Chapter 37

Andy's POV

I laid back on the recliner by the pool as I flipped to the next page of my book. The sun was warm as the breeze nipped gently against my skin. The gentle ripple of the pool by the breeze created a soothing sound and I felt so relaxed. Books were just simply the best things to ever exist.

There was something soothing about being back home after the trip- no awkward moments, no weird encounters and …no Jason. This was one of the few moments of calm I had had in a while. It was just me, the sun and the book I was reading.

I was wearing a black one piece swimsuit that hugged my curves but was also very comfortable to be in, I was also putting on sunglasses and a beach hat to protect myself from the sun. I was lost in the book I was reading when I heard familiar footsteps approaching me. I looked up and saw that it was Bree.

“Andy,” she said excitedly as she sat down on the recliner beside mine. Her face was covered in excitement and I wondered what was happening.

“Yeah? What’s up?” I asked her as I took off my sunglasses, closed my book and turned to face her.

“Do you remember that guy?” She asked, barely able to hide how excited she was.

I blinked as I tried to remember who she was talking about, we have met a lot of guys since we got here.

“What guy?” I asked as I leaned back and adjusted my hat.

“The cute guy we met at the ice cream spot,” she said, her grin widening as she gave me a look like I should have remembered immediately. “You know, Dominic.”

The name clicked, and I smiled. “Oh yeah, I remember now. Tall, dark hair, decent smile. What about him?”

Bree leaned closer, barely able to contain her excitement as her grin became bigger. She was filled with joy- one I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“I actually thought he ghosted me. But guess what?” She asked but didn’t wait for me to answer. “He didn’t! He just texted me, and he asked me out on a date!”

I sat up straighter, my grin mirroring hers, I was genuinely happy for her. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you! When are you going on the date?”

“Tomorrow.” Bree’s joy was infectious and she was practically vibrating with excitement.
“I still can’t believe it. I thought he lost interest but he explained everything. I can’t believe I’m this excited over a guy.”

I laughed.
“I can’t even remember the last time you were this happy because of a man. When was the last time?!” I asked teasingly.

Bree gave me a playful nudge as she let out a small laugh.
“Have you already forgotten how ridiculously good-looking he is? A total snack! Of course I’m happy.” she said.

I chuckled as I tilted my head back against the recliner.
“You’re right. He was pretty good looking” I admitted.

“See?! I’m not crazy!” Bree said as she threw her hands up in the air in mock surrender.

She leaned back to rest on the recliner and we both sat there as we basked in the excitement of her news. Bree’s happiness was contagious and I was genuinely excited for her and I prayed that this guy would be the one for her. She might be crazy at times so I hoped a change would happen.

After a while, Bree sat up and glanced at the pool. “Come on, let’s have a quick swim!” she suggested, bouncing to her feet before I could even respond.

I hesitated a bit as I sat up and looked at her. “But I was reading-“

“Forget about the book, Andy,” she said, cutting me off as she walked towards the pool. “The water is perfect.”

I smiled despite my hesitation and got up from the recliner as I walked to the pool. She was a very spontaneous person.
When I got there, I dipped my toes into the water and it felt amazing against my warm skin. With a playful splash, I dived into the pool after Bree as the water carried the weight of my thoughts away.

We swam and swam, laughing and splashing water on each other like we were kids. The afternoon sun was shining on us as Bree floated on her back and started talking about Dominic- how she couldn’t wait to see him and how she expected the date to go. Every word she said mirrored the excitement she was feeling inside. I swam beside her listening as I let the rhythm of the water calm me down. For a while, everything felt normal. It was just us, no tension, no overthinking- just two girls having fun and laughing like kids.

After a while, Bree turned to me, her eyes sparkling with an idea. “Hey, let’s go shopping.”

“Shopping?” I asked her as I raised a brow. “Right now?”

Like I said, she's very spontaneous.

“Yes! I need something new to wear for my date.” She gave me an exaggerated pout. “Come on, Andy, you know you want to.”

“How do you know what I want?” I asked her as I let out a laugh and shook my head.
“Plus don’t you have more than enough clothes? Just pick one to wear.“ I suggested.

“It doesn’t matter if I have a lot of clothes, I’m going on a date with a hot guy, I have to dress to impress.” She argued.

I shook my head at her words as I swam to the edge of the pool and climbed out. When I got out, I wrapped myself in a towel and smiled at her.

“Fine. But you owe me ice cream after.” I said.

“Deal.” Bree beamed, grabbing her towel as well.

As I toweled off, I couldn’t help but steal a glance toward the house. For a brief moment, I thought about Jason and the kiss we shared and how he has been ignoring me ever since I told him to stay away from me. I felt sad at the thought but I shook my head to push it to the back of my mind and I focused on Bree again. I could live vicariously through her.

“Let’s go inside to change and then we can head to the mall,” I said as I grabbed my things that were on the recliner.

As we walked towards the house, Bree kept on talking about different things she wanted to get for her date at the mall. I listened, grateful for the distraction, determined to keep the day about her and not the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

Shopping with Bree was always an adventure, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it, Jason and all the confusing feelings tucked away- at least for now.

When we got into the house, we could hear people arguing over something but it was not clear. We walked towards where the voices were coming from.

“Don’t talk about her that way!” A voice I recognized as Jason’s yelled.

“Talk about who, dad?” Bree asked as we entered into the room where Violet and Jason were standing, looking like they were in a heated conversation.