𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓- ᴄ. ᴄʟᴀʀᴋ

14

*— NARRATIVE

 "DUDE, what the fuck?" Paige exclaimed for the seventh time, throwing her hands up and leaning back on the soft rug, groaning. "Why do all these puzzle pieces look the same?"

Aspen, Milly, and I stared blankly at the blonde. "Why are you doing the puzzle with us again?" Aspen asked, confused as she set the piece she was working to place down on the table. We were sitting around a large coffee table in the living room, the fuzzy rug softening the floor beneath us. "You hate puzzles."

Aspen, Paige, Milly, Elio, Caitlin, and I decided to rent a house for the week in Bodega Bay, California, leaving the morning after the All-Star Game. Milly and Elio had flown separately from Australia, where Milly lives, and Spain, where Elio plays, to San Francisco and had caught a ride with Caitlin and me as we drove up. Aspen and Paige had arrived just an hour earlier, as Paige tended to drive significantly faster when a good song was playing.

"I dunno, I went to the bathroom and Caitlin and Elio were gone," the girl grumbled, looking at the large assortment of pieces in front of her with pure hate. "I hate puzzles."

"They're in the front," Milly commented, her Australian accent coming through thicker during certain parts of the sentence. "They've been out there for the last hour."

"Oh, sweet, thanks!" Paige shot up, roughly pushing her pile of puzzle pieces onto Aspen's organized creations. "You can have these."

The blonde glared at her girlfriend's back as the athlete jogged out the front door, shoes barely on. "Oh, gee, thanks," she muttered to herself, sweeping the mess away once more. I smiled, glancing over at Milly's pieces.

"Oh, I got the other half of the Golden Gate Bridge," I spoke up, sliding her my pieces and receiving a crisp fist bump. We had set our sights on an American landmarks puzzle, which proved to be much easier to finish once Paige had left.

Stepping back to take a look at our work, we shared approving nods. "Did you guys finish?" Elio called as he entered the house with a basketball tucked under his arm, Caitlin and Paige following shortly after. For a person who was born and grew up in Spain and spoke Spanish, his English was on point with almost zero hesitation and only wisps of an accent. "Nice."

"You guys done playing?" Aspen asked curiously as our partners joined us to study the puzzle. Caitlin wrapped me in a sweaty hug, which I jokingly tried to escape from before settling down.

"It's getting hot out," the brunette answered, planting a soft kiss on the exposed skin of my neck. In my ear, she murmured, "I was thinking of going for a drive later and exploring a bit. Would you like to be my DJ?"

"Uh hell yeah," I agreed, smiling. "I've got a stacked playlist. Some Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, the original Fast Car - Tracy Chapman, maybe some Frank Ocean."

"Is that driving music?"

"It's a vibe, I'm telling you. Aesthetic, straight outta Pinterest."

Caitlin hummed. "Alright, I trust you."

While we were talking, Paige and Aspen had moved themselves and their banter to the open kitchen. Almost all of their small arguments ended with Aspen staring at Paige and the blonde folding instantly. I have an ongoing bet with both Caitlin and Nika to guess which one was top. All my money was on Aspen.

Elio and Milly had gotten comfortable on the couch, the taller man snuggling close to the woman as she used the remote to flick through various movie options on the large TV on the wall whilst her hand ran through his dark locks smoothly.