The Basics: Right between Cannes and Nice is a sandy-beached slice of heaven called Juan-les-Pins.
Get ready to take off your bikini top and get some sun. Hope you’re not shy . . .
“So how many trains do we have to take exactly?” I groan at the train station.
“Four,” Lachlan says. “Interlaken to Bern, Bern to Basel, Basel to Cannes, and Cannes to Juan-les-Pins.” He says Cannes like cans. I’m pretty sure that’s not how it’s supposed to be pronounced.
“This is going to be insane,” I say.
“It’ll be worth it,” Sienna says. “Promise.”
We get on the train at eight a.m. Lachlan, Sienna, Gabriel, Yosef, and Eli better entertain us.
I take out my phone and connect to the Wi-Fi on the train. No message from Jackson.
I decide to write him.
Me: Hey! On train. On our way to Juan-les-Pins . . . how’s Prague?
There’s no answer. Which makes sense, since he’s probably still asleep. My sister’s definitely still asleep. But why didn’t she text me back again last night? Where has she been?
I put my phone down.
“Who wants to play Rummy 500?” Eli asks.
“Me!” I say, and scoot over to his seat.
Two trains, seven games of Rummy 500, all of Girls On Fire, and three of Sienna’s Australian tabloid magazines—Woman’s Day, Who, and Take 5—later, six hours have passed and I still haven’t heard back from Jackson or gotten a message from Addison.
Since it’s nine a.m. at home, I put in my earphones and call her on FaceTime.
“Yes?” she says. The connection is shaky.
“You’re alive!” I say. “I was beginning to worry you ran away from home.”
“I’m fine,” she says. She ties her hair back in a bun.
“How’s Mom?”
“Fine.”
“Have you been . . . going out?” I don’t want to be too specific since I’m in public.
“Oh yeah, yesterday we went white-water rafting.”
I feel stung. “I guess you looked at my pictures?”
“Yup.”
I lower my voice. “So you didn’t go out?”
“Not yesterday. I had plans with Sloane.”
“Who’s Sloane?”
“She’s a friend.”
I’ve never heard of this alleged friend. “So what did Mom do all night?”
“I don’t know. She’s a grown woman, you know that, right?” She’s looking away from the phone. “Where are you, anyway? On a yacht on the Mediterranean?”
“No. I’m—”
The screen freezes. I disconnect and try to connect again. It rings but she doesn’t answer. Great.
A message from Jackson pops up. Finally!
Jackson: Hey.
Me: Hey!
Jackson: Are you really on your way to Juan-les-Pins?
Me: Yup. Why?
Jackson: Um . . . that’s where we’re going too.
My heart soars.
Me: Seriously?
Jackson: Yeah. Matt wanted to go to the beach.
I’m thrilled. But . . . I look at Leela. She’s laughing at something Lachlan said. She’s finally having fun. If she sees Matt, it’s going to upset her, if not ruin her time in France.
Me: I’m not sure what I should do? Maybe I should tell Leela. She might want to do something else.
Jackson: Don’t tell her.
I hesitate.
Me: That is so wrong.
Jackson: I won’t tell Matt either. They don’t even know we’re talking to each other. It’s not our fault we’re ending up in the same place. It’s a popular stop.
Me: Maybe they won’t even see each other?
Jackson: Where are you staying?
Me: It’s a hotel. La Lune.
Jackson: HAHAHAHA
Me: No way. Same? How is that even possible?
Jackson: It’s a popular hotel?
Me: So we’re going to be in the same hotel at the same time?
Jackson: Seems that way. Don’t tell. I won’t either. I want to see you.
I hesitate. Does this make me the worst friend ever? Possibly. But it’s not like I invited them to come. He was already going. What am I supposed to do—tell him not to come? That doesn’t seem right. And maybe we won’t even see them. If I tell her they’re coming, she could freak out and want to get off the train right now. And I don’t even know what country we’re in.
I hear more laughter from across the aisle. Leela is sprawled across the seat and her feet are in Lachlan’s lap.
She’ll be fine.
I’m not telling her. I can’t. If I do, then I’ll have to admit that I’ve been in touch with him for the last week.
Also I want to see him. My whole body warms up. I really want to see him.
I type, OK.
My heart hammers. What am I doing? Am I just going to sleep with him? I know he’s a player. Am I being played? Do I care?
Three dots.
Jackson: See you soon ;)
By the time we arrive, it’s already seven. We walk the three blocks to the hotel, hand over our passports, and check in.
“Nice,” Leela says.
“It’s pronounced niece,” I say.
“Huh?”
“It was a joke. ’Cause we’re near Nice? The place? Get it?”
I’m losing it. I’m giddy with nerves. Are they here? Maybe. Omigod, how did I not tell her? She’s going to freak. I should have told her. Now it’s too late.
My body tingles at the idea of him.
