Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This story starts when you were young, around 13 years old. Your moms invited you to a summer soiree at the town’s local club called The Cypress. Your sister Lizzie was old enough to have the house to herself for once and your moms wanted to give her that.

“Avery, honey? Are you listening?” Ma questioned. That snapped you out of your mini trance-like state you were in. “Huh?”, you looked up towards Ma and Mom standing beside each other. Your mind returned to the conversation, remembering that Mom had just asked you if you would be okay with accompanying them to the Soiree. “That sounds fun!” you replied to their earlier asked question. “Just so you know, Elizabeth won’t be coming with us tonight.” Ma said. Mom joined in by saying, “Yeah, she’s going to get the house to herself and you’re going to be coming with us, okay?”.

You whined gently “But! That’s totally not fair! Why can’t I be the one who stays home?”. Your moms laughed in unison. “You’re only thirteen,” Ma said. She was always super protective of you and your sister. You felt that sometimes that was suffocating. But she was your Ma, and you loved her. “Besides, Ave, it’ll be a great time out with your moms. Or you can bring someone to hang out with, if you want. Or it could be a date.” Mom chimed in.

That got you thinking again, bring someone with you? Who could that be? You didn’t really have many friends that came to mind. Although a while ago there was a boy who moved to your town, his name was Cove. Back when you first met on the poppy hill, you told your mom's you really liked him. Over time, that evolved, but you didn't know it yet. You spent so much of the last 5 years getting to know him, and he would prefer you over all of the other people in town. You knew a lot about him and understood that he wouldn't like this kind of event, but you could still maybe think about inviting him. There was another boy, his name is Derek. You liked being around him, but you only pictured him as a best friend. You weren't sure who to bring, especially since your moms mentioned it could be a date.

Again, you were snapped from your thoughts by Ma clearing her throat. “Ahem...”. You looked back up at Ma and Mom, an uncomfortable look spread across your face. “What’s wrong Avery?” “Is everything okay?” Your moms spoke at the same time, and then gave each other a look. “Yea, I’ve just thought about it a little. I want to think about it more” you replied. Mom put a hand on your shoulder and smiled comfortingly “Of course Ave, take all the time you need. The Soiree isn’t until 6. Just let me or your Ma know when you’ve decided okay?”. You smiled back at Mom and nodded, “Okay Mom.” You slid off the kitchen stool you were sitting at while eating lunch and walked to your room.

In your room, you sat on your bed with your sketchbook, scribbling away as you thought about how tonight’s Soiree could end up going with the choices you gave yourself. Hmm. Maybe I’ll go alone, you thought. Nodding to yourself, you decided that's what you'd do, you kept drawing.

An hour or so passed and you heard a gentle knock on your door. “Yes?” you shouted not too loud. “Honey it’s Ma, can I come in?” she waited for your response, which was yes, and walked into your room. Ma took a seat on your bed beside you, smiling at you. “Have you decided who you’re going to bring?” she asked. You tapped the pencil you were using against your lower lip, then nodded to her. “Yes. I’m going to bring myself.” you giggled, getting a laugh from Ma as well. “Alright dear, Mommy and I are dressing formally, and I know she would be ecstatic if you dressed up with us. Get changed and meet us downstairs, we’ll be waiting at the door." With that, Ma got up, ruffled your hair softly, and left your room. She closed the door on her way out.

You stood up from your bed slowly and walked to your closet. What would you wear to a Soiree? You thought that you’d pick something formal, wanting to make Mom happy. You picked out a nice dark green dress that's flowy and great for dancing in, just in case you decided to do that. You grabbed the short heels to match and ran downstairs to meet your moms.

Once you got downstairs, you saw your sister and moms near the front door. Mom gasped in awe at you and laughed excitedly. “Oh my gosh, Ave! You look so cute!” she cooed. Ma grasped her arm and smiled “Our little angel is growing up” she said dramatically and wiped a fake tear. “Mommmms you’re embarrassing me!” you pouted. Liz had her arms crossed “Could you guys leave any slower?” she rolled her eyes. “Well jeez” Ma said. Mommy took Liz in her arms and hugged her tightly “Alright alright, let’s get going. Ave get your shoes on.” You set the heels down and put them on, wobbling a little bit as you weren’t used to wearing shoes like this. You made your way out the door and to your moms’ car. Mom let go of Liz, who trotted off to her bedroom as you all made your way to the car.

The drive was pretty short, but you had been zoning out looking out the window on the way there. Your Ma parked the car and brought you three to the door. You all stepped inside and your moms turned to you, and Mom spoke. “Ave honey do you want to stay with us, or do you want to run around and do your own thing?”. You shrugged “I can give you two some space. I don’t care about being a lone wolf this time.” you smiled up at your moms, who nodded, and both walked off to greet some of the people they knew. You made your way over to the snack bar, looking around at all of the delicacies to enjoy. You started thinking to yourself a bit, wondering if you should have asked the strange boy with the green hair to come along with you.

You grabbed a small plate, and a couple snacks to try out before walking over and sitting at a round table by yourself. As you were munching on the snacks you got yourself, music started playing. It was some sort of smooth song, maybe made for couples, you thought. You got up to throw your plate away, and as you were making your way back to your chosen table, a boy stood in front of you with a warm smile on his face. “Hello. I don’t mean to be in your way, but I was wondering if you would care to dance with me?” his smile didn’t falter as he looked at you, extending his hand gently towards you. You wiped your face, nervous that the snacks you had, stuck to you. You shyly rubbed your arm, nodding without saying anything to him. “How wonderful.” he stated as he took your hand in his and led you to the dance floor.

The boy seemed to know what he was doing, or at least seemed very confident since he was bold enough to ask you so bluntly to dance. The two of you swayed to the music, not making much conversation. This silence gave you the opportunity to take in the boy’s appearance. He was wearing a grey suit that looked pretty expensive. He had black hair that looked very soft and some of his bangs were dangling in his face. There was a mole on his right side of his neck. His eyes were a deep brown that somehow still shone in The Cypress’ lighting. The look he was giving you was extremely comforting, and you felt your cheeks redden slowly the more of his appearance you took in. You weren’t sure if this feeling was embarrassment, but it didn’t feel like that. You’d never felt this way just by looking at a person before, let alone a boy.

You took in a breath, still swaying with this boy, as you instead tried taking in your surroundings. A lot of the couples dancing were boy/girl around you, but in this case, with you and this boy, it was different. You know you’re nonbinary, and that was a comfortable way for you to identify. The music slowed, to a stop, and the boy let go of you. You made eye contact with him again, your cheeks still flushed. “You have lovely legs, by the way. Thanks for the dance. It was a pleasure.” And with that, that was the last thing he said before walking back to his group. He left you almost stunned. You tried processing what this new feeling was but decided that you’d have to deal with it another day. Your moms approached you, smiling. “Ready to go Avery?” Ma asked. “Did you have a good time, Ave?” Mom asked soon after. All you could do was nod at them, your cheeks still red. Your moms led you back to the car and started driving home.

