Chapter 8 – Cool For The Summer

Got my mind on your body
And your body on my mind

Don't tell your mother
Kiss one another
Die for each other

We're cool for the summer

For any normal band of teenage misfits, a trip all the way down to Sandbanks would have seemed impractical. Bournemouth, though beautiful, was nowhere near where any of them lived, as spread out all over the United Kingdom as they were. But with the aid of magic and near-instant transportation, what should have been a gruelling and complex journey south for them all, was blissful, easy, and practically stress-free.

Oh, yes, magic certainly had its perks.

Janey was ecstatic. Not by the prospect of the beach—which she loved, having spent her whole life in the bustling city of London—but at seeing her new beau once more. It still felt surreal for her to think of Sam like that. Not even as her boyfriend, but just in a generally positive light, the likes of which she was sure she'd never previously experienced.

She just wanted to be with him, she realised. To be in his company, even without interaction—just to be near him. Janey felt like she had taken it all for granted. All those years she'd bickered with Sam, turning her nose up at him or else just being bitter, she should have been cherishing those moments. She should have appreciated his company now she knew how truly she craved it.

But it had been different circumstances, she reminded herself. She only felt that way now because she cared for him—which, back then, she hadn't quite done to the same degree. No, everything was different now. Everything had changed.

Janey was barely listening to Rose as they made their way along the boardwalk, the gloriously golden sun bearing down on them, the gentle crash of the ocean's waves playing like melodies in the background. Janey felt light, warm, and happy, and she knew it had nothing to do with the sea air or the beautiful surroundings.

"I brought a bikini and a swimsuit," Rose was anxiously explaining. "It's a nice bikini, don't get me wrong—very modest and chic—a kind of 1950s style with red and white polka dots. And it's high-waisted, like, you can't even see my belly button, and there's a bow round the neck. And it's not like I'm ashamed—there's nothing to hide—but I still wonder if it's just too… out there, you know? But then if I do go with the swimsuit, it's kind of like—well—like I am trying to hide something. Like I am ashamed. So it's—"

"Rose," Janey eventually interrupted, only just emerging from her own bubble of euphoria to tune into what Rose was saying, "what the hell are you going on about?"

With Janey still being underage (she wouldn't turn seventeen until July), and therefore still unable to use magic without legal repercussions, the easiest way for her to travel from London to Dorset was by side-along apparition. Rose (having already turned seventeen) had apparated to Janey's house to meet her before apparating the two of them down to the southern coast, where they were now trying to locate the rest of the group whom they had planned to meet there.

Janey had been so caught up in the excitement of what it would be like when she first laid eyes on Sam again, the sun on his back, the gentle summer breeze ruffling his hair, that she'd barely been paying attention to Rose's 'bikini versus swimsuit' dilemma.

"I want to wear the bikini!" Rose cried out. "I do, I really do."

"Then wear the damn bikini, what's the big deal?" Janey scathed, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she desperately searched for the others amongst the beach-dwellers and holiday-makers.

Rose went silent by her side, cheeks turning the same shade as her 1950s-style bikini. "Well, you know," she mumbled. "It's so… It's just…"

Janey turned to stare at her with incredulity. "Rose, you've got nothing to be ashamed of. You're tall, and slim, and beautiful, and you know that."

"But—"

"And by the sounds of your '1950s' bikini," she scoffed, "you'd literally be showing only two more inches of skin than you would be in the swimsuit anyway. You'll probably have the classiest, most reserved bikini on this whole beach! No one's going to ogle you. No one's going to, I don't know, see anything they shouldn't—something you should be embarrassed by!"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"And you'll be with us," Janey pointed out. "We're your friends, your roommates, your cousins—it's not like you're parading around in front of random strangers. It's not like any of us are going to be put out by the sight of your two inches of skin!"

But Rose still didn't look reassured. In fact, she looked even more embarrassed, still furiously blushing.

Sure, Rose was a shy girl at the best of times, but Janey thought it through in her mind with amusement. Honestly, what was Rose so embarrassed by? Who was she so embarrassed by? Taylor, Gwen, and Janey herself had shared a room with Rose for six years now, dressing and undressing in front of each other carefree, and Janey was certain Rose wouldn't be embarrassed by Ebony.

James and Albus, as her cousins, obviously weren't going to be perturbed by a bikini-clad Rose, nor would she by them seeing her, surely. So who did that leave, Janey thought. Sam and Mason?

Well, sure, Mason was older and it wasn't like Rose knew him overly well, but still, for the kind of fuss Rose was making over it, you'd have thought she intended to go streaking in front of him. And Mason was one of them—why would he care whether Rose's midriff was on display? They were friends.

And Sam?

Well, Janey had no doubt Sam would likely enjoy Rose in her 1950s-style bikini, and she wouldn't deprive him of that. Just so long as he was more taken by bikini-clad Janey.

