Vale is in a super pissy mood for the rest of the day. He barely says a word during lunch as everyone laughs and catches up around him. And he won't look me in the eye, which I'm not going to lie, hurts a little bit. We've been having such a great trip so far, and now his attitude is ruining everyone's good time. I half expect Keke or one of the twins to call him on it, but I think they're a little nervous to bring it up. This is not like Vale at all. He's usually playful and mischievous. Always looking to tease. So to see him this way, with his eyes clouded over in silent fury and his lips forming a hard line on his usually smiling face, puts a damper on everything around us.

Lucas decides to hang out with us after lunch, even agreeing to join us for a little impromptu party tonight. A few months ago, I would've been excited at the idea of meeting up with him at a party, but now I'm kind of dreading it. Being alone with him was weird for me. Definitely not looking for a repeat any time soon. Part of me wants to tell Keke so she can help me avoid it, but I know telling her means divulging my secret affair with my best friend. And I can't do that yet. I'm not ready. Even if not telling her means she's going to keep trying to get Lucas and I together in the name of payback. Man, what have I gotten myself into?

The weight of Vale's anger is heavy, and it drags me down. An hour after lunch, I make the excuse that I'm not feeling well and get back on the ferry to head home. They all offer to come with me, but I just want to be alone for a while. That's the one thing I haven't been since this whole thing started. Alone. And I could use some time to think. It's a warm day, so the cool breeze off the Puget Sound feels so nice on my cheeks. I love riding the ferry. It's probably my favorite thing about these summer trips to the island, for no other reason than it's different. At home I'm always walking or driving. Everything is always moving so fast. The ferry forces me to slow down. To stop and think. Which is just what I need right now.

The ferry pulls safely into port, and I get off and start making my way back to the house. But as much as I want to be alone, I find that I don't really want to be inside. It's such a nice day. Warm and sunny. I can practically feel the freckles popping up on the bridge of my nose. Can almost taste the sweet smell of blackberries on the wind's breath. And that's when it hits me. Blackberries. They are everywhere on the island, and I'm pretty sure Bronte even has a few bushes in her backyard. Not sure if they're ripe enough or not yet, but there might be enough to make a blackberry pie. Maybe even some blackberry cupcakes.

I head back to the house after all, where I find an old bucket that I line with a couple grocery store bags before making my way to the blackberry bushes in the backyard. Most of them aren't quite ripe enough yet, but I do manage to find enough to make a batch of cupcakes. When I'm done picking berries off the bush, I go into the house and scrounge up some more ingredients. Then I get to work cooking the berries down into a warm jam to use for the cupcakes and frosting. An hour later and the house smells so delightfully sweet that it almost manages to take my mind off the reason I came back to the house in the first place.

Almost. But my thoughts are pulled right back to Vale and Lucas when, as I'm getting ready to frost the cupcakes, I hear their voices traveling up the walkway to the house. My heart flutters at the sound of Vale's deep voice, and I remember how, not too long ago, it fluttered for Lucas. How quickly feelings change. Lucas walks through the front door, followed closely by Keke, the twins, Tyler, and then, of course, Vale bringing up the rear. He still has a sour look on his face, and it only gets worse when he makes eye contact with me. The fluttering I felt just moments ago when I heard his voice comes to complete stop, and it's like all the butterflies all drop dead at once.

"Oh my God, Gen," Keke says, breathing in the sweet scent of my cupcakes. "The house smells amazing. Did you make cupcakes while you were here by yourself?"

I nod my head slowly, trying to force a smile onto my face. "Yeah. I picked some berries from outside today and thought some blackberry cupcakes sounded amazing."

"Thought you said you weren't feeling well?" Vale asks, and his tone bothers me. It's so sharp, like knives aimed directly at my heart.

I shrug my shoulders. "I started feeling better on my way back to the house, so I thought I'd surprise everyone with cupcakes."

Keke plops down at the kitchen counter and reaches for one of the cupcakes on the plate. "These look amazing. Lucas, have you ever had one of Gen's cupcakes?" she asks, turning to the guy who once filled up a large chunk of my thoughts. He shakes his head, and Keke gets a mischievous smile on her face. Great. We're back to this. "You should definitely try one. They are to die for. Actually, maybe she can make some for you sometime. You know, maybe you two can get together and have a little cupcake date?"

"Keke!" I yell, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. I'm really regretting ever trying to play wing woman with her and Paul. When she said revenge was coming for me, she really meant it. Although I don't think she fully understands what she's doing here. My eyes catch Vale's, and I see they're burning with suppressed rage. God, I can only imagine what's in his head right now. I need to find a few minutes to be alone with him. We need to talk.

"I would love that," Lucas says as he locks eyes with me, and damnit. I want to slam my head into a wall. These boys are going to be the death of me. "What do you say, Gen? When we get back home, do you want to have a cupcake date?" I thought he understood what was happening with Vale and I, but either he does understand, and he just doesn't care, or he's more oblivious than I realized.