I want to see him. I can’t wait to see him.
I hope he’s here.
“Votre chambre est sur la deuxième étage,” the woman says. She holds out two large silver keys. “Vingt-trois.”
Why are all the keys on this continent so enormous?
“Merci pour votre aide,” Leela says.
“Your French has really come in handy,” I say.
“You speak French?” Sienna exclaims. “Extra plus!”
The woman checks in our friends and hands out their keys.
“Let’s meet downstairs in half an hour,” I say. “Then we’ll try and find a place for dinner.”
“Perfect,” everyone says.
Our room is small, with two single beds, one against each wall, a window, and a tiny bathroom. “I’ll shower first,” I say, and step into the bathroom.
There’s no actual shower stall. There’s just a small drain on the floor in the corner, and a handheld shower faucet beside the toilet. You get what you pay for.
By the time I’m done showering, the toilet paper, sink area, and my towel are all soaked.
“Sorry,” I say. “You’re up.”
My phone buzzes as I’m debating what to wear. I put on the navy tube dress that Kat lent me and then insisted I keep.
The message is a picture of a Google map from about an hour away by train. Nine hours by walking. Three by bicycle.
Text me when you get here . . . I write back.
“That wasn’t a shower,” Leela says, stepping out. “It was more of a hose.”
“Seriously,” I say. My heart pounds as I tuck my phone into my new clutch.
All seven of us are sitting outside at a place called La Princesse, about two blocks from the beach. I beg the hostess to give me their Wi-Fi password.
His text comes in when I’m halfway through my Nicoise salad.
Jackson: At the hotel. Where are you?
Me: At a place called La Princesse.
Jackson: Should we come?
Me: I don’t know. She might freak.
Jackson: I have to see you.
Me: Do you think I can sneak out of dinner?
Jackson: Yes.
I look up at Leela. She’s twirling her hair and laughing at something Lachlan says. Then she laughs at something Yosef says.
OK, I write back. Meet me outside room 23 in ten.
My heart racing, I drop my phone into my purse and jump up.
“Leela,” I say. “I’m having some family issues I have to deal with. I need to call home.”
“I can come with you,” she says, pushing back her chair.
“No, no,” I say. “I won’t be gone too long. Actually, if I don’t come back, just meet me back at the room later?”
“I don’t mind coming with you,” she says, still standing.
“No, honestly. I need privacy anyway. You stay here. Have fun.”
“Where are we going after this?” she asks the table.
“Le Spectacle down the street,” Lachlan says. “It’s a tiki bar! It’s supposed to be wild.”
“If I’m running late, I’ll meet you there, then,” I say. I leave twenty euros on the table. “Cover me if I’m short?”
“That’s more than enough,” Sienna says. “No worries. We got this. Hope everything is okay.”
I grab my clutch and hurry down the street and back to the hotel. I step into the lobby and run up the two flights of steps.
He’s standing in front of my room.
My heart stops.
He’s wearing jeans and a black T-shirt and his hair is damp. He’s staring right at me.
He smiles. He reaches his hand up and puts it in my hair and now we’re kissing. We’re kissing fast and his hands are on my back and my hands are pulling him closer and closer and it’s him, it’s him, it’s Jackson.
“One sec,” I say, pulling back, getting the massive key from my purse, unlocking the door, and tugging him inside. He keeps kissing me and falls on top of me and off comes my tube dress and his black shirt and his jeans and it’s Jackson, it’s Jackson, it’s Jackson, and everything else comes off, too.
Tip: Don’t miss the sizzling nightlife in Juan-les-Pins!
Unless you have something even hotter to do.
“Hello,” he says afterward.
I smile. “Did we forget to say hi?”
He laughs. “I think I forgot what my name is.”
“That was a little bit crazy,” I agree.
“That was a lot crazy,” he says. He kisses the inside of one of my wrists and then the other.
“So where does Matt think you are?”
“I told him I was going for a walk.”
“What room are you guys in?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Twenty-four? You’re in the room next door?”
“Yup.” His eyes crinkle with laughter. “My bed is actually right on the other side of this wall.”
I sit up. “We should clean. Leela’s going to come back.”
All of our clothes plus a condom wrapper are in the middle of the floor.
“Text her and see where she is,” he suggests.
When I take out my phone there’s already a message from her saying that I should come to the tiki bar.
I type back: Am wiped out. Have fun! See you later!
I turn back to Jackson and say, “Where were we?”
“Is everything okay with your mom?” Leela asks me the next morning as soon as I wake up.
“Uh-huh,” I say, not looking at her. “How was the bar?”
“Insane,” she says.
“Did anything happen with you and any of your boys?”
“Not yet. I’m still debating which one. Lachlan is clearly the most adorable, but Yosef’s so dark and dangerous. And then there’s Eli—”
“I thought he has a girlfriend?”