The drive home was a blur, all that was on your mind was the boy who danced with you. His hair. His eyes were so nice to look into. The song that played even made him more comfortable to be around. Once you and your moms got home you ran up to your bedroom, without saying anything but goodnight. You changed from your green dress into comfortable cotton pajamas and got ready for bed. That entailed brushing your teeth and taking your contacts out. Your vision was pretty awful without them. Once you were ready for bed you laid down and closed your eyes. But you weren’t able to fall asleep just yet. Your thoughts started rapidly filling your head about the boy you danced with at the Soiree. Again, his soft hair, his warm smile and his beautiful eyes. The way he held you while you danced. His arm was wrapped around your back, holding you to him. Thinking about it sent butterflies into your stomach, and you decided it was time to stop thinking about it. That was the end of your night, and soon you fell asleep. This was just the beginning to a very eventful summer.

Chapter Text

The same summer that you danced with that boy, you had so many things planned soon after. All of these plans would surely make you forget about him. Either way, he wasn’t the focus of your mind today. Your and Cove’s families were planning on going on a road trip together. Ma and Mom decided that they could trust Cliff and Kyra to take care of you and your sister, along with Cove, so they wouldn’t be coming with you this time. You all would be cramming into an RV, but you smiled anyways at the thought of hanging out with Cove for a few days straight. You two were pretty close friends and hung out basically every day during the summers and almost every day after school. Lizzie would always poke fun at you two, calling you cute together, or a couple, which would make both of your cheeks red. Things like that used to only make you blush due to embarrassment of being the center of attention, but it was different now. Recently you discovered you felt something for Cove, you weren’t yet sure what that meant, but you knew that you really liked to be around him. You also knew that you felt bummed, or sad when he wasn’t around. That made you wonder if he felt the same way you did.

You laid in bed thinking about the trip that would start this morning. A knocking on your door startled you to sit up in your bed, your blanket still wrapped around you. “Yeah?” The door opened and Ma walked through but not all the way in. “Hey Avery, Cove and his family are waiting. Time to get going, alright?” You glanced at your alarm clock, which read ‘6:45AM’, and groaned. A stretch forced its way through you, and you rubbed your eyes gently. Even though you didn’t respond to Ma, she spoke again. “Make sure you’ve got everything packed.” You nodded since you knew you had packed everything last night before bed other than a few things like your toothbrush, hairbrush, and a couple other necessities. Ma left your room and shut the door.

You got up and started preparing for the day by changing from your pajamas to a more casual outfit. You decided on a black tank top and a loose light brown sweater to go over it. Accompanying that, you put on dark jeans. Sure, it was summer, but being too warm would be a problem for later. You packed summer wear in your luggage so you could wear whatever for now. The door to your bedroom opened, which made you jump and look over at it. It was just Liz reminding you that it was time to go. “Geez, can you learn how to knock?” you said with an awkward laugh. She shrugged and walked back out, leaving your door open. Over the next few minutes, you gathered the overnight necessities that you’d need for the trip and shoved it into your backpack. Ma and Mom had already taken your suitcase of clothes downstairs, so it was up to you to bring whatever else you’d need down to the RV.

After slipping some tennis shoes on, you made your way downstairs and out the front door. You were carrying your hairbrush and brushing your hair as you walked to the RV since you didn’t have enough time to put yourself together in your room. Cove and his mom Kyra were standing at the RV, probably having an awkward conversation of some sort. Cove still wasn’t used to seeing his mom in this town, but she paid him a surprise visit and told everyone that she’d be staying for the summer. She seems really sweet, caring and patient with Cove. You like her. You remember one of the first things she said to you, was about how much Cove talked about you. Thinking about that again made your cheeks redden.

Cove noticed you walking over, and he stood up straighter, smiling wide in your direction. “Avery!” he exclaimed. He started meeting you halfway and held his hand out “I can put that away for you if… you want.” You had forgotten about the backpack over your shoulders but slid it off you and held it out towards him shyly. You saw that he was wearing a black windbreaker that looked a little tight on him, and shorts to match. That was a funky combination for an outfit, but he still looked great… as you always thought. He caught you staring, and his cheeks reddened as he asked “What… what are you looking at?”. He knew what you were looking at but asked anyway. “Oh. Nothing, I just like your jacket!” you stuttered out, embarrassed that you’d been caught looking. Kyra only giggled to herself, fully aware of what was going on since she was standing right behind Cove.

“Come on you two. We’re getting ready to go!” Kyra set her hand on cove’s shoulder, patting him gently. The two of them made their way into the RV, Cove still holding onto your backpack. You followed closely behind them. “Hey! Avery!” you heard Mom calling for you back at your house. Your head turned to look, “Yeah?” She waved you to come to her and you did, jogging over to Mom who stood in the doorway of your house. She spoke quieter as you got closer “Hey, kiddo. Lizzie just got sick, and I don’t think she’s going anymore.” You stood almost frozen, anxious butterflies shot through your stomach. Oh my god. I’m going to be by myself with Cove and his family…? You thought to yourself. Mom put a hand on your shoulder and smiled warmly at you. “Hmm? Avery, are you still okay to go? Ma and I talked about it to Kyra, and she said you’re more than welcome to.” You nodded quietly at your mom, whispering nervously “Yeah… I still want to.”

With that, she sent you back to their RV, and you reacquainted with Cove and Kyra. Cliff was waiting inside the RV, in the driver’s seat. He greeted you with a wave and a smile “Heya! Welcome aboard.” You laughed shyly. You always thought Cliff made everything funnier. “Thanks”, you said as you sat down on the couch inside of the RV.

“Are we all set up to get going?” Cliff asked, mostly towards Kyra. She nodded and took her seat in the passenger’s seat. Cove took a seat beside you on the small couch after he set your backpack down near the bed of the RV. Cliff started the engine, and your moms waved you off as he started driving.

