We pulled into the uneven parking lot just in time. Narrowly avoiding several rocks sticking out of the dusty, red dirt ground. The sign hanging above a plain, one story building was crooked, painted white letters reading: Kona Valley Excursions. At least we knew we were in the right place.

    More importantly, however....

    SHE DIDN'T HAVE A BOYFRIEND!

    She didn't have a boyfriend. She didn't have a boyfriend. She didn't have a boyfriend.

    I had had to keep my explosive elation in check when she'd said those words. I think I did a pretty good job...mostly.

    Sophia was not dating the stupid blond guy on her lock screen. He had his arm around her, but she was not dating him. He was not her boyfriend.

    Neither are you, you giant oaf.

    That was besides the point! I had a chance now. A real chance.

    Thank god. For a moment, when I'd seen that name flash across her phone screen, Tommy Larsen, I'd thought that was the end. Tommy Larsen.

    What a stupid name.

    Tommy Larsen.

    I bet that was the stupid blond guy. He looked like a Tommy Larsen.

    Was I being spiteful? Yes.

    Did he deserve it? Probably not

    Was I going to continue doing it because I was insanely jealous of him? Undoubtedly.

    I turned the key, sliding it out of the ignition, "We made it."

    Beside me, Sophia's knee jiggled up and down, her teeth digging into her lower lip with ferocity. Stop looking at her lips, Jake. The anxiety was plain on her features, fingers drumming on the upholstered seat. She hadn't touched her bagel. I'd sensed a change in her mood when she'd wanted me  to drive, but I'd managed to keep her distracted for most of the trip.

    That is, until we started nearing the excursion place. The closer we got, the more her knee moved. I wondered what she was nervous about. Well— I had some idea. She didn't really strike me as the type of person to work at a job such as this one. It seemed more her sister's speed.

    I wanted to help her. I was trying to help her. Talking to her had proved effective for the most part.

    What I really wanted was to take her hands and mine and hold them until they stilled. To place a calming hand on her thigh and let her lean her head on my shoulder. Fuck, I was so utterly and completely screwed.

    A whole summer.

    I had the whole summer.

    I hopped out of the vehicle, shutting the door soundly. Sophia's car door was open, but she sat planted in her seat.

    "Sophia?" I ventured, coming around to her side.

    "Hey," she said, unmoving.

    "You okay?"

    Sophia nodded, "Fine. Fine." She tucked her hair behind her ears, then untucked it. There it was again. "Fine."

    I peered at her closely, my words wry, "You realize the more you say fine, the less I believe you. Right?"

    The icy blue stare she gave me after that comment could have withered plants. It was sort of hot. Fine. It was really hot. Which I suppose was a bit of an oxymoron, if you thought about it. Seeing as I'd just described her stare as "icy".

    If I was a better poet I could probably use that, write something like: Eyes of ice, blue and piercing. But I melt at her glance. Or something. Hey, I didn't take AP Lit for nothing.

    I held out my hand to help her hop out of the truck, her feet hitting the ground and sending up a plume of dust. Sophia looked up at me, arms folded. Her head barely met the top of my shoulder.

    "How you feeling now?" I asked, biting back a smile.

    "Piqued." She slung her backpack over her shoulder, then added with a small twist of her lips, "At you."

    I whistled lowly, "Nice vocab, Miss Murder Mystery."

    "Don't sound so surprised."

    We'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm again, bantering with one another. Walking as we talked, the sun already beating down on the back of my neck. It was so bloody hot here, honestly.

    "Piqued, huh?" We continued down the dirt trail, "That better than nervous?"

    "I never said I was nervous." Sophia lifted her chin.

    I raised an eyebrow at her. Even a person without my skill set could have deduced that she was at least somewhat anxious.

    "Shut up, Sherlock," she grumbled at my skeptical expression.

    "Better or worse, Randall?"

    "Better," she paused, "marginally."

    I glanced at her, hoping she couldn't see the obvious pleasure on my face, "Glad I could help."

    The two of us came upon a small group of young people, all gathered in what was almost circle, but a slightly misshapen one. Most of the people looked to be around our age, if slightly older.

    There was a man near the center carrying a wooden crate, he seemed to be the authority. At least, to me. He was more than a few years older, with a scruffy beard and longish brown hair, tied back in a bun. He was dressed in cargo shorts, with a walkie talkie poking out of one of the pockets. Yup. Definitely the one in charge, although he did appear to be having trouble gaining control over this situation.

    "There," I pointed the man out to Sophia.

    She cocked her head, "What?"