“He does, but he’s still a flirt. They all are. Which one do you want? I don’t need all of them.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” I say quickly. “You can choose.”
“You really should have met us after you got off the phone.”
“I was tired,” I say.
Jackson and I had fallen asleep. We woke up when we heard Leela and the crew outside the window belting out a round of “Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.”
“See you tomorrow,” Jackson had said, giving me a kiss. He closed the door behind him.
He opened his own door a second later.
“Dude!” I heard through the wall. “Did you get lost? I went to look for you on the beach! I met some guys from London . . .”
Jackson tapped the wall between us, once. Twice. I fell asleep facing where I imagined his lips to be.
“Come on,” Leela says now, opening the curtains. “We’re meeting everyone on the beach.”
“I need coffee,” I tell her.
“There’s an adorable boulangerie next door. How do I look?”
She juts out her hip. She’s wearing a bright red bikini.
“Hot,” I say. I unpack my black one.
“Make sure to put sunscreen on your boobs,” she tells me.
“Exqueeze me?”
“We’re going topless.”
I shake my head. “Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”
Our travel buddies have turned her into a new person! So what if she bumps into Matt? She’s going to be fine. Absolutely fine. She won’t even care. And maybe she won’t even see him. They could keep missing each other. It’s possible, right?
I want to see Jackson though. My body tingles remembering last night. I want to see him soon.
When we leave our room, our beach towels in hand, our floor is quiet. It’s ten a.m. I’m guessing our neighbors are still sleeping.
After we get our coffees and croissants, Leela insists we take a selfie.
“Say croissant!” she says.
“Croissant!” I say.
“Are you going to post? You haven’t taken enough pictures.”
“I’m trying not to rub the trip in my sister’s face.”
“Really? I would think you should do the opposite.”
Huh? “You think I should rub it in her face?”
“I think you should show her how much fun you’re having so she feels you left for a good reason. Isn’t it so much worse if you left and have a sucky time?”
“I guess,” I say, taking out my phone. I lift my arm and angle it so it gets both of us plus a sliver of the water in the background. Snap. I am still picking up the Wi-Fi from the hostel so I post it with #goodmorningriviera.
We finish our food, carry our towels, and head down the beach to find the rest of our group.
Up close, the beach is gorgeous. The water is a calm blue-green and the sand is soft and smooth. There are sunbathers everywhere. To the right there are fancy blue hotel umbrellas from the Ritz, and to the left are umbrellas and chairs from some European hotel, but in front of us are just people sitting on beach chairs and bright towels right on the sand.
And everyone is topless. Apparently, it’s not a rumor about French people. All I see around me are breasts. Big breasts, small breasts, lopsided breasts, old breasts, young breasts.
It’s hard not to look at all the breasts.
Breasts and men’s Speedos. “Look at what the men are wearing,” I say under my breath.
“Banana hammocks!” Leela cries. “They’re everywhere. They really don’t leave much to the imagination, now do they?”
“Nope,” I say.
“There they are,” Leela says.
“The banana hammocks?”
“No,” she laughs. “Our friends.” She points a few rows over. “They are wearing regular bathing suits.”
“Thank goodness,” I say. “But Sienna is topless.”
“Morning, gorgeous,” Lachlan, says, waving.
“Hi, handsome,” Leela says.
“What about me?” Yosef asks.
“Hello, stud,” Leela says.
“I’m getting jealous,” Gabriel says.
Sienna lowers her sunglasses. “You guys are never this nice to me,” she complains.
“Who wants to put lotion on my back?” Leela asks.
“Me!” Lachlan calls out.
I lie down on my towel and take a sneak peek at my phone. No wireless. Argh. How do I know where he is? Is he still sleeping? It’s already noon.
Maybe I can pick up the signal from one of the other hotels?
I play around a bit. Move my towel to the left. Score! Free hotel Wi-Fi!
But still no text from Jackson.
Hmph.
Should I be concerned that I slept with a guy and haven’t heard from him since? No. Maybe?
I check the picture I posted of me and Leela. Twenty-four people liked it. My sister isn’t one of them. Kat is. There’s also a comment from her. “You’re in the South of France?!”
Leela turns to me. “Are we doing it?”
“Doing what?”
“Taking off our tops!”
I look around self-consciously. “I feel like I’m in Girls Gone Wild: Croissant Edition.”
“We have to do it,” she says.
“Why?”
“Everyone else is! Even Sienna is.”
“You can do it without me,” I tell her.
“No way. Either both of us, or neither. We’re in this together, baby.”
“Okay, fine,” I grumble. “Let’s do it. But I’m going to be super subtle about it.” I lie on my stomach and carefully unhook the back of my top. There we go. It’s off. “Did it.”
“I can’t see your boobs,” she says. “That’s cheating. Turn around!”
I look over at her. “Your top is still on!”
