The lake grew louder as more campers settled along the shore.
Bags lay scattered across the sand, towels spread over patches of grass, and half-empty beer bottles were already starting to collect in small clusters around different groups. Some people had taken off their shoes and were dipping their feet into the cool water, while others were still deciding whether the lake looked warm enough to jump into.
A small splash echoed from farther down the shoreline.
Someone had already gone in.
Jake immediately stood up halfway when he heard it, squinting toward the water like a hunter spotting prey.
Near the trees, a few people had started tossing a frisbee between them. The plastic disk cut through the sunlight before landing clumsily in the sand, followed by laughter.
Ray sat comfortably beside Jake, another beer in his hand, watching the scene unfold.
Not far away, Kate sat with Emma and Sarah, though her eyes occasionally drifted back toward Ray without her fully realizing it.
The sun was climbing higher now, warming the sand beneath everyone.
The lake shimmered invitingly.
And it was only a matter of time before someone did something stupid.
Emma watched the scene unfolding near the water and shook her head slowly.
"I swear all they need is a few beers and they act like monkeys."
She said it to Kate as she nodded toward Jake, who had somehow climbed onto a small rock near the shore and was making strange, exaggerated noises like he was calling out to something across the lake.
Beside him, Ray was calmly finishing another beer, tilting the bottle back before dropping the empty one into the sand.
A few people nearby laughed at Jake's performance while others simply watched like this was exactly the level of chaos they expected from him.
Kate followed Emma's gaze for a moment, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and mild annoyance as she looked toward Ray and Jake.
Ray pushed himself up from the sand, brushing a bit of it from his shorts as he stood.
"I'm going to swim!"
He shouted it loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
It sounded like he was announcing it to the whole group, but his eyes lingered on Kate for a moment longer than anyone else.
A few heads turned toward him.
Jake raised his beer like Ray had just declared something heroic, while Marco glanced up from where he was sitting, curious to see if Ray was actually serious.
Across the sand, Kate noticed the look immediately.
Before Ray could even take a step toward the water, Jake suddenly moved.
He quickly downed the rest of his beer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and jumped down from the rock he had been standing on.
For a second he just stood there.
Everyone nearby looked at him.
Jake looked around at the group, chest puffed out like he was preparing for something dramatic.
Then he screamed.
And started sprinting straight toward the lake.
Sand kicked up behind him as he ran, arms flailing slightly while the people sitting nearby burst into laughter at the sudden explosion of energy.
Jake didn't slow down.
He reached the edge of the lake and launched himself forward, diving straight into the water with a loud splash that sent ripples spreading across the surface.
A second later, Ray followed.
He ran the last few steps and jumped in after him.
The moment the water closed around him, the cold hit like a shock.
For a split second his body locked up, the chill biting into his skin and stealing the air from his lungs. The lake was far colder than it had looked from the shore.
Ray surfaced quickly, sucking in a breath as he pushed wet hair out of his face.
The cold still clung to him, but after a few seconds his body began adjusting, the initial shock fading as the water started to feel more refreshing than freezing.
Out of nowhere, Kate stood up.
Without saying a word, she slipped the blue dress off her shoulders and let it fall lightly onto the sand beside her, revealing the two-piece swimsuit she had been wearing underneath.
For a moment the beach seemed to pause.
More than a few of the guys nearby looked over, clearly caught off guard by the sudden movement.
Kate didn't seem to notice—or didn't care.
She broke into a quick run across the sand and dove cleanly into the lake, sending another splash across the already rippling surface.
Emma blinked in surprise for a second.
Then she laughed and hurried after her, kicking off her shoes before jumping in as well.
Sarah followed right behind, barely hesitating before running into the water with a cheerful splash.
Marco watched the chaos unfold for a second longer before shrugging and joining them, stepping into the lake as the group quickly turned the quiet water into a mess of splashing and laughter.
The lake quickly filled with noise.
Water splashed in every direction as people laughed, shoved each other, and tried to dunk whoever stood closest. Jake was already trying to climb onto Ray's shoulders while yelling something about "ultimate water combat," which only made the others splash him harder.
Emma and Sarah were laughing a few meters away, while Marco tried unsuccessfully to avoid getting dragged deeper into the water.
For a moment, in the middle of all the chaos, Ray looked across the lake.
Kate was only a short distance away, brushing wet hair away from her face after resurfacing from a dive.
Their eyes met.
Just for a second.
The noise of the lake seemed to fade slightly around them.
Kate held the look for a brief moment before the faintest blush crept across her cheeks.
Then she quickly looked away, pretending to focus on the splashing happening nearby.
"Ray, sea monster!"
Jake shouted the warning dramatically before disappearing beneath the surface of the lake.
