Loving Olivia

Chapter 16 - Nico Beach

When I head back outside to his room, Nico has already changed into a pair of swim trunks and is waiting for me with two towels in his arms. God, my boyfriend is hot. I still can't believe I get to have him. Not only that, but he keeps surprising me all the time with the sweetest things. I feel so incredibly lucky.

He takes my hand and leads me outside his room. I follow him downstairs to the game room, but once we get there, he takes me through some double doors that lead outside. The cold air hits me and I wrap my hands across my arms. It's the end of October so it's definitely not bikini weather anymore.

Nico immediately covers me with one of the towels. "Don't worry, you won't be cold for long."

He heads down a path that leads to the pool area. It's covered though, so we can't be going there. Besides, the water would be freezing even if it weren't. We pass by the pool, and he keeps going further. I realize I've never been down here. I've only seen it from the terrace, and the greenery looks even more impressive up close.

"Welcome to Nico Beach," he suddenly announces, and I laugh as soon as I spot the outdoor jacuzzi.

Of course there would be a jacuzzi. I can't believe it didn't occur to me sooner. I was conjuring up all these crazy scenarios when in fact it was the simplest one.

"You'll have to pretend the grass is sand," he says.

"Nico, this is amazing," I say excitedly, getting closer to observe all the bubbles swirling around from the jets.

"Well, let's get in before you get too cold," he says, smiling at my reaction.

He places the towels on a chair outside the jacuzzi and turns around to look at me. I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to change out of my clothes.

"You go first," I tell him, deciding it might be easier to do this when he's not looking at me directly.

"You're not gonna leave me hanging, are you?" he asks, probably picking up on my nerves.

"No, I promise I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," he says, turning his back on me to get in.

I take advantage of the opportunity and quickly strip, but then I realize my plan totally backfires once he's inside the jacuzzi and looking straight at me and I'm still in the process of getting in. Especially because I belatedly realize I need to pull my hair up in a bun and I'm a hundred percent on display. Suddenly my bikini feels like it's two sizes too small. Dammit, I should have gone in first.

Get over it, Olivia. He's your boyfriend and possibly the sweetest guy on earth.

I finish fixing my hair and straighten my shoulders as I slowly dip into the steaming hot water. My stomach tightens as it's almost too hot, but it's nothing I can't get used to. Plus the mix of cool air outside actually makes it feel really nice.

When I finally get the courage to look at Nico, he's watching me with hooded eyes and his mouth is slightly open. It gives me a boost of confidence, making me realize I was worrying over nothing. He extends his arm and grabs my hand, pulling me towards him.

I sit on his lap with my legs on either side of him and wrap my hands around his neck. He brings his arms around my waist, slowly caressing my back with his fingers. I love being held like this by him. It makes me feel warm and safe, and the jacuzzi just seems to amplify it by a thousand.

I lean in to kiss him. He means so much to me, and I want him to know how much I appreciate everything he does for me. He's always doing things to make me feel better or be happy. Sometimes he challenges me or pushes me out of my comfort zone, but I love him even more for that. It's always so worth it in the end.