“I’m taking it off. Don’t get your bikini bottoms in a twist.” She copies my move and lies on her stomach and unhooks her top. “Here we go,” she says. “We’ll flip on the count of three. One.”
“Two.”
“Three!” she squeals.
We turn over.
And see Matt and Jackson standing right in front of us.
Jackson is wearing a pale blue swimsuit, sunglasses, and no shirt. Ah, that smooth chest. I want to run my hands all over it.
Matt is in a green checkered suit and a white button-down.
The next few minutes play out like a horror movie. Leela screams. Loudly.
Lachlan and Yosef jump up.
Sienna yells, “What is it? Is it a bee?”
“What’s wrong?” Lachlan asks.
“It’s him!” Leela yells, pointing at Matt.
“Is there a problem?” Yosef asks, standing up. “He bothering you, Leela?”
Matt’s face clouds over. “What the hell? Who are these guys?”
At this point Eli, Gabriel, and Sienna are standing too.
Jackson steps closer to Matt.
“Al tid-ag,” Yosef says, and I have no idea what he means but his arms are spread protectively and everyone on the beach is staring.
“Les Américains sont fous,” says an old topless woman with a cigarette dangling from her wrinkled lips.
“Everyone calm down,” I say, standing up. Of course it’s only after I stand up and the Riviera breeze hits my breasts that I remember that I too am not wearing a top. Merde. It’s like I’m having that dream when your teacher calls on you in class and you start talking and you realize that you’re butt naked. Except this is actually happening and at least nine people are staring at my boobs. Including me.
“Hold on,” I say. I grab my towel and wrap it around myself, post-shower style. “Okay. That’s better. Everyone relax. Guys, these are our friends Matt and Jackson. We know them. Matt is Leela’s boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Leela snaps. “Definitely ex.” I expect her to put her shirt back on or grab a towel too, but she doesn’t. In fact, she lowers her hands so her boobs are at full attention. She smiles.
Matt just stares. He can’t look away.
They are pretty amazing boobs. Big yet perky. Naturally dark. Possibly the best on the beach, I’ll give her that. Maybe I should go on the pill.
“What are you doing here?” Leela asks him.
“What am I doing in Juan-les-Pins?” he asks.
“Yes!” she screams.
“What are you doing here? You never said you wanted to go to the South of France!”
“Neither did you!”
“We changed our plan. Jackson wanted to come.”
I look up at Jackson. He did?
Jackson blushes.
Did he change his plans to come here? To see me?
I think back to our messages. Did I tell him I was coming here before he told me he was? Yes. I did. That means he switched his plans. To see me.
I flush.
“Hi, Syd,” Jackson says.
“Hi, Jackson,” I say, smiling. “How have you been?”
“Pretty good,” he says, smiling back. “You?”
“Can’t complain.”
He’s wearing sunglasses, but I can still see his eyes.
“Can we join you guys?” he asks.
“Of course,” I say.
Leela says, “No!”
“We can go somewhere else,” Matt says quickly. “It’s a big beach.”
No! Stay! Don’t go! Jackson, I want you to rub lotion all over my topless body!
“Bye,” Leela says, turning her back on them.
“I guess we’ll see you later, then?” Jackson says as Matt storms off.
“Bye,” I say sadly.
He gives me a wave and follows his friend.
“That was unbelievable,” Leela says. She turns to me and lowers her voice. “Do you think he’s following me?”
“Huh?” I say.
“Do you think he saw my posts and came to try and get back together?”
“Maybe?” I say. I don’t want to burst her bubble and tell her the truth.
“He needs to get his shit together,” she says. “And leave me out of it. I’m done with him. Did he see the two guys who are basically fighting over me? I mean, come on. Lachlan could crush him with his super arms and Yosef could torture him to death. Matt’s a total tosser.”
“A tosser, huh?”
“Yes. Ugh. I don’t know what I ever saw in him.” She sits back down on her towel and lies on her back, boobs exposed. “I don’t even care if he’s here. I love France. He’s not going to ruin this for me. Nobody is.”
Okay, then. She sounds pretty adamant. The girl might protest too much, but if she says she’s fine, then that’s what I’ll go with.
I turn on my side. There’s already a message from Jackson.
That went well.
Ha! I type back.
Jackson: When can I see you again? Meet me in like thirty minutes by that big white hotel?
Me: The Ritz?
Jackson: Um . . . yes.
Me: Did you get us a room?
Jackson: That is a great idea. Should I try?
Me: I’m kidding! The rooms are probably five hundred euros a night.
Jackson: Yeah, but we only need it for an hour. So that’s twenty euros.
Me: I’m not sure the Ritz has hourly rates.
Jackson: Good point. OK, we’ll just meet there and then we’ll take a walk.
Me: Sounds good. Thirty minutes.
I see I missed another message. This one’s from Kat.
Kat: You’re in the South of France ????
