Chapter 30
I realized when I woke up the next morning how utterly different my life was from just a few weeks ago.
Because a few weeks ago, when I had woken up in a tent at the Creek with Lexi Grayson cuddled in my arms I had been freaking out.
I was still freaking out now, but for completely different reasons.
I wasn't scared of getting caught and feeling the wrath of my Pumpkin.
I was freaking out because having my girlfriend in my arms like this could get me in a very different kind of trouble.
Lexi stirred, making sounds like she was about to wake up, wrapping her arms more tightly around me.
"Good morning," I whispered while she just mumbled an incoherent response, making me slightly chuckle.
We stayed silent, just hugging each other for a few minutes, until Lexi finally asked, "what time is it?"
"I have absolutely no clue," I whispered back, pressing my cheek on top of her head.
"Should we get up?" she whined. I smiled.
"I haven't heard anyone moving around yet, so it must be still pretty early."
"Ugh, alright then," she mumbled, and nuzzled my neck, "Let's just sleep more. They can wake us up when it's time to leave."
"What? No breakfast?" I teased her, kissing the top of her head.
Lexi did not even reply to that, which was impressive. She was not a morning person though, so it made sense. Unbelievably, sleep was more important than food at the moment for her.
"Hey, Pumpkin?" I said softly.
"Hmm?"
"I really really love you."
"Loveyoutoo," she replied a little unintelligibly
"And I know I'm very lucky to have you as my girlfriend, and I'm sorry for all the bad things I did or said, and I just want you to be happy all the time and—"
Lexi shut me up, pressing a finger to my lips. "Shhhhhh. Let your Pumpkin sleep."
I snorted. "Okay, I'll let you sleep."
"Shhhhhhh," she repeated, covering my whole mouth with her hand now.
I laughed silently, and took her hand off, holding it in mine, pressing it against my chest.
I let her go back to sleep, holding her in my arms tightly.
More often than not, I was still in disbelief that Lexi Grayson was finally my girlfriend. I didn't think I still had fully registered it. Everything had been happening so fast lately. In just a few months, my life had completely changed.
For the most part, I was acclimated with these changes now, and it was mostly fine, but also, at the same time, it was still quite unbelievable to me.
The last thing I wanted was to take for granted the fact that I was dating my Pumpkin. She seemed to be taken for granted so many times by the people around her. I didn't want to do that to her, ever.
I stroked her hair while she slept soundlessly in my arms.
My mind wandered. With her in my arms, close like this, I was thinking about the other morning again.
Last time we'd been here Lexi kind of still hated me.
Now, I'd kissed more naked skin of hers than I ever thought I would.
And was it just me, or was it getting hotter in the tent?
Maybe I really should stop thinking about kissing my girlfriend right now. I should be letting her sleep, not wake her up to join in my lack of self control.
I started to try to recite the periodic table, which was not something that came naturally to me, so I really needed to think about it, and fortunately, it helped in calming down my hormones.
It was a good thing too, because a few minutes later, Trevor's head suddenly popped in our tent through the quickly unzipped opening. "DID YOU GUYS FUCK?"
Lexi got startled awake by the shouting.
I let out an exasperate breath, letting go of my girlfriend to look at the idiot twin. "What would you have done, if you'd just popped your head in here and we were going at it?"
"It was a price I was willing to pay. Anyway, we all know you two aren't getting it on yet. You're still too worked up."
"Hey, Trevor," Lexi said, and threw something at him—I was pretty sure it was a rolled-up sock, "keep talking shit like this and you'll see what price you have to pay."
Trevor grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you on board with this Blakey-Boo?"
I just glared at him, swatting at his face, but missing him since he was dodging y attacks. "Get the fuck out."
"THEY'RE STILL NOT FUCKING!" Trevor yelled, the second his head was out of the tent, and he was getting away.
"Jesus..." I whined.
"See, we really need to step up our game so they stop annoying us," Lexi said. She was sitting up now, the nice little cozy moment over.
"Don't you know our friends?" I snorted as I asked my girlfriend, sitting up too. "Whatever we do, we're going to get harassed. You think they'd leave us in peace if you actually did get it on? It would be just as bad."
"There is no harm in trying to see if you're wrong?" Lexi asked with a wicked grin.
