I had shorts on already, so I just grabbed a towel for each of us from the hallway and followed Sarah and Erica out to the pool.It was so hot outside even though the sun had already started to set.I pulled my shirt off and the three of us tossed our towels onto the closest table before jumping in.
I swam to the other end of the pool and felt the coolness of the water drip down my face when I came up for air.I turned around and shook the wet hair out of my face just as Ellie came up to sit on the edge of the pool by me.She kicked her feet in the water and splashed me, then giggled.
“Oh it’s like that, huh?”I said to her before slapping my hand down hard, so she got sprinkled with water in her face.
“Ah!”She wiped her eyes and hopped into the pool, grabbing me on her way and pulling us both under.
We came up laughing hysterically and coughing.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I leaned over and wiped the hair out of her face.“Are you?”
“Aside from swallowing a mouthful of pool water, yeah, I’m okay!”she laughed at me.
We threw the frisbee with the others for a while before Steff reluctantly dragged herself out of the pool and said she needed to get to bed if she was going to make it to work on time tomorrow.She said she would leave the door unlocked for us to come in when we were done.I don’t think Steff has to work the whole time Ellie is here, but she wasn’t able to take off the first week so I’m glad I was able to be here so she’s not home alone.
Sarah and Erica started to get cold and moved over to the hot tub, so we followed.Ellie sat on the seat next to me and I hooked my leg into hers, pulling her closer.She was like a magnet, and I couldn’t help but keep her close to me.Only she floated over to sit on my lap.I inhaled sharply at the unexpectedness of her and rubbed my hand up her leg.I could feel myself growing more excited with the intensity of her placement and when she turned back to look at me, I squeezed her thigh and whispered in her ear, “We should probably go inside now.”
“Why?We just got in.”she asked with raised eyebrows.
“Because if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to take you right here and I don’t want our first time to be in a hot tub with other people here.”I told her with a wink, trying to keep my voice low.
“Mkay.”She said, getting up slowly off my lap and telling the girls, “We’re gonna head in to call it a night.See you guys tomorrow?”
The girls laughed knowingly.
“Sure.You two have fun!”Sarah chuckled.
“See you tomorrow.”Erica splashed us as we got out of the hot tub and grabbed our towels.I wrapped mine tightly around my waist to save myself from further scrutiny.
Steff had already filled Sarah and Erica in on the history between me and Ellie and they had a blast poking fun at me all week.They kept joking that Ellie wasn’t going to be interested in me anymore or how she was going to break it to me that she had a boyfriend back home.I didn’t care.Once she looked at me, I knew she felt the same way as I did.Sarah, Erica and Steff are all a couple of years older than us and see Ellie as their little sister; they became very protective and warned me about not making this a quicksummer lovefling and leaving her to go home with a broken heart.I had no intention of hurting her.In fact, I wanted to leave with her.
We dried off as much as we could before going back to the patio.I grabbed some glasses of water for us from the kitchen, and we sat outside taking in the cool summer breeze.
“Let’s play thirty questions.”I said, setting my glass down on the table.
“Okay, me first.”Ellie answered, sucking in her bottom lip.My eyes fell to her mouth, and I watched as she raked her teeth over her lip, leaving it swollen.I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes up to meet her gaze.
“Did you really mean what you said in your last letter?”
That was a serious first question and I wasn’t expecting it.My mind swam through everything I wrote to her in my letters trying to remember exactly what she was referring to and then it hit me.I had told her I loved her.
“Yes.”And I meant it.I had known I loved her the very first night I saw her.I ran my hand through my hair, inhaling slowly, because this was the first time I was telling her out loud.“I meant it, Ellie.I love you.”
She smiled thatoh so beautifulsmile that reached her eyes and made them twinkle.
“I love you, too.”She shot up out of her chair and kissed me hard.When she parted her lips just enough for my tongue to invade her mouth, I grabbed her and pulled her down onto my lap, making our kiss last longer.Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me closer so that her breasts crashed into my chest and that just pushed my self-control over the limits.
I stood us up and carried her into the apartment where we made love for the first time in her makeshift bed of blankets on the floor and I fell asleep with her in my arms.
I didn’t wake up until Steff shook my shoulder in the morning.
“Lee.It’s 6’oclock.Can you drive me to work?”
“Yeah.”I mumbled softly and eased my arm out from under Ellie’s head.She smiled in her sleep as I laid her head back onto the pillow.I was about to get up but then I realized I didn’t have any clothes on under the blankets.I sat there and looked at Steff, squinting my eyes, wondering if she figured out why I wasn’t rushing to walk with her to the car.When she didn’t move or say anything, I tucked the blanket under my leg.
“You wanna go warm up the car and I’ll be right out?”
