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SIGHING WHILE PLACING a drink tray down on the counter that belonged to the Paradis Country Club, you gazed out towards the pool area surrounded by children, teens, parents, and adults alike. You were placed outside for the day and despite the air conditioning built into the bar due to it being connected to the inside, you still felt as if your skin was melting.
Suddenly, you felt a hip nudge into your own, turning your head a bit to see Nicolo placing two smoothies down onto the counter. Raising an eyebrow in confusion the moment the man places straws into them, he flashed you a sly grin. "A smoothie for the hardworking, pretty lady."
You gave a snort, sitting on a stool he had pulled up for you just a second ago. It seemed as if people had finished ordering for now as it was 1:27 in the afternoon and people usually ordered when it hit 11:30.
Nicolo took a seat beside you, watching as you rubbed the side of your neck slowly, your eyebrows scrunched up together. "Sleep wrong last night?" he questioned, mixing his chocolate smoothie with his straw before taking a sip.
"Yeah, I need to get a body pillow. I forgot mine at home," you replied, sighing deeply before dropping your hand to your lap. Home. It came so naturally to you when you thought of your small apartment near your University in Marley City. You always seemed to think home was wherever Sasha and Connie were.
It seemed that your words hit Nicolo a bit too close to the heart. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he wanted you to think of home wherever he was considering how close you both are, but he told himself he couldn't be selfish. Both of you were adults now and it was completely evident that you despised being home, for a good reason, too.
"We can go shopping after work, like we used to. They just finished the Target," he informed, staring at you with his eyes that reminded you so much of puppy dog eyes.
"Really? They've been building that for, like, two years," you laughed slightly, moving the straw from your smoothie to your mouth. "Mmm, chocolate covered strawberries?"
"It's your favorite."
Going to reply, you gazed over Nicolo's shoulder, catching sight of Xander. Raising your hand halfway, you were about to wave before you caught sight of the boy next to him. Walking next to your older brother standing at the height of six feet, there was Jean Kirstein.
His brown hair was tousled, more than it usually was, and it fell naturally over his forehead the closer they walked over to both you and Nicolo. Your jaw dropped slightly, pure astonishment evident on your face. You stood up hastily, crouching down slightly so you were hidden by the bar.