And besides, Janey knew Rose couldn't care less what Sam thought of her nowadays—romantically, emotionally, whatever. Nor did Janey want to dwell on it for too long.

So the question remained: who, exactly, was Rose so worked up about potentially seeing her in a bikini?

"Oh my God," Janey exclaimed, realisation instantly dawning. She shook her head, gently smirking, angry at herself that it had taken her so long for the penny to drop. Oh, it was obvious. "Oh my God, it's Scorpius!" she said triumphantly. "It's Scorpius! Of course. Sam told me the Slytherins were coming! He told me—"

"Janey, cut it out," Rose hissed, head whipping around in mortification, panicked that someone might have overheard.

But Janey couldn't stop grinning. "It is, isn't it?" she pressed. "Scorpius is here, isn't he?"

Rose had pursed her lips, refusing to look at Janey, intently focusing on looking straight ahead as they continued down the boardwalk. "No," she mumbled. "I don't know."

"Aww," Janey teased, "Rose is embarrassed that her no-labels-but-for-all-intents-and-purposes-boyfriend is going to check out her scantily clad bod for the first time!"

Rose just rolled her eyes. "Not scantily clad," she mumbled. "It's just a bikini."

"Exactly!" Janey exclaimed. "It's not like you're parading around in front of him stark naked, or even in your undies or anything. You're at the beach, you've got your 1950s polka dot bikini—heck, he won't even see your belly button!"

The edges of Rose's mouth curled up ever so slightly.

"Rose, honestly, what are you even worried about?" Janey asked kindly. "It's Scorpius, alright? I'm pretty sure he's into you for more than just your body. And honestly, as I said before, you're tall, and slim, and beautiful—you've got nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, but it's just awkward, isn't it?" Rose protested. "It feels so… intimate." She stole a shy glance at Janey. "Aren't you, you know, nervous about Sam seeing you in a bikini?"

"No," Janey answered with speed and ease, only once the word had left her lips actually thinking about it properly. Janey had no qualms about displaying her body for all to see—they were at the beach, after all, it was only natural—but she hadn't considered what it meant for her and Sam.

Just a few scraps of cloth shielding her from his keen eyesight—that's what the situation would be. Her thighs, her midriff—most of her body, in fact—would be on full display for him, revealing what had only been seen by a wandering mind up until then. It would be almost like she was wearing nothing but her underwear before him.

Janey suddenly felt taken aback.

It was not that she was embarrassed or ashamed of displaying her body in such a revealing way, but similar to Rose's predicament, she was aware that it would be vastly intimate. It was one thing to huddle up to Sam by a fireplace, exploring each other's mouths and, to some extent, their fully-clothed bodies, but to stand before him almost nude?

There were connotations. Even in the innocent context of the beach, surrounded by their close group of friends, they would be crossing a huge boundary.

But opposing that, Janey thought wickedly, she'd be getting to see Sam semi-nude too. She would see his nipples.

"Rose, just wear the bikini," Janey ordered, ending the debate. They were practically young adults, having a nice time at the beach with their close friends—there was no reason any of them need feel self-conscious.

"Okay, fine," Rose gulped. She squinted at something in the distance and then stopped suddenly, face pale and eyes wide. "Oh my God, he's there."

Janey stopped too. "What?"

"He's there."

"Who?"

"Right there."

"What?"

"Scorpius is right there."

Janey turned to where Rose was looking and rolled her eyes. Sure enough, in the distance, they could just make out the whitish-blond hair that could only belong to Scorpius Malfoy. There was a group of them down on the beach. Janey could see the glint of James and Taylor's glasses, and Gwen's dark skin, knowing immediately that it was their friends.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was Sam there?

Rose had frozen by her side.

"Rose," Janey groaned. "Come on, what is your problem? It's just Scorpius. You've spent the past month constantly in his company—"

"Not constantly," Rose mumbled in protest.

"—and you used to go out with him, for goodness sake. You've never been this awkward around him!"

"But it's different now," Rose said weakly. "It is awkward between us. It's like, before, it was fine because we were together, and then it was fine because I hated him and we knew where we stood. But now I… don't hate him," she gulped, "and we're not together. But we're not friends, and we're not enemies. We're not anything."

Janey wanted to roll her eyes again out of frustration. She had little interest in listening to Rose's naïve and whiny struggle with regards to where she and Scorpius stood. She'd been so long separated from Sam (four days!), and every second Rose spent dawdling around, the further it delayed their reunion.

He was down there on the beach, she was sure, right in her grasp. So close and yet, because of Rose's freak-out, so annoyingly far away.

"We're at the beach having fun," Janey snapped. "Isn't that what you told him you wanted? Just something light, and casual, and fun—no labels or anything?"

"Yeah," Rose agreed.

Janey threw up her hands in exasperation. "Then what's the problem? Honestly, Rose, just stop thinking about it too much. Just enjoy it. Talk to him, hang out with him—just be."

Because God knows that's all Janey wanted to do—but with Sam.

