Come Closer

7.

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"How was the shower?" Nicolette asks as I make my entrance into the kitchen.

   "It was... much needed." I tell her as I lean against the counter. "And thanks for the toothbrush, too."

   I watch her as she stares intently at Melina who seems to be preparing a meal for the evening.

   "Now, I'm going to put this chicken into the oven to bake for 20-minutes." The woman says as she takes the sheet pan full of chicken wings to the oven and pushes it inside.

   It's odd because I was expecting to hear an accent from her, but her English is better than mine.

Nicolette quickly turns to the counter where she begins to write hastily in a notebook.

Is she learning how to cook?

"That's all for now, please come back in 15 minutes to check on it." The maid says with a smile.

"Am I interrupting your lesson?" I ask with a smirk.

   "No, I'm done." She says, slapping the  notebook closed before turning to me.

   Her eyes trail steadily from my eyes, down to my feet, and back up to my eyes before her smile brightens.

   "Those sweats and slippers look good on you." She says with a shrug.

   "Thanks." I respond bashfully as my cheeks redden.

   I catch her hide her smile by tucking her bottom lip into her mouth and I sneak my hands into the pockets of my sweats as I turn away.

   "So..." I drag out, filling the awkward silence. "What is it you wanna' do today?"

   "I don't know." She responds, folding her arms and leaning into the countertop next to me. "What do you wanna' do?"

   "You're the one with the ideas," I remind her. "I'm all yours today."

   I see her ears perk up at my words as I wait for her to speak. She squints up at the ceiling as she hums in thought.

   "Ouu!" She shouts with one clap of her hands. "I have a pool. Let's go swimming!"

   I hiss inwardly as I start to rub the back of my neck.

   "I don't know-"

   "Oh, come on!" She shouts as she jumps with excitement. "It'll be fun!"

   I take a few seconds to think about it. I never learned how to swim and because of that, I've never done well in water. Only a few times have I ever even been in water and that was during my childhood, when my mother was around. If I can stay away from the deep end, I should be able to have a fun time.

   ...I suppose.

   "Sure-"

   "Yes!" She cheers excitedly. "Come on, I have the perfect trunks for you."

   She takes hold of my wrist and begins to drag me out of the kitchen.

   "Wait, you do wear trunks, right?"

   "Yes. No bikini thongs, please." I advise.

   Thirty minutes later, we are walking out the back patio. Sporting baby-blue swim trunks and a dry-fitted sports bra, I approach the stupendously large pool with caution. The mid-afternoon sun is hiding behind a thin veil of clouds, poking its rays every now and again to bless the cool air with heat.