Kat: I thought you were going to Switzerland!
Me: We were in Switzerland. Now we’re here!
Kat: OMG I love the South of France! Where are you?
Me: Juan-les-Pins.
Kat: I love that beach! I passed by a few summers ago when we went to St. Tropez!
Three dots. I wait.
Kat: ! When are you there until?
Me: Till . . . not sure!
Kat: I’m going to come meet you! Buying my ticket right now! See you soon!
Wait. What? Did that just happen?
Me: You’re coming? Here?
Kat: Yes! Alain is gone! I’m barely working anyway. I’ll just throw some stuff in a bag and go to the train station. Will be there by dinner! Try and get me a room wherever you are! K?
What am I supposed to say? No, don’t come? Yes, I know you let me and a perfect stranger stay at your gorgeous apartment but please don’t come to the same hotel as us in the South of France. My other best friend doesn’t want to share me.
Me: K!
Kat: So excited! See you soon!
Now what? I probably shouldn’t hit Leela with another surprise visitor. I sit up. “Um, Leela?”
“Mm-hm?”
“Remember that picture you made me post?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Kat liked it and now she’s getting on a train.”
She lowers her sunglasses. “She’s coming to Juan-les-Pins?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Now?”
She sighs. “Today just keeps getting better and better.”
“Sorry,” I say. “But I know something that will make you laugh. Look to your right.”
She sits up and looks to her right. There on a towel, is a man lying on his stomach wearing a thong banana hammock.
“Omigod, the string goes right up his butt.” She laughs. “You’re right. That is hysterical.”
Jackson and I make out by a juice bar.
“I want to take you for dinner tonight,” Jackson says.
“Like a date?”
“Exactly like a date.”
“But Kat is coming.”
“I know. She can hang with Leela,” he says.
“That is not going to go over well,” I say. “Okay, here’s the plan. You eat with Matt. I eat with the crew. Then we all meet up at some bar. She can’t blame me for going home with you if I meet you in a bar, right? She’s the one who set us up in the first place!”
“Absolutely,” he says. “You make perfect sense.” He kisses me again.
“I have to go back in two minutes.”
He pulls me against him. “Give me thirty minutes and let’s go to my room at the hotel.”
“Cool it, horndog,” I say. “Wait until tonight.”
His voice is low. “I can’t wait until tonight.”
“Oh, you’ll wait,” I say. I run my finger up his arm and then down the front of his smooth chest. I stop right before the elastic of his bathing suit. “See you later.”
“You’re leaving me?” he says, laughing. “I don’t think I can walk.”
I blow him a kiss, lower my sunglasses, and let him watch me walk away.
I’m waiting at the train station when Kat gets off, sunglasses perched on the top of her head. She’s wearing an off-the-shoulder yellow jumpsuit that I already know is going to annoy the hell out of Leela because it’s so perfect. She’s not wearing a backpack or rolling a suitcase. She’s holding a Louis Vuitton weekend bag.
“Hi!” she exclaims, throwing her arms around me. “I’m so glad I’m here. This is so fun! We’re going to have the best weekend.”
We catch up as we walk to the hotel. “Alain keeps texting me about you,” she says. “He’s obsessed. He really wants us to come to his place in Tuscany next week.”
“I . . . I can’t,” I say.
“What? Why not?” She lifts up her sunglasses. “Omigod, did you meet a guy?”
“Kind of,” I say.
“Kind of? Wait a sec. Someone from home?” Her eyes widen. “No. Wait. Is it that guy from Amsterdam?”
“Yes. Jackson. Leela’s ex’s friend. How did you guess?”
“I could tell you really liked him. Is he here?”
“Yes.”
“The ex too?”
“Yup,” I say.
“Is he back with Leela?” she asks. “Maybe that will get the stick out of her ass.”
“Kat!”
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m really trying with her because I know she’s your bestie, but she’s making it tough for me. That’s why I decided to come. I want her to like me.”
“You’re amazing,” I say, meaning it. “And you’re right. She has been a pain, but she’s been much better since we made these friends in Switzerland—you’re going to love them. And I really don’t know what to do about Jackson. I snuck back to the hotel to meet him last night!”
“No way.”
I blurt out the whole story. At first, I feel guilty spilling my guts to her when I’m basically keeping everything from Leela, but I have to talk to someone about all of this, and right now that person has to be Kat.
Her eyes are bright. “Love it. You’re like Romeo and Juliet!”
“Not quite.”
“Close enough. It’s so sexy! I’m so jealous! Maybe I should have some secret sex.”
“Kat!”
“I’m kidding. I wouldn’t. Swear. Gavin is the best. But this is great. I am totally going to help you. I love it. I have just the dress.”
We all meet up in the lobby at eight.