You and Cove were sitting on the mini couch, but you got up and walked over to sit next to where Cove had set your pack. He looked at you with a slight concern look on his face, mostly just asking if he could come with you. You patted the floor next to you, so he smiled and moved to you. You unzipped and rummaged a bit through your backpack until your fingertips touched your phone. You tugged that out of your bag along with your Bluetooth earbuds. Cove stuck his hand out, used to you sharing whatever you listened to with him, and you handed him one of them. You pulled up a movie streaming service on your phone. He pointed at ones that had anything to do with the ocean, or bodies of water, which made you giggle. You clicked on one of them. It was Finding Nemo, you two watched that one a lot. “Hey, kids, the drive is going to be a while, but we’re planning on stopping somewhere for breakfast soon.” Cliff said from the driver’s seat. You gave him a nod without looking up from your phone as the movie started. Cove sank down slightly, whining to himself about how long the drive will be. You nudged his sulking body with your elbow as you handed your phone to him so he would focus on that more. You didn’t get a great night’s sleep last night, so you were dozing off quite a bit. Cove glanced in your direction, noticing how tired you looked. “Avery?” he whispered. You jolted a bit and looked over at him, with a tired “mmm?” He slid the backpack that was between the two of you over to his other side and scooted closer to you. “You… um, you can rest your head here if you want,” he pointed to his shoulder with his thumb. You blushed at his offer and avoided looking at him while you moved closer and leaned against him, resting your head on his shoulder. His cologne scent shot into your nose, he smelt tropical and kind of like the ocean. His cheeks were as red as yours as you laid against him and watched the movie together. Somewhere around halfway through the movie, you dozed off enough to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

Cliff parked the RV in the parking lot of the tropical breakfast restaurant that Kyra pointed out earlier. He stood up and stretched, looking back at the two of you, you still were sound asleep leaning on Cove. Cove shrugged and it moved your head, waking you up. You looked around, noticing that all eyes were on you. You blushed a dark crimson and mumbled, “What’s going on? Why am I being stared at…?” Cove squeaked and whispered “You… fell asleep on me during the movie.” Your cheeks somehow got even more red. You knew you were tired, but you didn’t remember that you had laid against Cove. You bit the inside of your cheek nervously, fidgeting with your sweater sleeves. Kyra had shown mercy for you when she spoke up, “Hey we’re at what looks like a great place to eat. Are you two kids hungry?” You, still being anxious, just nodded. Cove nodded with you, not knowing what to say either. With that staring contest done, Kyra stood up and left the RV, expecting the three of you to follow her. You did. First Cliff, then Cove, and then you.

The four of you made your way into the restaurant and waited near the entrance to be seated. It took only a few minutes before a host walked over to you all. “Welcome to Tropicalized! How can I help you today?” she beamed. Kyra and Cliff gave each other a look before Kyra spoke, “Mm, just a booth for four, please.” The host nodded, still having a wide smile across her lips “Sure thing! Right this way.” Your group followed her to a nice booth next to a window and sat down.

Once seated and situated the host handed out menus and walked away after letting you know that your waitress would be with you shortly. The four of you chatted amongst each other about what looked good on the menu. Cove pointed out a few things that he would maybe like, but he was nervous to settle on anything yet. You’d dealt with him being picky for the last 5 years. It was pretty cute in all honesty when he would whine about places not having something he likes. You quietly looked through the menu, knowing what you wanted was something sweet. A waitress wearing a flowery shirt walked up to your group’s table. “Hello everyone, what can I get started for you?” Kyra spoke up pretty quickly after the lady asked, “Oh! I’d like an Aloha Fruit Punch please.” Cliff nodded and said, “Me too.” Cove glanced at you and decided for the both of you that he’d order first. “Um… What’s in this one?” He pointed to one of the smoothies on the menu, to which the waitress smiled. “Oh, that one is a top seller! It has kiwi and papaya, with a citrus base! I recommend it.” Cove shyly nodded and muttered, “Okay.” The waitress then looked at you, the smile still on her face, “And what can I get you?” You smiled back at her, before asking “Uh yeah I’d like a pink lemonade, if that’s okay?” The waitress nodded and wrote down what the four of you wanted. “Alright, I’ll get these drinks made for you and be back in just a minute,” she said before she walked off to the kitchen.

It was silent for a few minutes as none of you were sure what to say to each other, since Cove’s parents didn’t know too much about you still. Kyra, the usual conversation holder spoke up again, “So Avery. Tell us about yourself. What are your hobbies?” With the attention being on you again, you blushed but spoke confidently. “Well, I really like drawing right now.” “Yeah? That’s cool. You’ve got to show us your art sometime!” She nudged Cliff, who nodded and smiled, agreeing that he’d like to see too. You laughed a little nervously as you fidgeted with your sleeves, “Yeah… Yeah I would like that.”

Footsteps approached your table; it was the waitress back with your drinks. “Hey there! I’ve got everyone’s drinks, and I do hope you all enjoy them.” She set them down, each one placed in front of whoever ordered it. She took her notepad back out and asked, “What kind of food can I get you all? If you’re ready to order?” This time Cove spoke first, clearly excited about what he wanted. “Um! Can I have one of these fruit bowls? Um… Ah…Say bowl?” The waitress tilted her head before asking, “Acai bowl?” Cove nodded. “Could I have kiwi and mango in it too please?” The waitress nodded and wrote that down. You started zoning out, thinking about what you wanted as Kyra and Cliff had their orders taken. Hmm. Everything looked really good, you thought. They had so many options that were all tropical themed. The strawberry pancakes looked amazing, but you settled on something else in your head.

You felt a tap on your shoulder, which brought you back to the conversation. The tap was from Cove, and he was wondering if you were okay, since you hadn’t said anything. “She wants to know what you want Avery; do you want anything?” he asked you. You gave him a small gasp and nodded, “Oh. Sorry. Yes, can I please get the Tropicrêpes?” That was such a cheesy name, but it sounded delicious anyway. While you were ordering, Cove zoned out himself and started sipping on his smoothie. The waitress took your order, and with a smile she said, “Alright, I’ll be back again with your food shortly!”

Knowing that you guys would have to wait at least 15 minutes, Kyra started conversation again. “Hey, Avery? Do you wanna tell me anything else about yourself? We only just met this summer, and I would love to learn more about you.” You looked up from your pink lemonade, being put on the spot had you caught in your thoughts trying to come up with an answer. “Um… Um, I like Cove.” Cove heard that obviously since he was sitting right beside you. Unfortunately, as you said that he just sipped some of his smoothie into his mouth. He coughed, choking on what part of the smoothie was in his mouth. He tried speaking, but was still recovering from coughing and his cheeks had turned a very bright red. It finally hit you what you said, and you started panicking, and stuttering as you frantically tried explaining, “N-No WAIT! W…wait I meant I like to hang out with Cove. I-I didn’t mean it like that. Oh my god!” Your cheeks followed Cove’s redness, his embarrassment making yours worse. You couldn’t even bear to look in his direction. Everyone’s silence at the table had you panicking further, so you stood up rapidly and struggled your way out of the booth. You had been sitting by the window and Cove was near the outside of the booth, so it was harder to escape this situation. On the way out, you knocked your drink over and it spilt on your sweater and soaked through to your shirt. OH MY GOD. This can’t get worse! You thought to yourself and ran off to the bathroom with your head in your hands. You whimpered and walked into a stall and shut the door. You slid down against one of the walls to the floor, covering your face with your hands.

You were left alone in the bathroom for what felt like an eternity until you heard the door open and a soft voice followed that. “Avery? Are you in here?” It was Cove’s voice. He was coming to check on you. “Mmhm…” you responded. He slowly made his way to the only closed stall in the bathroom and gently knocked on the door to it. You didn’t move, still frozen in embarrassment on the floor. “Do you want me to leave?” he asked, the softness still remaining in his voice. “No… I’m just… really embarrassed that I said that.” He sat down outside of the stall and asked, “You can come out, I’m not gonna laugh at you.” Somehow that comforted you, and you stood up and shakily opened the door to the stall, looking down and seeing him sitting on the floor. You awkwardly took a seat next to him, still avoiding looking directly at him.

