Erica's POV

Funny how God gives you happiness in a minute and then takes it away in the next. Take now for example. I was so happy I'm going to the lagoons, then I find Joe at the bay.

I wouldn't call that a coincidence.

"You made it," cries Moana as she wraps her hands around me in a tight hug.

Can't. Breathe.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Star asks.

Moana let's go of me to answer her. Oh, thank goodness I can finally breathe.

"Why, your father didn't tell you?" She asks.

We look back at my father.

"You are going to spend the summer with the Frosts at their summer house."

Imma drop dead right here, right now.

I can't believe I'm going to spend 104 days of my sweet school-free vacation with Joe. I mean he and I don't get along. He's just always annoying me. I don't know what I'm going to do.

"Hey kids, are you ready to go?" Blake, Moana's dad, asks.

"Give us a minute!" I turn to dad. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?" I whisper yell.

"It was a surprise. I know how much you love Moana, so I figured you could spend the summer with her."

It was a surprise alright. And yes I do love Moana but her brother?

"Okay now, time to go." Dad pats my back.

An minutes later, we are boarding a private ship. Yes. The Frost are that rich.

Darrell and Jayden, Moana's boyfriend, joined us.

So, Joe and I are the only ones who are not in a relationship aboard this ship.

Joe tries bringing up conversation but I shut him

I stand at the front of the boat behind the railing, my feet dangling over the edge.

I see fish swimming along in the water. God, they look peaceful. If only I could turn into a mermaid and swim along with them.

I chuckle at my crazed mind.

"Thinking about jumping in?" Joe asks from behind me.

I turn to look at him. He has his hands in his pockets, his hair falling back as the wind passes through it and he has this look on his face that I can't decipher.

He looked amazing. Hot.

"What makes you think that?" I ask.

"The way you are looking at the water." He sits beside me.

We stay quiet for a moment.

"What do you want?" I ask eventually.

He looks at me for a few seconds before replying, "Do I have to want something to spend some time with a beautiful girl?"

For a moment, my eyes meet with his blue ones before I focus back on the ocean in front of me.

"Well..."

"Look," he interrupts me.

I look at where he's pointing. At the horizon, I see a white painted mansion. I stare at it in awe.

"That's where we are going." He looks at me with a hint of sadness written in his eyes.

I wonder if I'm imagining things.

"It looks..."

"Wonderful. Breathtaking."

I question his reaction towards this place. I wonder if I should pry or not.

***

We reach the pier. Blake let's us go up to the back of the house while he fastens the boat to the pole.

The back of the house is designed with shallow pools, neatly trimmed hedges and very many statues.

There's also a larger but still shallow pool with four statues fountains standing at each conner, pouring there water into the pool.

I stand in one of the pools. Its water only reaches a few inches above my ankles.

We take a set of stairs and enter into the grand entrance hall. The walls are painted red in this part.

Perhaps vampires once owned this place.

"The living room is over there," Moana points to the right, "and the kitchen is over there." On the right side of the staircase.

That is one grand staircase. It has a red carpet lined in its middle and two golden ... gargoyles? At the end of each rail.

"Okay kids, this house has enough rooms for each one of you. So you sleep in individual rooms," Laura, Moana's mom said.

Everyone chooses rooms except Joe, Moana and their parents, whose are fixed. As fate would have it, my room is right next to Joe's. This trip sure is going to be a long one.

I spend the rest of the day exploring. On the left side of the house is a maze approximately ten feet high. But I didn't go in for fear of getting lost.

The right of the house is lined with hedges forming compartment like structures.

The garage is big enough to house sixteen to eighteen cars.

***

I wake up pretty late in the morning. I mean, who in there right mind wouldn't. I put on some shorts and a top and sandals. I head to the kitchen and have my breakfast. Joe joins me.

"Hey," he greets.

"Hey," I say.

He pulls out his phone and says nothing more. I keep glancing at him through my eyelashes.

I start feeling uncomfortable. I'm used to him disturbing me, so this silence is not what I expected.

Perhaps you like him disturbing you? My subconscious offers. Of course not. I hate it. I quickly finish up my breakfast and go out to the back.

It's like only ten in the morning and it's already this hot.

"Umm... I could need some more colour," I say to myself.

I go back to my room, change into a swimsuit, pick a red chiffon cloth that I tie around my waist, sunscreen, glasses and a beach towel. I head to the beach. It's behind the maze.

I lay the towel on the sand and sit. I apply the sunscreen, put on my glasses and lay back in the heat.