Somehow, Leela and Matt haven’t crossed paths at the hotel. Thank goodness we have bathrooms and showers in our rooms. Tiny bathrooms and showers, but still. No one wants to run into their ex in the bathroom. No one wants to run into the guy they just started sleeping with in the bathroom either.
“Hi!” says Kat to the Aussies. “I’m Syd’s friend from school. So great to meet you.”
“It’s good to meet you too,” Lachlan says.
“Yes,” says Yosef. “It is.”
Leela’s face squishes into an unpleasant expression.
“Hi,” says Eli. “Do you go to the University of Maryland, too?”
“Omigod!” I say. “Eli! This is my friend who I told you about. Her boyfriend is at the same camp as your girlfriend.”
“What?” squeals Kat. “No way! What’s her name?”
“Samantha,” he says.
“Is she the same Samantha who Gavin was color war captains with last week?”
He looks confused. “Oh! Yes, she was a color war captain. Wait, what’s your boyfriend’s name again?”
“Gavin.”
His forehead wrinkles. “I don’t remember her mentioning him.”
“It has to be her. How many color war captains named Sam can there be?”
“What does he do there?” Eli asks.
“He’s a sailing instructor,” Kat says. “What about Sam?”
“She’s a counselor for the little kids. Eight- and nine-year-olds.”
“He sleeps in a junior bunk too. That’s so funny! Such a small world!”
They continue talking as they walk up ahead and I fall back with Leela. “Everything okay?”
“Now it is,” she says. “As long as she stays with Eli and leaves me with my men, everything will be just fine.”
“You’re not a very good sharer,” I say.
“You speak the truth. Although I would be more than happy to share my men with you. Either one. You say the word. At least that would help me decide.”
“I’ll pass,” I say. “Enjoy them both.”
“Both? But why? They’re cute. Kiss one of them. You haven’t kissed anyone in, like, two cities.”
“Yeah,” I say, not looking at her. “I will have to look for some kissing opportunities.”
“Now you’re talking.”
I maneuver the seats so that she’s sitting between both of them for dinner. Eli sits next to Kat and I sit on the other side of her beside Sienna.
When we’re done with the meal, I ask, “So! Where to now?” I have already asked for the Wi-Fi password, so all I have to do is message him.
“To the bar,” Sienna says.
“Which bar?” I ask.
“There’s a beach bar a few blocks away that looks pretty happening,” Lachlan says.
“Do you know what it’s called?” I ask.
Lachlan shrugs. Apparently not.
“To the beach bar a few blocks away!” Sienna calls out. “Onward.”
I message Jackson that we’re on our way to the beach bar a few blocks away.
Jackson: Can you be more specific?
Me: I’ll find out more when we get there.
The crew makes about a hundred stops along the way, and the bar is more like fifteen blocks away, but finally we arrive.
There are tons of people sitting on loungy wicker chairs under red awnings outside. Since there doesn’t seem to be an empty table, we go inside where French rock music is blasting. A long wooden bar lines the room. “We made it!” Eli cries. “I was beginning to doubt this place’s existence.”
“Never doubt me,” Lachlan says. “I always deliver. Eventually.”
The bar does not have Wi-Fi. Crap. Now what?
“Can I borrow your phone?” I ask Kat. “You have 3G or 4G or whatever it’s called in France, right?”
“Yup,” she says.
I text the name of the bar, Le Chateau, to Jackson with a note that says, It’s me!
See you soon, he writes back.
I order a Kir Royale and try to appear nonchalant while I wait. I talk to everyone, but I’m not really listening. I’m watching the door. And waiting. And watching.
And then there he is.
My heart stops. And blows up again.
He’s here. He looks so good. Green shirt, dark jeans. His eyes are searching around the bar and then he sees me. He smiles.
“Hi,” he mouths.
“Hi,” I mouth back.
He looks away and slowly heads to the other end of the bar, with Matt behind him.
I take a sip. I want to see him again right now! But I can’t give myself away. I take another sip.
“Wanna take a walk?” Kat says to me.
“Hmm?”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “A walk? Check out the room?”
Leela is deep in conversation with Lachlan but I lean over and say to her, “We’re just taking a walk around the bar!”
She nods distractedly and we turn around the corner.
“Is he here?” Kat asks me.
“Yes.”
“Spectacular! Can’t wait to meet your man.”
“Just remember that Matt doesn’t know that Jackson knew I was here.”
She shakes her head. “This is all so twisted. I love it.”
We find the boys ordering beers.
“Hi, stranger,” Jackson says.
He pulls me toward him and I let my lips brush against his cheek. The kiss lingers a few seconds longer than it should.
He keeps his hand on my back.
“Hi,” I say.
“Can I get you a drink?”
“Have one already, thanks. This is my friend Kat. Kat, Jackson. And Matt.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kat says, smiling. “I’ve heard all about you.”
“She has,” I say.