The two of you sat silently for a few seconds. Cove was known to fidget, and so he started doing that. You glanced over at him, noticing that his shirt was wet near the bottom of it. You guessed that your drink also spilt on him when you knocked it over earlier. “Sorry,” you spoke up. He looked up and you two made eye contact for a split second before you looked away. “For what?” he asked you. You pointed to the wet part of his shirt without saying anything. “Oh,” he chuckled. “It’s just a shirt.” A smile touched your lips when you heard his laugh. He noticed your smile and he matched it, but bigger.

“So… We should go back out there. Food’s waiting. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Um… so are you okay?” he spoke quickly, but he didn’t want to seem like he was rushing you. You nodded and he stood up excitedly, he held his hand out to you to help you up if you wanted it. With slight hesitation, you took his hand and he practically lifted you up on his own. He eyed your sweatshirt that was still very wet. Your cheeks went pink and he asked you, “Do you want me to um… get you a new shirt?” You softly nodded and mumbled. “I’m gonna wait here, okay? Just grab whatever you find first.” Cove nodded and let go of your hand and left the bathroom.

You stood there waiting for him for probably ten minutes. While you were waiting, Cove had been looking for wherever your luggage was put. He couldn’t find it and decided that instead he’d just grab you one of his shirts. The thought of you wearing his clothes made him blush a dark red as he ran back to the bathroom where he left you. You’d taken your soaked sweatshirt off before he got back, but it took Cove a second to realize that. Once he did his cheeks reddened further as your shirt was clung to you, since it had also gotten wet. “Um… Ave-Avery? Here I couldn’t find your suitcase… thing.” He was holding out one of his shirts to you, his eyes glancing between the floor and your current shirt. Before he fixed his eyes to the floor you noticed how he looked at you. You didn’t say anything about it because you thought his cheeks were red enough, and maybe you could talk about it later. You accepted the shirt he was holding out, while asking, “Are you sure you want me to wear one of your shirts, Cove?” He shrugged, “It’s okay. I’m gonna go sit back at the table, so just come out when you’re done.”

He started walking out of the bathroom, but you reached forward and grabbed onto his shoulder, turning him around. You let go of his shoulder, to instead grab onto his hand. His eyes widened as he locked anxious eye-contact with you. With your previous movements, the two of you were face to face, right in front of each other. You were looking up at him, and he was down at you. It was quiet as you just stared at each other for a moment. “Do you… not want me to go?” You shook your head and looked down at your shoes. “What if someone else comes in? It’s weird that we’re in here together.” He spoke again since you didn’t reply verbally. You tugged your wet shirt away from your body just for it to fall back into place. “I should change… I’m getting cold.” With the subject change and the new eye-contact avoidance from both of you, you walked into one of the stalls and shut the door. You changed into Cove’s shirt quickly, knowing that Cove and his family were waiting. Once changed and dry again, you left the stall, with your wet clothes in your arms. Without asking, Cove grabbed them and ran them out to the RV. You stepped out of the bathroom and stood by the door momentarily as you waited for Cove to return. Once he did, he flashed a small smile to you, followed by a light blush as the two of you made your way back to the table.

The two of you got back to the table, Kyra and Cliff gave you a concerned look as she asked, “Are you alright?” You nodded and sat back down in your seat. Your drink was refilled and the spill was cleaned up. Cove started sipping again at his smoothie, and you drank some of your lemonade. You heard the kitchen doors open and the waitress was coming with all of your guys’ food. Not much was said as she set the plates down, other than a few ‘thank you’s. You all began munching on the food that was set in front of you. A couple ‘mm’s could be heard between everyone. “This is really good,” Cove said. Kyra agreed with a nod. “Delicious,” you said. You kept cutting into your crepes and eating quietly. The rest of the breakfast was the same, pretty quiet.

Once everyone was finished with their food, Kyra and Cliff fought over who would pay. Cliff won that round. The four of you gathered back into the RV, sitting in the same seats as before. Cove was next to you on the mini couch and the two parents were sitting up front. Cliff started up the RV and the four of you were soon back out on the main roads.

Chapter Text

The road trip was pretty long, and for the next 6 hours you’d all be stuck in the RV until you reached your first destination. The place you stopped at was a campsite. It was a little way away from the city and perfect for everyone to bond some more. Cliff parked the RV and turned around partially in the driver’s seat. “Alright kids we’re here!” Cove jumped up and looked out the window, bummed to see woods and not ocean. “We’re going camping?” he questioned. Cliff replied confidently, “Yup. Now everyone out, leave your things for now. We’ve got to set up the tents.” As he said that, he and Kyra both left the RV, leaving you and Cove alone briefly. Cove turned to you and asked, “Is this okay with you Avery? Camping?” You shrugged and nodded “Yeah, I’ve never done this before, but it could be fun! What if there’s a lake nearby! We could swim.” There was a lake nearby but the two of you didn’t know that yet.

Interrupting the conversation, Kyra peeked her head into the RV. “Come on you two. Can’t stay in here all day. Cliff and I need some help here.” Cove blushed and made his way out of the RV, and you followed. When you stepped out you noticed that there was a grill, a bench and a previously used campfire. Next to that stuff, over in the grassy area there were four big bags, which you assumed were tents. “Let’s get these tents set up, alright? If you need help let me know,” Cliff said. You all moved the bags around, picking spots to set up. Cove obviously put his near wherever you decided to put yours. You opened the bag of your tent and poured out the contents and got to setting it up. It took you probably fifteen minutes to figure out where all of the bars went, but once you did you brushed your hands on your pants and smiled confidently. “Look Cove, I’m done!” Cove was still struggling with his, so you decided to help him finish putting it up. His tent was a bright yellow, and yours was a dark green. The two of you smiled at each other once you were both finished setting your tents up. Cove made his way over to his dad to ask him something, you saw his dad nod and say something back, but you weren’t sure what. Cove ran back over to you, a bigger smile than before on his face. “My dad says it’s okay, do you want to go on a hike with us? My mom said she’s staying back if you don’t want to come” he asked, still cheery. “Yes! Let’s go!” you answered just as happily.

