The hotel was silent at one in the morning, so they snuck quietly down the stairs and passed the front desk, under the watch of an amused receptionist, before reaching the pool, lit by built-in lights and the reflection of the moon.

Elain didn't wait for them before she took off her dress and plunged into the water with a big splash. Rhys laughed at the sight of her head emerging from the water, but his breath was cut short as Feyre turned to him and captured his lips in hers. He let his hands rest on her hips and pulled her to him almost out of reflex, and they kissed slowly for a few seconds. She was smiling softly at him when they broke apart, and he felt a rush of feelings invade his body at the sight.

"Hey, are you coming or what?" Elain yelled from the pool, and the both startled away from each other. "The water's amazing!"

"I'm not wearing a swimsuit," Feyre argued, and her sister laughed.

"So just keep your dress on!"

Feyre sighed, and let go of him to walk towards the water. Rhys took a minute to look at her, the backless summer dress revealing her smooth skin and the intricate tattoo on her back. She didn't enter the water like her sister, but she sat down on the edge of the pool and slid her feet in the water before gesturing for him to join her. He took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants, and sat beside her. Immediately, Feyre rested her head on his shoulder.

They stayed that way for a long minute, Elain singing off tune in the water, Feyre laughing against his shoulder, the freshness of the water enveloping his feet. Finally, Elain disappeared again, and before they could react, Feyre yelped as her sister jumped out just in front of her and gripped her arm to drag her in the water.

Rhys didn't restrain his laugh at seeing Feyre emerge from the water with an offended look at her sister.

"El! Why did you do that? I didn't want to get in!"

"I know, that's why I made you!" And at the sight of her sister's frown, she laughed again. "Oh come one, Feyre. This is fun!" And she splashed her sister in emphasis. This started a splashing war that had Rhys as the referee, until Elain looked behind him and squealed.

"Lucien!"

He turned to look back at the hotel, and indeed, Lucien was standing at the entrance, looking at his fiancee with a soft smile. Elain got out of the water and, without drying herself, she ran to him and jumped in his arms.

He watched them hug each other until he felt slender arms rest on his knees, and looked back at the pool to find Feyre staring up at him, her head resting on her arms, her wet hair pooling around her in the water. She was smiling lazily, and he felt the urge to kiss her again. Instead, he smiled back and talked.

"What?"

"Nothing," she answered immediately, but there was mischief in her lovely voice. And indeed, a second later she pushed herself up and got out of the water, her dress soaking wet and clinging onto her body. He let his eyes roam over her curves for a moment before looking back into her eyes and find her only a few inches from his face.

"You're not coming in the water?" She whisper against him, and he shivered. "I'm getting pretty lonely now that Elain got out."

"It's been maybe ten seconds since she's out." Indeed, he could still hear Elain's voice behind them, talking very fast to her soon-to-be husband. Feyre just shrugged.

"I bore easily." And glancing at her sister, probably to make sure she wouldn't hear, she bend down to whisper in his ear. "Especially when I know what we would be doing right now if we were alone." And she planted a soft kiss on the shell of his ear just in case she hadn't been clear enough. Then she moved back and grinned at him. "So, are you gonna swim with me?"

Feyre didn't regret coming down to the pool. Sure, Elain and Lucien were now wrapped in a tight hug even though they weren't supposed to see each other until the wedding, but at least Elain seemed to have finally forgotten her anxieties about the next day. And maybe she would get a few hours of sleep before her wedding.

And of course there was the matter of the man currently holding her in his arms. Rhys had taken off his shirt and pants, gotten in the pool and they'd swimmed for a while. But now he was holding her against him, both their bodies intertwined in the water, and his mouth was leaving a trail of kisses on her neck, and she had to bite her lip to prevent herself from letting out a moan.

"Rhys," she started, and he hummed against her skin, almost making her lose her train of thoughts. "Rhys, we're not alone."

"I think your sister is a bit busy right now," he spoke against her throat, and she shivered at the sensation. She let out a small laugh, because she could indeed see her sister and Lucien a few feet away, too absorbed into each other to look at them. She smiled and slid her hands in Rhys' hair, making him groan. She lifted herself from the ground of the pool and wrapped her legs around his waist, laughing when she felt his hands travel down from her back to come rest on her hips.

She was about to turn her head and kiss him when a loud splash interrupted her. They looked to where the sound had come from, and found Elain swimming again, directly towards them this time.

"Hey, stop being gross, you two!" She said in a laugh, and Feyre felt heat rise to her cheeks. But Elain was clearly joking, and she swam away again. while Lucien sat down at the edge of the pool. But Rhys had moved away from her skin, and even though he was still holding her, it was now from a much more appropriate distance.

