a laugh slipped before camila could stop it, soft and disbelieving, like he had already caught her before she had even decided whether to lie or tell the truth. she tipped her head back against the lounge chair for a second, eyes dragging up towards the stars before settling back onto him. "oh, that's evil," she murmured, lips curling around the rim of her cup before she took another sip. it was then that she realized where exactly the game she had proposed was heading and the reckless part of her was quite enjoying it. her gaze narrowed faintly over the edge of the plastic cup, studying him where he sat sprawled across the chair like he owned the entire night โ the pool, the hotel, probably napa itself if he felt like it. the moonlight caught against the sharp line of his jaw every time he moved, silvering the edges of his grin in a way that made him look far too pleased with himself. and he probably knew it. "you say that like men aren't embarrassingly easy to manipulate," she finally shot back, setting her drink down onto the glass table between them with a soft clink. "half the time all it takes is batting your eyelashes and pretending not to know how to open a bottle of wine before some guy appears out of nowhere acting like he's a hero and deserves a medal for teaching you how to use a corkscrew." a smirk tugged at her mouth. "and technically," she continued, lifting one shoulder lazily, "i don't pretend to be bad at things." her eyes dipped meaningfully down the length of him before returning to his face. "i just occasionally let people feel useful. there's a difference."
the satisfaction over probably not giving him the answer he had possibly expected bloomed across her expression, the champagne buzz sitting warm beneath her skin. the night felt suspended out here โ water rippling quietly beside them, distant music from somewhere around drifting out in pieces, the heavy california heat softened by the late hour until everything felt slower, looser, easier. and dangerous, really. her fingers curled loosely around her cup again as she leaned back deeper into her chair, the hem of her dress sliding up a little, crossing one tanned leg over the other with deliberate ease. "besides," she added, voice softer now as she tugged a lose strand of hair behind her ear, "sometimes it's more interesting to watch someone trying to impress you when they think they're teaching you something." her eyes lingered on him for a moment before her lips curled into a smile, "or would you disagree ?" she hummed, nudging the bottle lightly with the side of her foot into his direction. "you might need to re-fill your cup before it's my turn." her brows lifted innocently before she took a sip herself. "never have i ever lied about liking something to impress someone."