I wake up the next morning to the smell of pancakes and the sight of Keke's empty bed. Grabbing my phone and checking the time, I'm surprised to see it's already 10:30 in the morning. I set my phone back down and stretch my arms over my head, taking a deep breath and allowing the oxygen to fill my body. Then I turn over and see a yellow rose sitting on my pillow with no note. I smile and hold it up to my nose, breathing it in. I don't need a note to know who left this here for me. But I do need to hide it. So I dig in my bag and find a book I brought with me to read in case of down time, and place the rose in the book, pressing down on it and sliding it back into my bag. When I get home, I'll put it in a photo album to keep forever.

I change my clothes, run a brush through my hair, and brush my teeth in the bathroom quickly before joining everyone else in the kitchen. Keke is cooking breakfast this morning, and everyone else is sitting around the table with cups of coffees in their hands already. Vale smiles softly when he sees me, but he doesn't say anything. I wink at him to let him know I received his gift, and he goes back to drinking his coffee, clearly pleased with himself.

"Good morning!" Keke says cheerily when she sees me. "There's coffee on the counter and your favorite hazelnut creamer in the fridge. I made a quick pit stop this morning to the grocery store to get stuff for breakfast. Thought we could start this morning off right."

"Thanks," I say, smiling at her, and it seems like Vale was right. I've cooled off since last night, and it sounds like this is Keke's way of apologizing. So I reach up for a mug and fill it with black coffee, then pour a little bit of the hazelnut creamer into it before standing next to her and saying, "Do you need any help in here?"

She shakes her head. "No, that's okay. I've got it. Besides, it's almost done. Pancakes, bacon, and eggs are what's for breakfast today. Hope you guys like it."

"Sounds great," Vale says, smiling at me. "So Gen and I dropped the crab pots off last night in the usual spots. If anyone wants to check them today, you know where to look."

"What time did you guys get back last night?" Tyler asks mid-yawn. "I woke up at 11 and you were still out."

I can feel myself start to panic, but Vale already has an answer for this. "We had to go to the store to get some supplies first before dropping off the pots. Took a while to find everything we needed. I think everyone and their mother is out crabbing this week, so the shelves were pretty much bare. Had to use the old cat food from last year in the garage."

"Well, it is opening week for crabbing season," Tree says, sipping on her black coffee with just two spoonfuls of sugar.

"There should've been enough cat food in the garage though," Taylor says, confused. "I remember packing up a ton of a cans last year before we left. Was there really not enough?"

Vale shrugs his shoulders. "I mean, there was enough to get by for today. But we'll want to get more tonight or tomorrow if we can."

He's so good at this game, and he knows it. I can tell by his cocky smile as he pours himself another cup of coffee. Keke finishes up breakfast just then, and everyone gets up to start making themselves plates. But before I do, she pulls my arm gently and guides me away from everyone else. When we're alone, she gives me a big hug and says, "I am so sorry, Gen. It was late last night, and I was kind of emotional. I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard. I promise not to bring it up again, okay?"

I nod my head and hug her back. "It's okay. Really. I'm sorry I snapped at you last night. I know you're just worried. But I promise you, there's nothing to worry about. I am truly fine. Vale is fine. We talked about it right after it happened. Totally hashed it out. Things are good between us. So let's not think about it anymore, okay?"

She nods her head. "Okay. Also, breakfast was my peace offering. If you couldn't tell."

I smile at her. "I figured as much. Thank you for cooking. Sorry I slept in. We didn't get back until late, so I was pretty wiped."

"God, I don't even remember you coming in last night," she says. "I pretty much passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Glad you guys got the pots ready though. Vale was definitely right. The more crab meat the better. Best to get as early a start as possible."

"For sure," I say, nodding in agreement. "Now let's get breakfast before they eat it all. And by 'they' I mean Vale."

We rejoin the rest of the group, and I can tell that everything is going to be okay between Keke and I from now on. Part of me feels bad for lying to her, but then I remember that I'm not really lying. All I said to her was that Vale and I worked things out. And we did. In the best possible way. As I tear into my pancakes and eggs, I think back to last night. Sitting on his lap, my arms around him, his lips on mine, dancing until they were raw from the movement. Just him and I, totally alone in the night after such a long and exhausting day with our friends. My fingers touching his thick curls, and his running through my blonde locks.

"So I'm thinking swimming today," Tyler says as he takes his last bite of bacon. "It's supposed to be in the 90s, and we don't have to check the pots until this evening, right? So why don't we enjoy the day at the beach before we get to work on the boat?"

"That," Vale replies, pointing a bacon strip at Tyler, "sounds like the best idea I've heard all morning. What do you think ladies? Wanna catch some rays today?"

"Heck yeah," I answer, pounding my fist in the air in excitement. "Nothing like a good swim to start off a nice long vacation with your best friends." Keke, Taylor, and Tree all agree, and so after breakfast we run upstairs to get ready for the beach.

I slip on my brand-new white bikini with the bright blue, green, and maroon butterflies all over it, then slide on a pair of ripped denim shorts and a spaghetti strap tank-top over my swimsuit. An hour later, the six of us are all together again in the bus, back in the same spots we were yesterday. We drive down to the beach on the south side of the island where we know the sand is smooth and the rocks are small. Then we park the bus, grab our towels, and head down to the beach.

