Hunter cocked his head curiously. “So either you wanted to come out and enjoy the sun yourself, or you put on a bikini just to offer me a drink, which would be kind of weird.”
My mind raced as I thought of an excuse. “Um, what I meant was, do you want a drink before I go get one? Because I’m going to get a root beer myself before coming out here to sunbathe.”
He stared at me from behind his sunglasses. “That makes more sense.” Then he laid back down on the chair.
I hadjustdrank a root beer with lunch, but I had to drink another one to reinforce the story. I went back inside, got another can from the fridge, and returned to the pool.
There were three folding pool chairs on the patio, and Hunter was laying in the middle of the three. I chose the chair on the other side of him and extended it back so I could lay flat.
Things were quiet for a while. I closed my eyes and savored the warm sun on my skin. It had been an unseasonably-warm spring, which was much nicer than the dreary Aprils we usually had in Columbus.
After a while, Hunter rolled over onto his belly. “How was your volleyball tournament?”
“We got our asses kicked,” I said.
Hunter grunted. “Lame.”
“Yeah, it was lame. It was a round-robin tournament, and we lost eight out of ten.”
The sliding glass door to the living room opened and Brad walked out onto the patio. “Sup,” he said.
“Not much,” Hunter replied. “Enjoying my day off.”
Brad grabbed his lacrosse stick from the edge of the pool, then snickered at me. “You’re havinganotherroot beer? Fatty.”
“I’m thirsty,” I said defensively. I didn’t want Hunter to know I had made up the story about getting another drink.
But Hunter was more focused on the insult. He grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from the table next to him and squirted it at Brad when he walked by. A long smear of white splattered against my brother’s chest.
“What thefuck, dude? This is my favorite shirt!”
“Then don’t be an asshole to your sister,” Hunter replied, deadly serious.
Something in my stomach quivered. I told myself it was the carbonation from having a second root beer, and not because I was really turned on by how protective Hunter was being.
Brad tried to grab the sunscreen from Hunter, who jerked back and held the bottle at arm’s length. My brother grumbled a curse and then went inside, sliding the door behind him.
Hunter chuckled and then laid on his back again, chest glistening in the sun. “I’m surprised you guys lost at the tournament,”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“You guys are good. I’ve been to a couple of games.”
“Really?You’vebeen to a few games?”
“I went with Katie a couple weeks ago, when you played Tappenville High. You really kicked ass, Erica.”
Tappenville was probably the best game I’d ever had. I couldn’t believe Hunter was there!
He glanced over at me and said, “You’re looking a little red.”
Yeah, because I’m blushing.
“Thanks,” I said, grabbing the bottle of sunscreen. I turned away from him while slathering it onto my arms, chest, and shoulders. I stretched to reach as far along my back as I could…
“Here, let me get your back,” Hunter said.
“Oh, you don’t have to…”