Problems in Paradise

Chapter Four

A/N: thank you so much for reading so far! I'm very grateful for every comment, I love hearing what you think :) hope you enjoy this chapter! I tried to get rid of the huge spaces, hopefully that's worked! xoxo

Laurel kicked the water of the pool with her feet absently as she stared up at the few clouds dreamily making their way overhead. Completely lost in her own thoughts, it took her several moments before she processed the fact that someone had swum over to her, and was calling her name.

She shook her head, looking down into the pool. Her heart gave a jolt. ‘Hi Oscar,’ she said, trying to sound casual.

He grinned. ‘You were miles away,’ he commented, placing both hands on the side of the pool and hoisting himself up to sit next to her. Laurel’s eyes strayed to the sculpted curves of his arm muscles, watching as droplets of water peeled away from his skin to slide to the ground. He was beautiful.

‘I was just thinking about April,’ she admitted, tearing her eyes from his drool worthy body before she actually started salivating.

‘Ah,’ Oscar ran a hand through his wet hair, making it all ruffled and messy. ‘Yeah. Not great that they argued.’

Laurel shook her head. Morgie had gone after April, so she hadn’t followed, knowing April preferred to be left alone anyway. She realized suddenly that that was the only reason Oscar had come over to talk to her: because Morgie wasn’t there to keep him occupied. He could barely ever notice anyone but her. Suddenly, all the joy she’d felt spring into her chest at his arrival vanished, leaving her with nothing but a sense of deflation.

She glanced over to where Ezra was sprawled on the sun lounger next to the one April had recently vacated to hide her disappointment, reading the signs of anger in every line of his body. ‘D’you think he’s okay?’ she inquired.

Oscar screwed up his nose, noticing Will edging towards his friend. ‘Ezra doesn’t like to talk about his feelings,’ he said.

‘Opposite of April, then,’ Laurel replied.

Oscar met her eyes, smiling politely. ‘Really? She likes to talk about her feelings, huh?’

‘Loves it,’ Laurel said, then, realizing that might have sounded a little harsh, she smiled. ‘Well, I don’t know. It helps her clear her head, I think.’

‘Oh right.’ Oscar looked thoughtful. ‘What about you and Morgs, then?’

‘What about us?’ Laurel inquired, having been distracted by his muscles again.

‘Do you talk about your feelings a lot?’ Oscar clarified, leaving Laurel feeling rather flustered. Typical. She always mucked up when talking to him… because it mattered with him.

‘No,’ Laurel managed, when she’d recovered herself. ‘I’m a bit of a private person.’

Oscar smiled politely, but Laurel could tell he wanted to hear what Morgie talked about when alone with the three girls. He found Laurel boring, she could tell. Well, maybe not boring, but certainly she wasn’t the vivacious, enticing Morgie. She couldn’t ever think of anything to say.

She wished she had Morgie’s wit, Morgie’s beauty… or even better, that she was Morgie. Oscar loved everything about Morgie, but nothing about Laurel.

‘Morgie usually talks about her feelings, if she has something interesting to say,’ Laurel continued, only slightly bitterly, for Morgie had had plenty of boys chasing her, plenty of dates, plenty of first kisses, and enough relationships for her to offer advice, but Laurel hadn’t even been asked out once. She had been the only one of her group to go to prom dateless, the only one to stay single through not only her entire school life, but through her first year of uni too. She’d only had her first kiss thanks to a stupid game of spin the bottle, and that had been horrible, tasting of alcohol, and with a boy who couldn’t keep his saliva in his mouth.