Everyone starts stripping out of their clothes and into their swimming suits, and last year I probably would've done the same. But now, with this thing going on between me and Vale, I feel suddenly self-conscious and wish I would've brought a one-piece instead of a bikini. Or at least I wish I had thought to change in the bathroom. But I remember that I'm trying to act normal. To not give anything away. So I kick off my flip-flops, slide my shorts off onto the ground, and rip off my tank-top, showing off my new butterfly bikini. Vale stares at me for a few seconds too long, and I fight to control the blush rising in my cheeks.

"Race you guys to the water," Tyler calls out as he starts running toward the Puget Sound. The other three girls run after them, and just as I'm about to run with them, Vale scoops me up and throws me over his shoulder. I scream as he races everyone else, kicking my legs as we run past the girls and catch up with Tyler. The three of us jump into the water at the same time, and holy shit it's freezing. Vale tosses me in the water, and I go in screaming. My head goes fully under the waves, and it takes me a few seconds to come back up. But when I do, I'm coughing and rubbing the salt water out of my eyes.

"Vale!" I scream, my voice hoarse from the water. "You're a dead man!"

He's laughing, and when I open my eyes, I see he's going after the other three girls now. They run as he chases after them, and as soon as I recover from being thrown into the water, I run after him. We spend the afternoon playing like that, Vale and Tyler taking turns throwing us in the water for a while. And then we team up with the boys to play chicken fight. Keke sits on Tyler's shoulders, and I sit on Vale's as we try to knock each other in the water. I win, and then I get to fight against Tyler and Tree. Tree wins that time, and then it becomes a duel between the two sisters, Taylor taking home the chicken fight prize.

After spending a few hours in the water, the six of us rest on the beach, allowing the sun to bathe us with its warm summer glow. It's so hot that I dry off within an hour. Vale tries to coax us back into the water, but by now we're all tired and relaxed on the sand. I'm practically falling asleep, still a little tired from my secret late night makeout with Vale the night before. My eyes are closed as I think about it, wishing we could be alone again, if only for a little while.

We decide to head back up to the house around three for a late lunch of turkey sandwiches and chips before it's time to get on the boat to check on the crab pots. We don't all have to go, and since Vale and I went last night, we let the others take a turn on the boat. They all jump in the van and go out to the dock, leaving Vale and I alone at last. As soon as the bus pulls out of the driveway, he gives me his signature mischievous smile, and I blush, averting my eyes.

"Genny," he says in a growly, seductive voice that makes my heart beat like a bongo drum. He reaches his hand out to me, and I take it, allowing him to pull me closer. "Here we are," he says, his eyes blazing into mine. "Finally alone."

I smile and stare back up at him. "Alone," I echo. I lift my hand up and slide it through those thick brown curls. He sighs pleasantly and closes his eyes, taking in the blissful moment. "What do you want to do now that we're alone?"

He doesn't say anything for a moment, still enjoying the way my fingers sift through his hair. Then he opens his eyes and says, "I was thinking we could hop on the ferry and go into Port Townsend. Check out some of the shops out there."

This is not what I was expecting him to say, and I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed. "You mean you don't want to take me upstairs and ravage me?" I ask, that excited bubble I was feeling in my chest bursting.

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You want me to take you upstairs and ravage you?" He asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

"Well, maybe not ravage," I say, and he grins. "But you know. Makeout some. Do the things we can't do when everyone else is here. We can go to Port Townsend any time."

He nods his head. "That's true. But I was thinking we could do a little more than that." Now it's my turn to raise my eyebrows at him. "You know, we haven't really gone on an actual date yet. And I was thinking about it last night before bed. While I love kissing you, and believe me, I do... I was thinking we could actually go out on a real date. Like a couple. Maybe I can take you out on the town. Buy you dinner."

"Vale, we just ate," I say, giggling.

"Okay then, dessert," he replies with a roll of his light brown eyes. "Dessert and shopping. If we're going to do this thing, I think we should do it right, you know? I mean, yeah, you're my best friend. And we hang out together all the time. But we've never gone out on a real date before. So what do you say, Genny? Wanna go out with me?" He puffs out his bottom lip in a pout that's so adorable there's no way I can possibly resist. So I nod my head, and the smile he gives me is enough to light up every room in the house. "Great. Come on. Let's get on the ferry."

Author's Note:
Fun fact: When I first started this story, Vale was supposed to be some random guy she met on her trading journey. But after looking at my other two young adult/new adult romances, I realized that both Lauren and Emersyn fell for guys they'd just met. And while I loved both Conner and Zeke, I really wanted Gen's story to be different from Lauren and Emersyn's. So Vale went from a stranger to her best friend. I like it much better this way. What do you think?

Also, for those of you who don't know (and I don't expect any of you to know) it's my BIRTHDAY! *throws confetti* HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! And yes, it is on Friday the 13th. How rad is that?! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Meanwhile, I will enjoy reading all your amazing comments and eating cake while I watch The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix! No spoilers! Talk soon, my dears!
XOXO,
~Aly