About twenty minutes later, the girls came back out in their bikinis—quite revealing, to the guys' obvious delight. Knowing this was probably her best shot, Jade bounced toward the grill again.
Chris was still in the same spot, flipping burger patties like a dad at a backyard BBQ, casually watching the chaos unfold around the pool.
Jade approached and tapped him on the shoulder.
"So," she said, striking a pose, "what do you think?" She did a slow twirl.
Chris looked at her—his eyes clearly taking in the view. He nodded.
"It's good. Suits you. The color goes with your hair," he said, then turned right back to the grill.
Jade, who hadn't expected too much after her earlier failures, was still caught off guard. But this time, she was clearly pleased.
Chris flipped another burger and turned back to her.
"Did you put on sunscreen yet?"
Jade, sensing her opportunity, tilted her head playfully. "Not yet. I thought maybe you—"
Before she could finish, Chris peeled off his Hawaiian shirt and draped it over her shoulders.
"Take this until then," he said matter-of-factly. "Sun's strong right now. You'll burn."
"Eh? Thanks?" Jade mumbled, stunned and not quite sure how to react.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a loud shout from the pool.
"Come on, Cap! We're drawing lots for water polo teams!" one of the guys called.
Chris turned to Claire. "Can you guys take over the grill?"
Claire nodded, already stepping in.
Chris started walking away but paused, turned back to Jade, and handed her his sunglasses, necklace, and straw hat.
"Can you hold these for me?"
Jade nodded absentmindedly, taking them from him.
"Thanks," he said with a quick smile before heading off.
Jade walked back over to where Claire and Amber were sitting.
"So how does it feel to be a glorified coat rack?" Amber teased.
"Hmph. He's just comfortable around me," Jade said, slipping on Chris's sunglasses and necklace like they were her own. She still had his shirt draped over her bikini.
By the pool, the guys started drawing lots for their makeshift "water polo" tournament. But before they even got started, nearly all of them closed their eyes and whispered a small prayer:
"Please, just not Mason. Please, anyone but Mason."
Chris raised an eyebrow. "What the hell's wrong with you all? Why doesn't anyone want to pair with him?"
"I don't know…" Mason said, already sulking.
Chris sighed. "Fine. I'll team with you. These idiots are being rude."
A collective gasp of relief rippled through the crowd. Mason looked like he might cry.
"No take-backs, Captain," one of the guys said quickly.
Chris started to feel something was off, but didn't think too much about it.
The teams were formed. Matches began.
It didn't take long to figure out why no one wanted Mason.
He's absolutely terrible at this, Chris thought grimly.
Soon, only one match remained.
"Okay, last round!" one of the winning guys announced. "The losers of this one are officially last place—and the winning team gets to choose one thing for them to do!"
Chris shot Mason a look. "Come on. Let's at least win one match. I don't trust these clowns."
"Yes, Cap! I knew you wouldn't stay mad at me!"
The match was… a disaster. They lost again, completely crushed by the other bottom-ranked team.
Chris slammed a hand against the water. "Goddammit. I knew something was fishy when you all looked so happy about me taking Mason. This guy's good for one thing—being a hockey goalie!"
"Now, now, Cap," one of the guys said with a devilish smile. "We've talked it over and decided on your punishment."
Chris and Mason exchanged looks. Mason looked terrified.
The winner leaned in and whispered the instructions.
Mason immediately jumped out of the pool, horrified. "Are you INSANE?! She'll kill me!"
Chris scowled, clearly not thrilled.
"C'mon, don't be bitches. No backing out now," someone shouted.
Chris sighed and climbed out of the pool. "Let's just get it over with."
"We're going to be excommunicated," Mason mumbled as he followed behind.
The girls were sunbathing now that the food was finished—basking in the warmth, wearing their bikinis, sunglasses on, enjoying the view of the "water polo" chaos.
Chris and Mason approached with determined looks—Chris serious, Mason bracing for death.
Chris stepped up beside Jade, who had her eyes closed, soaking in the sun. She wasn't wearing his shirt anymore, but she was still wearing his necklace and sunglasses.
Noticing the sudden shade over her face, she cracked one eye open and smiled.
"Enjoying the view?"
Chris didn't respond. He just gave a silent nod toward Mason.
Mason gulped, then lunged—scooping up Amber. At the same time, Chris scooped up Jade.
"Wha—HEY! What is—Kyaa!"
SPLASH!
They all hit the pool.
Chris surfaced, still holding Jade, who had her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, gasping for air. She blinked water out of her eyes and was about to start ranting—until she noticed Chris staring straight at her chest.
He quickly averted his gaze when he realized she caught him.
"Sorry. It was a bet," he said, sounding surprisingly sheepish.
Jade blinked once. Then smirked like she'd just won the lottery.
She pushed herself even closer to him, breasts nearly in his face.
"Well, at least you apologized," she said, pretending to pout. "Now carry me back."
Her tone was angry, but her face definitely wasn't.
Chris got out of the pool with her still in his arms and walked her back to her spot. He gently set her down and grabbed her a towel.
The group of guys, who had expected Chris to get in trouble for the stunt, now watched with expressions of disbelief—and mild fury.
Claire looked over at Jade, who was absolutely glowing with satisfaction.
"I thought you'd be furious."
"Oh, I would've been," Jade said, licking her lips slightly. "But then I saw the light at the end of the tunnel."
Meanwhile, just a few meters away, Mason knelt on the grass, sheepish and defeated, facing Amber's righteous wrath.