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Clorinde was stripped of all her senses as she swam through the deep water. Her eyes were clenched shut as she moved her arms in wide sweeping motions, guiding her way forward. All she could hear were muffled noises from the surface above, along with the sound of air shooting out of her nose. Just as her lungs were about to give out, she quickly swam up to the surface.
With a loud gasp for air, Clorinde opened her eyes. She found herself at the other end of the in-ground swimming pool, her feet just barely touching the bottom.
Just a few feet away was Navia, lying back in a lounge chair with her sunglasses on. She basked beneath the summer heat, letting the sun's rays dry her body and tan her pale skin. Her bangs clung to her forehead as her hair was still damp from swimming earlier. As Clorinde emerged from underwater, Navia lifted her head and opened her eyes.
"Clorinde!" Navia said as she sat up and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. "How long have you been in there? Your lips are nearly turning blue!"
Before Clorinde could explain herself, Navia had already grabbed the towel that hung from the back of her chair. After shaking out the last of the moisture clinging on to the fabric Navia got up and went closer to the pool.
"Here, at least take a few minutes to warm up before swimming again," Navia said as she held the towel open.
"Alright," Clorinde grumbled as she pressed her hands flat against the edge of the pool and pushed herself up. Water dripped onto the warm concrete with each step she took. She could feel her teeth chattering as the summer breeze sent a chill up her spine.
Even with the blazing sun casting down over her, Clorinde was freezing. She reached out to grab the towel in her friend's hands, only for Navia to drape it over her shoulders.
"Thank you…" Clorinde let out a relieved sigh as she grabbed the edges of the towel and wrapped it around herself tighter.
"Of course. Come, sit," Navia smiled as she guided Clorinde over to the lounge chair.
Navia sat back down, this time with her legs criss-crossed so Clorinde could sit on the other end of the chair. She watched as Clorinde reached over to the small table beside them and grabbed a water bottle. It was a large metal canteen, the lilac paint on the outside dinged and scratched up from many years of use. Clorinde lugged that thing everywhere she went, never wanting to inconvenience others whenever she was thirsty. Even when people offered her drinks, like how Navia set out a pitcher of lemonade for the two of them, Clorinde would politely decline.
The sound of ice cubes clanking could be heard from inside the metal chamber as Clorinde leaned her head back and took chugs of water. Navia took this as an opportunity to refill her cup from the pitcher, filling the glass with lemonade and replenishing the ice cubes that had long melted away.
As Navia wrapped her lips around her straw and took a sip, she found herself getting lost in the sight before her. The way Clorinde's wet bangs clung to her face, the way drops of pool water dripped down her skin. Sure she had seen Clorinde like this many times but this time felt different. Like she was seeing her friend with a brand new pair of eyes, giving her a nerve-wracking sense of clarity.
She had an idea, a selfish one. But before she could second guess herself, Navia had already set her glass aside and opened her mouth.
“Clorinde, have you ever kissed anyone?” Navia asked.
Clorinde swallowed the last of the water in her mouth, nestling the bottle down in her lap and screwing the cap shut. “Well, my mom always makes me kiss my grandma hello on the cheek whenever we see her,” she said as she drummed her fingers against her bottle.
“No, not like that!” Navia giggled. “I mean, on the lips… romantically.”
Clorinde could feel her cheeks glow from embarrassment. It was a strange question to ask all of a sudden, yet Clorinde was never one to lie, especially to her best friend. “No, I haven't…”
She studied Navia's eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. Usually, she was easy to read, wearing her heart on her sleeve and proud of it. Yet this time, Clorinde was left clueless. Was there a flash of relief in Navia’s eyes? Or perhaps the way Navia instinctively picked at the nail polish on her fingers was a sign of anxiety? Either way, the silence between them was enough to make Clorinde uneasy. “...is that a bad thing?”
“Oh! Of course not. I haven’t kissed anyone either,” Navia reassured. “It’s just that we’re about to start high school soon, that’s usually when people start kissing and getting into relationships. Maybe it would be good if we got some sort of practice-”
“Practice? For kissing boys?” Clorinde interrupted.
Boys. Navia knew she liked boys, or at least she thought she did. Yet the idea of kissing one was enough to set off every alarm bell in her head. Like something deep down was telling her that it was wrong, that she was betraying herself. But that betrayal was nothing compared to the visceral reaction she had to the thought of Clorinde kissing boys. Thoughts of whisking her away and keeping her all to herself invaded Navia's mind. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what this could mean. All she knew was that she needed to stick to her plan. Navia reached for her glass, wrapping her lips around the straw and taking in the sour taste of her drink. She then let out a sigh before speaking up again.