Matt’s cheeks are sunburned. “What’s up,” he says. He looks from Jackson to me and then back to Jackson. “I guess I know why we had to come here. And to the South of France?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jackson says. Then he leans closer to me and whispers, “He’s on to me.”
“Where’s Leela?” Matt asks, craning his neck.
“On the other side of the bar,” I say.
“Is she with those guys?” he asks.
“She is.”
“Who the hell are they, anyway?” he barks, and takes another chug of his beer.
“People we met in Switzerland,” I say.
“You’re just hanging out with some random dudes you met in Switzerland?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say.
“So where are you from?” Kat asks. She is good at changing the subject and smoothing over awkwardness.
“He’s from Toronto, and I’m from Vancouver,” Jackson says. “But we go to McGill.”
“Oh, right,” Kat says. “I love Montreal. It’s so adorable!”
“You’re adorable,” Matt says, smiling.
I give him a look. “You’re not allowed to flirt with Kat. Just so we’re clear.”
Matt throws up his hands. “Why not? Leela can flirt with guys from who knows where, but I can’t tell your friend that she’s adorable?”
“I have a boyfriend anyway,” Kat says. “If that makes you feel better.”
“It doesn’t,” he says, and waves down the bartender. “I’m getting a shot. Who wants one?”
“No, thanks,” I say. Kat and Jackson shake their heads no.
“Four shots of vodka,” he orders.
“No, I said—” I try to protest.
“Don’t worry,” Jackson tells me, his hand still on my back. “He’ll do them on his own.”
“You sure you don’t want?” Matt asks when they come.
We all nod.
“All right. Then I’ll give them to my new friends.”
“Who are your new friends?” I ask, bewildered.
“Leela and her boyfriends,” he says, and starts carrying them through the room.
“I’ll go,” Kat says. “To make sure they don’t kill him. You guys have fun!”
They disappear in the crowd.
“That’s going to be trouble,” I say.
“Not our problem,” he says.
A minute later, we hear a cheer on the other side of the room and see them all raising their shot glasses. Including Leela. I guess the peace offering worked.
Jackson steps closer to me. “Can we get out of here yet?”
“Let’s go.”
We run out the door and down the beach. We find a white plastic beach chair that’s been left behind on the sand, and I sit back between his legs, resting against him, facing the ocean.
The breeze off the water kisses our faces.
“This is nice,” he says.
“Yup,” I say.
He plays with my hair and my body sinks into his.
“Syd . . .” he says. His voice trails off. “I like you.”
“I like you too,” I say.
“I don’t normally do this,” he says.
“Do what? Follow a girl across a continent?”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he says, and laughs.
“What do you mean?”
“I was going to surprise you . . . in Switzerland.”
“Huh? You were?”
“Yes. We took an overnight train from Prague. And I was about five minutes from Bern when I got your text saying you were on your way here.”
I sit up. “No way.”
He laughs. “Way.”
“So, you just got on another train?”
“We just got on another train.”
“That’s . . . that’s . . .” I don’t know what to say. Crazy? Romantic? Instead of saying anything, I turn around and kiss him hard on the lips. When I pull back, I say, “I’m glad you came.”
“Me too.”
I laugh again. “I just can’t believe you traveled all that way to see me.”
“I just thought, well, if I don’t do it then I might never see you again. And I wanted to see you again. At least for a few more days.”
I squeeze his hand again. “How did you get Matt to leave Switzerland?”
He smirks. “I told him it was too cold, and then I asked him if he wanted to see topless girls on the beach instead.”
“And that was enough?” I ask.
“Oh yeah.”
“Do you think he’s upset? Now that he figured it out?”
“Maybe. But he got to see topless girls, didn’t he?”
I elbow him in the stomach. “He did.”
“I think he misses Leela, too. He knows he messed up.”
“Twice.”
“Twice,” he repeats.
“How did you end up traveling with him, anyway?”
“It was last minute,” he says. “Matt said he was going and that I could crash with him.”
“Lucky,” I say. “What were you supposed to be doing?”
“Going back to Vancouver. Working for my dad.”
“He’s a doctor, right?”
“Podiatrist.”
“You turned down taking care of feet to come to Europe? Shocking!”
He looks out at the water. “He’s pretty pissed off, actually.”
“Oh.” I squeeze his hand. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I just wanted to get as far from home as possible,” he says. “I couldn’t spend the whole summer there.”
“Do you guys not get along?” I ask.
“Not really,” he says. “I’m not the favorite son.”
“Who is?”
“My older brother Jonathan. He’s the golden boy. Seriously. My dad actually calls him Golden Boy.”
“What’s your middle brother’s name?”
“Aidan. My dad calls him Silver Boy.”
“And what does that make you? Bronze Boy?”
He shakes his head. “Pewter Boy.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“That’s awful,” I say, horrified.
