Palm Readings by the Pool

The chlorine hit Maya's nostrils before she even stepped through the backyard gate. Jordan's end-of-summer pool party. The kind of thing normal people didn't overthink.

"Maya! Finally!" Jordan's voice boomed across the deck. "We were about to send a search party."

Maya forced a smile. "Sorry. Had to help my mom with... stuff." The truth was she'd spent twenty minutes fixing her eyeliner and ten minutes practicing casual greetings in the mirror. Pathetic.

She dropped her towel on a lounge chair and scanned the crowd. Everyone seemed so effortless in their skin—laughing, splashing, existing without an internal monologue analyzing every movement. Then she saw him.

Caleb. Fresh from cross country practice, sitting on the pool edge with his legs in the water. His palm rested against the concrete as he leaned back, laughing at something.

"Checking out the merchandise?" A whisper in her ear. Bella, her ride here, grinning. "Go talk to him."

"I can't just—"

"Yes you can. He's been asking about you all week."

Maya's stomach did something illegal. "No way. That's... that's bull." Even as she said it, hope crept in.

"I'm serious. Go." Bella gave her a gentle push.

The walk to the pool edge felt miles long. Maya's heartbeat synced with the splashing sounds—too fast, too obvious. But then Caleb looked up and his face lit up like she'd actually made his day.

"Maya! Hey!" He patted the spot beside him. "Saved you a seat."

She sat, carefully dipping her feet in the cool water. "Thanks."

"So," Caleb said, turning to face her, droplets sliding down his arms. "Jordan mentioned you might go to the fall formal with... someone."

The air between them suddenly felt electric, charged. Maya's palm pressed against the rough concrete, grounding herself. "Maybe. If someone asked."

Caleb's smile widened, something knowing in it. "Well. Someone's working up to it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He gestured toward the pool. "But first, you coming in? The water's perfect."

Maya looked at the rippling blue surface, at Caleb waiting for her answer, at Bella across the deck giving her two thumbs up. Suddenly the anxiety loosened its grip. Sometimes you just had to jump in.

"Yeah," she said, standing up. "Yeah, I'm swimming."

She dove in, resurfacing to Caleb's splash, and for the first time all summer, she wasn't overthinking anything.