TAYLAH’S POV
“Eeeew!” a shrill voice giggled, making everyone stir. “You’re all cuddling. You could get cooties.”
I laughed and sat up from where I was indeed lying very close to Mitchel. The others all sat up slowly, yawning and stretching. James and Bella were kneeling at the end of the mattress in their pyjamas, watching us.
“What’s up guys?” Maeve yawned.
“We’re hungry,” Bella said matter-of-factly.
“Well good thing I brought breakfast, hey?”
“Mum!” They both jumped up and ran to the doorway, tackling their mother with hugs.
“Hello to you too,” Muffy laughed, putting a couple of McDonalds bags on the table. “I figured you’d all be here still, so I got enough for everyone.”
“Thanks Muffy,” we all chorused and crowded the table, suddenly starving.
“I take it you’ll be out today Maeve?” Maeve nodded. By going out, she meant coming to our house and lying around doing pretty much nothing all day. But hey, the lives of teenagers.
We didn’t even bother changing before we went home. Maeve just changed her t-shirt and pulled up her hair before we ran out the door to the car. We pulled up to the house and jumped out into surprising heat.
“Oh my god,” I fanned my face with my hand. “It’s boiling.”
“You’re not wrong,” Tyrone agreed. “Let’s go swimming.”
We all split off to get changed, the girls coming up to my room. They both left bathers at ours for this exact situation. We got changed and went downstairs where the boys were jumping into the pool. We hung our towels over the pool fence and sat along the edge.
“Come on ladies,” Mitch whistled. “Are you coming in or what?”
“Don’t rush me Cave,” I rolled my eyes, leaning back to enjoy the sun. A pair of hands grabbed my legs and I was pulled into the cold water. “Mitchel!”
“Sorry babe,” he laughed. “It was an accident. Your hair looks good wet though.” I blushed and splashed water at him to cover.
“Handstand competition, go!” Christian shouted and we all ducked under. I came up coughing to find everyone already up.
“Yay I win!” I cheered. Maeve laughed from where she was still sitting at the side of the pool. “Hey Luke, Maeve wants to come in.” I called over to him and Maeve narrowed her eyes at me, while Luke smirked and waded over.
“Luke Howell, I swear if you do,” she threatened, obviously trying to hold back laughter and seem mad. “Luuuuuke!” He’d scooped her up and thrown her into the water. She popped back up and coughed out a bit of water, pushing her hair out of her face.
“Don’t look at me,” Georgia stood up and jumped in, pulling off an impressive bomb. She popped up and jumped on Christian’s back. He dipped them both under water like a little blonde dolphin.
“Alright, pool war,” Tyrone announced. “Me and Brock, Mitch and Taylah, Christian and Georgia and Luke and Maeve.”
We all split off into our pairs. Mitchel ducked under the water and I climbed onto his shoulders. We went face to face with Georgia and Christian. Georgia and I were giggling uncontrollably as we tried to push each other off while the boys splashed water in each other’s faces. I grabbed Georgia’s arms and pushed her back and she tumbled into the water, taking Christian with her.
I fell back and Mitchel and I started doing a victory dance. This went on and entertained us for a while. We flopped out of the pool and lay in the sun. Brock went inside and brought out icy poles.
The doorbell rang and Luke and Brock raced each other inside to answer it. I pulled out my phone and held it above my head to check the time. A hand reached over and it left my hands.
“Mitchel!” I sat up, forgetting I’d undone my straps and only just grabbing them in time to avoid flashing them all. “Mitchel give it back.”
He jumped up and ran inside with it. I chased after him, slipping on the floorboards and skidding into the counter. He rounded the table and ran up the hallway. Brock and Luke were talking to our neighbour at the front door.
“Mitchel I’m going to kill you!” I yelled as he dodged around them and back towards the dining room.
I was on his tail when he slipped in a puddle we’d left and we both went down. I ended up on top of him, our faces centimetres apart. Neither of us moved. He bit his lip and I laughed nervously.
“Sorry,” I breathed.
“I’m not complaining,” he smirked. I rolled my eyes and jumped up, offering him a hand. Once he was back on his feet, he didn’t let go and kept my hand in his as he led me back outside to where everyone was lying around the pool while Christian strummed along on his guitar.
Mitchel sat down on a pool chair and guided me down to sit between his legs.
“I reckon we should do a meet and greet soon,” Mitchel said to the other boys. “We haven’t had one in ages and they’re always fun.”
“Definitely,” Luke nodded. He was sitting against the pool fence while Maeve was lying with her head on his legs. “We’ll have to organize one for sure.”
“What did the neighbour want?” Georgia asked Brock.
“Oh you know, the usual,” Brock shrugged. “We’re being too loud and disturbing him or something. Nothing new.”
“Damn, I think I’m getting burnt,” Georgia looked over her shoulder at her back. “Christian sweetie, can you put sunscreen on my back?”
“Uh, yeah okay,” Christian said awkwardly, taking the sunscreen and rubbing it into her back.
“Don’t forget to do the bottom bit as well,” Georgia said over her shoulder with a smirk, the little tease. Christian just kept rubbing in the sunscreen not looking up until he was finished.
I looked up at Mitchel to see him holding back laughter. He winked down at me and I grinned back. I leant backwards into him and his arms came loosely around my waist. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sun falling on my face and his warm arms around me and just being there.
