Watch Me Drown

15. I don't want to hurt you

TW: sexual content, and this update, towards the end, gets pretty intense, so be warned.

(Abby's point of view)

The sunset that night was incredible. I was forever going to be one of those girls who would freak out if the sky was any other color than blue. By then, a lot of people had left the beach. A few people lingered, but they were far away from us. Phoebe put on music and, yes, we're that cringey, we danced. The first song that played was "Feels Like" by Gracie Abrams. It felt very fitting to that moment.

By the drive home, we were all very tired. But for the first time in a while, it was a good tired. Good tired as in when your eyes are heavy and your cheeks hurt from smiling so much, yet you can't stop smiling.

We were in the same spots we'd claimed that morning; Lucy driving, Phoebe in the passenger seat, then me and Julien in the back. When Phoebe and Lucy ran into a Mcdonalds to use the bathroom and get water, I turned to Julien.

"Today was a really good day." I said.

What was left of the light was pink, echoing off of everything, turning the world into a hazy, beautiful dream. I was questioning if I was dreaming.

"You're right," Julien agreed. "Today was really nice."

We would've started kissing if it wasn't for Lucy and Phoebe returning. The drive home was a peaceful quiet, except for the radio. It started to rain about halfway, which I wasn't mad about. Along with the ocean, rain was one of my favorite things.

"I'm too tired to move." I said in the elevator. Phoebe and Lucy were spending the night at our apartment.

"C'mon," Phoebe said, turning so her back was facing me. "I'll give you a ride."

"Phoebe-"

"You said you were tired!"

"I was joking!"

"Were you, though?"

No, I wasn't. With a sigh, I let her hoist me onto her back. Julien and Lucy were laughing. When the elevator doors opened, Phoebe ran out, and, much to my own dismay, I laughed.

"You have to be quiet!" I hissed. "There are children on this floor!"

I could hear Lucy and Julien, still laughing at us.

We all filed into the apartment, and Phoebe set me down. The office was supposed to be another bedroom, so it had a bathroom. Lucy went to shower there, and I went to shower in me and Julien's bathroom.

I was very careful when I showered. I kept the water at a low temperature, and I even had my water bottle on the counter. I decided to keep my watch on, so I could see my heart rate. It got a little high, but I felt okay. I didn't stay in the shower long, even though I wanted to. I didn't wash my hair. I barely got it wet. I only washed my face and my body, to get all the sand and sunblock off.

When I got out, Julien went to shower, and I went into the living room. Lucy was there, lying on the couch, doing something on her phone. Her and Phoebe slept on the couch when they stayed over. They didn't really mind. Dorothea was also there, curled up by her feet.

"Hey," I said as I sat down beside her. "What're you doing?"

"Instagram dump of today." She didn't look up; she took her posts very seriously.

"Can I see?" I asked.

"Sure," She showed me the photos she'd selected.

"Those are perfect." I commented.

"What should the caption be?"

"Hmm. The wave emoji?"

"Yeah, that'll do."