Her (GxG)

Chapter four

As I peddled my bike on the way to the big oak tree Cassie and I were supposed to meet before heading to the lake, the scorching heat only intensified my already anxious state.

It wasn't like I didn't know what was making me worried. Of course I knew, but it's one thing knowing, and the other is being able to play it cool and contain those feelings to yourself.

Although I was referring to these emotions as "feelings I have" I wasn't sure what they really meant in reference to Cassie. 'Was it admiration? Yeah, I guess it was, it's Cassie, she was objectively an attractive girl.' 'Was it frustration? Yeah, could be, she was frustrating no matter if she knew or didn't know what she was doing. And whatever she was doing went beyond just friendly banter, into the territory of borderline tension.'

I guess what I was trying to convince myself was that I couldn't have been actually attracted to her no matter how beautiful she was, because she was my friend and she was into men for all I knew.

"Now, you are late by... 20 minutes. Where the hell have you been?" She instantly remarked as I got off the bike under the tree.

"I'm sorry!?" "First of all it's boiling out here" I said raising my hand in the air to emphasise my point "and second of all you're being so very rude to your driver."

"Rider..."

"What?"

"You ride a bike, you don't drive it." She mocked, looking at me like she just stated the most linguistically obvious answer.

"Okay we are not gonna get into the whole what is grammatically correct or not." I stated amused.

"I mean if you woke up earlier you would have been here by 12"

"Jeez Cassie, I didn't sleep that well, and frankly I'm only 20 minutes late, this isn't some sort of formal convention. Unless you planed on kidnapping me and bringing me to the Crown Court for nicking cigarettes out of my dad's pack."

"Hmm, you can do that? I mean would it be considered theft?" "Don't answer! It's a rhetorical question, I know you know your stuff blah blah blah. Still, I'll keep that in mind for when you annoy me, I could just bring you to the hands of justice and get rid of your smartass."

"Better call Saul who" I referenced the show knowing she wouldn't get it.

"Okay I'll pretend I understood whatever you're blabbering, as we got to get going" she said getting on the bike waiting for me.

Arriving at the lake, I noticed it wasn't as populated as I thought it would be for a hot summer day. Just a few groups of young people about our age here and there. We put down our stuff and before I knew she was already taking her sundress off revealing a pink bikini. It looked good on her, clearly defying her figure.

"Take off your dress silly! Though you were boiling" she laughed

"I will once you test the water for me, don't wanna get a temperature shock!" I wittily responded back.

"So you're willing to sacrifice me?"

"No, I will take it off in a sec" I said, feeling that anxious state settle over me yet again. Being around her half naked wasn't ideal but going back to the point made earlier, I had to keep my feelings to myself, whatever that meant.

"You are such a pussy, get undressed now, we didn't come here during a heatwave for you to sit there like a chicken on it's eggs!" She sassily commented mimicking a chicken.

"Someone's egger to see me in a bathing suit." I said trying to match her playful tone more of a way of easing my anxiety.

"Maybe, you'll never know..." She teased, flashing a mischievous grin as she shrugged.

"Here, happy?" I said as I finally got rid of the silk dress which was clinging onto my skin from all the sweat.

"Very much so, now we will both go into the water and if we do get a temperature shock and die it will be all dramatically poetic!" She exclaimed, putting one hand on her forehead mimicking a damsel in distress.

"It won't, deceased bodies in bodies of water don't look that poetic"

"Okay, just get your ass over here and hold my hand!" There she was waiting with her feet already in the water with one hand extended waiting for me, like we were about to run off into the sunset.

Holding hands we advance towards deeper water. I noticed that she seemed nervous by the way her hands were trembling in mine, perhaps about the whole temperature shock thing. "We won't get a temperature shock Cas." I reassured her.

"I know." She replied although still seemingly quite nervous.

It was great having my body fully submerged in the water. Until Cassie decided to actually fully submerge me. "You're a total slag Cas!!!" I shouted annoyingly as I was trying get the stuck wet hair out of my face. Of course, this marvellous sigh of me struggling to put my hair back its normal state was making her laugh. 'Jesus, I wished her laugh wasn't as attractive as it was.' i though to myself, it was making me undeniably nervous.

"I'm getting out to get us some ice-creams, I'm ravenous."

She was still in the water by the time i got back.

"Come on out now, otherwise this shit will melt all over me!" I shouted to get her attention which clearly worked as she started to advance towards the beach. 'That bikini looked so good on her.' I though trying to avert my eyes before she could notice me ogling her.

"Vanilla right?" I asked to make sure that that's what she wanted.

"Yep. Yours is let me guess, chocolate." She said with a disgusted expression.

"You don't know what you're missing"

As we savoured our ice-creams, a comfortable silence enveloped us, accompanied by the warmth of the blazing sun against our damp skin. The chatter of the few people on the beach entangled with the cries of seagulls complemented by the rustle of the trees in the light breeze. It was relaxing.

As I was about to lay on the beach towel, Cassie turned to me and looked at me, her eyes lowering to my lips. I felt my breath hitch as she got closer to my face, now only of few inches separating us.

"You have a bit of chocolate ice-cream here." She touched the corner of my lips, pointing with her thumb where the spot was.

I turned around trying to wipe it away. 'Fuck' I exhaled under my breath trying to contain myself as I felt my heart relentlessly jumping in my chest. I scooted back around to her to check with her if it was gone, and of course it wasn't.

"Let me." She whispered, placing her thumb in her mouth wetting it before lowering it to the corner of my lips and wiping the ice-cream off, all while not breaking eye contact with me. Then she guided her thumb to my lips. "Open your mouth." She whispered again. Obeying her instructions in utter disbelief I opened it, feeling her thumb against my warm tongue, not knowing what the fuck we were both doing.

"Thanks." I turned around suddenly, finally breaking the chain of this situation. She also retracted on her own towel, although this time the comfortable silence which enveloped us not long ago turned unbearable, the heat of the sun only magnifying it.