You, Cove, and Cliff packed some things in a backpack that Cliff wore and you three set off to go on a hike. There was already a clear path to follow, so you and Cove stuck farther ahead than Cliff did, so you two could talk. Most of the talking was about how pretty it was out here, and how it wasn’t too hot or too cold out. Thinking about earlier conversation, you blurted “I didn’t pack a swimsuit.” Cove looked over at you, still walking next to you. “Why not?” You shrugged, “I dunno, didn’t think we’d be doing any swim stuff if we were going to be stuck in an RV most of the trip…” He laughed softly and nodded. “Okay. We don’t have to do anything like that.” The conversation didn’t go much further than that as the three of you made your way up a hill. On top of the hill was a beautiful view of the lake. There was a small waterfall flowing into it from one side that had caught your eye. “Wow…” you whispered. Cliff caught up to you and Cove and gave an equal sound of enjoyment. The hike up here took roughly 45 minutes, which meant it’d be the same on the way back. Cliff huffed and set the backpack down. “You kids want to stay up here for a little bit? Go run around just be safe.” He took a seat on a bench that was set up nearby the path. The two of you bolted off the second he said you could. Running and laughing as you raced each other down to the lake. It was close to the path so Cliff could always see you. Cove slipped his sandals off and ran into the water, before yelling to you, “Hey! It’s not even cold!” You smiled at him and sat down in the sand by the water. You’d already decided not to go in. You didn’t want to hike back with wet clothes. Cove didn’t seem to mind though as he went deeper into the water until it was up to his knees. The bottom of his shorts had gotten wet.

You took your sandals off, digging your toes in the warm sand. You hummed contently to yourself and laid back in the sand, letting your eyes close as the sun beamed down on you. You were laying like this for maybe ten minutes before you felt a shadow over you. Your eyes opened and looked up, seeing Cove hovering over you with a huge smile. “I found something,” he said. You sat up and he dropped to the sand next to you, holding out his hands that were cupped together. You looked and saw that in his hands was a snail. You lit up and gasped. He remembered that you liked snails when you were younger. You used to find them in the grass by your house. You blushed slightly as you whispered, “You remembered.” His face brightened pink as he set the snail in your hand. “How could I forget? You used to show them to me all the time.” You stood up and smiled at him again, you set a hand on his arm, gently rubbing your thumb against him. “Thank you”, you said and then you walked back over to the water and set the snail back in it. You and Cove played around at the beach for probably another hour, and when the sun began to slowly set, the two of you heard Cliff call out to come back to the path. Cove grabbed his shoes, slipped them on, and you both made your way back.

Cliff led the way back to the campsite, and the smell of hotdogs, burgers, and wood burning filled your nose. You didn’t even notice you were hungry, but your stomach growled. Kyra waved at the three of you with a cheery smile on her face, “Hey guys! Welcome back! How was the hike?” Cliff smiled and set down the backpack near his tent. “Great. What’re you cooking?” They continued some idle chatting as Cove and you sat down on the bench nearby. Cove stretched, yawning softly. “Mm, today’s been a lot.” You nodded and rested your arms on the bench table, fidgeting with your fingers. Cove noticed your silence and reached across the table to tap your arm. “You okay?”

“Yea…Yeah. I’m okay. I’m just tired I think,” you answered. Cove nodded and gave you a warm smile. Kyra set some plates down in the middle of the table, one plate holding a bunch of hot dogs, and one holding a bunch of juicy looking burgers. Other plates were set up by Cliff and Kyra of toppings for the meats they served. Cove didn’t hesitate to grab himself a plate that had both a burger and a hot dog on it. You waited for Cove to finish serving himself to grab buns, a burger, and some cheese. You didn’t start eating right away though because you wanted to wait for Cove’s parents to sit down and serve themselves. Cliff sat next to Cove, and Kyra was beside you. After everyone was settled, you took a bite into your burger. Cove had already finished his food and was plating up another burger. “Woah there bud, save room for dessert,” Cliff said while he chuckled and patted Cove on the shoulder. Cove gave his dad a nervous smile and took a bite from the burger anyways and spoke with a mouth full of food. “I’ll have enough room.” Cliff gave Kyra a look, then the two of them returned to their meals. You took another big bite of your food, smiling softly at Cove when he looked at you. After maybe ten minutes everyone was finished eating so you stood up and walked over to your tent. You muttered to Cove who was following you, “Hey… I’m going to change. It’s getting kind of late.” He nodded and split off from you, going into his own tent and zipping it closed. You shut yourself into your tent and started searching through your luggage for some bedtime clothes. You picked black tank-top and light gray sweatpants, and you put them on. Before you left your tent you brushed your hair and put it in a pair of braids. Lastly, you took your contacts out and put your glasses on instead

Deciding you were ready for bed, you stepped out from your tent and walked over to the dimming campfire. Cove was already sitting near it in a lawn chair. Cliff and Kyra were still sitting on the bench where you ate earlier, talking about something. You pulled up a lawn chair and set it next to Cove, sitting beside him. You spoke up, “Hey Cove.” He looked up from the fire at you. “Hi,” he replied. You smiled brightly at him and pulled your legs to your chest on the lawn chair. “I’ve had fun today. Have you?” you asked. He nodded and smiled back at you. The two of you continued some small conversation as the night went on. It got later and later, and you shared some yawns with Cove. Cliff and Kyra walked over to the fire; Kyra’s arms were crossed trying to warm up a bit. Cliff gave Cove a smile and spoke, “Okay kids I’m pretty tired. It’s…” he glanced at his watch, “...Ten. So, I’m going to get off to bed, don’t stay up too late, we’ve got to get going early in the morning.” Cliff walked off after getting a nod from you and Cove, and a goodnight from the three of you. Cliff made his way to his tent and went to bed. Kyra wasn’t up much longer than him, also warning you and Cove to not stay up late. You and Cove agreed, but the two of you stayed out by the fire to talk some more.

Out of nowhere the conversation sort of turned. “Avery? Can I say something?” Cove asked, with a slight whisper. You looked over at him, he was blushing, and you had no idea why. He wouldn’t make eye-contact with you, nervously playing with his sweatshirt strings. “Yes Cove. What is it? Is something wrong?” you asked. He still avoided eye contact as he mumbled under his breath. “Nevermind, Sorry.” With that, you got up and spoke, “I’m going to go to bed then. Goodnight, Cove. See you in the morning.” He flashed you a slight smile and nodded, not moving from the lawn chair he was sitting in. You walked over to your tent with your hands in your pockets. Once inside your tent, you laid down and cuddled up into your sleeping bag. You set your glasses to the side and opened your phone to look through social media while you waited to be tired enough to fall asleep, and you soon drifted off.

You weren’t asleep for long though, as you woke up to scratching on your tent. At first you were scared, wondering what it was and thinking it could be something dangerous. But you realized that Cliff wouldn’t bring you guys to a place that could be dangerous. You reached lazily for your glasses to put them on and unzipped the doorway to your tent. Looking out, you saw Cove sitting on the grass in front of your tent. “I can’t sleep…” he muttered. “You want to come in? I can keep you company until you’re tired.” As you responded, you moved out of the way for him to come into your tent. He hesitated but he moved into it beside you. Nothing was really said for a few minutes as you two awkwardly sat next to each other. What he said at the fire was starting to get to you. You wanted him to know that it would be okay to tell you anything. You broke the silence, “Cove?” He looked up at you and tilted his head. “Mmm?”