"Yeah, but—"

"It's only going to be awkward and difficult if you make it like that!" Janey yelled, finally at the end of her fuse. "Get over it, Rose, and march your arse over there right now."

Rose looked sulky and embarrassed in response, but she should have known she wouldn't get any sympathy from Janey. "Fine," she sighed.

Janey looked pleased. "Thank you," she said sarcastically, and the two of them continued their walk down to the beach. Janey's heart was hammering in her chest. As much as she mocked Rose for her worries over Scorpius, she herself felt some trepidation over her imminent reunion with Sam. Last time she had seen him had been when she'd hastily ditched him on the platform.

What if the passion was gone? The euphoria? What if was just awkward between them now? Or, even worse, what if they just found each other boring? Or started to grow resentful of each other again?

The closer they drew to the group, the clearer everybody came into focus. Nobody had seen them yet. Janey felt anxious.

James was there, Ebony by his side, along with Albus, Taylor, Gwen, and Mason. Scorpius was there, of course, accompanied by fellow Slytherins, Albireo and Jinx. The latter who was donning bubblegum-pink hair, impossible to miss.

Jinx, Janey thought with a lurch, as she recalled what her father had said to her on the phone the day before. She had barely spoken to her supposed half-sister since they had been imprisoned in Rosewood, not quite at ease with each other and the whole revelation. How would things change between them after what Bobbin had confessed?

But Janey couldn't be too caught up in seeing Jinx again, because someone else caught her eye, forcing any other thoughts from her mind in an instant. Lightly tanned skin, brown hair slightly curling in the salty air, standing tall and casual with his back to her, shoulders looking far broader than she remembered, was—

"Sam!"

Janey clasped a hand to her mouth in horror. She had not meant to yell his name, especially considering she and Rose were still a fair distance away.

But like a dog, Sam whipped around at the sound of his name, the others all looking up at the sound of Janey's voice too and breaking out into smiles as they saw the two girls approaching.

"Alright!" James yelled excitedly. "Whole gang together again!"

As the others tried to greet her, and Rose too, Janey found she was focused on only one. Sam's smile could melt chocolate, she thought, with dimples as deep and defined as they were, eyes lighting up to match. And then she scolded herself once she'd realised what a disturbingly soppy thing that was to think.

Pull it together, Janey, she growled internally. It's just Sam.

But that didn't stop her from running to him, like a replay of their first kiss in Rosewood Manor. Only this time she didn't kiss him, nor did she throw herself into his arms. Well, not quite. She did throw herself at him, but with her feet still firmly planted on the ground.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, eagerly taking her into his arms without even the slightest hesitation. Regardless of the fact that all their friends were subtly watching, and regardless of the fact that he and Janey were still pretty uncertain when it came to affection.

His arms were strong. They felt safe and oddly familiar to Janey, and yet also completely new. There was something warm between them as they embraced, skin tingling wherever it graced each other, like electricity charging between them. Like magic.

But this was the first time they had hugged, Janey came to realise. They'd embraced before, sure—every time they snogged, they were wrapped in each other's arms, and there had been that beautifully intimate night in the armchair, of course—but they hadn't actually hugged. Not a simple, pure hug like that, her head pressed against his chest, and his arms winding around her waist, both relishing in the warmth and the comfort the other offered.

Sam had nestled his chin into the top of Janey's head, silky blonde tendrils of hair tickling his nose. She smelt as sweet and fragrant as he'd been dreaming about over the past few days, finding their separation confusingly agonising. How had he once found being around her agonising, he thought in alarm? How could he have possibly craved distance from her when every second of every day he was now constantly longing for her?

One final squeeze on her part, affectionately tightening her arms around his ribcage, which he gladly reciprocated, and the reunited lovers finally broke apart. Janey kept her hands on his hips, loose and playful as she stared up at him, eyes and smile both shining. She could see, over Sam's shoulder, James and Ebony watching them both like proud parents, Gwen and Mason looking indifferent, Albus looking bored, Taylor looking envious, Jinx and Albireo not even paying attention, and Rose and Scorpius stealing shy, awkward glances at each other, as though wondering whether they should be greeting each other more affectionately than they apparently had.

Janey ignored them all, her attention only on those deep chocolate irises she'd become so familiar with over the past month. "Hi," she greeted back, equally as breathless. No dream version could ever come close to Sam in the flesh.

Not that she'd been dreaming of him.

Of course not...

"I, ah, I've m—" Sam coughed, trying to backtrack. "I... It's good to see you again."

Janey felt a twinge of annoyance at his attempt to backtrack. Not at Sam but at herself. Miscommunication had led him to believe that him being too sentimental—expressing longing for her, or rather solemnity when she wasn't there—freaked her out. That it was a step too far. That it made her uncomfortable.

But the truth was that she had loved it when he'd texted her that he missed her. It had made her feel… wanted. But not in the way she was used to. It had felt personal, and meaningful, and real.

