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“You got your sunscreen?”
“Yes, Ma.”
“Pool floaties?”
“Yes Ma!”
“Towels-?”
Eric giggled and patted the towel at his side. The boy was wearing a pair of blue swim shorts and was very excited to leave the house. “We have everything, Ma!”
Eric’s twin, Ratthew, had a huge grin on his face. As for him he was wearing a pair of lime green swim shorts with black triangles that sprinkled here and there. Seeing his mother panic for just a trip to the pool entertained the boy. “We’re all set, mommy!”
Clementine let out a sigh of relief to that. These boys were sometimes too much for her to handle. “Good. Now go get your father, I wanna make sure we get there at a time where it won’t be super crowded.”
“You got it!” Eric and Ratthew said in union before bolting down the hall to get their dad, giggling and lightly pushing each other as they ran. Clem rolled her eyes at the sight while readjusting her mustard yellow one piece. She and Marlon sure did raise some hyper kids.
Eric and Ratthew appeared back minutes later, giggling loudly as they led their father down to the kitchen where Clementine was busy getting their pool bag ready. The brunette shot her eyes up when she could hear their uncontrollable laughs.
“Now what is so-“ She paused as she caught sight of her husband stuck in a pair of navy blue shark floaties. “Honey, what are you wearing?”
“He took my floaties, Ma!” Eric answered with a laugh. “He’s stuck!”
“And how exactly did that happen?”
“I just wanted to try them on!” Marlon exclaimed as his wife stepped forward. Clem began to tug at the floaties that were practically glued to the blond’s arms. “I- ow- I wanted to make sure they were- ouch, babe-!”
“Jesus, Marlon, you’re an idiot,”
“I’m your idiot though!” Clementine finally felt the floaties begin to peel off Marlon’s skin and yanked them down. Marlon hissed at first but then sighed in relief. “Thanks babe, those were really stuck on there.”
“Mhm, now c’mon, we can put sunscreen on in the car.”
“Yes ma’am!” Marlon reached over her head and plucked up the baby blue pool bag. It was filled to the brim with their towels, bottles of sunscreen and a few pool toys. “Onward, family! To the pool!”
The drive to the pool was chaotic. Eric and Ratthew refused to allow their mother to put sunscreen on them, ending up getting the white gloop all over the car seats. The twins just laughed as their parents frowned deeply.
When they got to the pool it was unfortunately very crowded. They had to wait a whole fifteen minutes just to be allowed in. Then took another ten minutes just to find an open seat. They delightedly found two chairs to lounge at, and the two young boys were very eager to hop into the water.
“Now boys, you know the rules-“
“No running, no tackling in the water, if emergency we go to you or a lifeguard-“
“Good, good,” Clem checked to make sure sunscreen was on both of them before adjusting their floaties. Marlon rolled his eyes but smiled at the sight. His wife sure was a worrier. “Babe, I think they’re good,” He pointed out.
“I know, I know!” Clem drew back. “Alright, you two have fun. And be careful!”
“We will!” The two said in union once again before scurrying off to the edge of the pool and quickly jumping into the clear blue water. Marlon and Clementine lounged in their seats as they happily watched their kids play around in the water and laughed uncontrollably.
“So, Clem,” The brunette turned her attention to her husband. “You wanna go in too?”
“The water? No, I think I’m good.”
“Oh c’mon babe, it’s nice.”
“I wanna lounge! That’s what I usually do!”
Marlon frowned but dropped the subject. Clem hadn’t gone in the water in so long. Ever since the incident three years ago she refused to enter the water. The blond understood why, but at the same time it hurt him seeing his wife so afraid of something so simple like water.
“How about the kiddie pool?” Clementine turned back to Marlon, but with a raised brow this time.
“Excuse me?”
“The kiddie pool. It’s not that deep but you’ll still feel the coolness of the water,” Marlon watched as the brunette thought about it. Seconds later she made up her mind and stood. Marlon grinned and stood with her before reaching over and grasping her hand into his. “I’ll be with you the entire time,”
“I know,” Clem faintly responded. “You always are, always have been.”
Marlon gave her hand a squeeze before they ventured down to the enclosed kiddie pool. To Clem’s relief there weren’t many people lounging around there, which easily calmed her nerves. Marlon’s grip never left her hand. That also kept her nerves at bay.
“We can always leave whenever you feel like it,” Marlon mentioned as he opened the gate to the area. “We don’t have to stay long,”
Clementine gave a nod to show she understood. The couple walked forward to the steps that led into the pool. Clem’s gaze looked and saw the water was only three feet deep. That was good.
Marlon was the first to step in, letting a happy sigh escape his lips as his legs submerged underneath the sparkling liquid. “Ooh yeah, that’s nice,”
“You need to shave,” Clem says with a giggle. Her giggle turned into a laugh when she saw her husband’s deep frown.
“My legs are beautiful the way they are, thank you very much,” Marlon stepped further into the pool before lowering himself in. The water went up just above his stomach. “You coming in?”
Clementine watched the water carefully. She had nothing to be afraid of… it was water. It wasn’t going to hurt her. Not like last time. Not like three years ago. Taking a deep breath she allowed a foot to enter the water, and instantly her nerves vanished. The water was nice and cool… very relaxing. She let her other foot enter and soon she was stepping down towards her love, a soft smile forming on her face. She did it. She was in the water.
“Look at you,” Marlon said with a smile when his wife got in front of him. “You did it babe.”
“I did it…” Clementine searched around her. The water was just underneath her breasts. “I… I really did it.”
“I’m proud of you honey,” Marlon leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Adding this to the memory box.”
Clem laughed. “Memory box, huh?”
“Mhm. Right here,” Marlon lifted a hand and placed it over his heart. Clementine’s smile widened.
“Doofus.”
“Hey now, I’m your doofus.”
“Dear, that line is so old.”
“You love it!”
Clementine’s eyes rolled before an idea suddenly struck her. Instantly a smirk took over on her face. “Hey babe? What’s that behind you?”
“Huh? Wha-?” Right as Marlon turned his head to look behind himself, Clementine yanked her hand forward and sent a shockingly large amount of water splashing onto the blond. Marlon froze on the spot as Clem tried to contain her giggles.
“Oh, it’s like that huh?” Marlon lets a smug smirk appear on his face. Without warning he lunged forward and took Clem into his grip, sending them both crashing down and submerging under the water. Seconds passed and they both shot back up for air, and they laughed.
“You monster!”
“You started this war, my love!”
“You idiot.” Clementine shook the water out of her curls before straightening her back. “Hey, it’s getting kinda late… why don’t we head back home and I can cook up some hot dogs for us and the boys?”
Marlon smiled to that. “Sounds like a plan. And Clem?”
“Yeah, Mar?”
“I already said this but… I’m proud of you. Of what you did just now.”
Clementine smiled warmly at him and leaned in to steal a kiss. Her heart fluttered to the blond kissing back. “Thanks. I love you.”
“I love you too. Now let’s go get those crazy boys and eat some dogs!”
“Hot dogs, baby.”
“Right, hot dogs.”