“What did you want to say earlier? When we were at the fire.” He didn’t respond verbally but he did blush and start fidgeting again. “You know you can tell me anything, Cove” you said calmly. You put a hand on his arm and rubbed with your thumb gently. He slightly calmed down, but blushed brighter. “Um… Um…” he started. “What you said in the… restaurant earlier…” he whispered in the next part, “I can’t say it.” Confused, you let go of his arm and set your hands in your lap. “Okay…” you said slowly.

He whined frustratedly before he somehow worked up enough courage to quickly move to you, giving you a very quick kiss on the cheek. You gasped, lifting a hand to cover the spot that he kissed. Cove searched your face for discomfort, or anything to show that you were upset. Nothing like that was on your face. You kept looking at him and set your hand back down to your lap, still shocked that he’d kissed your cheek. “I… I’m sorry Avery.” he said in a panicked tone. You reached and grabbed his hands, looking at him and somewhat forcing eye-contact. “Cove.” you whispered seriously and scooted closer to him. His eyes widened as he nervously watched you. “If this makes you uncomfortable, please tell me. Okay?” His face switched to a more confused look. “Wh… What? Okay.” With the confirmation that he heard and understood you, you moved closer. You still kept your hands together, and you got up on your knees a bit more, so you were closer to his sitting height. You slowly inched closer, until your face was just a few inches from his. He was trying really hard not to look away from you, but he failed and his eyes dropped away to the inside of your tent. When he looked away, he let his head drop slightly.

To bring his attention back to you, you set one of your hands on his cheek and lifted his head. You took the moment to lean just that few inches closer, fluttering your eyelids closed. Cove realized what you were trying to do, and with a lot of hesitation, he met you there. Your lips touched. It was just for a few seconds, but it felt like forever. You opened your eyes to see Cove in the corner of your tent, his hands covering his mouth and his entire face bright red.

“Cove?” you started. “Are you okay?” He didn't move from his position, still processing the kisses you exchanged. A soft ‘oh my god’ came from him, but that was all you got for now. The two of you sat in silence while Cove got himself together. It took a while, but he finally managed to pull himself together just to mumble, “Avery…” You reached out to him but decided you didn’t want to overwhelm him further, so you set your hand back down. “We should probably sleep. We have to get up at…” you checked your phone, and gasped as you saw the clock read ‘2:26am’ “Oh my god. It’s 2:30, Cove!” He winced and rubbed the scar on his arm anxiously. “I’ll go. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep now.” He laughed softly. You smiled shyly as he crawled out of your tent and back to his. Before fully going into his, he whispered to you “Goodnight.” The two of you zipped up your tents and went to sleep.

Chapter Text

Waking up to the sounds of tapping on your tent, you jumped up and mumbled groggily “Huh? Hello?” Your questioning was answered by Cliff’s voice “Hey kid, Kyra tried to wake you earlier, but you didn’t respond. Breakfast is ready.” You grabbed your glasses and slipped them on. “Mmkay,” you replied and opened your tent to step out. You let out a big yawn and rubbed your eyes under your glasses as you and Cliff made your way to the bench, which was covered in plates of eggs, bacon, and somehow pancakes. You sat next to Cove, who looked like he’d been awake for a while. He smiled at you but kept eating. You gathered what you wanted for breakfast and there wasn’t any talking since everyone was so tired. It didn’t take long for the four of you to finish up breakfast, and when you did, everyone helped out with cleaning up. Once that was done, or at least close enough, you walked off to your tent and started packing up your things. Today you’d all be going back home. Or so you thought.

You heard the engine of the RV start up and took that as a sign that it was nearly time to go. With your things packed, you were working on folding up your tent. Cove was lazily sitting next to you on the grass, watching you take the tent down. He ripped out some grass strands and played with them. “Are you excited to go back home?” he asked you. You liked being out here, but you were starting to miss your moms and sister. “Yeah. Are you?” you responded. He nodded quickly, “Yeah! I’ve missed the ocean.” His tone changed into something more nervous as he whispered, “But I’ve been enjoying this weekend with you… And- and my family.”

Your cheeks brightened as you relived what happened the night before. You didn’t know what this meant for you and Cove now. But instead of letting yourself get too into thought about it, you shoved the hastily folded tent into its bag. You stood up with a grunt, holding the tent bag on one shoulder, and your backpack over the other. Cove offered to help you, but you said you could do it yourself. He was carrying his own things back to the RV, trailing behind you when you went inside. You dropped the bag and your backpack on the floor and plopped down on the mini couch. Cove copied you, and the two of you didn’t say much. You thought maybe Cove was feeling awkward about last night.

Since it was just the two of you in the RV for now, you thought maybe you could talk about it. You took a breath and started to speak, “Hey Cove, I…” But before you got any further, you were interrupted by the RV door swinging open, and Cliff stepping in. “Hey kiddos! Are you ready to hit the road?” Cove had been looking at you since you spoke up, but he turned his head to his dad and nodded. “Yeah, I miss the ocean.” Cove replied in a bland manner. You didn’t really say anything, and instead just nodded. “I’m going to get ready for the day, okay?” you spoke mostly to Cove, but also letting Cliff know where you’d be.

“Okay!” Cove rotated on the mini couch, laying down on it the long way. You stepped into the small bathroom that the RV had to offer and sat down on the closed toilet seat with a soft sigh. You rubbed your eyelids and tugged your hairbrush from your backpack. After setting the brush down, you took your hair out of the very messy braids they were in overnight. Once that was done, you lightly brushed the knots out and it left you with slightly wavy hair that went down to your shoulders, but not past them. Putting your brush and the hair ties away, you grabbed out your contact case and put them on.

As you were changing from your pajamas into something more casual, you started to think about last night. Mostly just about the kiss that you and Cove had shared. You chewed on your lower lip and sighed to yourself. What if he didn’t like it? Was he being quiet because he didn’t feel the same way you did? You exhaled sharply and shook your shoulders, trying to pull yourself out of that kind of mindset. You looked at yourself in the mirror and smiled anxiously before walking back to where everyone was hanging out.

Cliff and Kyra were at the front, looking at their phones as they talked about something. Kyra would occasionally show Cliff something on her phone, but you weren’t sure what they were talking about. Cove moved his legs from the spot you were sitting earlier so you could sit back down. You did sit down and shot Cove a small smile. He matched it like he usually did. As you leaned back against the cushions of the couch, Cove pulled his phone out and started tapping away at his screen. You raised an eyebrow at him which he noticed and giggled softly to himself. Your phone vibrated in your pocket, and you pulled it out to see a text from him that said, “Hey Avery?” You rolled your eyes playfully and opened the text, responding to his message with ”Hi, Covey. What’s up?” While he started tapping away again, you saw him chewing on his lower lip and furrowing his eyebrows in thought. Your phone buzzed again in your hand just a minute later and this time it said, “When we get home, do you have dance lessons again?”

