Cherished

33

"I swear, Miles," Pierce growled, stepping out of the pool from where Miles had pushed him in.

Eva was now soaked because she had been sitting on the edge, soaking in the sun.

"You swear what?" Miles teased. Pierce reached for him, but he jumped out of the way with a laugh.

Graham plopped down next to Eva.

"What's the matter, honey?" Graham asked, bumping her shoulder with his.

Eva let her eyes wander over to Bri and Kenzie who were sunbathing in some chairs. They looked pretty in their bathing suits, but Eva did not feel that way at all. She didn't even want to take off her t-shirt.

Miles got thrown in the pool with another large splash. He popped back up, yelling something at Pierce.

"You can't compare yourself to the other girls," Graham whispered. "I know that's hard to do, but you're all so different that comparison is not fair. Besides that, we've seen you naked before. What's the difference?"

Eva shrugged. The bathing suit felt more naked than actually being naked did.

Miles swam over, placing his hands on her legs.

"You are so pretty, sunshine," he said, giving her such a sweet smile. "Why don't you try to come swim? It'll be fun."

Eva gave it some thought. It did look fun. She didn't know how to swim, but the large pool was shallow and she would be able to stand.

Eva pulled off her t-shirt, sinking into the comfortable water with Miles. It was easier to be in the cover of the water, and with Miles goofing around she hardly had time to consider what she was wearing.

"Incoming," Kenzie yelled, jumping into the water. Bri eased herself in.

"Do you guys want to see me to do a handstand?" Bri asked. She was completely serious, too. Eva nodded eagerly.

"Wow," Kenzie said when Bri popped back up. "You almost did it."

"Your legs were bent," Eva said, teasing.

Bri rolled her eyes. "Like you guys could do better."

"Wanna bet?" Kenzie asked.

---

Eva was exhausted, and starving. She had literally spent almost the whole day in the pool playing silly games with Kenzie and Bri. It had been a lot of fun.

She had showered in her room since she figured Pierce and Miles and Graham would need to shower, too.

Rosetta was out of town so all of them had split nights to cook. It was Pierce and Miles' turn.

A knock on her door startled her, and she was surprised to find Graham still in his swim trunks. He smiled at her.

"Hey, pretty girl," he greeted. "We're all tired and not up to cooking. I ordered pizzas. Bri and Kenzie are in the main living room watching a movie, waiting on Logan and Van. You can join them or you can join us in our room."

"Okay, I'll come up," Eva agreed. "Do you want to use my shower?"

"That's okay," he said, leaning over for a kiss. 

He left her room and Eva went to dry her hair with the blow-dryer.

It was hard to believe how much she had been enjoying life lately. She had good friends, ate good food. She had a lot of fun with her boyfriends, especially now that the weather was opening up. She was very blessed.

She had been seeing Dr. Crawford regularly. It was nice to have her to talk to because it didn't make the others feel like they had to share in return. It made her feel less of a burden.

She left her room to find the others. Miles and Pierce had already showered and they were on the couch. There was a box of pizza on the kitchen island that smelled amazing.

"Pierce and I didn't wait for you," Miles said.

"That's okay. I wouldn't be able to wait either," she said, making herself a plate. She dropped down between them on the couch.

"Today was fun," Pierce said after a moment.

"It was," Miles agreed. "It's going to be a great summer."

Graham joined them a few minutes later. He didn't go towards pizza. Instead, he stretched out on what was left of the couch, resting his head on Miles lap with a sigh.

"Looks like you got a little burned," Miles said, poking Graham's red nose. He swatted him away.

"I can't believe it," Pierce teased. "You're burned, even after you made us reapply every thirty minutes because that's what the back of the bottle said."

"It's just my nose," Graham said.

Eva's laugh was muffled by her bite of pizza. She loved them. She loved them completely, selfishly, in a way that no other feeling would ever compare. They healed her, gave her a new life. They cherished her and showed her that she mattered.

She couldn't wait to see where things were going to go from here.