    "That's our boss for the summer," I explained. He looked nice enough. Maybe around his late twenties. Though that wide brimmed hat was a lot to take in.

    Sophia opened her mouth, "How—?" She broke off, shaking her head.

    I winked.

    "Maybe this talent of yours isn't so annoying."

    "It has its perks," I replied, running a hand through my hair. We both shielded our eyes from the blinding sun as we stopped walking. Silently, I wished I'd brought my baseball cap. Dumbass. I was going to be a lobster by ten in the morning at this rate. "For instance," I continued, "right now I can tell that you're still nervous because you keep untucking and tucking your hair behind your ear."

    Immediately, Sophia clasped her hands together tightly behind her back, cheeks pink, "I will neither confirm nor deny that statement."

    "You don't have to." I threw her a shit eating grin, preening, "I know I'm right."

    Sophia let out a small huff of indignation, nostrils flaring.

    I nudged her conspiratorially, murmuring in her ear, "Don't worry. It's cute." And it really was.

    It might've just been my imagination, in fact, there was a high probability it was only my imagination. But— her complexion had darkened, ever so slightly. Blushing. Sophia was blushing. Because of me.

    It was hard to contain myself when I was this near to her. Why oh why had I chosen to whisper in her ear? She smelled like roses, and up close I could see that she too had a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose. My heart thudded loudly in my ears. God, she was pretty.

    The guy who I'd deduced was our boss stepped atop the crate. "Good morning everyone!" the man up front shouted, hands cupped around his mouth to amplify his voice. "How are we doing? Let me hear some excitement!"

    There were some claps and "woohoos" from the crowd, everyone participating surprisingly well. There were even a few foot stampings.

    Sophia managed a half hearted, "Yay," sarcasm evident.

    "That was weak, Randall," I muttered teasingly.

    Silently, and with her eyes still trained on the man before us, she calmly flipped me off.

    "Classy."

    Sophia elbowed me in the ribs. "Ow!" I pouted.  She giggled softly, pleased. I loved making her laugh, whatever the expense.

    The man was still speaking, "My name is Otis Hall, and I'll be your director and coordinator of all excursions. I've held this job for five years, and I know some of you. Seeing those familiar faces." There were some cheers. "However, we do have a lot of newcomers this year, so let me explain how this works..."

    Otis continued to yammer on about safety protocols and scheduling, and how the entire week would go. To be honest, I wasn't really listening. I was preoccupied. Extremely preoccupied. And watching Sophia was far more enjoyable than whatever this guy was saying. How important could it be really?

    "...potentially fatal and you must exercise caution when..."

    Okay, maybe a little important. But certainly not as important as memorizing the way Sophia's collarbone smoothed into her skin, the slender curve of it just visible above her striped tank top. Or the softness of the mid morning light on her dark hair, loose strands framing her face as they drifted out of her ponytail.

    She was focused, paying attention, I could tell by the way her lips pressed together. Just as well, too, one of us ought to be informed. I really should stop looking at her lips. Thinking about her lips. They were a great distraction, really. And an unhealthy one at that.

    "And our final day of training will entail the zip lines and..."

    Zip lines. That sounded fun. All of it sounded fun, actually. Zip lining, horseback riding, giant hikes, ropes courses, and ATV's.  There was a reason I'd been so interested in this place. It fulfilled all my daredevil needs.

    I glanced briefly at Sophia, wondering if she was excited as I was. Zip lining very day? Come on, who wouldn't love that?

    Sophia.

    Apparently, Sophia would not love that.

    Her face was pale, and blanching even paler by the second, and her teeth had sunk into the flesh of her inner cheek. She was nearly white as a sheet.

    I frowned, wondering what was the matter. What could she possibly be worried about now? I didn't want to pry, but I also desperately wanted to figure it out. I was supposed to be good at this. I was usually good at this. Sophia made me forget all of that, though.

    "That's all for now," Otis was finishing up, stepping off of his crate. "I encourage you to meet your fellow employees and I will hand out schedules in a moment. Go on. Mingle."

    I didn't really want to meet anyone. No. Scratch that. I was very friendly. I liked meeting people lots. I didn't want Sophia to meet anyone. Particularly anyone she might find more interesting than me, or attractive. I wanted to keep her to myself, just a little while longer.

    Selfish.

    "Jake."

    I was very very selfish, and I could not seem to put a stop to my unseemly behavior.

    "Jake," Sophia repeated, waving a hand in front of my face. "Earth to Sherlock."

    "Wha— oh— hey," I shook my head, ridding myself of my constant stream of internal thoughts. I must've been zoning out to the extreme.

    She smiled, amused, "Hi."

