Summer break. We went whitewater rafting in Georgia. The raft flipped. Me and Jason—the class pretty boy—both went under. Chloe, my childhood friend, swam straight for him, letting the current take me. The safety patrol guy who fished me out, an older dude named Bud, clapped my shoulder. "Kid, I saw the whole thing. That kind of girl ain't worth it. Don't you worry, I'll go snag you a pretty one." With that, he snagged the campus ice queen, Maya, and plopped her right into my lap. I... what? I looked at her cold, perfect face and panicked, trying to shove her off. The next second, I heard a weird voice. 【Why is he pushing me away? Does he like them stacked? He probably can't tell under this life jacket.】 Before I could react, Maya started unzipping her windbreaker. I instinctively grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?" She blinked, her expression blank. "Hot." Hot my ass. You're lucky if you're not hypothermic. I almost said it out loud, but one look at her stunning face and I swallowed the words. I still couldn't believe it. I’d just verified I was hearing her thoughts, but this was Maya. She was famously cold. She didn't talk to anyone. I heard some guy chased her for months and she never said a single word to him. Another dude bought her breakfast every day for a week, and she just stared him down until he walked away, totally humiliated. Thinking of that, I looked at my hand, still clamped on her wrist. Oh god. Is she going to kick me back into the river? I yanked my hand back like I'd been burned. "Uh, you should keep that on," I coughed. "It gets cold on the water." Maya slowly zipped the jacket back up and gave a single, curt nod. "Hm." 【Is he worried about me?】 【He's so cute. He didn't even notice his shoe fell off.】 A second later, a pale, slender hand was holding a white Croc out to me. "You dropped this." I looked down. My right foot was bare. After a beat of silence, I gave her an awkward laugh, took the shoe, and mumbled my thanks. She just nodded. Another thought popped into my head. 【So happy! He smiled at me! And said thank you!】 Okay. It's official. I can read her mind. Just then, Bud paddled over, grinning. "So, kid, what'd I tell you? Pretty good eye, right? I scoped out this whole batch of rafters. She's the prettiest one on the river. You like her?" I instinctively glanced at her—pale skin, sharp features that looked almost exotic, and a figure that was... well, yeah. Who wouldn't like that? I swallowed, but when I met her cold, indifferent gaze, I immediately looked away. "Aw, don't be shy," Bud laughed, slapping my back. "I'll help you out." He turned to Maya. "Hey, little lady, you got a boyfriend?" Maya blinked, glanced at me, and then slowly shook her head. Bud lit up. He pointed at me. "How 'bout this fella? I think you two would make a real cute couple." I shot up, ready to tell this crazy matchmaker to back off. But a clear, cold voice cut me off. "Okay." I... what? Did she eat paint chips as a kid? I stared at her, my eyes wide. She looked back at me, that same icy expression... but with a tiny flicker of confusion. 【Why isn't he saying yes? Am I not pretty enough to be his girlfriend?】 I almost choked. Lady, do you hear yourself? You're the campus queen of our university. If YOU'RE not pretty enough... Ugh, it's me. I'm not worthy, okay? "I lost my baby! Can anyone help me find my baby?" We had drifted into a calm patch, and other rafts were catching up. A woman in one of them was yelling frantically. Someone on another raft called back, "Ma'am, it's just a shoe! You can buy a new one!" The woman, who I now recognized as Maya's mom, Sharon, waved her hands. "No, not my shoe, my baby! My daughter! The rapids separated us..." Everyone went quiet. "Have any of you," she yelled, "seen a tall, gorgeous girl in a black windbreaker?" I looked at Maya, sitting right in front of me. Tall, gorgeous, black windbreaker. "...Uh," I ventured, "is she... looking for you?" Chapter 2 Maya glanced at her mom's raft, then turned back to me. "Yes." Well, are you going to say something? Your mom is having a panic attack! When she just sat there, I waved. "Ma'am! Over here! She's here!" Sharon’s raft paddled over, and she almost cried with relief. "Maya, baby, I was so worried! I've been looking everywhere!" Maya just frowned. "I can swim." "I don't care, I was terrified! Why didn't you answer your phone?" "Waterproof bag leaked. It's dead." She blankly held up the waterlogged phone. After another minute of fussing, Sharon told Maya to come back to her raft. Bud, our captain, looked between me and Maya, shaking his head in disappointment. But then, Maya spoke, loud and clear. "No. I'm not coming back. Your raft flips too easily." I... what? Our raft also flipped. Like, ten minutes ago. We all went in. Bud just fished us out. All three of us—me, Bud, and Sharon—were completely baffled. Then, I heard it. 