Your Mind Is A Stream of Colors (ReaderxJosh Kiszka)

Chapter Six

The view of the pond was absolutely breathtaking. The clouds in the sky had broken up to the smallest specks surrounding the high noon sun and cast a perfect reflection upon the smooth surface of the water. Cattails and satin grass surrounded the bank as orioles danced through the air chirping their song. The trunks of birch trees were stark white against the deep green of the pines surrounding them.  The spring air was crisp as you inhaled it through your lungs, the light aroma of lilacs trailing on the soft breeze around you.

It wasn't long before Sam came along screaming past you, already in his underwear, and jumped into the water.  You rolled your eyes at his shenanigans.  The water was surely freezing cold, yet that never stopped him.  In fact, it was the first thing he did after walking the pike trail.  It didn't matter what time of the year it was.  He swam out to the middle in a single breath, only the paleness of his skin underwater a sign that he was there at all.  His head popped up in the middle of the pond where it was the deepest, just past his shoulders where the water kissed his collarbone.

"How does it feel?"  Josh called out to his brother from behind you.
"Not that bad!" Sam shouted back as his voice echoed through the clearing around you.

With the sun warming the air significantly since the group left the cabin, you sat down on a bed of grass and took your sneakers off.  You pushed your bare toes into the dirt and leaned back on your elbows as you soaked up the light shining down.  Jake and Danny stripped down and made their way into the water slowly.  Both men had tied their hair up off their necks to keep dry but everyone knew the effort was fruitless.  Sam would get them under the water at some point. 

Josh took a seat next to you, not leaving any space between you.  From his shoulder all the way down to his ankles, there was contact against your side.  He matched your pose completely and you relished in the feel of his warm skin against yours.  Despite the shock of the heat in the air around you after being used to the Michigan cold for so many months, you welcomed the sensation.

"I talked to Jake," Josh spoke aloud. You hummed in response as you watched Sam chase Jake around.
"About what?"
"Our talk last night... and other things."  You looked at Josh and raised an eyebrow.
"Carry on."
"You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"  Josh pulled the bandana down around his neck and ran his fingers through his curls.
"Yup."  You grinned enthusiastically.
"How I feel about you."  He stated quietly as if it were a secret.
"And how is that?"  You rested your chin in your palm as you looked at him.
"Y/N," Josh was cut off by both of you getting heavily splashed with water.
"Sam!"  You screamed and jumped up to your feet.
"Always getting in the way..." You heard Josh mutter under his breath as he came to stand next to you. Sam laughed and waded deeper into the water, walking backwards. He had the most mischievous grin on his face as he threatened to send another wave at you.
"Come in or you're getting it!"  He called.  Jake and Danny stood behind him with amused expressions on their faces.
"He's not lying, Y/N."  Jake mentioned, droplets already falling from the tip of his nose.

You rolled your eyes and stripped down to your bikini having dressed accordingly unlike the men around you.  After tossing your clothes on top of your backpack, you made your way towards the waters edge.  You jumped back with a shriek at the brisk temperature of the water against your toes.  Of course Sam would lie about how cold it was.  The guys around you chuckled at your reaction since they already knew what it felt like. As you made your way into the pond, slowly but surely, you were tackled from behind.  You lost your footing and crashed face first into the water.  When you came up, Josh was leaning back hollering with laughter that came deep from his belly.

"Josh, I swear to God!"  You shouted.
"Nice one, brother!"  Sam cackled.
"I'm so sorry," Josh spoke through his laughter.
"Sorry, my ass."  You grabbed his arm and pulled him down into the water with you.
"What the," he stopped short when the cold hit him.  "Holy shit!"
"Yeah!" You had started laughing at this point, unable to be even the slightest bit upset with him.
"Who wants to play chicken, chickens?" Sam looked at you and Josh.
"I'm out," Jake said as he threw his hands up in the air with a wink in your direction. "I'll referee."
"We'll, I guess that settles that." You told Josh.

Sam climbed up onto Danny's shoulders with some lame crack about how he was in his underwear. Danny shifted his weight and almost caused Sam to fall off, but he righted himself just in time. Josh bent down so you could get up on his shoulders and slowly made his way to the point where the water was just above his waist. The height difference between Josh and Danny already put the two of you at a disadvantage with Sam towering over you. He wore a look of pride on his face as if he had already won.

Jake counted down from three and on his mark, you and Sam grabbed each other's palms and started pushing your weight into each other. Danny stood strong in the water while Josh moved beneath you with whichever way your weight shifted. It was as if you were moving as one. You decided then that could be your winning opportunity.

"You're not gonna win this," Sam grunted as his hand slipped against yours.
"Wanna bet, Sammy boy?" You retorted with a laugh.

You gripped his right hand tightly and took the chance to push his arm back with all of your might. At the same time, Josh took a step forward which caused Danny to lose his balance and step back. His foot slid against the muddy floor of the pond and he started to go down. Sam shrieked in defeat as he fell off of his friend's shoulders and went under the water.

"Sweet, sweet victory!" You shouted with your arms high above your head as Sam popped his head up out of the water.
"That was foul play!" He exclaimed.
"Aww, are we a sore loser?" You pouted.
"No..." Sam trailed off, reflecting your mock expression.

You allowed yourself to fall backwards off of Josh's shoulders and made your way back to the shoreline feet away. After having retrieved your towel from your backpack, you laid it down on the grass and sat on top of it with your legs crossed beneath you. Josh took his place beside you again while Jake sat across from you with Danny next to him. Sam sat on the other side of you, thankfully with a towel he had remembered to bring.

"So what have you been up to?" Jake asked you as he took a bite out of an apple he had brought with.
"I got a new job at the record store downtown," you responded. "It's pretty nice actually."
"Did you find anyone to replace me?" Sam joked.
"Yeah, your sister." You shot back with a grin as you nibbled on one of the protein bars you had packed.
"You wound me, Y/N." He replied as he lightly punched your shoulder.

The rest of the day, the five of you spent your time lounging around and basking in the sun. It was a nice, welcome afternoon with the people you missed the most. It felt like the old times when you would all get together and find some odd adventure to get into void of the stresses of life. You all decided to head out as the sun started it's descent in the West knowing damn well that Karen would let you hear it if you broke your promise to her.

The walk back to the cabin was quieter than the first time around. You all enjoyed the night song of the crickets and wildlife around you. The random cracking of branches as deer roamed freely within the cover of the trees and the sound of the rushing water in the distance as you neared the river was relaxing for you. The weekend was turning out to be much more than you had expected, although you weren't sure of what you were expecting at all. You were glad you had decided to go even if it was on a whim. You had gotten your big conversation with Josh out of the way the night before, but you couldn't shake the feeling like there was another one coming.