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“This will never be normal to me,” Max exclaimed, sitting back in the lounge chair next to Abby. The shorter girl couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she leaned back into Press’s chest. She let out a noncommittal hum as she closed her eyes under her sunglasses. The combination of the hot sun above her, the warm chest behind her, and the heavy hand splayed over her stomach was making it very difficult for Abby to stay awake.
“Max, shut up, she’s sleeping,” Press said, drowsing behind his sunglasses. Max huffed, but stood up and joined the rest of her friends on the edge of the pool. Abby laced her fingers through his over her stomach.
“Thank you,” she whispered, turning into his neck.
“I understand that we overlook Max’s bullshit because it's just how she is, but it’s been months and she still cannot let it go,” he said.
“I know, I’m sorry, babe. I think she’s just holding onto things I told her before you and I kind of found out how to treat each other. I’m not going to worry about it so you shouldn’t worry about it,” she said. Press thought about that for a moment, tracing her fingers with his. He dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“You’re right, as usual,” he said, squeezing her hand. She tilted her chin up toward him, asking for a kiss. He happily leaned down, fitting his lips to hers. Their sunglasses bumped against each other, causing Abby to pull away with a smile.
“Let’s just have fun this weekend, yeah?” She asked him.
“That works for me,” he said, squeezing her hip with his other hand.
“Yo, lovebirds! Get your asses over here!” Brodie yelled from the pool where he was mercilessly splashing Hunter. Press shook his head, no, but Abby sat up.
“Come on, let’s just be social for a little while,” she said, standing up.
“Fine, where you go, I go,” he said, standing up as well. Abby stretched her arms over her head, waking herself up from her earlier nap. Press couldn’t tear his eyes from her pale green bikini, the way the ties hung down her short legs.
“Abs, you look hot as fuck,” he said, pulling her towards him from behind. She smiled, blushing as she let herself be pulled. It had taken a lot for Abby to wear such a small bathing suit. She had packed different options, but it had been Press convincing her that she looked good that gave her the confidence to pick this one. But making the decision a couple of hours ago didn’t erase the insecurity now.
Abby had spent a long time teaching Press how compliments could be double-edged swords in her situation. She appreciated knowing that he thought she looked good but comments about her body made her more aware of how she looked. And that awareness did not always lead her down positive trains of thought. He had learned to whisper compliments in her ear as a test, to see if they made her feel good or if she was not in a place to accept them.
“Stop, stop, stop,” she said while still smiling. Not a good time then. She leaned her head all the way back against his chest, their height difference making it possible for him to lean over her and see her whole face. He took her sunglasses off and moved his hand up under her chin, tilting her head even further back. He leaned in, capturing her bottom lip. Abby squeezed his hand, pulling away with a smile as they made their way over to the side of the pool.
“Well, well, well, look who decided to join us,” Brodie sing-songed.
“We were napping, it’s so nice out,” Abby replied, tying up her hair into a bun.
“I feel like we’re on a couples retreat this summer,” Max said, kicking her legs softly in the water.
“Why would you think such a thing?” Brodie asked jokingly, glancing over to where Norah, Jordan, Marcus, and Ginny were playing chicken on the other side of the pool.
“Hey there’s three singles and three couples, it’s not that bad,” Hunter said, nudging Max’s knee.
“Oh please, like you haven’t been texting Padma ever since we got here,” she said, nudging him back. He did her the service of looking sheepish as he switched off his phone and put it on a towel behind him.
“Just you and me, Brodie, the lonely old spinsters,” Max said, dramatically draping her arm over her forehead. Press sat down on the ledge in the pool, holding onto Abby’s hand as she stepped in after him.
“No one here is lonely, we all hang out all the time,” Abby said, pulling her sunglasses back down over her eyes.
“Yeah, Max, I don’t know what you’re talking about, I am loving life right now- surrounded by friends in a beach house on summer vacation. I can’t complain,” Brodie said, reaching over to ruffle Abby’s hair before Press slapped his hand away.
“See? One big happy family,” Brodie said. Press smiled at him sarcastically.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” Hunter said, grabbing his phone on the way.
“Max, why didn’t you invite Silver?” Abby asked her. Max sighed.
“I thought it’d be too serious too soon. The summer house is a big deal, you know,” she responded.