You exhaled through your nose and messaged back. “Yeah, I do. Sorry.” His face dimmed, and he just send a thumbs up emoji. “Yes!!!” You jumped at the loud noise and faced Kyra and Cliff in the front. She laughed and shoved Cliff’s shoulder softly before looking back at you and Cove. “Are you two feeling up for some swimming before we get back home?”

Obviously, Cove’s face lit up at the sound of that. He gave you a look as if to ask you if you wanted to go too. You nodded and smiled at him, but you remembered that you didn’t pack a swimsuit. And it’s almost as if Kyra read your mind, because she spoke up. “Hmm. One small hiccup though. You don’t have a swimsuit, do you Avery?” You swore that you only told Cove. That means he must have said something to his mom. You wondered what else Cove said to her. “If you don’t, we could stop by the mall. The one nearby has a waterpark… Cliff and I were thinking of going there instead of a beach or something.” You smiled at Kyra and nodded. “N…No you’re right, I forgot my suit. We can get one... but I’d feel bad if it cost too much.” Kyra shrugged and told you not to worry about it. Cove’s parents were always so kind to you.

The starting up of the RV had you guys all getting seated again as Kyra pulled up the GPS to the mall. Cliff started driving and you looked back over to Cove to smile at him. The drive would be a little long, thus giving you plenty of time to think. You put your headphones in and played something soothing as you let your mind wander.

As per usual, you thought mostly of Cove. You took the time now to start processing the kiss you had with him. How it made you feel. You snuggled back against the mini couch more, delving deeper into your mind. You shut your eyes and drifted off a bit. Not enough to fall asleep, but just enough to fog reality so you could re-picture last night's adventure. It came in a flash of pictures almost. Setting up the campsite. The two of you wandering around the lake, and Cove returning with his shorts wet and a wide grin that always sent chills up your spine. The snail he handed you and how he always remembered every little fact about you. The night approaching, and everyone tucking in for bed. Everyone but you and Cove. You had been on Cove’s mind. He took a leap of courage, and you took a bigger one. You kissed. You felt your cheeks warm up as you remembered how it felt. The music in your ears almost felt like it was rushing through your body. The kiss was all you could see now. It wasn’t much of a kiss. But it was your first one. You slowly exhaled all of the air from your lungs and took your headphones out. You peeked your eyes open, hoping that no one was looking at the moment you just had with yourself. Fortunately, nobody was. Cove had apparently moved to the bed in the back of the RV, and his parents were still highly focused on driving.

Setting your phone down on the table by the couch, you stood up and made your way over to Cove. He had his bulky headphones on, and his eyes closed too. You tapped his shoulder, and his eyes shot open with a startled expression. But once he realized it was you, he propped himself up on his elbows. “Oh, hey. I thought you were resting, so I went over here to give you some space.”

“Oh. I was just thinking about something.” You smiled, but it faded a little. Cove didn’t have time to ask you why you looked sad because the RV pulled to a stop, and Kyra was already walking back over to the two of you excitedly. “Avery, are you ready to go grab a swimsuit? Cliff’s going to take Cove to the waterpark now, so we’ll have some time to look!” She extended her arm out to you, and you took it and stood up. “Yeah! Let’s go” you replied in an excited tone to match hers. Kyra tugged you along to the front so she could grab her purse. You glanced back at Cove who was giving you a concerned look from the RV bed. You flashed a small smile before Kyra pulled you from the RV and the two of you walked up to the shopping center together.

Chapter Text

Shopping with Kyra wasn’t expected in your plans for this road trip, but you weren’t opposed to it. You did really need a swimsuit but you didn’t have your money with you. Kyra spoiled Cliff and Cove already, but you’d never expect that from her, since you weren’t her family. You were just Cove’s best friend. Though, you wanted something more.

This trip shouldn’t be that bad. You weren’t one for shopping but if you wanted to swim with Cove, you’d have to buy a suit.

“So, Avery” Kyra said as the two of you walked through the entrance of the shopping center. “Cove still talks about you, so much that I can't even think sometimes.” You smiled, knowing that if she said that in front of him, he would die of embarrassment. “He does?” You replied, and she nodded, glancing over at you as she led you to one of the stores that held swimming suits. “What does he say?” you asked. Kyra shrugged and patted your back “Oh, a lot. But I won’t tell you the details.” You pouted as the two of you approached the store.

The store had a very interesting nautical theme to it. It looked honestly pretty awful. The bright cyan and sandy yellows mixed weirdly along the walls. Some fake wooden anchors were placed sloppily all around in places that didn’t look right, in all shades of black and brown. Kyra noticed this too and cringed as she looked at you. “This place could use a decorator,” she whispered, and followed that up with a bright smile and a big laugh. You laughed with her, nodding, “Definitely!”

“Ooh!” Kyra’s attention had been pulled to a stand that had seashells on it. You followed her to the stand and touched a couple that looked pretty. One of them had been painted with light aquas and whites. That one reminded you of Cove. Kyra saw which one you had your eyes on, and she spoke softly, “Grab that one, I’ll buy it for you. Then we can go find a suit that you like!” Hesitantly you picked it up and asked, “Are… are you sure Kyra?” She gave you a thumbs up as she grabbed a couple shells of her own. You made your way over to the swimsuit section and looked over the collection they had. There were so many options. Full-body suits, one-piece suits, swim trunks, and if someone was feeling brave there were even bikinis. You approached some of the more feminine looking ones and hummed to yourself as you skimmed through the different types and patterns they had. In your casual clothes, you stick to mostly black or neutral colors. But you wanted to be braver this time since whatever you got, Cove would see very often. The two of you went swimming practically every day after school, and during the summer you’d spend all day down there.

Since it was going to be used a lot, you grabbed a bikini top that was black and had dark green circles around the rib-band and on the straps. Along with that, you picked out a matching pair of bikini bottoms. You nervously held the bikini in your hands and bit your lip, thinking. Maybe I should grab one of those see-through thingies to cover up. Hm. Yeah, your moms weren’t really overprotective when it came to what you chose to wear. Finalizing that thought, you grabbed a dark green cover-up dress that was made to go over a swimsuit.

You felt a tap on your shoulder, so you turned around to see Kyra standing behind you. “You find something you like, Avery?” She asked, her arms full of seashells and a cute white sunhat. You nodded at her and showed her what you picked out, to which she asked if your moms would be okay with you wearing a bikini, since you were only 13. You nodded and pointed out the coverup before you spoke, “Yeah, but I’m getting this too, if it’s okay.” She didn’t even check the prices before agreeing to let you get whatever you wanted. So, the two of you walked up to the self-check-out and scanned the things you picked out. Kyra paid and everything was bagged up neatly other than your swimsuit.

“Here, hold this and we’ll just walk to the waterpark” She gave you your swimsuit, and you thanked her for both taking you shopping, and paying for the things you wanted. You and Cove’s mom made your way to the waterpark. It wasn’t going to be a long walk since it was connected to the shopping center.