For a second Ray didn't react.
Then two arms suddenly wrapped around him from below.
Jake surged upward out of the water, lifting Ray slightly off balance before rolling him over with a loud splash. Water exploded around them as the two of them struggled for a second, both laughing while Jake tried to drag him deeper.
The sudden attack broke the moment completely.
Nearby, Emma and Sarah cheered while Marco shook his head, already knowing Jake had officially turned the lake into a battlefield.
Emma was still laughing at the sudden chaos when Jake and Ray stopped struggling for a moment.
They both looked at each other.
Then they looked at Emma.
Then back at each other again.
A slow grin spread across both of their faces at the exact same time.
Neither of them said a word.
They just shook their heads like two people who had reached the same terrible idea simultaneously.
Then they rushed toward her through the water.
Emma immediately realized what was about to happen.
Her laughter turned into a surprised shout as she tried to back away, splashing water in their direction while the two of them closed in.
Emma tried to escape, splashing backward through the water, but it was hopeless.
She was like a fish in a shark tank.
Jake grabbed one of her arms while Ray caught the other, lifting her slightly off the water as she laughed and protested at the same time.
"Hey—wait—!"
But neither of them listened.
They carried her a few steps farther into the deeper part of the lake before swinging their arms together and tossing her forward.
Emma hit the water with a splash, disappearing beneath the surface for a second before popping back up, hair soaked and laughter bursting out of her as she wiped water from her face.
Around them, the others were already laughing at the scene, the lake now fully alive with shouting, splashing, and playful chaos.
Kate had stopped laughing.
She stood in the water with her arms slightly folded, watching the two of them with a look that was far too serious for the situation.
Her expression clearly said one thing.
Try it.
I will kill you both.
Jake and Ray both noticed immediately.
Their heads slowly turned toward her.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Then they looked at each other.
A silent conversation passed between them.
And without a single word, both of them started walking toward her through the water.
The grin slowly returning to Jake's face made it very clear that Kate's warning had not scared them at all.
Kate didn't move.
She just narrowed her eyes as the two of them approached through the water.
"I will come into your cabin when you sleep, Jake," she warned slowly, pointing a finger at him. "And I will take everything you hold dear in this wooooor—"
She never finished the sentence.
Jake and Ray reached her at the same time and lifted her straight out of the water before she could react.
Kate let out a surprised shout as her feet left the lake surface, water dripping from her legs while the two of them held her between them.
For a split second she looked genuinely shocked that they had actually done it.
Around them, the others were already laughing, waiting to see what would happen next.
Ray shifted his grip slightly as he held Kate up out of the water, glancing over at Jake with a smirk.
"You thinking the same?"
Jake met his look instantly.
"She did say she would kill us."
A devilish laugh escaped him as the two of them started walking together toward the deeper part of the lake, carrying Kate between them.
Water splashed around their legs as they moved farther from the shore, the others nearby already laughing and shouting encouragement.
Kate twisted slightly in their hold, clearly realizing what was about to happen, but the two of them were already committed to the idea.
"Don't you dare, Ray, I'm gonna—"
Kate's warning turned into a scream.
"Aaaah!"
Jake and Ray swung their arms together and launched her forward.
She flew farther than Emma had.
For a moment Kate disappeared beneath the surface with a huge splash, water spraying in every direction as the lake erupted with laughter from the people nearby.
Jake nearly doubled over, howling with laughter while Ray watched the spot where she had vanished under the water.
A second later Kate burst back up to the surface, soaked, hair plastered to her face.
And judging by the look in her eyes, revenge was already forming.
Kate wiped the water from her face as she slowly gathered herself, pushing her wet hair back.
She took a few steps through the water until she was standing right in front of Jake.
"Did you ever watch Star Wars, Jake?" she asked calmly.
Jake blinked at her, still laughing a little from the chaos.
"No?"
Kate nodded slightly.
"I would take care of your lightsaber," she said.
Her eyes slowly drifted downward.
"As it might get cut in half."
For a moment there was silence.
Then several people nearby burst into laughter as Jake looked down instinctively, suddenly realizing exactly what she meant.
Ray laughed at the look on Jake's face, shaking his head as the others around them continued laughing at Kate's threat.
But the laughter faded from his face when she turned toward him.
Kate stepped closer, the water moving gently around them as she fixed her eyes on his.
"As for you, I'm going to get my revenge on you sooner or later," she said calmly. "Remember, we live together."
She gave him a small wink.
Then she pushed him gently out of her way as she walked past, leaving Ray standing there in the water while Jake was still trying to recover from the earlier threat.
Around them, the lake was still full of splashing and laughter, but Ray couldn't help feeling that Kate had just declared a very personal war.