"I missed you too," she whispered back with sincerity, even though he hadn't actually said it.

Sam looked pleasantly surprised. Taken aback but delighted nonetheless. Janey thought it endearing.

"Let's get this party started!" James declared excitedly, disturbing the reunions, both tender (Sam and Janey), and awkward (Rose and Scorpius).

It was a beautiful day by all accounts. Never once did the sun dip behind ominous-looking clouds (very peculiar for a British summer), nor did the dynamics of the group ever fall prey to old tensions. Rosewood had changed them—the Slytherins and Gryffindors felt perfectly at ease with each other.

Both James and Sam were not only tolerant of Scorpius Malfoy but actually found his presence unexpectedly pleasing. Maybe it was because they both felt at peace. James was ecstatically happy with Ebony, whilst Sam was ecstatically happy with Janey—why let old conflict come between that?

Jinx and Janey too, though still not completely at ease with both their new friendship and their new sisterhood, were no longer engaged in the petty catfight of days gone by. And even though that was long gone anyway, Rose and Ebony were on truly good terms.

For the first time, there was harmony amongst all.

"Jam," James suddenly announced.

Evening was starting to descend on the beach, painting the already beautiful landscape with a charming, almost romantic mystique. It had been a fun day, lighthearted and carefree, just eleven friends on the beach, free of the trauma, turmoil, and tragedy of everything they'd only so recently endured. Most of the Muggles had left by that point, but the eleven remained, all lounging around on the sand in a group. (All except for Rose and Scorpius who had disappeared a while ago, though who knew where to.)

Sam was led out beside James, with Janey lying perpendicular to him, her head resting on his bare chest. It was weirdly comfortable. Not to mention the fact that he had a cracking view of her bikini-clad chest, (which he may or may not have been unabashedly staring at behind the guise of his sunglasses).

Janey had a nice body. Very nice indeed. With curves he had only subtly been introduced to. You'd not have expected it, looking at such a small frame at a glance. And yet, even though bodily she had nothing to be discouraged by anyway, the thing he found sexiest was her confidence.

Sam had been keeping his eye on Rose and Scorpius, purely out of curiosity. They were not at ease with each other. There was shy, awkward tension, both of them longing for something more intimate and personal—a closeness they were used to—but not knowing how to approach it after everything that had so dramatically transpired. The early seeds of romantic uncertainty, the likes of which Sam was all too familiar with.

But Janey was different. Sam had been worried, knowing what he was like, and also knowing what she was like, that they'd have been caught up in the same trap as Rose and Scorpius. He'd expected it.

Although not quite to the same degree, Sam and Janey were not so different from the infamous couple. They too had a dramatic history. They too were new and uncertain about this sudden shift in their relationship. And as a romantic, Sam didn't want to mess it up. He didn't want to push Janey too far, nor did he even feel completely at ease around her just yet. He wasn't James—he couldn't just exude that confidence—that arrogance—in the charismatic way he did.

But if Sam was a hopeless romantic, just as Rose and Scorpius were, Janey fit into whatever category James did. She had no qualms about physically interacting with Sam—that hug that she had happily initiated. She had no qualms about stripping down to her bikini in front of him, like it was the most casual thing in the world for her to reveal her near-naked body to him, nor being embarrassed and shy about him whipping his shirt off (which he had only done so tentatively and following James' lead—and besides, everybody had been more intrigued by Scorpius removing his shirt and unintentionally revealing the tattoo that only Rose had been aware of).

Janey had been fun and playful around him all day. Even when she'd (reluctantly) let Sam drag her into the sea and then tried to drown him for getting her hair wet.

And now she was there, with her head on his chest, like it was normal and casual, and as though Sam's heart wasn't wildly racing.

No, Janey was confident alright. She was certainly the dominant one when it came to their relationship, but Sam probably thought that was for the best. God knows he'd only screw it up if they left it up to him to try and set the pace.

Sam decided to channel some of that confidence. He extended his hand along the sand, lightly brushing his fingers against hers. To his delight, Janey took his hand without even the slightest hesitation, their fingers locking through each other.

It was Jinx who responded to James, herself lying in a similar position with her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Albireo. "What?" she scoffed.

"Jam," James repeated calmly. "It sounds better than Samey. Or Saney, or something."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jinx demanded.

Even Ebony was staring at him like he was deluded.

James remained as calm and casual as before. "Sam," he explained, "and Janey."

Both Sam and Janey whipped their head to the side to stare at him.

"Jam."

"Excuse me?" Janey asked, lowering her sunglasses.

James rolled his eyes. "James and Ebony," he stated, indicating to himself and Ebony. "Jebony. Janey and Sam"—he indicated to the couple in question—"Jam." He leant back on his elbows looking proud of himself.

"What," Taylor snorted, "like a couple name?"

'Jebony' was the term the group sometimes used to refer to James and Ebony as one being—which, now that they were married, they kind of were. It had actually been Piper who had branded them with the name—a rogue girl they'd briefly met on their Rosewood mission.

