Stay (Completed)

Chapter 28- Very Special Birthday Presents

“Ready for a day filled with fun?” she asked, raising an eyebrow up at me.

“No, but I am ready for a day filled with you,” I said kissing the tip of her nose and pulling her into a hug.

“Cheesy much?” she joked as she pulled me towards her house.

“Only around you,” I replied, grinning.

“Oh shut up!” she said laughing and slapping my chest.

I caught her hand and kissed it before I lectured her, “You shouldn’t abuse your boyfriend: especially on his birthday.”

“Goodness you are insufferable today!” she exclaimed pulling away from me and shaking her head.

“Ok someone just used too big of a word for my summer vocabulary!” Nick complained as he plopped down on a lounge chair.

“Nick your school vocabulary doesn’t even have insufferable in it,” Ben told him, whipping him with a towel which resulted in both boys having an all out war. Soon they dragged everyone else into it and we were all running around the pool, nipping at each other’s backs with the towels.

I gave up the towel and straight out ran at Maria. She screamed and tried to hide behind Rach and Ryan, who had shown up in the middle of the war, but Rach was pulled away my a smirking Ryan and soon I had picked Maria up and was supporting her back and legs as she wrapped her arms around my neck in panic.

“I swear if—“

“You swear Maria? How unladylike of you,” I told her with a fake frown.

“Oh be quiet! If you jum—“

But again I cut her off as I took a running leap and jumped into the warm pool water. We sunk quickly in the 12 foot deep pool and she never let go of me just like I never let go of her.

When we resurfaced she was laughing and so was I. We looked over to the side of the pool where Ryan was holding Rach the same way that I had been holding Maria.

“Watch out!” Ryan warned as he jumped in with Ashley screaming that her hair was going to be a mess.

Following the trend, Ben grabbed Tessa, who willingly jumped into his arms and they jumped in the pool to join us. That left Nick and Ashley who looked at each other for a split second, Nick hopefully and Ashley trying to figure out what she should do. In the end Ashley jumped in by herself and Nick had no choice to follow suit.

“Well that didn’t take long,” I laughed as I pulled off my wet t-shirt and threw it out of the pool. Everyone else did the same until we relaxed in the morning sun.

“So what do you have planned for us today?” I asked Maria as I came up behind her and drew her closer to me in the water, loving the way her body molded into mine and she turned her head up so her lips brushed my neck when she replied.

“Well…” she began, covering my arms with hers and wrapping her hands around mine, “We have a yummy lunch cooked by my mom for us, then I figured we could go down to the beach and build sand castles…have sort of a contest thing…then dinner, and a bon fire after that. Oh, and presents thrown in there somewhere.”

“Wait, you got me a present?” I asked, amazed.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, smiling up at me confused.

“I don’t know. I guess I never really thought about presents. I don’t really feel like I need anything,” I admitted, leaning back against the pool wall and pulling Maria with me.

“Well it’s your birthday, so you’re getting some presents. Whether you want them or not,” she told me poking my cheek and giving me a serious expression.