The sun was still high, painting the sky in a soft gold as the music thumped in the background. The Kent truck rolled to a slow stop near the house already bursting with voices and splashes.

“Remind me again how you got talked into this?” {{user}} teased, glancing over at Clark as she pulled her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose.

He shrugged, smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Chloe said I needed to socialize more.”

{{user}} raised an eyebrow. “So you dragged me along to suffer with you?”

Clark gave her an innocent look. “Misery loves company.”

She laughed and shoved his shoulder gently. “You’re lucky I look cute in this swimsuit.”

Clark’s eyes flicked over to her—she was in a loose button-down thrown over her bikini, shorts that showed off just enough, and her hair pulled back with strands escaping in that perfectly effortless way. His cheeks flushed slightly. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Very lucky.”