“One pizza to share?” Adam asks but I don’t answer right away, glancing over the menu then typing out a message on my phone. “You sure?” I nod and smile, his shoulders relaxing again. “Pepperoni all around then.”
I type out our order and show it to the cashier, who gives an odd glance but goes with it, repeating back our order as the others walk off. Once I’ve paid, the worker extends a stack of cups to me over the counter, and I follow my friends quickly.
As soon as we are settled at the table with our cups and table number in front of us, they start chatting. I listen, but I really want to ask about his mom and things at home. When the conversation begins to lull, I put a hand on his wrist and turn my phone, where I’d typed my question.
“Uh, it’s okay at home. Mom went to rehab,” he explains, voice low enough that only we can hear. “Dad’s pretty intent on it being just us for a while, but I doubt it sticks, he goes on business trips too often.” His voice sounds so sad and I get his hesitation, but I hope things are actually going to improve. “He actually cancelled his last trip to stay home, so maybe things will hang, who knows.”
“He will and if not, we’ve got you,” Abby promises as I take his hand and give it a squeeze. Before we can keep going, they deliver our pizza and breadsticks, and Adam and I don’t even hesitate to dig in, downing a piece each as Abby just rolls her eyes and looks disturbed. “Slow down, guys.”
“No,” Adam counters, giving her a smirk and shoving an entire piece in his mouth. My eyes track his tongue as it darts out to lick off the cheese that was stuck there and I kind of want to crawl across the table and let him lick me.
“Stop, you’re turning Charlie on,” she snorts, and I shrug, not even denying it as I go back to my own food. Adam, however, doesn't fare as well, choking on his bite and trying to play it off like he isn’t affected.
As we finish up, I text the others that I was successful, and we all plan on meeting at the pool in a few hours. There's just enough time to get back and wash the swimsuit. Even if I don’t have time to dry it, I'm way too much of a germaphobe to wear it until it's properly clean.
We make our way back to Adam’s truck, and he drops Abby off first. The moment she’s out, I scoot over to the middle and he takes my hand. We don't talk, but the silence is comfortable.
When he pulls up to my house, I give him a smile. “See you in a little bit. I’m sure Trent will be texting to figure out rides. Can't wait to see you in that bikini,” he says with a wink. Grinning, I give a little wave and walk to the door. Adam stays in front of my house until I close the door behind me and I wave one last time, all thoughts of my attack far from my mind.
Saturday
Late Afternoon
Charlie
“Soooooooo,” Abby draws out the word dramatically and I playfully roll my eyes. I know what she's getting at. Alice, Abby, and I are in the locker room of the local indoor pool. We're already finished changing, and I'm sliding on my sandals. “How was the ride home with Adam? And I noticed Cole calling you babe recently.”
“Adam hasn’t really dated anyone except Callie and it was short and awful. Cole hasn’t seriously dated anyone either. He’s a picky person,” Alice states, giving me a smile. I can’t help but be happy to hear that. I was too much of a nerd at my old school to date much, plus I was constantly taking care of Lizzy when we went out. It didn’t leave a ton of space for flirting with guys. But there's still the issue of liking them all. I shake my head sadly and turn, but Alice stops me, apparently noticing me shutting down.
"Listen. I know you like them, I've seen the way you react to their flirting... Abby's too," she says, and I turn around to see Abby's mouth drop open in shock at Alice's bold words. We’d all danced around it so much I didn’t expect her to be the one to call our asses out, then again she’s always blunt.
Alice holds up her hands defensively. "That's not where this is going. I just wanted to say that she should tell everyone how she feels. You all should. This is 2020, it's not exactly unheard of to be in a different relationship. Just because I'm dating one guy, doesn't mean she has to choose. I support it and if any group can make it work, it’s ours."
This time Abby blushes and looks at me, gauging my reaction. I smile and shrug, not disagreeing with Alice. She has a point.
When Abby doesn’t say anything else, I turn, and she doesn't stop me. I can respect her need to process.
We all walk in silence out to the pool and my eyes scan the room for the others. My mouth goes dry as I take them in. All three of the guys are different builds, but a girl can’t help but appreciate them. Adam is tall and all lean muscle with a six pack to prove it. All that baseball did him good.
Trent has more of a runner's build, lean with a hint of muscles. He stands proudly, staring right back and I smirk at him. He’s fun to flirt with but I have a suspicion that's all he wants.
Cole is a mix of the two, and it works for him. He's not overly athletic, but still looks fit. He's taller than Trent, but more of a medium build. Gah… they're perfect.
“Damn. How are you gonna hide behind the towel?" Trent accuses, causing Abby and Alice to laugh. We all wrapped towels around ourselves before stepping out of the changing areas. Wanting to tease them, I make a show of unfolding the towel and flashing them a look of my bikini for a fraction of a second before covering it back up.
“Seriously?” Cole asks, groaning and clutching his chest before falling into the water like it was just too much. A small, raspy giggle escapes me at the display, which has them all looking at me in surprise. I brush it off and actually drop my towel this time, tossing it on a chair nearby before sliding off my sandals. Alice and Abby follow my lead and we turn, the guys all staring at my new bikini with heated looks. Now I don't feel so bad for checking them out.
When I turn around to see if Abby is coming, she looks at my face, checking to make sure I'm okay. Then her eyes make their way slowly down my body again. I can't help but do the same. She's wearing a cute red bikini. It shows off a hint of cleavage and the soft curve of her hips, displaying her perfect figure. Her white blonde hair is free from its usual ponytail and hanging down her shoulders in soft waves I want to run my fingers through. She looks sexy as fuck. We glance back up at the same time, giving each other a sheepish grin and blushing. We both take a step forward, as if gravity itself was giving us a kick in the ass, but just before our lips meet, a body flies by us.
Adam launches himself off the side and does a cannonball into the pool. He's a big enough guy that the splash sprays us all. Abby shrieks like she's going to melt before hiding behind me. I shiver at the feel of her breath against my neck as she peeks around me to glare at him. Not wanting to stand here anymore, I internally chuckle at the reaction I'm sure is coming before I launch myself after Adam. Trent laughs before he and Alice run and jump in at the same time.
“Come on, Abby, you can’t exactly sunbathe indoors,” Alice jokes. I’m not even a bit surprised that Abby's always the last in.
Trent slowly climbs out before stepping close enough to grab her and launch himself into the pool with Abby securely in his arms. When they come back to the surface, she squeals and spl
ashes him in the face before swimming over to the rest of us.
“Who’s up for a diving contest?” Trent asks, swimming toward the diving board. I was on the swim team my freshman year, so I smile to myself and swim after him. I only quit the team because I couldn’t stand the coach. She was a screamer, and I was too shy to handle the stress of it all. But before then I’d helped our team place at the state competition.