"Exactly."

"James, we use that name as a joke," Taylor pointed out. "People don't actually have 'couple names.'"

"Tell that to Brangelina," Janey snorted under her breath.

"Who?"

"Never mind," she sighed. "And don't ever call us that," she said aggressively, scowling at James.

But James wasn't listening. He was excitedly murmuring to himself, "Do you think Rose and Scorpius would be Sco-Rose or Rosius?"

Janey fully removed her sunglasses then, turning her head against Sam's chest to look at him, hands still clasped. "Can we go somewhere?" she asked, a slight edge of desperation to her voice.

Sam removed his sunglasses too, lifting his head in surprise, only just realising how dark it was actually getting. "Err… sure."

They were at the beach though—where exactly did she want to go? The toilet? And why did she need him to go with her—that's what the girls were for, surely

But Janey was already clambering to her feet. James stopped his abrupt pondering of whether 'Jinxio' was the best mashup of Jinx and Albireo to look at them like he was offended, Sam also getting to his feet.

Taylor got there first though. "Where are you going?" she snapped.

"None of your business," Janey snapped in response, reaching into her bag for a cardigan. Sam watched, with great disappointment, as she put it on, covering the sight he had so been enjoying looking at all day. He supposed he should put a T-shirt on too as it was starting to get cold.

"But we're going to make a campfire," James whined.

"We'll be back," Sam assured him, pulling a T-shirt on.

Janey neither confirmed nor denied Sam's statement but took his hand and pulled him away from the group. She didn't say anything as she marched him away, stubbornly refusing to look back at the others, who she knew were all watching them with great interest.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked after a while, nothing obvious coming to mind from the direction in which Janey was taking him. They were nearing a rockface, the rest of the group now only small blobs in the distance.

"I don't know," Janey confessed in an apologetic voice. "I just… didn't want to be around everybody. I just"—she gulped—"wanted to be with you. For a bit."

Sam guessed it had something to do with them all openly referring to the two of them as a couple. Even though it was true, it was still early days, and God knows Janey struggled with such fast-paced commitment. Sam wondered if this was the first relationship she'd actually been emotionally invested in—the first serious one. Was she emotionally invested in him, he wondered. Could that possibly be true?

They came to a stop once they had reached the rockface. Janey wrapped her arms around her body like she was hugging herself. Sam wanted to wrap his own arms around her. In the distance, they could see gently burning embers, and they were both reminded of that night alone in the common room.

"Are you cold?" Sam asked gently.

"No."

"Can I hug you anyway?"

Janey broke out into a grin that matched Sam's. She didn't respond to him verbally but gladly went into his arms, much more tender than when she'd thrown herself at him when she had first arrived.

But the interaction was similar—strong, safe, and oddly familiar. She was the perfect height, Sam realised, to rest her head against his chest, and for her arms to wind around his waist. And even though they weren't particularly cold, they both now felt reassuringly warm. Janey's hair had a slight sea salt aroma.

"It's weird being home," Sam murmured, the two of them still embracing. "Not being around everybody all the time. Not being able to just come down into the common room and, you know, see all you guys there."

"I miss it too," Janey confessed. "Home just… isn't the same."

Sam felt a lurch. He wanted to ask more—about her home, her family, everything. Did she have any siblings? He didn't think she did, but he couldn't be sure. How many people resided in her house? Did she have any pets?

"Have you been busy?" he asked instead.

Janey tensed slightly. "Not… greatly," she gulped, and he could sense she didn't want to talk about it for whatever reason. "Just, you know, hanging around and stuff."

Sam's homecoming had been pretty hectic in comparison. He had a big family, and they were always kept on their toes. But that didn't mean he'd been distracted. That didn't mean he hadn't been yearning for life at Hogwarts. Or, rather, though he wouldn't admit it out loud, life with Janey.

"Well, it's nice to be at the beach," Sam said. "I never get to come to the coast that much."

"Me neither," Janey agreed. "I love it down here though. I think I'd like to live by the beach," she said somewhat dreamily.

"Really?" Sam asked in surprise. "I thought you were all about the city."

"Mhmm," Janey agreed, "I am. I meant, like, after that though. It would be nice to retire down here. Sandbanks is so beautiful."

Sam revelled in her confession, feeling like she was revealing to him just a little part of her heart. He wondered if she at all, in her daydream, saw Sam there too—retiring with her on the beach.

He daren't ask.

Sandbanks was beautiful, he mused, and it had been a truly beautiful day. But not just because of the location.

"Can I tell you something?" Sam suddenly asked, a mischievous lilt to his voice. "Something I've never told you before?"

Janey broke their embrace so fast, and looked at him with such shock, that you'd have thought Sam had just proposed to her, or told her he loved her or something. Is that what she'd thought he'd been hinting at, Sam suddenly panicked himself. Because God knows he was as horrified by that notion as she was!