"Get away from me you vixen," I told her, and got out of the tent, making my girlfriend laugh.
I was instantly hit by the cold morning arm, and wrapped my arms around myself. Lexi was out of the tent, seconds later, so instead I went and wrapped my arms around her.
I just walked around, back hugging Lexi everywhere kinda walking like an automaton that could not bend their knees. I probably looked like an imbecile, but as long as Lexi wasn't swatting my arms away, I was going to stay comfortably like this.
It seemed to amuse my Pumpkin greatly.
Everyone was kind of walking around like they were zombies in the morning, looking a little too tired. The night had been really cold and no one had slept properly.
"It might have been a little late to in the season to come to the Creek," Alex pointed out.
"Shut up, you had someone to cuddle in your tent," Peter whined, looking like he was wearing three hoodies.
"Stop complaining, I offered to hug you last night," Trevor told him and got flipped off as a response, making everyone around chuckle.
Slowly, everyone around started to gather their things, getting ready to leave. I assumed everyone just wanted to go back home and potentially go back to sleep in the warmth of their own houses.
We were all mostly quiet, too tired to be witty and too cold to bother.
We worked slowly, our limbs not as efficient because of the cold and then after about an hour, we were all packed and ready to go.
Lexi ate a granola bar in silence on the car ride back to Alex's place.
Ashley was now sitting in the front of the car beside Cameron as he drove us back, which left us with a lot of question we couldn't exactly get an answer to as we were all in the same car.
As soon as Lexi and I were back alone in my own car it was the first thing we talked about.
"Do you think they're dating now?" I asked my girlfriend.
"I don't know, but it's definitely something."
"Did she say anything? When you were together while we left with the dirt bikes?" I pressed, being curious.
"I already knew she thought Cameron was cute, but that was before they met, when she just saw a picture. But now, they got to talk and I think she actually enjoys his company," Lexi recalled.
"Do you think there's a possibility?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I actually don't know her all that well. Travis will know though."
"So? We're going to have to go on a double date with Alex and Travis to get any kind of information about Cameron and Ashley?"
"It does sound complicated." Lexi chuckled. "But wait, would you actually go on a double date?"
It was my turn to shrug. "Sure."
Lexi gapped at me, a little dramatically. "You're over your whole hating-Alex phase?"
I snorted. "I'm over it, yes."
Lexi patted my cheek. "What a good boy."
"So, did you enjoy your trip?" I asked her, chuckling too, trying to change the subject.
Hating Alex wasn't exactly one of my proudest moments after all.
"The whole trip was fun, but I missed not actually swimming," my Pumpkin admitted.
"So, what you're saying is that I really should have thrown you in the Creek too?" I teased her.
"You know what I mean," she chuckled.
"Yeah," I replied chuckling, and then stated the very obvious fact, "You do remember that I have a pool, right?"
"Wait. That's true!" my Pumpkin said, clapping her hands together gleefully.
I rolled my eyes at my girlfriend. I wasn't actually that surprised. "Had you actually forgotten?"
"Your mansion makes no sense to me. I block out some stuff."
I chuckled. "It's fine. We clearly don't use it enough. I used to swim a lot more when I was younger, but I guess I kind of got too used to it."
"Rich people problems," she stated, teasingly.
I nodded. "Yeah, absolutely."
"So? Should I go get my bathing suit?" Lexi asked with a grin. Clearly, she now had plans for today.
"That would be a lot better for my sanity, yes."
"Why?" Her grin turned wicked. "Couldn't handle me swimming in the nude?"
I looked at her pointedly. "Do I really have to answer that question?"
"Don't worry Blakey-Boy. You're not the only one distracted by the other's body."
"I'll wear a wet suit in the pool so you leave my poor chest alone."
Lexi gasped. "That's a capital crime."
"Do you need me to stop by your house to get your bathing suit?" I asked, her, changing the subject again.
"No, no, it's fine I already brought it."
"What?" I asked, barking a laugh, "Did you actually think you were going to go swimming during the trip?"
"I had hopes, okay? I had hopes!"
I laughed at her tone, and drove home.
I was pretty sure Anita didn't work today, and my parents were probably still asleep, so after parking my car in the drive way, instead of going inside from the front door, we got in the house through the pool.
