Page 42 of Be With Us: An Urban Foursome Love Story

‘She was two years below me, she won't tell it like this, but she relentlessly pursued me.’

Mark stood up, listening. ‘She pursued you?’

‘Like a hound, I was in my final year with this pretty little lower school girl hanging around me at break and lunchtimes like a groupie. It was nice, she was sweet. When I left school I went to a local college and we stayed in touch, one thing led to another and here we are.’

‘Wait, one thing led to another?’ said Mark. ‘That's the worst storytelling gimmick. Imagine Romeo & Juliet like that? Romeo falls madly in love with Juliet at the Capulet ball, one thing led to another and Juliet stabbed herself in the chest because she couldn’t live without her suicidal boyfriend?’

Cassian burst into laughter.

At the same time, Amy and Emilia came out of the changing rooms and stepped onto the path leading to the pool.

‘What are you two giggling about?’ said Amy as she drew near.

Cassian looked over at Mark and said, ‘Nothing important.’

‘Oh no, they're already best friends, the bromance has begun.’

Amy stopped and tiptoed up to kiss Mark and then she slipped by and headed over to the steps.

Cassian couldn't help watching her walk away, her curves moving gently from side to side in her simple two piece. She moved with a purpose, exuding confidence and charm, like a petite version of a pin-up girl from the fifties.

Emilia had chosen a more conservative one piece swimming costume with just a keyhole cut out on the small of her back. She felt intimidated. Amy had a grace and beauty that only ever seemed reserved for celebrities. As though she was a classical film actress in a parallel universe where she had failed a few auditions, given up on acting and became an obscure artist instead.

Emilia tried to settle her own mind by repeating her mantra that attractiveness is subjective, that Cassian saw her the way she saw Amy, but she did wonder if there was some truth to universal beauty. Helen of Troy was known as the face that launched a thousand ships. Perhaps one day Amy would be known as the face that mopped a thousand shits.

She started laughing to herself, and the other three all looked over, confused.

‘Sorry, I just thought of something funny. Don't mind me.’

‘Maybe one day you can tell me the joke,’ said Amy, winking before she dived into the pool like a swan. The water barely rippled.

Emilia followed, sitting down on the edge and lowering herself in. The surface felt warm and cosy against her skin.

Cassian climbed down the nearby steps and pushed away from the edge, whilst Mark jumped in as though he was a living action movie cliche.

Amy resurfaced at the far end, her red hair now a dark shade of auburn, slicked back against her head. Her freckles seemed to sparkle in the rising steam.

Emilia yearned to touch her, thinking back to their fleeting kiss, and she felt herself getting aroused. She pressed her fingers into her crotch beneath the water and then swam forward into a gentle paddle, heading towards the far end.

She swam up next to Amy, briefly dunking her head under the water, and resurfaced facing down the pool, both of them treading water, their fingers occasionally touching beneath the surface. Emilia smiled and then pushed away from the edge and settled into a breaststroke.

*

After swimming for another half an hour, both couples left the pool and headed over to the jacuzzi, which was situated in a small and secluded clearing a few metres into the forest that surrounded the spa. Amy had run along the path in front of them and climbed the short steps, slipping down into the warm water and submersing herself completely. Mark helped Emilia up, and then walked around to the controls, turning up the heat and setting the jets to medium. There was a low rumble and Amy sat up startled as a bubble of jets shot up from underneath her.

‘Oh,’ she said, raising her eyebrows, and then held out her hand to steady Emilia’s descent into the water.

Both the men vaulted the edge and slid down onto the circular ridge of seating under the surface, stretching out their arms and relaxing.

Amy settled back and placed the palm of her hand on Emilia’s thigh. A series of thoughts rapidly began running through Emilia’s mind. Should she touch Amy’s hand too? Should she touch her thigh? Should she do nothing? What was Amy doing? Now she was squeezing her thigh softly amongst the jets of bubbles and Emilia couldn't help but think of the Marquess and the Countess under the blanket.

She decided to stop thinking and just act, and slipped her fingers over the top of Amy’s and intertwined them gently.

‘Have you ever had sex in a jacuzzi?’ said Amy, suddenly and then she looked over at Emilia and joked, ‘And don’t say, No, would you like to? I know what you’re like.’

Emilia laughed nervously, and Amy rubbed her thigh sweetly under the water.

‘We did, a few years ago in the Swiss Alps,’ said Cassian.

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