The Maid // Kevin Moon

24

"Liam! You're supposed to hit the ball not catch it!" Sophie yelled, grunting and smacking her face against her hands.

Liam groaned. "I'm tired of playing volleyball. This game is stupid." He threw the blow up ball out of the pool and walked out, wrapping a towel around his body. Him and Kevin were the only people left at the Taylor's house after the barbecue, and Kevin challenged Liam and Sophie to a game of volleyball in the pool.

Sophie swam to the edge of the pool, holding onto the concrete while she looked up at Liam.

"Don't be a sore loser," she pouted.

"I didn't do sports in high school for a reason," Liam replied.

Kevin chuckled and made his way over to Sophie, wrapping his arms around her waist as he placed his chin on her shoulder. Liam looked at the two of them and made a gagging sound.

"You guys don't have to remind me every five seconds how single I am. I get it," he complained. He stood up, drying his hair with the towel. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Can you turn on the outside lights?" Sophie called out. "It's starting to get dark."

Liam waved his hand behind his head in response, making Sophie and Kevin laugh. The lights switched on as Liam walked inside, and the couple pulled apart and looked at each other across the water.

"Wanna play another game?" Sophie asked.

"Of volleyball?"

"No, silly. A different game."

"You have one in mind?" Kevin replied.

Sophie nodded. "You know the one where we both go under water and one of us yells something to the other and when we come up the person has to guess what they said."

Kevin pursed his lips. "I've never heard of it but isn't it like impossible to talk underwater?"

"Kinda but it's funny. You just have to listen."

Kevin shrugged. "Yeah sure whatever."

Sophie smiled. "Yay! I'll go first. Ready?"

Kevin nodded and as Sophie counted to three, they both sank underneath the surface of the water. They opened their eyes as soon as they reached the bottom, looking at each other.

Sophie put a thumbs up, getting one in return from Kevin. She yelled as best as she could, water filling her mouth as Kevin tried not to laugh at the amount of bubbles surrounding her.

When she was finished she put her thumb up again and the two swam back to the surface, taking in a breath of air.

"Go," Sophie said.

"Chicken nuggets?" Kevin asked, unsure. Sophie laughed and nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! Wow you're good."

Kevin laughed along with her. "Okay, my turn. Ready?"

Sophie nodded and they repeated the same process, Kevin giving the thumbs up this time. He yelled in a way that made Sophie giggle, her nose filling with water in a way that made her throat and nostrils burn.

They came back up and Sophie coughed slightly before looking over at Kevin. "Olive juice?" she asked. Kevin shook his head.

"Not quite..."

"Okay, let's go again. I won't laugh this time," she promised. Kevin nodded and they went under again. He repeated his phrase and the two swam back up, Sophie looking even more confused than she had before.

"Child abuse?" she questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. Kevin looked at her in shock.

"What?"

Sophie shook her head, waving her arms. "Just forget it. One more time, I'll get it this time."

Kevin laughed and nodded, proceeding to repeat the process one last time. He spoke his phrase underwater, the words traveling clearly to Sophie this time.

The two came up from the water and Sophie fell silent, staring at Kevin.

"Did you get anything?" he asked. Sophie nodded.

"I-,"

"I got us some drinks while I was in there, I figured you guys must be thirsty from carrying that volleyball game," Liam interrupted, walking back into the pool area.

Kevin and Sophie turned to look at him, though their minds were somewhere else completely. Liam reached down and handed the two a cup each, smiling widely.

"Thanks," Sophie said, taking the cup while trying to keep a normal expression.

"Thank you," Kevin said with a smile as he received his own cup. Liam smiled back and sat on the chair in front of the couple, looking down at them.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, taking note of their expressions. Sophie and Kevin looked at each other and then back at Liam, shaking their heads at the same time.

"No, you're fine," Kevin answered. "Come on, let's play another game before we go back inside."

—

Kevin walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with the towel that was before wrapped around his body. He made his way across the hallway to Sophie's room, knocking quietly.

"Come in," she called out. He opened the door slowly, revealing his girlfriend sitting on the bed with wet hair in one of his t shirts and a pair of shorts. He couldn't help the smile creeping onto his face.

"You're so cute," he told her. He sat down on the bed next to her, leaning down and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her down on the bed with him. He held her close to him, the two of them staring at the wall, deep in thought.

Sophie had been texting Liam, but as soon as Kevin touched her she had put her phone down and eased into him, very much aware of the fact that they needed to have a serious conversation.

"I didn't mean to freak you out," Kevin whispered, adjusting his chin on Sophie's shoulder. Sophie sighed and shifted slightly, making Kevin move so she could flip around and face him.

"You didn't freak me out. I just don't know if I'm ready—,"

"That's okay!" Kevin told her. "I'm not expecting an answer. I just...needed to tell you I guess."

Sophie nodded, still looking into his eyes. "I just need some more time to learn the basics before we get to the big stuff, you know?"

Kevin nodded in return, pulling Sophie closer to him before placing a kiss on her nose. "I understand. Whenever you're ready."

Sophie smiled and snuggled into Kevin's chest, taking a deep breath while he held her close to him.

"I mean it though," Kevin said. "I love you."

Sophie didn't reply, just laid in his arms, allowing his warmth to transfer to her, soaking up the moment. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly and steadily, listening to his heartbeat as his chest rose and fell as he breathed.

They sat like that for a few seconds before Sophie's phone buzzed on the nightstand next to her bed, making her groan and roll over.

"Liam has to stop by in a little while to pick up something he left," Sophie relayed the message to Kevin.

"I'll leave when he gets here," Kevin told her. "Come back for now."

He held his arms out, opening and closing his hands in a cute way, making Sophie laugh. She laid back in his arms, smiling into his chest.