A Thief's Kiss

27| Exchange

Chapter 27: Exchange (Aria's POV)

I turned the TV off as The Shining just finished. It was the one decent movie I could find. I heard the door beep with a key card before it opened. I straightened up in bed while he walked in with two shopping bags. One, of his ties and the other, with my bathing suit. 

"I come bearing gifts!" he exclaimed, setting both bags on the bed. "Here." He held out one bag for me to take. "It's not too revealing, just like you asked. I bought you a nice and simple one-piece. I thought you'd like it. The smalls seemed a little big so the woman gave me these." He fished out something from his back pocket, handing it to me. Two of them. 

"Oh." I took them. "We can just hook these on the straps at the back if they're too loose and pull them together like a halter to tighten them," I explained. 

He stared at me blankly. "Nope, I didn't understand." 

"Nevermind," I laughed. "I'll change and then we can go?" 

He nodded as I stood up and went into the bathroom with the shopping bag, locking the door shut behind me. I haven't been swimming in so long, I'm so excited. I put the shopping bag on the counter, bouncing on the balls of my feet while reaching into it and pulling it out. I put it on the counter and frowned immediately. I reached back in, pulling out the bottoms. 

Not revealing? One-piece? Nice and simple? 

"Alexander!" I unlocked the door, going back out. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

"This? This is your idea of a not revealing, nice and simple, one-piece?" I asked, holding up the bikini, the top in my right hand and the bottom in my left. 

"Um... no. No, that is not my idea of what you just... I did not buy that for you." 

"Are you seriously joking right now?" 

"No, no, I swear. I'll check the receipt too." He pulled out the crumpled receipt from his pocket, scanning in. "It says 'black one-piece' see?" 

"Okay. But does this look like a black one-piece to you?" 

"No," he mumbled, looking at the bikini in my hands. "It looks like a light blue bikini with sparkly, metal, blingy straps." 

"That's because that's exactly what this is. What happened to the black one-piece?" 

"I don't... oh. Oh no. Oh no, no, no," he groaned, sitting at the foot of the bed. "That lady!" 

"What lady?" 

"That woman!" 

"What woman?" 

He huffed. "While I was there, another girl was there shopping for herself. I was paying but she was in such a rush that she cut me in line and threw all her things at the cashier. I already paid but... maybe in a rush the cashier switched this out for the one-piece? There must have been an exchange." 

"An exchange?" I groaned. Well, this exchange is really costing me an entire day I could have spent swimming 

"Aria, I'm so sorry." He stood back up. "We can go swimming tomorrow. I can get you that one tomorrow if you want. Or I can go right now too. If you-" 

"No, you just got back, I won't send you off again," I mumbled grumpily, slouching and sitting beside him. "Maybe we can go tomorrow," I shrugged, tossing the bikini on the bed. 

"But... you seemed so excited to go swimming," he stated. 

"I was. I haven't been swimming in forever, I thought I could have fun. Nevermind," I sighed, standing up. "We can just watch a movie."