“Yes. For the boys. That’s why I thought we could…” Navia scratched at her nail polish again, letting the baby blue lacquer flake away. “...practice with each other?”
“Okay,” Clorinde responded.
“Huh?” Navia blurted out as she did a double take. She thought Clorinde would question her on this, or at least take a bit to think it over. Did this mean that she really does want to…
“You’re right. Neither of us has experience kissing anyone, and like any skill, one only gets better with practice.” Clorinde explained, her face remaining as stone-cold as always.
Navia couldn’t help but laugh, the anxiety built up within her floating away with each breath. Leave it to Clorinde to take everything so literally. Still, she hoped this wasn’t the only reason she agreed to kiss her. As close as the two were, some days Navia wished she was able to read her mind. She studied Clorinde’s face, noting that her lips were finally returning to their normal color. There wasn’t a better time for them to do this than now.
“Are you ready?” Navia asked softly as she leaned in close.
“Uh, yeah,” Clorinde responded.
A smile spread across Navia’s face, trying to ease her friend's nerves. “Good, now close your eyes…”
Once Clorinde’s eyes were closed, Navia turned to look over at her house. She squinted her eyes as she looked through each window, ensuring her father hadn't gotten home yet. The last thing she needed was for him to see what his precious daughter was about to do. Once the coast was clear Navia turned her head forward and closed the distance.
The moment their lips pressed together Clorindes eyes widened in surprise. Sure, she was expecting this, but she didn't think it would feel so intense. She could feel a faint citrusy tang from the lemonade that clung to Navia’s lips. Her cheeks glowed a light shade of pink, making her face heat up like the hot summer sun. It was like time slowed to a crawl, that they were the only two people in the world.
After what felt like forever, Navia pulled away. A smile spread across her lips as she felt her heart flutter in her chest. She reached out her hand and brushed a strand of hair away from Clorinde's face, noticing how red the tip of her ear was as Navia tucked the strand behind it.
“So… how did I do?” Clorinde asked, a chill going up her spine as Navia's fingers lingered over her ear.
“You did great,” Navia replied as a playful smile spread over her lips. “But I know you can do better.”
“Hmph, is that a challenge?” Clorinde scoffed. Her friend's smile was contagious, making her smirk in response. She leaned in closer, the tips of their noses almost touching. “How about a rematch?”
“I…”
Navia’s words trailed off as she saw her father's car from the corner of her eye, pulling into the driveway. The loud mechanical sounds of the garage door opening was enough to send dread throughout her body. She quickly put a finger up to Clorinde's lips to stop her from getting any closer. Navia knew they were in a compromising position, one her father would surely see once he got inside and peered out the window. She could feel herself sweating under the blazing sun.
“I need you to promise me something,” Navia blurted out, her voice lowering to a whisper. “That you won’t tell anyone about what we just did, and…”
“...we never do it again.”
Navia couldn’t say that last part out loud, she didn’t want to. To her, promises were always set in stone. She didn't want to seal this fate if it meant she would never feel Clorinde’s lips against hers ever again. Even if that meant they had to swear themselves to secrecy.
“I promise.” Clorinde nodded. Her face was expressionless but her eyes said it all, that this was a promise she would uphold with her life.
“Thank you,” Navia sighed. As she wiped the sweat that accumulated beneath her bangs, she glanced over toward the empty pool. She desperately needed a distraction, they both did. “Do you wanna swim some more?”
“Sure,” Clorinde said before opening her bottle and taking a swig of water. She set the canteen to the side and quickly stood up from the chair. “Last one in the pool is a rotten egg!”
“Hey!” Navia yelled as she watched Clorinde bolt towards the pool.
She quickly scrambled to her feet as she tried to catch up with her friend. Just as she was about to catch up to her, Clorinde leaped over the edge of the pool and jumped into the water. Navia was quick to follow suit, the splash from her cannonball hitting Clorinde as she floated in place.
The moment Navia came back up to the surface a huge splash of water crashed over her. She let out a gasp for breath and opened her eyes to see Clorinde chuckling to herself.
“Oh, it's on!” Navia declared before splashing back.
The two became locked in an intense war as they sent splashes of water back and forth. Navias' strength was unmatched as she was able to push large waves of water across the pool. Meanwhile, Clorinde moved fast, dodging the waves and dipping below the surface, only to come up moments later for a sneak attack. After a merciless battle, they ended up in a fit of laughter, calling a truce as they caught their breath.
Moments like this were what summer was all about. Savoring their youth as they spent long sweltering days at each other's side. Carefree moments that made them forget about how cruel the world was. How cruel life was to make them suppress how deeply they felt for each other. But even if their true feelings were never realized, they could at least count on each other as life-long friends.