Feyre took a moment to look at him again, still amazed at the color of his eyes, at the way there seemed to have sparkles in them when he smiled. Even more amazed at the way he looked at her.

"Maybe we should get your sister back to her room now that she's better," he said to her in a low voice.

"Are you saying you're not enjoying my sister's company?" She answered, giving him a fake offended look, and he chuckled.

"Well, to be completely honest, I wouldn't mind being alone with you again," and with that, he let his fingers grip her hips a little tighter, and she drew in a sharp breath.

"In that case…" she whispered, before turning to her sister and talking in a louder voice. "Elain, you should really go to bed if you want to have enough rest for tomorrow."

Her sister groaned, but Feyre untangled herself from Rhysand's embrace and, somehow reluctantly, swam away from him to grab her sister's hand.

"Do you want to look like a zombie on your wedding pictures? Because it is what's going to happen if you don't get enough sleep, you know." Elain pouted, but nodded and followed her out of the water. She watched her sister put on her dress, and saw from the corner of her eye that Rhys had gotten out and was dressing up, too. Then Elain turned to them and said in a determined voice.

"Rhys, why don't you get me back to my room?"

"M - Me?" He asked with a frown, and Elain nodded.

"Yes! It'll be fun! And that way, I can give you the Talk."

"What talk?"

"The Talk about treating my baby sister well," she answered with a smirk, and Feyre snorted.

"Like you ever did that with any of my other boyfriends, El. I'll take you back."

"No, I want Rhys to come with me! Come on, it'll be fun! Lucien, baby, I'm not looking at you again, don't want to bring us bad luck!" And without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Rhys' hand and pulled him away. Feyre laughed at the sight of his helpless look towards her, watching them walk away as Elain's voice resonated loudly. And then they were gone, and she was alone with Lucien.

She didn't want to talk to him right now, she just wanted to go back to her room and enjoy herself. She was about to walk inside when she heard his voice from behind her.

"Rhysand seems nice."

And it sounded like a shy, unsure invitation. So she turned back towards the pool to find him looking up at her with a small smile. She knew him well enough to know what he was expecting, so she sat down beside him, let her feet plunge in the water, and answered.

"He really is."

They stayed silent for a minute, the only noise the slight splashes of water around her ankles, but she waited. She knew he had something in mind. Finally, he talked.

"Feyre, I'm sorry." She didn't answer. She needed more. And he seemed to understand. "I'm sorry that I let Tamlin bring her this weekend. I didn't know until a few days ago and…" he trailed off.

She answered in a low voice:

"I'm not mad about that, Lucien."

"Really?"

"Well… Not mad at you, anyway," she finished with a smile, and he chuckled.

"I miss you, Fey. I miss us hanging out together like we used to."

Feyre looked at him then, taking in his sad smile. "I don't." And because his smile faltered, she felt the need to clarify. "I don't let myself miss you. Because if I miss you, I'm gonna want to start seeing you again, and…" She paused, not knowing how to continue. "Lucien, when I see you, I can't help but think back about what happened." She saw he was about to talk, but raised a hand to stop him. "You knew. You knew how he talked to me, and how mean he was to me. You knew I was hurting, but you didn't try to help me. You knew when he slept with her, but you didn't say anything."

"I was trying to protect you. I thought knowing would hurt you."

"Learning about it and knowing that the man I considered my best friend had known, that hurt more, Lucien. I thought I could trust you."

"I'm sorry." And he looked as if he meant it. For the first time in months, he looked as if he realized how much he had hurt her. And at the sight, Feyre felt a weight lift from her shoulders, a weight she hadn't known was here. So she took his hand in hers and smiled.

"Lucien, I'm not mad at you anymore. And I'm glad that I could be with you and Elain this weekend. No matter what."

His smile turned into a grin, and he squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you're here."

Silence enveloped them again, but it was different this time. It wasn't heavy with unspoken words anymore.

After a while, Feyre let go of her friend's hand and bumped him in the shoulder.

"Okay, mister, you need to go to bed, now. Elain will never forgive me if you look tired tomorrow."

He laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Plus, I'm sure you're eager to go back to your room. Somebody must be waiting for you." And he was smirking at her, so she punched his shoulder harder.

"Oh, shut up!"

They went back inside the hotel together quietly. They could never go back to the way their friendship was before his betrayal, but as she reached her bedroom, Feyre thought that maybe, they could build a new friendship, different. Healthy.