𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 | o.d.

Chapter Forty-One

     IT WAS A bright summer day, the kind without a cloud in the sky, the sun warming Mari's skin pleasantly and burning the concrete beneath her feet. She had spent most of the day inside working, but no one wanted BBQ on a day like this—everyone choosing instead to bask in the sweltering heat by the beach or, as Mari found herself then, the Freeridge community pool.

Ruby and Jamal had stopped by the joint on their way, and Dwayne had insisted that Mari go with them. She had politely declined. Mari didn't want to take advantage of Dwayne's kindness by leaving work early for no reason. Not to mention she still didn't own a bathing suit and, perhaps most importantly, the last thing she wanted to do was strip down and bare the reddened, finally-starting-to-heal mark on her shoulder for anyone to see.

Still, Dwayne was persistent. He all but shoved her out the door, assuring her that he and Ray could handle the handful of customers they had. Insisting she go have fun.

All things considered, Mari was fairly certain she should be happy right now. But there she was, standing awkwardly by the fence surrounding Freeridge community pool. Jamal and Ruby had run off ahead after she promised to join them in a moment, but she hadn't moved yet. She couldn't.

Mari found herself frozen in place. There was a lump of coal in the pit of her stomach, and though she hadn't eaten that day, she still felt like she might be sick at any second, all because she caught a single glimpse of Oscar.

And he looked beautiful.

It was not a word she would have usually used to describe him, but in that moment, nothing else seemed to do it justice. Even beautiful felt like an understatement. He was in the pool, halfheartedly playing Marko-Polo with Jasmine and Monse as Cesar taunted him from his lounge chair. Sunlight highlighted each drop of water on his tan skin, like he was covered in liquid gold. His broad chest was on display and biceps defined as he swam, almost begging Mari to reach out and touch. But what stopped Mari's heart most of all was his smile—wide and wild and, more than anything, real.

This was a smile Mari had seen before. His head thrown back, dimples on display, canines bared. It was a smile of pure joy and contentment, and until now it had only ever directed at her. Only ever when they were alone, hidden away in his room, in his bed. To see it on display for not only his brother, but his friends as well? It warmed Mari's heart more than the early July sun ever could.

He was radiant. Glowing. Ethereal. A fantasy come to life. And Mari couldn't look away.

Ruby perched on the seat beside Cesar. Jamal cannon-balled into the pool to join their game, the splash immediately drawing Oscar's attention to them. Mari watched as he swam to the pool's edge to say something to Ruby, who then frowned, shook his head, and then pointed over Oscar's shoulder. Pointed to her.

Without a moment of hesitation, Oscar's head snapped around to find her. Their gazes met immediately, like magnets drawn to each other. Mari saw the exact moment his smile softened, like his insides were melting at the mere sight of her, like hers did for him. He waded across the pool and rested his forearms on the edge closest to her. He cocked his head in a come here gesture, and Mari's feet padded across the hot concrete of their own accord, powerless to go anywhere but toward him.

When she reached the edge of the pool, she sat down beside him. She hadn't stopped to change after her shift since she didn't plan on swimming anyway, so she was still in her black Dwayne's tee and her only pair of denim shorts. The concrete burned the backs of her thighs, but Mari didn't mind the burn. She dipped her feet and calves into the cool water with a pleased sigh of relief.

"Water that good, huh?" Oscar teased, looking up at her from beneath his lashes with a smirk.

Sudden heat ran through her. Mari knew it wasn't from the sun, but from the memory of how good Oscar looked from this angle. Images flashed in her mind. So many times he had been beneath her, panting and sweating and showering her with praise.