She can’t tell, but I’m smiling, too. I was embarrassed for about fifteen seconds, but then I started to realize how much fun I was having. I haven’t had fun in years, and I haven’t felt weightless in forever. No obligations dragging me down, or a running list of things I can and can’t say to people. And honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that I’ve been treading water for several minutes, I’d be fine with walking around, balls out and dick hard for everyone to see.
“Here’s the deal, Maddy,” I say, swimming a little closer while my girl kneels down near the water’s edge with a towel held in her hands. I glance over to Holly, who is still holding her phone out hoping to capture the million-dollar shot. She leans her head to the side and makes eye contact with me, and I wink. Her mouth raises sinisterly on one side, and she shifts her phone camera to Maddy. She gets where I’m going with this.
“I’m not coming out of the pool, like…at all…until you take that bikini off and come in to get me,” I say, swaying my arms and legs and pushing back a few feet to where I started.
Maddy’s hands drop and the towel falls to the deck.
“Will, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’m sorry…just come out,” she says, standing and crossing her arms over her bare belly. She’s blushing—I can tell, even in the dark, by the way her hands slide over her skin and try to guard her.
“Oh, my feelings are fine, Maddy. But I just want you to know that if I cramp up and drown, that’s on you. I’m not budging,” I say, slowing my hand movement down and letting my body dip below the water again.
“Will, come on,” she laughs.
“Water’s fine, Maddy,” I tease, leaning back and kicking my feet twice, splashing everyone standing near the edge.
She holds my stare for several seconds, finally kicking her flip flops from her feet and scooting the towel away from the edge with her toes. She steps forward, and bends down to sit on the pool’s edge, letting her feet and legs dangle in the water, but not taking her suit off.
“Lose the bikini, Woodsen,” I say, splashing her once with my hand. She squeals when the water hits her, pulling her legs up.
She stares at me again, but I can tell she’s growing bolder. She’s going to do it, and cold water or not, I’m hard as a rock.
“You’re such a pig, you know that, Will Hollister?” she says, standing and reaching behind her back. She pauses, pointing a finger to her friend. “Camera off, Holly. I don’t need any TMZ video showing up during trials.”
Holly keeps her phone held high, until Maddy steps forward and dips her foot in the water, kicking up a splash at her friend.
“Hey! I was shutting it off. That’s how my operating system works, I hold the phone over my head and count to ten,” she jokes.
“Uh huh,” Maddy says, her mouth pulled in on one side.
“It’s off; it’s off,” Holly says, tucking the phone in her bag and kicking her own shoes from her feet and sliding her shorts down her hips.
“What are you doing?” Maddy asks, her hand still holding the straps behind her back while she tilts her head in question of her friend.
Holly tugs her T-shirt over her head, then slides the strap of her swimsuit top down her shoulder while eying her friend.
“I’m racing you,” she says, sliding the second strap down before reaching around her back and unsnapping her suit.
My eyes blink wide, and now I’m not sure how to proceed. I’m not sure I’m even needed, because in seconds, Maddy and her best friend are in a full-out, sorority-porn-style race to strip down in front of me, a guy named Nick, and incredibly shy Amber. Both naked and staring at each other, the two of them start laughing hysterically when their eyes meet.
“We do this together,” Maddy says.
“Oh fuck yes!” I tease, holding my fingers in my mouth and whistling loud.
Within seconds, both rush at the pool, jumping toward me and splashing wildly, kicking their arms and legs while we all laugh so hard that we don’t hear the others join us. The pool deck is a pile of stripped away clothes and suits, and for the next twenty minutes we all make silly dares, jumping in and out of the water just long enough to catch glimpses of things. We act like children, and make sex jokes, and live like drunken college kids running on nothing but this natural high that somehow we all must have needed. When it wears off, I swim to the pool’s edge and toss everyone their suits, modesty hitting us all at once. Regardless, though, a new closeness settles in—a comfort that I feel in my chest and see reflected in Maddy’s eyes.
“Midnight swim,” she smirks, paddling around the water near me after slipping her suit back on. I tug on her loose strap, her hand gripping it quickly but not before I can bring her close to me. Our eyes lock and I reach behind her neck, tying her suit the rest of the way for her.
“This was a lot more fun than it used to be,” I say, my voice low. I peek over her shoulder to where our friends are climbing out of the pool on the other side, reaching for their towels and drying their bodies and hair.
My gaze slides back to hers.
“It was more fun for you because I have tits now,” she says, her mouth pinched in a crooked smile.