STORM

-ten-

It was 4 PM on a Tuesday afternoon and Gabriella was sitting on Ziv's poolside, feet dangling into the water. Ziv was lying peacefully on a pool float, relaxing with his eyes shut. Gabriella's sunglasses were hanging low on her nose, she pulled them up and leaned her weight on her arms propped up behind her.

She seized her can of soda, took a sip, then dipped herself into the pool. The shock in the change of temperature took a moment to get used to, but when she did she swam to grab a flamingo float and hauled herself up on it, ever so gracefully.

"You've yet to tell me about how your date with Thalia went," Gabriella reminded.

Ziv let out a dreamy sigh. "It was amazing."

"Huh, that good? Tell me everything."

He sat up on his float. "Okay, so I picked her up and she was wearing this adorable outfit and her makeup was on point, I took her to the park like I'd planned and we walked around chatting for a while and I held her hand. Then we ate and after that, we went to the arcade. I tried winning her a plushie from the claw machine but failed. Unlike me, she actually got one and gave it to me, it's in my room right now. After the arcade I drove her to my place and we swam for a bit then watched a movie and I kissed her and that was that."

"Aww, that was your first kiss."

He looked offended. "It was not, I've kissed others before!"

"I don't count."

"Yes, you do. But also you're not who I meant, I've done things with other girls."

"That one girl you pecked and then ran away from doesn't count either."

"You're mean, I had a girlfriend for three months in sophomore year. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah, Katy. Didn't she come out as a lesbian a week after you broke up?"

Ziv jumped off his float and swam over to Gabriella. He flipped her float over, in turn making her fall into the water with a splash. She swam to the surface, coughing when she resurfaced.

"What was that for?" She shouted, pushing a laughing Ziv.

"That was for making fun of my lack of dating life when you've been in love with the same girl for years and have yet to make a move, loser."

"I've tried!"

"And you chickened out every time!"

"She doesn't like me back."

"Are you dumb? She tried kissing you!"

"Then she regretted it."

"No, she just felt guilty because you're her best friend's sister. I know you're smarter than this so what you're going to do is ask her to hang out and  actually fucking make a move!"

"But that's scary."

Ziv splashed her with water. She gaped and splashed him back, starting a splashing fight that ended with Gabriella pushing Ziv down under. It backfired as he took her along with him.

"Stop trying to drown me to avoid the subject!"

"I'm not," Gabriella argued. "Avoiding the subject that is."

Without a word, Ziv swam to the poolside and pulled himself up. He then grabbed his phone and called someone. Gabriella made a weirded-out expression and went to see who he was calling.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard Storm on the speakers. "Uhm, Ziv, why are you calling me?"

Gabriella wondered how he even had her phone number in the first place. "I'm by my pool with Gabriella. Want to come by? You're on speakers by the way."