𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 ~ | 𝘔𝘢𝘹 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯

011 || Bikini

"So, how far are we going, Captain?" I sat down on a bench next to Charles. He glanced at me but quickly returned to driving.

"Not too far. I know a really nice spot for swimming. We should be there in about ten." He told me. I smiled.

"Okay, awsome. I'll go get changed." I got up again and gave his shoulder a pat. I trotted down the stairs to tell Layla we would be there soon, but she looked very busy talking to Carlos. I shrugged to myself and turned away to head into the cabin, where I had left my bag.

I found it lying on the table and took it into an empty room. I rummaged through it to find the bikini and pulled off my clothes. I felt very aware of the window behind me. It had no curtains, so anyone would be able to see inside. I slipped into the bikini and felt a sense of relief.

Then the boat began to slow. We must have arrived. I quickly wound my towel around my waist and headed back outside. Layla was leaning over the railing, looking down at the water. Charles was right; this was a beautiful spot. The water was clear, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"Wow! Fancy seeing you here!" Lando's voice made me look up. The other boat had just stopped alongside us. Lando was standing at the edge, grinning. I waved.

"Are you following us?" I put my hands on my hips.

"Pshhh, pish posh." He snorted.

"Alright, we get it. I want to go swimming now!" Daniel appeared. He was already in a pair of swimming trunks. Lando shurged and also pulled off his shirt. I looked away. Layla, on the other hand, was staring at them, biting her lip a little. I shook her arm.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" I put myself between her and the view of the guys. Her eyes were focused, and she smiled.

"Oh, hey, Bri. When did you get here?" She blinked. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Just go get changed." I shoved her away below deck. She hurried out of sight. I turned back to see Charles walking calmly across the main deck towards me. He was also shirtless. I mean, I'm wasn't complaining.

"You coming?" He asked. I blinked.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Wait, no..." I stammered, trying to find a good excuse, but nothing was coming into my brain. Stupid abbs.

"Why not? Come on!" He took my hand and began to lead me to the back of the boat, where there was a platform close to the water for swimming. I managed to slip my hand out of his before we reached the edge.

"Actually, I think I'll just enjoy the sun." I said it nervously, taking a step back. He frowned. Suddenly, there was a loud series of splashes. A few seconds later, Lando, Max, and Daniel's heads appeared laughing and shaking water from their hair.

"What? You scared of a little water, Hawke?" Max taunted, swimming up to the platform. I scowled at him.

"No. I'm not scared. I just don't feel like swimming right now." I crossed my arms.

"Uh huh." He rolled his eyes. 

To my relief, just then Layla appeared, and the attention shifted to her. She hopped down onto the platform with a huge grin on her face. Half of the guys' jaws were open as they looked at her. I felt a strange sense of pride. That's my best friend.

"Whoo!" She yelled, leaping off the edge and plumging into the water below. Charles glanced at Carlos, who just shrugged. They smiled and jumped in after her. I laughed, watching them splash around like children in a pool.

"Okay, I'm cold!" Layla announced it after about fifteen minutes. I quickly grabbed her a towel, and she pulled herself back up onto the boat. After that, one by one, the others got out too, but not after Carlos had pushed Lando off at least a couple of times.

"You guys hungry?" Charles asked when they were all out.

"Starving!" Layla sighed. I smiled.

The day seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, the sun was beginning to set. The lower the sun got to the horizon, the deeper the golder lights would coat the waves. The boat rocked a little, but not enough to make you need to hold on to anything.

I had been able to avoid talking, looking, or engaging with Max in any way. After we had eaten, we relaxed inside the second boat, talking about nothing in particular and sipping some wine.

"But I'm serious, it was really hard." Lando was saying. I pulled my legs up onto my seat, feeling calm and happy.

"That's what she said." Daniel said. Charles snorted, almost making Carlos choke on his drink. Layla laughed at him. He spilt some wine on his shirt.

"Mate! You are such a child!" He groaned, trying to remove the stain but only managing to make it worse. Layla laughed and got up to get a cloth. I glanced at Lando and saw that he was looking at Carlos.

"Lando, stop flirting with Carlos." I teased him. He looked up, blinking. Everyone laughed.

"I'm not flirting! I was just looking." Lando's face turned bright red. I snorted.

"You are looking at me with those big eyes again, mate." Carlos said it with a shrug. Lando leaned back with a huff.

"That's how I look at everyone." He muttered.

"Shhh... it's okay. I'm sorry, mi amor; they found out. We don't have to hide our love anymore." Carlos sat down next to me so that I was sitting right in the middle of the two lovebirds. Lando's eyes widened.

"W-wh... No!" He shook his head as everyone nodded their heads solemnly. Carlos smiled and put a hand on Lando's knee. Lando shook his head again but decided to go along with it. He pretended to lean in for a kiss.

"I think I'm going to sit somewhere else." I quickly stood up with a laugh. Both Carlos and Lando sat back again. I looked around for another seat, but they were all taken.

"You can sit here." Daniel chuckled, shuffling to the side so there was space on the armchair next to him. I smiled gratefully and sat down, careful not to spill my drink. He smiled and put an arm around my shoulders.

"I feel like a third wheel. Should I move too?" Layla had come back with a cloth. She must have overheard the previous conversation. Carlos laughed and shook his head, moving a little to make room for her next to him. She smiled and sat down.

"I think Lando is the third wheel now." I whispered to Daniel as Layla began to clean Carlos's shirt. Daniel put a hand over his mouth to stifle a snort of laughter.

"Look at Lando..." He leaned closer to whisper in my ear. I looked over at Lando and almost chocked with laughter. 

For a person who repeatedly denied that he was in love with the Spaniard, he had a very clearly jelous face. He was staring at them as Layla and Carlos flirted with a look of utter betrayal. I couldn't hold my laughter in anymore.

As me and Daniel burst out laughing, Layla quickly looked up. She had been in a trance and was now turning bright red. Pierre teased Carlos as I leaned back in, my head resting on Daniel's arm. I glanced over at Max. He was smiling at Carlos. I couldn't help but notice how his eyes sparkled when he laughed. I cleared my throat.

"I think I'm going to get some air." I got to my feet quickly. Daniel frowned.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded and smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, of course. I'm just going to watch the sunset." I told him. He nodded and leaned back again.

"It's pretty cold outside; you should take a jacket." Pierre told me. I turned at the door and glanced back at them.

"Here." Lando handed me his hoodie. I smiled and quickly came back inside to take it.

"Thanks, Lan." I thanked him. He smiled.

"Don't get too cold." He told me as I walked away again. I gave him a playful roll of my eyes before trotting up the stairs to the deck. It was pretty cold outside now that the sun was disappearing. 

I shivered. 

Quickly, I slipped Lando's hoodie over my head and rolled up the sleeves a little to fit me. I took a deep breath. The cold air stung my lungs, but I loved it. I leaned against the railing, watching the last slither of sunlight dissipate over the horizon.

"You can't leave me alone for one minute, can you?"