That was where we were heading anyway.
I had swimming trunk drying on one of the chairs, and Lexi had hers, so we changed each in our corners and then met again in front of the pool.
I looked at my girlfriend with my head tilting a bit.
I'd seen more of her than this before, but it absolutely did not mean that it did not affect me just as much as it did before.
It was so easy to take a bikini off, especially hers. I just needed to pull on a string. Just one string and poof, no more bikini.
And I knew how it looked up there without it.
Lexi caught my staring. I grinned sheepishly. "Good morning."
Lexi laughed. "Good morning," she repeated.
"Go on now, go for your swim," I whined making her laugh even more.
"I don't know..." she said, walking up to me, "that look didn't mean go for a swim."
"Oh yeah? And what did it mean, pray tell?" I asked her while she raised herself on her tip toes, wrapping her arms around my neck, bringing me down to her level.
She didn't reply, she just kissed me.
My arms went automatically around her, fingers digging into the naked skin of her back, keeping her close.
I kissed her back, surprised by my own sudden need.
Her hands were in my hair, pulling at it softly, while one of my hands trailed up, slipping under the back of her bikini.
One string. One flimsy string. I could be rid of it so easily. This top of hers could come off so easily. And then I could kiss her chest again. I could feel more of her naked skin.
I could... do so many things.
So, instead, for my own sanity, I picked her up, and threw her in the pool.
"Blake Eaton!" Lexi shouted, the second her head popped up from under water.
I grinned. "Yes, that's me."
She glared at me. "Little bitch."
I smooshed a kiss her way, and she shook her head, unimpressed.
Fortunately, my girlfriend was easily distracted, and now she was in a pool, so she started to swim around in circles.
I dove in the pool and swam a couple of times across it, trying to clear my mind of my barely clothed girlfriend.
"I seriously don't understand why the fact that you have a pool was completely erased from my memories," she admitted after having dunked under water a couple of times, a happy grin on her face.
"This is what happens when you focus all your attention on my chest. You lose precious information."
Lexi just rolled her eyes at my comment. "Come on, I'll race you to the other side."
I smirked. "You think you stand a chance?"
She smirked back. "Race me and find out."
I laughed and humoured her.
At first, I swam leisurely, not really putting too much efforts into my strokes.
But then, Lexi was catching up with me, a little too easily, clearly giving her all, so I picked up my pace, trying to get a gap between us.
It was a mistake on my part, because when I had a little more advance, she grabbed my ankle in an iron grip and did not let go. And then she let herself sink, dragging me with her.
I swallowed water, caught by surprise, and then managed to wiggle myself out of her grip.
When we both popped up from under water, I was pouting and Lexi was laughing.
"Why is there always drowning involved whenever you and I get into water?" I asked, still kind of coughing out water, running a hand over my face.
"Something to talk about with your therapist."
My eyes widened in surprise. "Oh shit."
Lexi looked immediately worried. "What?"
"I have an appointment tomorrow! I completely forgot about it."
My girlfriend kind of let out a relieved breath. I really needed to work on not worrying her like this again. "It's fine. You remember now. But it's nice to know you also forget things."
"I didn't forget a whole ass pool," I pointed out.
She narrowed her eyes at me, and lunged forward. "Come here."
"Nooooope. Bye. Byyyyyyyye," I yelled out as I swam away from her as fast as I could.
All I could hear was water splashing and her booming laugh.
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Happy Monday my little Pumpkins! :D
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! They've been pretty light lately, so get ready. Next week is gonna be a serious one. I'm very curious to see how y'all are going to react. Can't wait to read your comments!
In other news, my best friend works at an art gallery and they were short handed this month, so I've been working there to help out, since I did study art in college and pretty much already know all the artists they have there well enough. It's pretty fun, but it's kind of put my writing plans all out of whack. So yeah. It's fun to do something art related again, it's been a while. I did my last exhibit like forever ago, so it's fun to be surrounded by art and talk about it with people. But I also would like to stop being behind on my writing. :')
Anyway! It's just for a month. I should go back to my normal schedule in February. Hopefully I'm able to get some more writing done this week.
Alrighty! Thank you for still reading my silly little stories! I love you guys so so much! See you all next week! <3