He wasn't sure he'd even told her that he liked her—other than the mishap with the Truth Potion.

Janey looked wary and incredibly anxious. Sam just started to laugh.

"You're really hot, Janey," he told her. "Like, seriously hot."

Janey regarded him with suspicion, her wariness only deepening. "What?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you," Sam explained, realising now that it probably wasn't as flattering and urgent as he'd thought it had been. "You're, ah, really hot."

"Wait," Janey asked, still looking deeply suspicious. "Wait—when you said you wanted to tell me something you've never told me before—it was just that… I'm hot?"

Sam's face fell. Should he have said something different? Told her she was beautiful? But that seemed too much—too far for them. He'd have thought a girl like Janey would love being told she was hot, though maybe it was only degrading.

But she looked pleasantly surprised, her anxiousness quickly transitioning into that usual flirty confidence. "You're only just realising this?"

Sam grinned again, relaxing once more. "I'm only just admitting I've realised this."

"I'm sure you'd say that to any girl who whipped her clothes off for you."

"Ah, but you're the first," he teased. He raised his eyebrows then. "And besides, you're suggesting you only stripped down for my benefit?"

"No," Janey teased back. "For my tan. You just got lucky."

"I knew coming to the beach was a good idea," he murmured. It hadn't been Sam's idea at all, but he was hugely thankful that James had thought it would be. "So anyway," Sam went on, still grinning, "are you going to tell me I'm hot too?"

"No," Janey snorted.

"Why not?"

"Because you're not."

Sam had no time to get offended before Janey was giggling and pulling him towards her, playfully placing her hands on his hips. "Nah, you're alright," she teased in a low voice. "You'll do."

"That's good enough for me," Sam murmured back, his hands going for her hips too.

She was still wearing bikini bottoms, he realised, remembering that, in fact, other than her cardigan, she was as exposed as she had been before. Only a thin layer of fabric separated him from touching her bare skin. And with his hands on her hips, if they were to venture just slightly lower…

Sam gulped, trying to force his mind elsewhere. When it came to their physical relationship, Sam was clueless. His whole relationship with Janey left him feeling clueless, but that was certainly an area he didn't even have the chance to exert control in.

He very much enjoyed kissing Janey, and over the past month, they had somewhat gotten used to each other. Sam was still always entranced whenever she brought her lips to his, but he'd been able to pick up on her rhythm, her technique. He knew what to expect now, and so he knew how to respond, as easily as breathing.

But the art of snogging was something else altogether. Even with the confidence he was gaining, there was so much uncertainty. It wasn't just mouths and tongues, it was hands too—where they went, what they did. Of which Sam didn't have a clue. He didn't have any idea at what pace a physical relationship was supposed to progress, and it frightened him. He had never been that intimate with a girl before.

They were seventeen, Sam reminded himself, soon to be nearing eighteen. They weren't little children—they were actually adults in the eyes of the wizarding world—and they knew each other well. They trusted each other, and were, for the most part, comfortable with each other. And when weighing all those factors up, it seemed perfectly acceptable that things would… progress between them physically.

It was only, Sam didn't know what that meant. Exactly.

He himself had never put his hands on Janey's body other than her waist, ribcage, hips, and shoulders when they'd been kissing. He'd never been to second base—never even thought of it. (Well, he'd thought of it a lot, but had not at all considered putting it into practice). Sam wasn't sure he knew what the other 'bases' even were. Perhaps he'd need to ask his older stepbrother…

Sam had never—to put it politely—travelled south of the border with his hands. And yet, he had certainly noticed that Janey had no reservations about grabbing his arse when they were making out in the broom cupboards.

It had surprised him how much he'd liked it. And yet, shouldn't that have been an invitation? If she was crossing that line, shouldn't he be doing the same? But Sam had always been mortified at the thought, his confidence in that area falling flat. Even then, with his hands on her hips, all he had to do was move his hands just a few inches lower…

And he would be touching bare flesh, he realised in alarm. Janey was in a bikini. It was one thing if she was wearing jeans, but his hands, if he were to act right then, would be in contact with her actual naked bum. Well—partially naked.

Sam was so freaked out that he nearly dropped his hands altogether.

And it wasn't even hands—the line didn't stop there. Kissing, as he was coming to realise, was not just lips, and then tongues, and then hands—it was bodies, it was everything.

He thought back to that brief, but wildly exciting moment in the corridor outside the Great Hall. Before Professor Roberts had embarrassingly stumbled upon the scene and stopped it short, Janey had actually been, for want of a better word, grinding. Her hips had been in that kiss. Sam barely knew how to use his tongue yet, let alone his hips.

There were no rules about this, no guidelines. Sam supposed it varied with each couple, taking lots of different factors into consideration. He was certain Rose and Scorpius' relationship had never progressed as fast as his and Janey's had, for example. They'd been much younger, he reminded himself. But he'd wager that, although they'd by no means been not exploring that aspect of their relationship, it had been pretty reserved. Or, at least, slow and steady in the building up of. Sam didn't know, nor did he want to ask either Rose or Scorpius in preference to dying, exactly how adventurous and comfortable they were with each other.