“They all think it’s hilarious. They think I’m the family fuckup. Remember, I’m the one who kills frogs.”
“I’m going to call you Platinum Boy,” I say. “Platinum’s even better than gold.”
“What’s your sister like?” he asks.
“I think she hates me right now,” I say. “Since I kind of ran away from home, too.”
“Yeah, well, it sounds like you needed a break from your family.”
I tense. “I came because your friend pulled a number on my friend, remember? Not because I needed a break.”
“You didn’t need a break? From everything you’ve told me, it sounds like you needed a break.”
“I . . . I guess I did need a break,” I admit.
He pulls me closer to him. “Maybe it will be good for your mom,” he says. “You being away. Not having you to depend on all the time.”
“Maybe,” I say. “Or maybe everything will go to shit.”
“Also possible,” he says.
I laugh.
“Hey,” he says. “Let’s go to Monte Carlo.”
“Huh? What? When?”
“Tomorrow,” he says.
“Just for the day?”
“Yes. The two of us. We’ll take the train out in the morning and come back at night.”
“But what will I tell Leela?”
“That you’re going with me for the day. She’ll understand.”
I doubt that. But it’s my trip, too. And maybe it would be good for her and Kat to have some one-on-one time?
We hear loud talking and laughing down the beach. In English.
“Is that them?” I ask.
“I think so.”
The whole crew of them, including Leela and Matt, spot us at the same time.
The Aussies start hooting. “It’s the lovebirds! We found them!”
“Well, hello,” Leela says, wiggling her eyebrows. “Unfinished business, I guess?”
She winks at me and I realize I’m relieved she’s not mad.
“We’re going swimming!” Gabriel says.
“They’re wasted,” I say.
“Yes,” Jackson says, still holding me on his lap.
“But we don’t have our suits on,” Leela says.
“So we go without suits,” Lachlan says. “Come on, guys. Let’s do it!”
“Do you think it’s cold?” Kat asks.
“I’m not sure I want to do this,” Eli says.
“We’re all being such wimps!” Sienna screams.
Without saying a word, Yosef drops his pants and boxers. He tosses off his shirt. He’s walking to the shore butt naked.
“Omigod,” Leela says.
“I’m coming, too!” cries Sienna, and tosses off her dress.
Kat giggles like crazy, and steps out of her jumpsuit. She leaves on her bra and thong. “Come on!” she says to Leela, who hesitates before squealing and following her. This is crazy. How many shots did they have?
Lachlan, Gabriel, and Eli go next.
Leela turns to me. “Sydney, you better get in here!”
I stand up.
“Are we doing this?” Jackson asks.
“We are.”
I take off my dress, but leave on my bra and polka-dot undies, and run down the beach. I hear Jackson behind me. I dive into the water and know he’s with me.
I put my arms around his neck. “Hi,” I say.
“You look good wet,” he says.
I kiss him, hard. “You taste good wet. Salty.”
“Matt! You’re the only chickenshit. You better get in here!” Leela cries.
“It looks cold!” he says.
“Don’t be a baby!” Leela yells. “What happened to no regrets?”
He strips off his jeans. He hesitates before taking his shirt off, but then he does that too. I remember what Leela said about his chest. I can see a small indentation where the muscle should be but I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn’t been told.
“Real men take it all off,” Gabriel yells. Matt strips off his boxers too.
“Geronimo!” he shrieks as he runs into the water.
The water is calm and we all splash and laugh until a few minutes later someone starts yelling at us in French. Giggling and shivering, we grab our clothes and make our way back to La Lune.
“You can have my room,” Kat says to me as we walk back.
“Really?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’ll sleep in your bed. Go have fun.”
“You’re the best,” I say. I contemplate asking Leela if she’s okay with it, but technically she did the same thing to me back in London. So I think it’s fair.
I pull Jackson by the hand. “I got us a room,” I say.
“Is it by the hour?” he asks.
“It is not. We have the whole night.”
“We are going to have to think of a whole lot of activities to fill the whole night,” he says.
“I think we can swing it,” I say, and lead him up the stairs.
When we wake up the next morning, I have nine messages.
Leela: You gave Kat your bed?
Leela: Seriously?
Leela: She’s your friend, not mine!
Leela: Whatever. It’s fine. Hope you’re having fun.
Leela: You owe me!
Leela: You up yet? What are we doing today?
Leela: Should I wait for you?
Leela: I’m going to wait for you.
Leela: I’m in the room. Waiting for you.
“Morning,” Jackson says, kissing me on the lips.
“I have morning breath,” I tell him.
“So do I,” he says. “Want to get some breakfast and then we’ll look at the train schedule for Monte Carlo?”
I look down at my phone. Leela is clearly freaking out. And she would want to see Monte Carlo, too. And it’s not really fair to leave her with Kat, is it? Kat is my friend, not Leela’s. “About that . . . how would you feel about a group date?”