We stop at the pharmacy before we head back to the house, and somehow, with the miracle of makeup and Band-Aids, we're able to cover up the mark he left on my neck. When we walk through the front door, we see everyone sitting in the living room around the coffee table playing a game of Cards Against Humanity. They all look up when we walk in, and maybe it's because I'm still paranoid about the hickey on my heck, but I'm expecting them to just somehow know. But they don't seem remotely suspicious, and I feel that familiar wave of relief wash over me.

"Hey," Tyler says, gesturing to the cards on the table. "Wanna get in on this? We can start over if you want."

Vale opens his mouth to respond, but is immediately interrupted by Tree, who throws her cards on the table in frustration. "Goddamnit, Tyler! The one time I'm winning, and you want to start over?"

Keke rolls her eyes. "Calm down, Tree. You can be the winner of this round. No one cares. Jesus." She looks at me, and her eyes flicker to the Band-Aid on my neck. "Whoa, what happened? You okay?"

I touch the Band-Aid, feeling a jolt of anxiety. Vale laughs, and I turn to look at him. "She's fine. Just got this ugly rash thing going on. Must've been something in the water today. Started showing up while we were in Port Townsend. Looked gnarly."

Taylor scrunches up her face. "Ew, gross! Hope it's not contagious."

Vale smirks. "It probably is. And it's nasty too. Seriously. You guys wanna see it?" I gape at him and slug him in the arm hard. "What?" he says as he rubs his arm and fights off a laugh. "It is!"

Keke wrinkles her nose. "Ugh, no thanks. So nasty. Have you cleaned it yet? I think I have some lotion in my bag if you need to use it."

I shake my head, amazed at how good of an actor Vale is. "Yeah, I cleaned it. And that's okay. I don't really want to take the Band-Aid off. Vale's right, it is kind of gross looking."

Vale nods his head quickly in agreement. "Probably some super contagious flesh-eating skin disease or something," he says, and God, I could kill him. Keke looks horrified, and Taylor and Tree both look anxious. Only Tyler seems unfazed by everything. In fact, out of everyone, he's the only one who does seem somewhat suspicious. But then again, he was there that first night. The night of the dare. Of the kiss. He saw it, so he knows. Sort of. I wonder how much he actually does know. Or suspects.

"It is not a flesh-eating skin disease," I snap, glaring at Vale, who's got a big goofy grin on his face. "It's just a stupid rash. Not a big deal. And yes, I would love to play with you guys. But only if Vale gets a penalty point for being an asshole."

Keke grins. "I think I can agree to those terms."

"Seconded," the twins say at the same time.

Tyler glances at Vale, and then shrugs his shoulders.

Vale's jaw drops. "What? Seriously? What even is a penalty point anyway?"

"You lose your first victory card," Keke explains, like it's obvious. "So the first card you win, you have to throw it away. You can't keep it." He makes a highly offended face as she collects the cards and starts shuffling. "You have to learn some time to stop being a dick."

Ha. This is what he gets for leaving the mark in the first place. I walk by him, smirking, and then stick my tongue out at him. He knows what I'm thinking. I can tell by the glint in his eyes. And the intense look he gives me is making my stomach flutter. God, I wish everyone else would leave so we could be alone again. And part of me wants to out our secret right now so that we can run upstairs and be just the two of us. But then Keke starts dealing out the cards, and I know we're in this for the long haul now. A few more seconds of Vale's intense stare, and then he sits down right beside me. I know he thinks he's torturing me by being this close. But the truth is he's tormenting the both of us.

We all get to bed at around two in the morning, and I'm so tired I think I'm going to fall asleep immediately. But I don't. All I can think about is Vale and our secret, and it's weighing on me so heavily I feel like I have an anchor in the pit of my stomach. He wants to tell everyone. And maybe we should. Maybe he's right and keeping this whole thing a secret is ridiculous. But even though I want to be with him more than I've ever wanted to be with anyone, something in me is screaming to just keep this whole thing between us for now. I can't explain it. I'm just not ready to be out in the open with him yet.