“I don’t think you can complain about being lonely when you made the choice not to invite someone,” Press said, not looking at Max. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“He’s not wrong,” Abby said, shrugging apologetically.
“I don’t like this whole team-up on Max thing you two have got going on here,” she said, pointing between the two.
“I’m team Max,” Brodie said, pulling Max by her foot into the water. Abby held up a hand to shield her face as the water splashed toward them. Max surfaced, pushing Brodie away.
“What the hell, Brodie,” she groaned.
“Well now that your hair’s wet anyway, will you be my chicken partner?” Brodie asked. Norah fell into the water on the other side of the pool, losing that round. Before Max answered, Brodie took off swimming.
“Max and I are playing the winner!” Max rolled her eyes but paddled off after him.
“We’re not participating in that, right?,” Press asked, turning to look at his girlfriend. Abby smirked, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning over to straddle him under the water.
“I’m okay over here,” she said, bringing her lips to his. His hands found themselves running up her sides, down her legs, and back over her hips. She sunk her teeth into his bottom lip and he groaned into her mouth, his hand tightening on her hip.
“If you keep doing that,” he started, trailing off as she settled deeper into his lap.
“Doing what?” She asked, feigning innocence. He held her in place, collecting his breath for a moment.
“If there weren’t other people out here with us,” he said into her mouth, no space between them. His hand trailed heavily up her back, sliding under the strap on her bikini top.
“What then?” She asked, raking her nails through the hair on the back of his head. They ignored the shriek and splash behind her. “I don’t think they’re paying attention.” The hand on her back pushed Abby up so she was kneeling on either side of him, their chests pressing together. She met his lips hungrily at the new angle, her back cold as it became exposed to the air around them.
“I want you to keep this on later. I want to make you scream in nothing but this,” he whispered, tugging lightly on the string of her bikini bottoms. She whimpered at the idea, nodding quickly before kissing him again. Abby wound her hands through his hair, scraping her nails over his scalp, inviting him to bite her lip which he did, happily. His hand traced up and down her back, grounding her as he trailed kisses over her cheek and to her ear.
“No one would notice if we snuck off right now,” he offered, panting into her ear. Abby paused for a second, considering.
“You know they would,” she decided on, putting her hands on his chest to put some distance between them. He sighed, leaning back.
“I know, but it was worth a try,” he smiled, squeezing her hips once more before planting a chaste kiss on her mouth. When he leaned back, she followed him. The sound of catcalls behind them brought them back to the moment.
“Later?” She asked, leaning back down.
“Of course, later,” he said, hugging her to him. They sat together for a minute, breathing in the calm around them.
“Brodie, don’t,” Press shouted, suddenly. Before Abby could turn around and see what was happening behind her, a wave of water came crashing over the pair. Press held his hand over Abby to shield her as much as possible but it was no use. The bun she had tied up to keep her hair dry was completely soaked and water rushed into her eyes under her sunglasses. She pulled her sunglasses off, placing them on the edge of the pool as Press did his best to wipe the dripping hair off her forehead.
That was another lesson Press had learned from Abby. Don’t screw with her hair. If it’s up, don’t mess with it. If it’s down, he’s free to run his hands through it but he has to smooth it out for her afterward. If it’s braided on top of her head, she likes him to trace the braid as she’s falling asleep. If they’re near a pool, it does not touch the water. Ever. It fucks with the dye, she says. Not that he could tell anyway. What he can tell though, is the look in her eyes was borderline murderous.
“Brodie, you’re fucking dead,” she said, turning to him. He took off swimming in the other direction.
“Press! Help! I’m being chased!” He yelled between gulps of water.
“You did that to yourself, man,” Press said, using a towel behind him to wipe the water drops off of Abby’s sunglasses. He laughed as he watched his girlfriend catch Brodie, pulling him under the water repeatedly. It would take some serious begging to get her to stop. Press swam lazily after her, granting Brodie mercy. Begrudgingly, Abby laid off. Press kissed her forehead as she tread water next to him.
“I’ll be back,” she told him, starting toward the ledge.
“Want me to come?”
“No, I’ll just be a second. Do you want anything to drink?” She asked.
“Grab me one of whatever you’re having?” She nodded, swimming off. Norah followed her and the two girls headed inside.