James and Ebony, on the other hand, he had no doubts about how quickly, and how far they had likely gone.

There were no rules—Sam knew that. He knew it varied with each couple, but that uncertainty—that lack of defined boundaries—terrified him. Janey, whilst she was hugely reluctant to further their emotional connection, seemed to have no problems with pushing their physical exploration further than Sam was necessarily comfortable with.

It wasn't that he didn't want to. He just felt like he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. And it's not like he could ask anyone.

Not if he didn't want to be ridiculed.

"I wanted to give you something," Janey murmured to him, pulling Sam's hips closer. He gulped. "I didn't want to leave things the way I did on the platform."

"Oh?" Sam asked, trying not to think of her hips, or her bikini, or anything of the sort.

"I wanted to give you this," Janey said, one hand moving to the back of his neck.

And even though Sam had obviously seen it coming, he still felt surprised when she pulled his head towards hers, kissing him, properly, since they'd officially become a couple. The instant their lips touched, his stomach did a somersault. He didn't think he'd ever get used to that rush, no matter how many snogs they had already shared, nor how many they would hopefully share in the future.

For all Sam's frantic worrying, he always felt remarkably at ease when they were actually kissing. It was easy, it was natural, and even if his mind was in turmoil, everything just seemed right. It just happened—he needn't do anything more than enjoy it.

Which he was. Oh, how he was.

Janey's lips sliding over his, tongue slipping into his mouth with considerably less alarm than when she'd done it the first time, Sam actually thought he groaned as the kiss quickly transitioned from sweet and endearing to fiery and intense. He had been away from her for too long. He had missed her. He had missed this.

Janey's arms tightened around him, one snaking around the back of his neck, the other moving from his waist around to the small of his back, drawing him in like a python trapping its prey—not that Sam had any problems with that. He'd gotten used to being pressed up against her—one of the delightful requirements of the broom cupboards—but he was deeply aware of how little clothing there actually was between them.

Sam's earlier queries came to mind.

Move your hands, he ordered, both of them still clinically placed on her hips (which was kind of awkward, given how closely she was pulling him to her). Move one hand, he reasoned. Just one. Just slide it down a couple of inches.

Sam was so forcefully trying to get his hands to do what his mind wanted them to do, that when he did move his hand, it was far from the gentle, subtle sliding he'd had in mind. That is to say, it took so much willpower to move his hand from the safety of her hip to gently rest on her backside, that he might have, kind of, slapped it there.

Janey withdrew immediately, a look of deep surprise on her face. "Did you just slap my arse?" she asked in breathy accusation.

Sam felt as shocked that it had happened as she did. "I think I did," he said sheepishly, eyes wide in confusion. That hadn't at all gone the way he'd pictured it in his head.

Janey's chest rose and fell, Sam's hand still in position—too scared to move it now that it had taken so much effort to get it there in the first place—before she leaned in again, surprised longing in her eyes. Sam was not prepared for the way she so seductively sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, certain that he groaned again.

Alright, that had to stop, he fiercely ordered. He didn't want to be one of those overly vocal kissers.

"Do you think they're watching us?" Sam murmured, trying not to think about how his hand was resting on Janey's bum. His hand was on Janey's bum.

"No," Janey murmured back, more interested in prising Sam's lips apart with her tongue.

There was a sudden sound of muffled but distinct cheering from over by the campfire, followed by the expertly shrill wolf whistle that only James Potter had perfected.

"I've changed my mind," Janey said, immediately withdrawing, causing Sam to follow her lead. "I think they're watching."

Sam felt flushed. He wondered if they had seen him unintentionally slap Janey's bum. Although, she had seemed to like it, Sam thought excitedly. Perhaps he should do it again.

Janey took hold of his hand and dragged him further along the rockface. "There's a dip further along here," she explained. "Where it rounds the corner. We should have more privacy that way," she said coyly.

Sam just swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling slightly dizzy after their brief but intense exchange.

Janey was right. The rockface did indeed curve around the corner, shielding a sort of alcove (it took Sam back to the window in Rosewood Manor), perfectly out of sight of James and the others. The only problem being that it was already occupied.

By Rose and Scorpius.

Who were doing some snogging of their own.

"Hey!" Janey snapped impulsively, furious that her hidey-hole was already in use.

Sam just watched in confusion, forgetting how bizarre it was to see the unofficial couple acting like a couple, like a throwback to two years ago. Up until recently, it had been more common to see them arguing.

Was that what it was like for the others to see Sam and Janey?

Rose pushed Scorpius away so forcefully at Janey's interjection that he ended up smacking his back into the jagged wall of rock. He looked more alarmed by the sudden ceasing of the snogging though, looking to Janey and Sam in a dazed sort of way.