I wake up first the next morning, my eyes heavy with sleep and my stomach aching with hunger. It's seven in the morning, and since no one else is awake yet, I take the time to be by myself. I run downstairs and to the kitchen and find all the ingredients to make banana nut muffins. So I gather them all up and get to work. It's only been a couple days since I've been out of the kitchen, but I find that I've missed it. And it's even better now that I'm alone and can really focus on what I'm doing.

But I'm not alone for long. Vale comes down the stairs wearing a white tank top and a pair of boxer shorts. Heat rises in my face at seeing him this way. Which is absurd because I've seen him this way a million times. But it's different now. Everything is. Vale smiles softly and tiredly when he sees me cooking. Then he walks over to me and slides an arm around my middle. My breath hitches as he presses his lips against the Band-Aid and whispers, "Good morning, Genny."

I swallow hard, my pulse racing. "Morning," I whisper back. His mouth move up my chin, and I can't help it. His lips are magnets, and mine are steel. I turn my face toward his, and he presses his lips against mine. And for the first time since we got here, I don't care if anyone sees. I don't care if we're caught. The only thing I care about is keeping his lips on mine. I place my hands on the back of his neck, holding him to me. The kiss grows deeper, hotter, more passionate.

He pulls away when we hear footsteps coming down the stairs, and by the time Keke enters the room, he's sitting on top of the counter behind me, smiling his goofy smile. Meanwhile I'm standing in the kitchen like an idiot, hoping I don't look as flushed as I feel. "Morning," Keke says through a yawn, and I silently curse her for being such an early bird. "Mm, smells good, Gen. What are you making?"

I shrug my shoulders, my heart still racing and my mind still on Vale's warm lips. "Banana nut muffins are in the oven," I reply. "Nothing fancy." My heart is like a bass drum in my chest, and I'm sure she can hear it. Vale probably can too. I turn to look at him, expecting to see him staring at me. But he's turned his body to face Keke.

"What's the plan today, boss lady?" he asks, and Keke shoots him a playful glare.

She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. Was thinking about checking the pots early today so we can have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever we want. I would like to go shopping in Port Townsend today, and I highly doubt the twins are going to argue with that idea." I nod my head, knowing she's probably right. "What are you thinking we should do today?"

I'm thinking I want to spend the day alone with Vale in bed and see where things go. More heat, only now it's traveling down. I bite my lip and try to shut off the dirty thoughts playing in my mind. "You know me, Keke girl," he says, stretching his legs out in front of him and poking me playfully on the butt. I swat at his foot, and he smiles. "I'm just along for the ride. Cool as a cucumber. Willing to do whatever."

"Perfect," Keke says, and then she looks at me. "You okay with that idea, Gen? I know you guys just went shopping, but a day in the city doesn't sound too bad."

"You mean I get to play tourist again?" I ask as I turn around to check the muffins in the oven in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Vale. "Sign me up."

***

Just as expected, the twins loved the idea of going shopping. Even Tyler seemed okay with spending the day in Port Townsend. Everyone's happy. Except me. Sure, shopping's fun. Giggling with the girls as we try on different silly dresses or buy unique pieces of jewelry we know we're probably never going to wear. But this is the first day of our vacation that I can't be alone with Vale. And oh, how I desperately want to be alone with him. I keep catching myself staring at him, wishing I can have his lips on mine again. Taste his tongue against mine. My thoughts about him are so loud that I'm sure everyone around me can hear. But he seems to be the only one who knows what I'm thinking. Because, I know, he's thinking it too.

It's around midday, just as we're all going to our favorite Italian restaurant to have lunch, when we run into someone I definitely wasn't expecting to see: Lucas. Tree sees him first, and of course she has to make a spectacle. I'm still embarrassed from the last time I was with Lucas. The night of the kiss. I haven't even really talked to him since that night, because I've been so messed up with sexy thoughts of my best friend. Ugh, everything is so confusing.

"What are you doing here?" Keke asks as he pulls her into a quick, friendly hug. He's wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, and I can't help but notice how toned his arms look as he wraps them around Keke. Probably from all the workouts he does for baseball.

