UNEDITED
Gemma Alder is used to being the unlucky one in the Alder family: from a nasty rumour about her back in high school to inexplicable mishaps, she seems to be the comical target for unfortunate situations. But if there's one thing she's good...
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Jake
I feel like I'm within close proximity to a minefield, when what I should be doing, what I should be focusing on is celebrating. With Gemma beside me, Olive appears to have eased away from using her usual tactics. Suffice to say, I haven't been cornered and undressed against my will. The flirting has been present, but not in a way I can't handle.
Unfortunately, my neck is nothing but a bunch of kinks and knots. While Gemma has every right to still hold a grudge against me, I wish she would alleviate her grudge from sleeping conditions and allocate it somewhere else. I don't know how much longer my neck can handle sleeping on a rock-hard couch that's three inches too short for my body and caused me one helluva sleepless night. It's literally taking every inch of my patience to not lose my temper over the smallest of things. I'm in a shit mood, which makes me the minefield.
I jam a towel, a can of beer from the stash Cassian and I snuck into camp, a bottle of sunscreen, and an extra hat into my duffel bag, hoping I can sneak off and spend an hour, give or take, down by the ocean with just me and my thoughts. Hanna's having a nap after this morning's obstacle course and Gemma is sunbathing on the deck of the cabin, reading some raunchy hockey-romance novel. I caught sight of some of the lines she was reading and scratched my chin in puzzlement. I don't see any correlation between hockey and romance. Nor do I understand why the two subjects, when intertwined, make women swoon.
I sling the duffel back over my shoulder and head outside into the fresh air, dressed in a pair of board shorts, and pause when I see Gemma. She's wearing a seafoam green high-waisted bikini. It's ribbed and gives me an unapparelled view of every curve of her body. She's stretched across her beach towel, the muscles in her arms tremoring as she holds the hefty hardcover above her face. Since Gemma hasn't acknowledged my presence yet, I take this as my opportunity to note how much she's changed since high school. Personality-wise, Gemma is still headstrong and outgoing. Body-wise, she's filled out in all the right places. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and turn away, taking the steps to our cabin by two. Curves have always been appealing to me. If I stay any longer, I might end up getting caught staring at her. And she would not be happy about that.
Just as my foot connects with the bottom step, the wood creaking beneath my weight, I hear my name being called out by Gemma. I glance over my shoulder, adjusting the strap of my duffel bag. "Yeah?"
Gemma pushes her sunglasses back. Her bikini matches the colour of her eyes perfectly, reminding me of the tropics. Right now, beneath the hot sun, Gemma looks like an island girl; tanned, hair cascading over her shoulders, and sun-kissed cheeks. "Where are you going?"
I throw my thumb in the opposing direction. "Beach. I wanted to go for a swim before our next event."
Gemma slips her bookmark between the pages and sets her book down on the stained wood. "I take it you found that obstacle course just as ridiculous as I did?" I watch as Gemma gets to her feet, not bothering to wait for my answer. "I'll come with you. It would be nice to explore the boundaries of the campsite."