“Our boy is back!”Jordan exclaimed, slapping Press on the back. He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, bring on the commentary,” he said. Hunter swam over to them, returning from inside.
“Whoa, is Press standing here? Without Abby? Has the world stopped spinning?” Hunter asked.
“Haha, hilarious, who’s next?” Press replied. Brodie’s hand shot up. “Let’s hear it.”
“Sorry, I’m still trying to catch my breath from when your boo almost drowned me. Is she rough like that in all things?” He asked.
“Okay, watch it,” Press warned, shoving Brodie harshly.
“I’m gonna no comment on this one,” Max added, miming zipping her lips.
“Do you miss her already? I don’t think you’ve been apart this long in months,” Jordan cooed.
“Stop it, guys. I think they’re cute,” Ginny said from her spot next to Marcus.
“I have no sarcastic comments to contribute at this time,” Marcus added.
“That’s why you two are real friends,” Press replied.
“Here for you, brother,” Marcus added.
“Who won chicken?” Press asked, effectively changing the subject as an argument broke out between Ginny and Brodie on who was the true winner. Press kept his eye on the door that Abby has disappeared into, willing her to return. Their friends weren’t wrong, nine times out of ten, where you’d find Abby, you’d find Press. It wasn’t as much codependence as it was the fact that they just understood each other in ways no one ever had before.
That was one of the first things Press had learned from Abby. They had known each other for years, having been in classes together and having mutual friends. But it had taken almost no time after their first genuine conversation to understand that making each other happy could be second nature if they both allowed it. When he wasn’t so concerned with the bullshit image of himself he had in his mind, he found it easy to decode Abby’s body language. And when she allowed herself the comfort of relaxing around him, she understood him a lot more easily than she thought was possible. It was like they spoke their own language to each other right off the bat, all it took was the mutual trust of looking past the other’s walls.
So, in different ways, they both had changed in the months they had been dating. What started off as a way for each of them to have an outlet, quickly and dramatically shifted to exactly what they both needed, having someone to be completely themselves around. Abby taught Press that that was something he could even be capable of. Since that lesson, Press had done his absolute best to be worthy of her.
“What are we talking about?” Abby asked, wading over to the group with Norah. Press’s smile lit up immediately. Her hair was still wet, but she had tied it up neater so it was out of her face.
“You, mostly,” Brodie said, snapping out of his chicken champion argument. Abby faked a gag.
“Thanks, babe,” Press said, accepting the soda can Abby handed to him.
“Thanks, babe,” Jordan mocked, good-naturedly, earning him a smack on the chest from Norah.
“They’re arguing over who won or something,” Press supplied, opening the can and taking a sip. He went to hand it to her but she was using both hands to tread water. Press smiled. “Can you not touch the bottom?”
“Shut up, we’re technically in the deep end,” she said, pinching his arm lightly.
“Come here,” he said, winding his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him. She wrapped her legs around his waist from the side, one arm landing over his shoulders. This way, she didn’t have to tread water. Him getting to have her close didn’t hurt either. “Better?”
“Yeah, I was getting tired embarrassingly fast,” she smiled, nodding and catching her breath.
“Abby, help us settle this. You and Press play both of us and whoever wins that round wins the whole thing,” Brodie begged, getting nowhere in the debate on his own. Press looked up at her.
“Absolutely not,” she said, pulling off Press’s sunglasses and putting them over her own eyes. Her glasses lay forgotten over on the towel and although his were definitely too big, they were better than nothing. Press didn’t mind.
“No help at all,” Brodie said, exasperated as he gave up the argument.
“We should probably start on dinner soon, I think the sun’s starting to go down,” Marcus said, looking up at the sky. As the group debated who should cook what, Press glanced up at Abby in his sunglasses. She took the soda from his hand and took a sip, noticing him starting.
“What? Want them back?” She asked, pointing at the glasses. He shook his head, no, leaning up to press a kiss to her neck. She gripped onto his shoulder using the arm that was round his neck.
“Nah, I was just looking at you,” he said. She smiled, resting her forehead against his.
“Wanna sneak off after dinner?” She asked him quietly. He kissed her then, quickly but softly.
“Do you even need to ask?”
Press had a lot more to learn about Abby. But he’d accept every lesson willingly, eagerly even. In fact, at this point, he was pretty content to spend the rest of his time learning new ways to make her smile.