"My dad works for an art gallery in Coeur d'Alene, and there's this new artist from Coupeville he wanted to check out," Lucas replies. "She did a whole collection on gravestones, and everyone seems to be going nuts for it. He's trying to have her collection featured in our gallery. So he's on this business trip, and it's my last summer before college. Said he wanted to spend time with me, which is why I'm in Port Townsend by myself while he's schmoozing up some artist he's only just met. Fun times."

"Dude," Tyler says, nudging him on shoulder playfully, "you should've said something. We're here for a few more days. Come here every summer to go crabbing."

"You should hang out with us," Taylor says, and everyone around is murmuring in agreement. Except me. I'm just standing here, totally silent, not knowing what to say.

"Yeah," Keke says, and when I hear the smirk in her voice, I know I'm in trouble. "You know, I'm sure Gen would love if you join us. Wouldn't you, Gen?" Oh God. This is her payback for Paul. A blush rises in my cheeks, and I am so thankful it's hot out so I have an excuse to be so red.

Lucas, of course, jumps at the idea, most likely because he's lonely on the island without his dad. They also invite him to lunch with us, and he accepts that offer as well. Everyone is about to head into the restaurant when I notice Lucas kick back to wait for me. I can't help it. My eyes flicker up to look at Vale, who's glowering as he strides into the restaurant, avoiding my eyes entirely. Shit.

"Hey," Lucas says to me at last. He nudges me softly with his shoulder, and I think back to just a few weeks ago. How this simple gesture would've driven me crazy. But now... now I just hope Vale doesn't see. "How... um... how have you been? Haven't heard much from you this summer."

"Yeah," I reply, my hands deep in my shorts pockets. "It's been a crazy summer."

He nods his head, his blond hair brushing against his eyes. "I bet. How's the trading game going? Making any progress?"

"Yeah, actually," I say, smiling up at him. "I've made a few trades so far. Taking a small break for our crabbing trip though. But you should check out my channel. Keke does a pretty great job editing the videos. We've been working hard on it."

"It seems like it," he says, and I'm surprised by how awkward this conversation feels. The last time we spoke, everything was smooth. Easy. But this feels so forced. We've always been friends, but something more was starting to take place between us. And now that something more is gone. Faded away like steam in the wind. "So listen," he begins, and I feel like he's going to bring up that night. The night when everything changed. "Are we still okay? Because after the party that night, I haven't heard from you. And I just wanted to make sure I didn't do anything wrong, you know?"

"You didn't," I answer, not knowing what else to say. "Things that night got pretty intense. I'm sorry about that."

He shrugs his shoulders, but I can tell my answer didn't do much to lift his worries. "It's okay." More awkward silence. The real question he wants to ask is right on the tip of his tongue. I can feel it hovering between us unspoken, and I'm desperately hoping he doesn't ask it. Because I haven't figured out the answer myself yet. What Vale and I are. What I want us to be. It's so confusing, which is part of the reason why I haven't wanted to tell anyone yet. I want to sort it out first. By myself.

Lucas opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by Vale calling out, "Hey, are you guys coming or what?" I'm thankful Lucas didn't have a chance to ask me the question he wanted to ask, but I think Vale's tone answered it for him. He looks between Vale and I, and I think it sinks in. The loss of what could have been. I see it on his face like a shadow. But it's gone a moment later, and the two of us enter the restaurant with the rest of the gang, leaving the question unasked and answered.

Author's Note:
Ooh what do we think? Could Vale be just a teensy bit jealous? Guess we'll find out in the next chapter!

Speaking of which... I think I mentioned this before, but I'm going to be slowing down on chapters a bit in preparation for NaNoWriMo. And by slowing down, I mean my goal is to post one chapter a week from here on out until December. But I'd say we're about halfway through ATOC. Maybe a little more? And then I'll start prepping for my next story. Lots of fun happening over here!

I sincerely hope you're all enjoying this story. I've never written a friends to lovers story before, and I'm kind of having fun with it. I hope you all are too! I'll be back soon! I promise!
XOXO,

~Aly