"Mind if I join you?" Jake asked Natalie who was sitting near the shore by herself. He did not wait for her reply. He simply sat beside her and started whistling.

"Why aren't you joining them? They seem to be having a lot of fun." Jake asked while he gazed at a group of people dancing near the bar.

"Nah, I love to be alone.” She smiled as he laughed loudly as if her reply was funny. She stopped smiling and stared back at the dark water. As she stared at the water going up and down the white sand, he could not help but wonder what she was thinking.

"What are you thinking?" Jake asked.

"Nothing special, I was just wondering why things aren't really what you think it should be." There was a long pause as Natalie tried to find the right words to say to him.

"I think you should go back to your girlfriend Jake."

"Ex-girlfriend"

"You can't call her your ex-girlfriend if you're still seeing her. You still love her, don't you?" Natalie stared at him in the eyes as she prepared herself for his reply.

"I'm not really sure Nat, but, you're here now."

"I'm here now? That’s nice. I’m always here Jake. I was always by your side. I was there when you cried because of Rachel, when she left you by yourself and when she cheated on you; I was there. I was your friend and I am still now, but you must understand that I made a mistake of wanting you for myself. I went too far and now it hurts because I'm just your friend Jake and you will always see me that way."

"I know how-"

"No. You don't."

"Can we stop talking about this Nat? Can we just at least have fun? It's our summer break, aren't we supposed to celebrate? Okay I'm sorry. I was a jerk." Jake pleaded. Natalie stood up and turned her back at him.

"I'm tired Jake. I'm going to sleep."

As soon as Natalie started to go her way, Jake grabbed her by the hand and dragged her towards the bar. Natalie refused to go but Jake's grip was tight. Natalie stared as Jake's hand held hers. She wondered when she could hold his hand whenever she wanted; kept it interlocking with her fingers whenever they walked together, but as she started thinking of the things they could be, her smile faded and she realized it was a stupid dream that could never come true.

"You should drink first before going to bed, just this once." Jake smiled as he stared into her brown eyes.

"You know I don't drink Jake."

Jake wasn't listening at her. He took two shot glasses of  tequilla and gave one to her.

"You should try one of these. It'll calm the nerves, I promise." He smiled again.

"Jake. I don't-"

"Oh come-on Nat you're better than that." Camille, her best friend exclaimed. Almost everyone she knew was now cheering for her. She wanted to refuse but everyone was expecting her to it all up. She did it all up and drank the shot glass in a second. Everyone cheered and congratulated her as if she won the pageant. As she was about to scold Jake Harper who could not stop smiling, he dragged her to the dance floor and they started dancing. She wasn't really a dancer. All she knew was the Sesame Street dance back when she was eight. She tried not to show her embarrassment by staring at the floor. She inhaled deeply while her heart thumped to the beat of the music as she felt Jake’s hand holding her waist.

"Dancing wouldn’t hurt unless you don't know how to.” He smiled as he stared at Natalie who was keeping her head low. “Most girls take up ballet at the age of four. Did you take karate instead?" He added.

"I did. My father thought it was a great idea since I was his one and only baby girl."

It was awkward. She stood there staring at Jake’s chest like a child who craved for a cookie, trapped in a glass jar; out of her reach. As the music faded, it was followed by a much more calm song. Jake’s hand was still around her waist and he continued staring at her. He knew she felt uncomfortable but he could not let go of her right away. Natalie continued to evade his gaze. As she focused on other things other than his eyes, she remembered Jake's face when she almost kissed him in the library. His face was calm and she thought he wanted to kiss her, but instead of doing so, he left her dumbfounded by her own stupidity. He tried to explain to her that he did not have the same feelings before he walked away. As soon as he left her all alone, she could not think of anything except that she was dumped by a friend. After that incident, Jake never talked to her and she was sure it was all because of her crazy mistake. Right now, as they held each other's hands, he looked as if he loved her; that he wanted her to be his and that he would not let go without fighting for what she thought was love. Before she could believe the things she imagined, she pulled her hand and said, "I think I should go now."

"Uh, yeah, you should. It's getting late. I know you're really not into this." He tried to smile to cover the embarrassment he felt. "I'll walk you to your room." He added.

"No it's okay Jake. I can manage."

Jake hesitated and took her by the hand as they left the scene and went towards the hotel.

They were quiet the whole time. When they reached the room, they both said their goodnights. Natalie went inside before Jake could say another word. When Jake was about to go, Natalie opened the door.

"Camille and the others are planning to play volleyball tomorrow at eight. Would you like to come and join us?"

Jake smiled and agreed to come. "I'll fetch you at 7:30 then?"

"Sure, like the old times. Good night Jake."

She closed the door and Jake wondered: could they ever bring back the friendship they once had? Will she still be there when he needed a friend after everything he did? Does she still have the same feelings for him? He sighed.