“So, tell me some more about yourself Hun, I feel like I barely know you” Kyra said. You kept walking as the two of you talked. “Um, well I like the color green. I think I said this earlier, but I love drawing and painting. I like swimming and surfing sometimes.” She nodded while you spoke, truly listening to you. “Uh… I sing sometimes and I like to dance. I have dance classes every weekend, that’s why it was kind of hard to plan this trip…” you giggled awkwardly.

Kyra gave you a smile and spoke again after letting you finish, “You’re a sweet kid. I can see why you're Cove's best friend. I know I've asked so much about you today, if you want to know anything about me, just ask.” Some questions ran through your mind, like why her and Cove’s dad were not together anymore, and why she only came to visit this summer. But you only asked her what she did for work, and some things she liked doing. The small talk continued on until you reached the waterpark.

Chapter Text

After a ten minute walk and some more talking to each other, you and Kyra reached the entrance of the water-park. You spotted Cove sitting at one of the tables near the wave pool section. You left Kyra behind as you walked up to the table Cove was sitting at. He stood up and waved. “Hey.” He spoke softly once you approached, not in his typical tone. “Hi Covey,” you responded in a soft but warm tone. “Um, I’ve gotta go get changed. Are you going to, too?”

Cove nodded and tossed his towel over his shoulder. “Yeah.” Cove felt distant. What happened since the last time you saw him? Maybe he was thinking about the same things you were. “Cove? Is everything okay?” you asked him. He looked over at you, slowing his walking to copy your speed. He nodded and adjusted the towel that was on his shoulder, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

You fidgeted slightly, “Okay... Um, well the changing rooms are right there, so, I’ll see you in a minute?” Cove nodded and the two of you walked off into separate changing rooms. You stepped into a stall and closed it behind you. Changing into your new bikini, you got to thinking about what Cove would think when he saw you in it. You blushed and walked back out of the stall, meeting Cove back out in front of the changing rooms.

“Hey,” the two of you said in unison. You smiled and he spoke again, “I like that.” He pointed to your coverup shawl, and you looked down at it. “Oh. Thanks, it’s the um… the cover thing for the swimsuit your mom got me.” Cove’s face shifted slightly, into what you assumed was him being interested. “So… now what?” you asked shyly, not exactly knowing what to say next. Cove shrugged and asked you, “What do you want to do first? There’s a lot of stuff. Me and my dad looked around before you and my mom got here.”

After looking around at everything you were offered, you shrugged. “There’s a lot of options. Do you want to check out the splash zone first?” Cove nodded at your choice and set his towel down on one of the benches nearby. You copied him and set yours on top of his. He led you two over to the splash zone.

Cove stepped down into the shallow pool, not really waiting for you to follow him. You didn’t follow him at first. You were still standing by the steps. The fabric of your shawl rubbed against your shoulders, so you took it off and set it aside, not wanting to get it wet.

He glanced back at you, a slight smile across his face. You returned the smile and stepped down into the shallow water. The splash zone looked like a normal playground with slides, steps and things you could climb. Though, normal playgrounds didn’t have giant buckets that filled with water and poured over the whole thing. This could be fun, you thought.

Cove’s mood seemed to change as he turned around to face you with a big smile on his face. “You coming?” he asked excitedly with his hand held out towards you. You took his hand and the two of you ran over to the playground. Running up, down, and around the playground as water fell over it, you and Cove laughed and really enjoyed yourselves. Whenever Cove would slide down a slide, you’d follow him, and the other way around. The two of you kept chasing each other until you got tired. Sliding down a slide a final time, you turned to Cove and he slid down after you, almost crashing into you. “Aah!!” you exclaimed and backed up so fast that you fell onto your butt. You laughed embarrassedly and Cove helped you up. “Sorry.. I didn’t mean to..” Cove uttered nervously. “No, no, Cove you didn’t do anything,” you said, still giggling. You took his offer for help up, and you fixed your swimsuit a bit.

You weren’t going to be at the water-park for too much longer, as Cliff would be working later and your moms expected you to be back today. You played with your fingers and looked down at the ground as you spoke, “Um.. So Cove?” He made eye-contact with you, but he didn’t say anything, so you spoke again. “Do you want to go down some of the big water slides before we have to go…?”

Cove nodded and started making his way out of the splash zone. You trailed behind him. Once the two of you were out, you made sure to grab your shawl so you could bring it back to the table that you guys had picked out earlier. With Cove still leading you, you made it back to your table and both of you wrapped yourselves in your towels briefly before heading over to the big staircases that led up to the water slides. Not a lot was exchanged between you two on the way up, other than asking each other if the other was excited.

On top of the stairs was a lifeguard standing by each slide entrance, probably so people couldn’t just slide down and get hurt. Cove turned to face you once you were both up the steps. “Which one do you wanna do?” he asked you before he looked back to the slide options. “Do you want to go on one together.. Or separate?” you replied. His eyes widened slightly and he looked down to the floor and shrugged. That didn’t really answer your question but you assumed he’d probably want to go together with that reaction.

“Um… how about this one?” You pointed to one of the bigger slides, knowing that it was longer than the other ones. Cove just nodded and walked over to it. The lifeguard tugged a two-person tube over and into the entrance, assuming that you two were going to be going together. You were, but it still made you nervous.

Cove took your hand and helped you down into the tube as the lifeguard held it steady. He got in beside you and it wobbled the tube around. Your stomach sunk as you realized how high up you were since the water slide was see-through. You chewed on your lower lip uncomfortably. In the mix of all the excitement and nervousness, you somehow forgot you were scared of heights.

“Cove… um…” you looked over at him, and gave him a concerned look. “I…” you started, but were interrupted by the lifeguard counting down “3….2…1!” With that, he sent your tube down the slide. You screamed and shut your eyes. Frantically reaching your hand around, you found Cove’s hand and held it tightly. To your surprise, you felt his hand squeeze yours back comfortingly.

Cove busted out laughing as the two of you sped up going down the slide. His laugh and the fact that you two were holding hands helped ease the fear of being so high up. You started laughing too, giggling and squealing as the tube wobbled around on the water slide. Your grip on Cove’s hand loosened, but neither of you let go.

The two of your hands stayed latched together for the rest of the slide. You basically flew through it, and once you were at the end, it drifted off into a deep pool. The tube you and Cove were in had flipped over from the waves of you coming off the slide. Both of you went under and let go of the other’s hand.

You came up out of the water, coughing and brushing your hair out of your face. Cove was laughing and fixing his hair too. “That was so fun! I was so scared at first but that was amazing!” you blurted, catching Cove’s attention. He perked up at you and nodded happily, “Yeah! …It was.”

There was a short pause after his reaction and his smile faded. “Mm… we should go now. My parents are probably waiting since we took so long.” You pouted at this, not ready to end the fun you’ve been having. “Okay…” you whined. The two of you returned to the table that everyone ate at earlier, Kyra and Cliff were both sitting there waiting until you two were ready to head out. Everyone gathered their things and you all left the mini-mall. It was time to go home back to your moms and sister.