【No way am I going back! I swam so hard to get here. Besides, Bud's not done matchmaking. He hasn't even answered if he wants to be my boyfriend yet!】 My jaw dropped. Holy crap. I thought Bud just randomly snagged her. She swam to us. And hearing that "boyfriend" part... my face started to feel hot. Sharon’s eyes darted from Maya to me, and then back. Suddenly, her face lit up with understanding. "Oh! Well! You kids have fun!" she chirped, and ordered her guide to paddle away, not looking back once. Just as her mom left, Chloe's raft drifted over. She was still holding onto Jason, who looked soaked and miserable. When Chloe saw me, she immediately let go of Jason. "Leo! Why are you on their boat? Come back, I saved you a spot!" She even shuffled over to make room. Maya, who had been scooping water out of our raft with a ladle, froze. I shot Chloe a glare. "No thanks. Wouldn't want to break up your romantic moment." Chloe's face turned red. "What is that supposed to mean? You're just mad I saved him instead of you, aren't you?" "Yep," I said, without hesitation. She looked at me, completely disappointed. "I can't believe you're being so petty, Leo. You know I'm the class president! It's my responsibility to help a classmate who's in trouble. I was coming to find you right after, I just... couldn't see where you went." I was so angry I grabbed my water gun and shot her in the face. "Easy for you to say! You weren't the one left to drown!" If I could swim, I would have jumped onto her raft and pushed her in. Jason, seeing the drama, started his victim act. "Chloe... it's all my fault. Don't fight. I'll just... I'll just go." Chapter 3 Chloe immediately grabbed him. "No, Jason, don't go!" She turned back to me. "Leo, don't you dare regret this! I..." I cut her off by blasting her with the water gun again. "Get lost!" The stream hit her right in the head. Before she could yell, I took off my other Croc, snatched the ladle from Maya's hand, and threw them both at her. Jason, naturally, got hit by the spray. He looked like he was about to cry. But Chloe was too busy shrieking as I pelted her to comfort him. I was still furious, looking for more ammo. Bud, seeing the look in my eye, quickly hid his own super-soaker behind his back. "Not this one, son. It's for my granddaughter." I turned, disappointed, only to see Maya holding out... another water gun and a pair of pink women's Crocs. I broke into a huge grin, grabbed my new weapons, and let them have it. Finally, they paddled away as fast as they could, defeated. After the battle, we drifted on. I looked down and saw Maya's bare feet, already pale from the cold water. The guilt hit me. "Hey, I'm sorry I threw your shoes. I'll buy you a new pair." She looked up, and the corner of her mouth twitched. "It's fine. Don't worry about it." Wait. Was that... a smile? I rubbed my eyes. I must have been angrier at Chloe than I thought. I was hallucinating. Bud just roared with laughter. "Hah! Pay her back? Kid, you just wait 'til we get to the end. There's a mountain of lost shoes." Just then, his expression turned serious. "Hold on! Rapids ahead!" A huge wave slammed into us. I lost my balance and pitched forward, right into Maya's lap, instinctively grabbing her waist to steady myself. When the raft settled, I scrambled to get off her, but she just... wrapped her arms around my back and held on, burying her face in my chest. Seeing my confused look, she said, "Waves are big. Just holding on." A light, fresh scent, like watermelon, hit me. My face went beet-red. I awkwardly put my arms around her, holding her steady. 【Oh my god. I'm hugging Leo. I'm never washing my hands again.】 