    "Sorry— I was—," I didn't have an end to my sentence. I'd already lost myself in those damning blue eyes of hers.

    "You were...?" Sophia tilted her head, even more amused, if possible.

    I blinked, but still could not tear my eyes away from hers, "I— don't— know."

    "Okay," she laughed, "well, while you figure that out, I think we're supposed to—" she put air quotes around this, "mingle."

    "Have you ever spoken that word aloud before?" I asked, already knowing the answer. She said it like she had just eaten a mouthful of something rotten.

    "No, I can't say I have."

    "I had a feeling."

    Sophia folded her arms over her chest, defensive, "What's that supposed to mean?"

    I  put my hands up innocently, shrugging, "You just don't strike me as the sort of person who takes pleasure in meeting people."

    "Oh, and how would you know that?" Sophia lifted her chin primly.

    I just gave her a look, smile creeping up my cheeks, "Sophia."

    "What?!" she cried out indignantly. She conceded, "Okay so maybe I wasn't super outgoing on the plane, but—"

    I nearly laughed aloud. "Super outgoing?! You scooted so far into your window seat that if you went any farther you'd be on the wing of the plane. I mean— you pretended to fall asleep just so you wouldn't have to talk to me."

    "I did not pretend to fall asleep!" Sophia protested. She knew she was caught, though I had to appreciate her effort. "At first— yes, but then I actually fell asleep.  On your shoulder, remember?" she reminded me wryly, "I wouldn't have done that if I was pretending, I assure you."

    "I do remember that," I murmured, more to myself than to her. "I definitely remember that." In fact, the memory was enough to set my heart pounding again.

    I held her gaze, a momentary silence falling over us.

    Her cheeks darkened, and she quickly argued, "In my defense, you could have been a creep. Or boring. Or both." Sophia gestured, "I thought you were—"

    "A stereotypical dumb jock," I finished for her, with a raise of my eyebrows.

    She nodded, rephrasing, "I wasn't expecting any sort of stimulating conversation, yes."

    "Did I surpass those expectations?"

    "I was pleasantly surprised."

    "Pleasantly?" I felt my entire face light up, and my back straightened. Pleasantly was a good word. Pleasantly was a great word.

    "I was surprised," Sophia corrected herself, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

    "HI!" A high pitched exclamation interrupted our little exchange, as a petite bundle of jet black pigtails came bounding into view. Following, much more calmly behind was a guy, with black shaggy hair that fell over his forehead and tanned skin. His arms and legs were weathered, like he spent a lot of time outside. He'd had the sense to wear a baseball cap. Both had identical almond eyes, and matching dimples in either cheek, and I knew at once they were related.

    Though their mannerisms were entirely different. Where he was mellow and deliberate, she was a frenzied ball of energy, even more evident when the girl began speaking to us at warp speed.

    "I'm Maia!" She told us excitedly, pumping each Sophia's and my hand with commendable strength. She was practically bouncing.

    Sophia taken aback, managed a wave, "Hi." Maia was sill chattering away.

    She jabbed a thumb at the guy who I'd deduced was her brother. At the moment, I was leaning towards twin brother. They looked far too similar and far too close in age to be anything but.

    "This lump is Kai, but he's pretty boring," Maia grinned evilly up at him, and he rolled his eyes. He was used to this, exasperation plain as day on his features. "We worked here last year too so if you have any questions we can totally answer them. Just ask us! Or me— I'm more fun. Otis is a weirdo but he's an alright boss and— Oh! Also we live here, our family owns a restaurant in town— so we know all the best spots to eat and the best beaches and—"

    "Breathe Maia," Kai shook her by the shoulders. "Jesus, these poor people. You're scaring them off. I'm so sorry, she should come with a warning."

    Maia promptly socked him in the shoulder, "Shut up, Kai! I am not! I apologize for his behavior, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted—."

    "You haven't even asked them their names yet, Maia."

    "I was just about to, Kai."

    "I'm Jake," I interjected hastily. I had a distinct feeling they could go at it like this forever. "Nice to meet you."

    "Sophia," Sophia said, then added, "but you can call me Soph."

    "Oh they can call you Soph, huh?" I threw her a dramatically affronted look, purposely giving her a hard time. In truth, it made me feel sorta special.

    She shoved me lightly, "Hush, you."

    "How old are you guys?" Maia questioned, beaming.

    "18."

    "Thank god!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. "They pair us according to age usually, so it helps to know who you might end up leading groups with before hand. This is going to be so much fun! Don't get me wrong, the people we were with last year were fine, this chick from Indiana and her lame ass cousin, but they were also dull as rocks and—,"

    "Darla and Bill were perfectly nice," Kai pacified.

