mia burst into laughter, clapping her hands as he surfaced, looking completely unimpressed. His dark hair dripped over his eyes, and he sighed, wiping his face.

"I should've seen that coming," he muttered.

"You definitely should have," Spencer agreed.

Nathan shook his head but swam over to Mia, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into the water with him.

She shrieked. "NATHAN!"

"You started it," he said smugly.

The rest of us laughed, and soon, it was full-blown water war. Splashing, dunking, laughter echoing across the lake.

At some point, I found myself back near Levi. He was floating again, his arms stretched out, looking perfectly at peace.

I swam closer, my heart still racing from all the chaos. "Truce?" I asked cautiously.

Levi cracked one eye open, then smirked. "For now."

For some reason, I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or nervous.

By the time the sun started setting, we had all dragged ourselves out of the water, exhausted but happy. The lake glowed in the fading light, the sky painted in soft pinks and oranges.

Nathan had built a small bonfire near the shore, and we were now sitting in a circle, wrapped in towels and eating snacks we'd grabbed from a gas station on the way here.

"This is nice," Mia sighed, leaning against Nathan's shoulder as she munched on a marshmallow straight from the bag. "We should do this more often."

"Agreed," Spencer said, stretching her legs out. "Though next time, I'd prefer not to inhale half the lake water."

Ethan smirked. "That's your fault for messing with me."

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Worth it."

I hugged my towel around me, still drying off. My hair was a tangled mess, and I knew I'd have to deal with it later, but right now, I was just soaking in the warmth of the fire.

Levi, sitting next to me, nudged my knee with his. "So," he said casually, "have I earned forgiveness yet?"

I turned my head to glare at him. "For what?"

"For pushing you in." He grinned. "And for dunking you."

I scoffed. "Absolutely not."

Levi let out a dramatic sigh. "Man, tough crowd."

Nathan smirked from across the fire. "Dude, I think you're gonna have to work harder than that."

Levi hummed like he was thinking, then suddenly turned toward me, his eyes glinting with mischief. "What if I had a way to make you forgive me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of way?"

Before I could react, Levi leaned in quickly and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

My brain short-circuited.

The entire group went silent for half a second.

Then chaos erupted.

"Oh my god," Mia shrieked, practically bouncing.

Spencer gasped so dramatically you'd think she was in a soap opera. "He did not!"

Ethan, meanwhile, choked on his soda. "I—what just happened?!"

Nathan just smirked and shook his head. "Well, that was smooth."

My entire body felt like it had caught fire. Levi pulled back, looking completely smug.

"There," he said, winking. "Forgiven?"

I stared at him, my mouth opening and closing like a fish. Words? What were words?

Spencer leaned forward, eyes wide with excitement. "Cora, say something. Blink twice if you're alive."

Mia squealed. "Oh, she's totally alive. Just malfunctioning."

I finally snapped out of my daze, my face burning hotter than the fire. "LEVI!"

"What?" He grinned, way too pleased with himself. "It worked, didn't it?"

I huffed, crossing my arms. "That was sneaky."

He just shrugged. "I prefer the word genius."

Nathan chuckled. "Alright, alright, let's not roast Cora alive."

Ethan, finally recovering from his near-death experience, shook his head. "Nah, this is the highlight of my month. Maybe my year."

I groaned, hiding my face in my hands. "I hate all of you."

Mia patted my back. "No, you don't."

She was right. As much as they drove me crazy, I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Levi leaned in again, dropping his voice so only I could hear. "You know, if you ever want to get back at me... you could always kiss me next time."

I turned my head so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.

He just winked, then leaned back like nothing happened.