You're so weird, I thought. A series of waves hit us, one after another. I stopped thinking and just held her tight, shielding her. Maya had one arm around my waist and the other gripping the raft, but her smile was getting wider and wider. We finally cleared the rapids and floated into the mid-point rest area. I didn't realize we'd stopped. Maya was still tucked into my chest, holding on tight. Bud docked the raft, looked at us tangled together, and grinned. He gave Maya a subtle thumbs-up, which she saw, and then he quietly hopped off the raft. I looked down. Maya was just... staring up at me, her eyes soft and... warm. She was gently stroking my back. A few more seconds passed before I realized the water was calm. "Uh... I think we're here." I looked up and met her gaze. She was staring, unblinking. 【He's so cute. I really want to kiss him.】 My heart skipped a beat. My face felt like it was on fire. I yelped and scrambled out of her arms. After a second, I looked back. Her face was as cold and impassive as ever. ...I must have misheard that. Yeah. No way she was thinking that. We walked up to the snack bar. Remembering her phone was dead, I offered to pay. She didn't refuse. We were lucky—we got the last two Cup Noodles. But as I paid, the last two people I wanted to see walked in. Chloe and Jason. They were here for noodles, but the shelf was empty. Chloe spotted the two cups in my hand and marched over, holding out her hand. "Give me one. Jason's cold. He needs something hot." Chapter 4 "You're insane." I just walked around her. Chloe lunged, trying to grab them. I instinctively pulled Maya behind me. Maya... smiled. She put one arm around my waist, holding me, and used her other hand to shove Chloe hard. Chloe went sprawling. Wow. She's amazing. I gave her a thumbs-up. Her lips twitched again. She shifted slightly, blocking Chloe's death glare. 【Leo looks impressed. I wonder if I get a reward?】 A reward? How about an extra hot dog? I silently handed her one of the noodle cups and both of the hot dogs I'd bought. 【He gave me two... is this... a hint?】 I immediately snatched one of the hot dogs back. Maya’s face fell as she looked at her empty hand, and she shot me a wounded look. Jason, red-faced, was helping Chloe up. "It's okay, Chloe. I don't need anything hot. Cold is fine." I was so done. I grabbed Maya's hand and started walking away. Maya’s mind exploded: 【AAAAH! LEO'S HOLDING MY HAND! HE INITIATED IT! I'M NEVER WASHING THIS HAND! EVER!】 I almost choked on my own spit. Lady, you are SO WEIRD. Seeing me tow Maya away, Chloe lost it. She scrambled up, pointing at my back. "Leo! If you walk away right now, you are not getting a ride home in my car!" God, I wanted to smash the Cup Noodles over her head. But... food. I paused, and she took it as a win. "This place is in the middle of nowhere! You'll never get a signal for an Uber!" I snorted. "Fine! I don't need your ride! I'll go live in the woods!" I pulled Maya toward the tables. I'd only just realized how obnoxious Chloe was. Our parents were old friends, so we grew up together. They'd always pushed us toward each other, and since she was usually nice, I'll admit I kind of had a crush on her. This trip killed that. Dead. As I was fuming, Maya's cool voice came from behind me. "You can ride with me." Wow. She really was a lifesaver. I spun around and grabbed her hands. "Thank you! You're the best!" Maya coughed, pulling her hands free. Her ears were bright red. I guess the legendary ice queen... was actually pretty cute. We'd just finished our noodles when the sky opened up. A torrential downpour. A staffer ran out: "Attention! This storm's settling in! All rafting is canceled for the day! You can hike back to the entrance or find lodging nearby!" Maya and I agreed: find a room. We dashed to the nearest guesthouse, only to be told they had one room left. We stood at the counter, completely stuck. "Look, today's a bust. Every place on this mountain is booked," the clerk said, eyeing us. "You two are a couple, right? Just share. If you don't take it, someone else will." Just then, Chloe walked down the stairs. She smirked at me. "Leo. If you apologize, I'll consider letting you have my extra room." I couldn't stand her smug look. I slammed my ID on the counter. "We'll take it. We're sharing."
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