"Hi, Janey," Rose coughed, blushing as red as her bikini, trying to pass herself off as friendly and casual, as though she'd not just been caught snogging her not-quite-boyfriend. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Janey said drily, giving Rose a condemning, suggestive stare, which only made the redhead blush more.

Sam wondered if Scorpius had ever slapped Rose's bum. He decided not to ask.

"Good," Rose gulped, looking like she was under interrogation. "That's great."

Scorpius was rubbing his shoulder, still looking dazed. Sam's attention was drawn to the tattoo they'd all been so intrigued by earlier. Sam had been impressed, he couldn't lie. Badass Slytherin that he was, of course Scorpius Malfoy had a tattoo—a scorpion and a rose, in honour of he and Rose—which he had apparently gotten when he was fifteen.

Sam pondered on what tattoo he could get if he wanted to honour his and Janey's relationship in the same way. But 'Sam' and 'Janey' didn't exactly point to anything as obvious as Scorpius and Rose's names did. He thought of what James had said earlier. Maybe a jam jar…

It was only when Scorpius caught Sam's eye, looking slightly alarmed, that Sam realised it looked like he was checking the Slytherin boy out. He hurriedly averted his gaze, distracting himself by picking at a loose rock.

"So, ah," Rose said, still refusing to allude to the fact that she and Scorpius had been caught kissing, even under Janey's penetrative stare. "What are you… doing here?"

Janey's challenging stare remained in place. "Sam and I came here to make out."

Sam snapped the bit of rock off the wall and dropped it to the sand in surprise.

Rose leapt to her feet, still blushing. "Good," she exclaimed. "Well… you know, have fun."

"Oh, we will. Almost as much fun as you and—"

"Bye, Janey!" Rose yelled across her, hurrying past both her and Sam without a single look back.

Sam stole a glance at Rose as she hurried by, hoping Janey wasn't paying attention. Even though her red and white polka dot bikini certainly covered more of her body than Janey had earlier had on display, it was the most revealing thing he'd ever seen her in, obviously. Rose had a nice body, no one could deny that, but she didn't quite have the curves that Janey did.

Scorpius, realising he was left alone, folded his arms across his bare chest. "Hi," he said sheepishly, half looking amused and half looking apologetic.

Janey just glared at him like he was stupid. "Go away."

"Gladly," Scorpius laughed as he followed after Rose's retreating figure. He and Sam made awkward eye contact as he passed, both boys giving a sort of bro-styled nod of the head, no words exchanged.

"For the record," Sam said, once he and Janey were truly alone, "there's no 'almost' about it. We will have more fun than them," he said with a wicked grin.

"Yeah?" Janey asked, her hostility towards Rose melting into her earlier playfulness. She walked towards him, intent on picking up from where they'd left off. This time, uninterrupted.

Taking them both by thrilled surprise, Sam slapped a hand onto Janey's bum once again, pulling her in closer. "Oh yeah."

The beach became a quick favourite for the group. James, Mason, Albus, Sam, Janey, Rose, Gwen, Taylor, Ebony, Jinx, Albireo, and Scorpius at the heart of it, sometimes they'd be joined by the younger ones too—Lily, Serephina, Hugo, and their Hufflepuff friend, Ben. And sometimes Albus' unofficial girlfriend, Annabel, joined them too, along with various other members of the Potter-Weasley clan.

Quidditch games, road trips, campfires, trips to the beach… It was set to be a beautiful summer. And it was.

Those first weeks passed quickly, with the group meeting up as often as possible. Sam and Janey, now that she'd sorted his phone for him, talked every day if they weren't spending it together. At first, it was just texting (which Sam still struggled with), until they worked their way up to actual phone calls, spending hours on the phone with each other, growing more and more confident with their new relationship.

Their stolen moments, away from the group, were just as fun. Walking together, hand-in-hand, lounging around together, just enjoying each other's company. And, of course, having a snog whenever they could.

Nothing could beat the thrill of that young, wild, teenage romance.

Janey loved it. She loved being with Sam, fun and playful, really able to enjoy their relationship without too much seriousness. It wasn't challenging, it wasn't difficult—it was happy and carefree. They had no boundaries to overcome, no challenges to face, just a smooth, leisurely stroll.

Until, of course, Sam had to complicate it.

Janey couldn't blame him. She should have known she couldn't escape the inevitable, no matter how much she delayed it. She should have known it couldn't just be all fun, laughter, and snogging. They were in a relationship, they were committed. And that's what made it so different to all her previous flings.

Still, she could not pretend she wasn't surprised, and hugely freaked out, when Sam took her aside at the beach one day, three weeks into them being an official couple, looked her sincerely and apologetically in the eye, and announced those words that would change everything.

"Janey," he'd gulped, knowing what he was about to announce would be a huge step for them, but especially for her. "My family wants to meet you."

The poor girl almost fainted.

Author's Note: Title and epigraph inspired by Demi Lovato's 'Cool For The Summer'