Someone blocks the sun and I pray to God it's not Joe because I'm sick of him.

Are you, really? Yeah, right.

I prop myself on my elbows. Phew. It's Moana. And she's also in a swimsuit.

"Hey, morning," she greets.

"Morning. What's up?"

"Nothing. Can I join you?"

"Yeah, sure."

I push up to make room for her. A few minutes of silence later, she asks,

"But really, what's going on between you and Joe?"

"Nothing."

"Oh c'mon, you said that already. But the way you two act around each other doesn't look like nothing."

"Your brother is an asshole, sorry to say. I hate him, alright. He pisses me off every time I see him."

"Ohh, hottie alert."

"What?"

"There's a hot guy over there."

I turn to look at the guy she meant. True enough, he is hot. He has deep tanned skin, well built muscles, dark hair flowing to his shoulders and long legs. He makes his way out of the ocean, water cascading down his torso.

"Mhm...he is hot. Though, you do remember you have a boyfriend, right?"

"Of course. But you do remember you don't have one, right?" What!

"Don't use my words against me and I don't want a boyfriend."

"C'mon, live a little. Just get a guy for fun. Just for fun." I don't answer. I look at the guy as he walks towards the house that's next door. He flashes us a smile before disappearing behind the hedges.

"Hmm, I think he likes you."

"Stop it."

"Hey Moana, Erica," calls Joe, "mom needs you."

"We'll be there," Moana answers.

"Right now," he says, looking pissed.

"Okay, okay." We fold the towel and head back to the hotel.

Laura says we should go do some shopping in town. We walk from store to store, buying hats, scarves, dresses, and a lot of more junk.

The town council had prepared a party to mark off the beginning of the summer, so we were invited.

I wanted to stay home but Moana wouldn't let me. I head to the open bar and order for sparkling water. As the barman prepares my drink, someone else comes. I recognise him as the guy back at the beach.

"Mind if I join you?" He asks in a Spanish accent.

"Of course not," I say.

He makes his order. "So, what's a beautiful lady like you doing here alone?"

"Oh, I'm not entirely alone."

"I'm Jaime." But he pronounced it as 'Haime'.

"I'm Erica, nice to meet you."

"Hmm, Erica. I love that name. It's beautiful."

"Thanks."

"Don't you find it a little too loud around here? I say we go take a walk.

I hesitate a little before I follow him. We walk for a while until it starts getting cold and the thin sweater isn't helping. So Jaime offers his jacket.

We sit on the seats in the city square. I try looking around to see if I could spot Star or Moana,but instead I see Joe, walking to the bar. He looks pissed. I put my attention back on Jaime, who is speaking of some hike up the mountain separating the town from the rest of the country.

"So, will you come along?" He asks.

"Well... I'll try to talk to Blake and Laura. I don't think they will like the idea of me going without notifying them," I reply with a smile.

I suddenly feel tired. I say goodnight to Jaime but he offers to escort me back to the house. I think about objecting, but I agree. We walk in silence until we reach the security wall.

He looks at me, lifts his hand and pushes a lock of hair behind my ear.

I feel like this is the part of a movie, where the two people would uh...kiss. But nothing of the sort happened. Really. I say goodnight again and start walking up the drive.

Wait. I still have his jacket. Oh God. I quickly run back but he's nowhere in sight. I debate going next door but decide it's not worth the hustle. I'll give it back tomorrow.

***

A knock at the door startles me. I stop looking at the photos on my laptop and walk up to the door.

I look up at Joe, whose brow is raised. "What do you want?"

"Who's jacket?" He asks.

"Mine," I say, tightening the jacket around me.

"Is it for that guy you were with earlier?"

"What do you care?" I try to close the door but he stops it with his hands. I use a bit more force but he is too strong. He decides to barge in and closes it behind him.

"What are you doing? Get out of my room."

He starts walking towards me and I start backing up, hitting the wall behind me. Trapped. I'm trapped. He finally closes the small space in between and supports himself on one hand against the wall.

"You are intruding my personal space," I say, getting quite breathless. That's exactly what his presence does to me.

"So what are you gonna do about?" He whispers, glancing at my lips.

"You better get out of here or else I'll bruise that sorry face of yours."

He leans a bit closer, close enough for his warm minty breath to fan my lips.

Is it too hot in here? The pressure.

I start feeling tingly. I feel like my knees are going to fail me. My heart is racing a million miles per second.

"I would like to see you try," he says, closing the small gap in between our lips.

***