13 Flames | gxg

23 - suits

We take a sip of the champagne before digging into the meal. Palmer watches as I serve myself. I make sure to take enough so she won't give me some of hers. Because she will, and she'll do it in a way where the others hardly notice, where I don't feel ashamed.

We make light conversation as we eat, laughing and joking. I find it shocking how comfortable I've gotten with these people in such a short time. They're like a second family.

I finish my plate but don't take seconds, genuinely full. Palmer seems satisfied with the amount I've had and doesn't pester me about it. She's been watching my diet recently, but she doesn't set unrealistic expectations. It's refreshing, not being pushed past my limits.

After dinner, we head to the back patio of the house to socialize. A few couches are out there, sitting beside a pool. They form a U-shape, one facing the pool and two facing each other on either side. Yellow lights set into the pool walls give the water a soft glow that helps to combat the darkness of the night.

We lounge on the couches, laughing and sipping on drinks. Palmer holds a beer in her hand and takes small sips every few minutes. She's sitting on the middle couch with Brayden and Joseph. Alex and John spread out on the one across from me, and Peyton is to my right. I've kicked off my heels and tuck my legs up on the cushions.

"Come on, it can't be that hard," Palmer jokes. She's arguing with Alex and Brayden about splitting an apple in half with your hands.

"Try it then, Drake!" Alex challenges. "It's not as easy as it looks."

"Fine." Palmer stands. "Joe, you got an apple?"

He laughs. "Fridge."

Palmer disappears and comes back a minute later with a bag of apples. She sets it on the coffee table in the middle of the couches and pulls one out.

"We betting on this?" She raises an eyebrow.

Alex laughs. "Bragging rights."

"You've had a long day, Palm," Brayden teases. "We won't hold it against you if you can't."

Palmer rolls her eyes and inspects the apple. She takes it in her hands and digs her fingers into the top. Silver rings cover her hands, the metal glinting in the dim light. The veins running down the back of her hands pop out as she tenses. She rips the apple apart in one go.

We all stare at her in shock. My mouth hangs open, my eyes wide and on her hands. She smirks at our expressions and takes a bite out of one half of the apple.

"Told you." She smiles and hands the apple to Alex. He inspects it, still shocked. Glancing back at Palmer, he shrugs and starts eating it.

She notices my eyes still on her. Smiling, she grabs another apple and my hand. "You're turn." She pulls me to the middle of the group.

I shake my head. "Nope. Not my thing."

She laughs and ignores me, wrapping my hands around the apple. "Just dig your fingers into the top and pull. It's not that hard."

"Maybe not for you, Supergirl," I joke.

She gasps and brings a hand to her chest. "Excuse me," she feigns disbelief, "Wonder Woman is much better."

Everyone laughs and she repositions my hands on the apple. She nods encouragingly. I sigh and try to rip the apple apart. Nothing happens. I frown and try again, putting more force behind it. Still the apple doesn't budge.

"What the hell?" I try again, and still nothing.

Palmer is cracking up beside me. I roll my eyes. "Are you going to help or not?"

She smiles and steps around me, wrapping her arms around mine. Her chest presses to my body, her bare skin brushing the small section of my back that's exposed. Her fingers lace over mine and she grips tightly.

"On three." Her head is close to mine and I can feel her breath tickling my neck. It sends chills through my body.

"One, two," her grip tightens, "three!"

Together, we rip the apple apart. She laughs at the proud expression on my face, the others smiling at us. She hands me the part of the apple without the core and I take a bite. She puts the other half on the table and comes back to my side. The others continue their conversation and we take a small step away.

"That was fun," I smile, taking another bite.

She returns the grin. "Told you it wasn't that hard."

"Pretty sure you did most of the work."

"Team effort." She holds up a hand for a fist bump. I laugh and bump my free hand against hers. I glance at the pool beside me. The water looks refreshing. It's nearly eighty degrees outside.

"If I'd known there was a pool I would've brought a bathing suit," I remark as I finish my apple.

"Who says you need a suit?" Palmer jokes.

I turn to her and see the mischievous smile on her lips. "No, Palmer, don't-" Before I finish she picks me up and tosses me into the pool.

I hit with a splash, the water cold against my skin. It feels amazing. I come up sputtering and gasping for air. "Palmer!" I scream. She's cracking up at the edge of the pool, her hands together as she laughs. The others watch from the couch, laughing at us.

"You completely suck." I reach for her hand to help me out. She leans forward and I yank her wrist. She flips into the water beside me. Now it's my turn to laugh as she comes back to the surface.

She smiles, her hair falling into her face. "I should've expected that," she laughs. I respond by splashing her in the face. Soon enough it's a water fight between the two of us, splashing as much as we can. I distantly hear the others cheering us on, but the sound is drowned out by Palmer's laughter.

A moment later she lunges forward. She wraps around my waist and twists sideways, pulling me into the water with her. We come up laughing, our arms around each other. My hands tangle in her wet hair while she grabs my hips. Our laughter fades as I take her in, her face close to mine. My eyes flicker to her lips, falling out of their smile. I gaze into her dark eyes and my head tilts closer.

--------------------

a/n
i'm back!!! this past week i published nine chapters for my other book back to back, so i decided to hold off on this story while i worked on that. but!! here with some updates, and i should be posting regularly again
AND 700 READS!!!! tysm for all the love <3<3<3
:)