"Umm," I reply, because that's the only thing I can think to say. What the hell is wrong with me? I look back at Vale, but he's not even staring in my direction anymore. His eyes are on his hands, which are clenched into fists on the table. "I... I don't know." I mutter, not really knowing what else to say. "I'm pretty busy with the whole trading game and everything."

You'd think that would be the end of it, but you'd be wrong. I don't know what kind of revenge water Keke's been drinking, but she needs to switch to milk. For the rest of the night, all she does is throw hints that Lucas and I should get together. Go out. At one point she even tries to say we should go out while we're on the island. It takes everything in me not to scream at her to stop. But I know she thinks she's helping me. I know she thinks this is what I really want, and I'm too shy to take it. But she's so wrong. The one I really want is sitting on the couch with his arms crossed, just staring off into space. It's my absolute nightmare.

Tree and Taylor sneak off at one point to get some drinks, and I know nothing good can come of anyone in this house drinking tonight. When they get back, they begin mixing drinks for everyone, and it doesn't take long for the pressure in the house to turn up. Lucas has a bit more than he should, and immediately begins making moves. Moves I would've killed for him to make just a few weeks ago. He sits closer to me. Puts a hand on my knee. Wraps me up in a lingering hug. Keke and the rest of the girls are thrilled. So much so that they don't notice when Vale sneaks off, clearly unable to fight his fury any longer.

"Gen," Lucas whispers, and I can smell the rum on his breath as he leans in closer. I swear he's about to kiss me, and I am mortified. This is not how I wanted this trip to go. Not at all. "Genevieve. Your name is so pretty. Did I ever tell you I think your name is so pretty?" He hiccups as I shake my head. "Well, it's so pretty. Pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Okay Lucas," I reply, a polite smile forming on my face as I watch at the door, worrying that Vale will come through and see how close Lucas's lips are to mine and completely lose his shit. Subtly, I take a small step back, but Lucas is far too drunk to care at this point. He leans forward, and it's at this point that I realize everyone else has left the room as well. When this happened, I have no idea. They probably think they're doing me a huge favor. But I really don't want to be here right now. In fact, I wish I was anywhere else but here.

"I know we never went out before," he says, slurring his words ever so slightly. "But I always wanted to ask you."

This intrigues me, because I never knew he saw me like that before. "What stopped you then?" I ask, too curious to step away this time.

He chuckles and wobbles slightly on his feet. "Vale. He's always been so protective of you. Honestly, Gen... Gen... I think he might love you. Like really, really love you."

The butterflies in my stomach come back to life at these words. "Well, yeah. Of course he loves me. He's my best friend, Lucas."

But he shakes his head. "Not like that. Like... you know... love you. I always kind of wondered, but then that night when he kissed you... well, it was obvious." Was it? I was so in my own head that night that I honestly don't remember how anyone else reacted except Tyler. "Can I kiss you, Gen?"

Kiss me? "Umm...." He leans closer to me, his lips mere inches from mine now as I try to think about how I'm going to get myself out of this situation. It's not that Lucas is a bad guy. He's not. Any girl would be lucky to have him. And it wasn't too long ago that I wanted to be that girl. But now, as he moves forward to press his lips against mine, I realize that he's the last person in the world I want right now. "Lucas," I say, trying to find the words to tell him no. And then I just decide to say it. "No."

He blinks slowly, clearly confused. "No?" he asks, and I bite my lip. He pulls back and looks into my eyes, and I can practically see him sobering up in front of me. Then he sighs heavily and says, "You love him too." I don't respond, but my silence is the answer he was looking for. "Damn, Gen. We were so close so many times."

I nod my head. "I know." But that's the thing. He's right. We were always so close. I always really liked him. And the number of times we almost hooked up is absurd. But I love Vale, and I think I always kind of have. It was always him. I may not have realized it, but we were always going to end up this way. The realization is both euphoric and painful, and I know I need to find him. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I really, really am."

He gives me a sad smile before leaning forward and pressing his warm lips on my check in a quick peck. It startles me, but there's nothing more to it than friendship. When he pulls away, his eyes are glowing, and I can't tell if it's because he's wasted or if he's happy for me. "You should go find him, Gen. He's waited for you long enough."

Tears fill my eyes as I throw my arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you," I whisper, and he squeezes me back. When he releases me, I run to the front door, vaguely catching sight of Lucas falling on the couch before I leave the house in search of the one I really want to be with. The one I should've been with all along.

Author's Note:
Happy Sunday/Monday, my dears! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know it really made me love Lucas. He's such a great guy. But what do you think? Team Vale? Let me know in the comments.

Next chapter coming next week, so stay tuned for that! Hope you're all doing well!
XOXO,
~Aly