    "Darla and Bill?" Sophia repeated, wrinkling her nose.

    Maia tapped the side of her head, "Precisely my point, Sophia. Well unfortunately I have to break the news that you're going to be stuck with Kai as well, because believe it or not we're—"

    "Twins." I knew it. My instincts never fail.

    "Yeah..." Maia replied, caught off guard. "But I bet you can't guess which one of us is—"

    "You're older," I responded, not hesitating in the slightest. "Or born first, I suppose. And everyone always thinks he's older because he appears more mature, also he's much taller. But really, they should know you're older because you're the one calling all the shots. In fact, you've probably been bossing him around since the womb."

    Both Maia and Kai were stunned into silence, blinking at me in disbelief, mouths hanging open.

    Sophia shook her head at me, snickering "Now look who's scaring people off. We are not going to make any friends at this rate, Sherlock."

    "Okay," Maia had finally regained her voice, "that was some seriously creepy shit."

    "It's not creepy!" I objected. "It's observation."

    "Is that what your lawyer tells you to say?" Sophia peered at me, teasing.

    Kai snorted, and Maia giggled, slapping her a high five, "I knew I was going to like you, Sophia!"

    "I feel very attacked in this moment," I sniffed..

    Kai patted me on the back, "You get used to it."

    The four of us talked for quite a bit, joking while Maia and Kai filled us in on all the important tidbits of the Kona Valley Excursions. The people they knew, the ones they liked and disliked, and the best activities to get assigned to. The worst ones. This was all in between their squabbling of course. Sophia and Maia were getting along famously already, something seems to have just clicked. Kai had a dry wit about him, and I could tell he was a decent guy. I liked both of them, and I was immensely looking forward to getting to know them better.

    That is, as long as Kai wasn't interested in Sophia. More importantly, that Sophia wasn't interested in Kai. Then we might have some issues. Again, this was horrible behavior on my part, and I was failing at curbing it. I promise I was not ordinarily this insanely jealous. I'd like to think I was pretty good natured, not possessive by any means.

    We were discussing training week now, and Sophia had grown quiet at the mention of the more adventurous activities we were to embark upon.

    "I can annoy you again if you want," I told her, when I noticed her fingers itching to fiddle with the gold chain around her neck.

    "Oh, don't worry about that," Sophia smirked. "You got it covered already."

    I clutched my chest in mock hurt, staggering backwards. "Sophia!" I exclaimed dramatically, "I'm wounded."

    "Set me up for that one, Sherlock," she lifted a devilish shoulder. "C'mon."

    Maia pressed a hand to her heart, sighing, "You guys are so cute together. How'd you meet?"

    Sophia practically choked on her own saliva, sputtering, "What—? We— no— we're not— we don't— he's not— and I—"

    Well, that was not the reaction I'd hoping for.

    "We're— um— we're not together," I scratched my head sheepishly.

    "Oh— sorry," Maia apologized, a little surprised, "I just thought— well it seemed like..."

    "We actually just met," Sophia cleared her throat, having recovered. "On the plane here. He was seated next to me, and we got delayed, and...yeah."

    "You just met?!" Maia's jaw dropped. "No fucking way."

    "Fucking way," I nodded. "Oh and just so you know, when we first met she was not hostile or judgmental at all."

    "And he was definitely not creepy or overly friendly."

    "Hey, who fell asleep on who?" Sophia elbowed me in the ribs for that comment. "Ow!"

    "Randall, Sophia?" The call came over a loudspeaker. "Randall, Sophia, would you please report to the office to receive your uniform, supplies, and schedule?"

    "I'll be back in a sec," Sophia said, walking up the dirt path. As she went, she called out, "Don't let him fill your head with lies about me!"

    "I won't be lying," I called back, grinning as I watched her go. God, she was beautiful. I really shouldn't stare. I just couldn't—

    "Oh my god! Jake, you like Sophia!" Maia burst out, like she couldn't contain herself any longer. Now it was my turn to choke.

    "Maia!" Kai flicked her arm.

    She put her hands on her hips, "What? It's true." She gushed, "You're in love with her, right? Right? You are actually experiencing love at first sight? Or at least like at first sight. Tell me I'm right. I'm right, aren't I?"

    "I— what— no— I mean— no— I don't..." I trailed off, guilty. Was I really that obvious?

    "You are so crushing!"

    "Don't get involved in their business Maia, we just met them," Kai chastised. Then he paused, glancing at me, "But— dude you totally like her."

    You totally like her.

    Crap.