Florence || H.S.

Chapter Eleven: The Juicebar and The Balcony

Florence wasn't sure whether she should approach Astoria or simply let her have her moment. She looked so beautiful and at peace with the water rippling around her; almost as though she had fallen asleep.

Instead of approaching immediately, Florence observed Astoria. It seemed that everyone else in the pool had realised that Astoria needed her space. She floated in the middle of the pool without anyone encroaching her space. Maybe they knew she was Mr Arvanitis' daughter.

Astoria sat up. It was as though she could feel someone's eyes on her. She looked around and eventually locked eyes with Florence standing up straight near the entrance. She smiled at the girl whose hair was still slightly damp before motioning a little 'come here' with her right hand.

Florence was slightly hesitant. She wasn't sure why but it almost felt as though she was going to be scolded for staring. Astoria wouldn't do that though.

The girl walked over to Astoria with her dress swishing around her legs as she went. Everyone else in the swimming centre were focused on their own lives, completely unaware of what could potentially happen. At some point, Florence had realised that if she didn't spend every day obsessing over someone she glanced at briefly on the streets, there was a large chance that other people didn't do that either. Why was she so worried to be who she was when no one else really cared?

That's why often Florence just did things by herself. She valued her own company because she knew she was the only one who would ever be with her for her whole life. There is comfort in being able to count on yourself.

Astoria wasn't quite there yet. Part of her knew why this was why she'd wanted to invite Florence on the trip. While Astoria was so unapologetically herself, she never really felt like it was authentic. Maybe if she had grown up somewhere else with different parents she could have been free. After all, there is something incredibly appealing about running away to live in a cabin where you raise goats.

When Florence reached Astoria she slipped off her dress, discarding it on a nearby chair before sliding into the pool and swimming over to the girl. The two seemed to have a strange dynamic within their relationship. They always believed the other was thinking the worst of them when, in fact, it was the complete opposite.

Florence quickly surfaced next to Astoria, smiling wide at the girl. "Are you okay?" Was the first thing she asked. "You didn't end up coming down to the pool."

Astoria modded. "Sorry if you guys were waiting on me, I figured I just needed a little bit of time to myself."

"That's perfectly okay," Florence replied. She had begun to swish her hands across the surface of the water to create a ripple. It was a bit of a habit for her what with the years of listening to the swim coach telling her what she needed to improve on.

"How is everyone?" Astoria spoke again.

Florence shrugged a little. "I'm not sure. No one else was there except for Harry and I."

Something twisted in Astorias gut. Harry spending time alone with a pretty girl wasn't sitting right with her. She adored Florence but her jealous nature was coming out in full force. Her face remained stoic however as Astoria reminded herself that she had no claims on Harry and that he could do as he pleased.

Silence fell over them as each tried to figure out what to say next.

"How long have you been in the water?" Florence asked.

"Uh, maybe an hour, i'm not sure."

Another nod followed. "Did you want to come get a drink? i'm sure you're thirsty."