Lily

by R. M. Walker

  Lily’s fingers hesitated on the edges of her hooded jumper. It suddenly occurred to her that she was going to be in nothing but a swimsuit with them; nerves made her fingers hesitate. She looked at Nate stripping off his top, completely oblivious that he was now bare chested in front of her. He wasn’t overly muscled, but she could see that his stomach was flat with just a hint of a six pack; a dark line of hair trailed from underneath his belly button down into his jeans. She coloured up and looked away hastily, just to see Matt pulling his jeans off. He had board shorts on underneath, and he was just as gorgeous as Nate. She made a small noise and hastily pulled the top over her head, as she turned her back to them. She drew her jeans off and then sat on the rock, bringing her knees to her chest to keep warm. She was careful to not look at the twins who were now stripping off. They weren’t the first boys she’d ever seen that were gorgeous. Some of the boys in her tutor group were good looking, and Jimmy had been good looking as well. But there was something different with these boys. She hadn’t felt so aware of a boy before as she did them.

  “You’ll freeze!” Josh exclaimed. They came over with the wetsuit.

  “How do we want to do this, Joshua?” Jake was still in just his shorts. They hung low on his hips, and she was aware that he was just as gorgeous as Nate and Matt. Josh came into her line of vision and her mouth went dry.

  “Turn it inside out, Jacob. It’ll be a lot easier that way.”

  She watched as between them they turned the wetsuit inside out, glad that it gave her something to look at instead of drooling over them.

  Matt and Nate came over, their wetsuits on and battered trainers on their feet. Josh caught her eye by going to his knees on the grass at her feet.

  “We’re going to roll it onto you, okay?” He looked up at her through his fringe. Her breath caught in her throat and she nodded at him, unable to say anything coherent.

  Jake knelt next to him and she felt them slide her tennis shoes off before working the wetsuit over her feet. Fingers ran over the bottoms of her feet as they eased the fabric on. She let out a squeak and scrambled backwards, trying to get away from the tickling of their fingers.

  “Lily is ticklish,” Jake announced with glee and grabbed her foot, the wetsuit forgotten. He ran his fingertips up and down her sole as he watched her, a wicked grin tugged his lips.

  “No!” She tried to kick out at him but his hold was tight. Josh caught her other foot, and she collapsed back wriggling as she squealed with laughter. She fought to get away, but they were stronger than she was.

  “We thought someone was drowning!”

  Her feet were instantly released and she was pulled upright between them. Disorientated by the quickness she found herself surrounded by the four of them, blocking her from whomever was coming down the path.

  “Ben. Hey, man,” Nate called out, and she felt them relax slightly. Josh and Jake turned back to her, and bending, they began to roll the wetsuit up her legs quickly. It was a tight fit and they hesitated when they reached mid-thigh. She gripped the edges and tugged it up over her hips, wiggling to get it into place.

  “Hey, you guys going in?” She saw three boys go past her and leave their bags near where she and the boys had left their own. “Who’s that? Oh, it’s the new chick.”

  Lily looked over Josh’s shoulder as she started to roll the stiff material up her arms. Nate and Matt moved over to talk to them as Josh helped her tug it up towards her neck. She was turned and the zip was pulled upwards. It was too tight from her waist up, but it would do. She wriggled slightly, trying to get used to the restrictiveness of it.

  Nate and Matt came back over, and she watched as the other boys climbed up to where there was a ledge that jutted out slightly over the pool. They shouted as they took a running jump into the water and then started to muck around together. Josh and Jake struggled into their wetsuits.

  “Damn, I was hoping it would just be us,” Nate muttered as he did up Matt’s wetsuit and then turned to let Matt help him with his own. Neither of them used the long cords attached to zips, instead, they just relied on each other.

  “They might go soon,” Josh said. “They’re just in shorts and t-shirts, it’ll be too cold to stay in there like that. Put your shoes back on, Lily.”

  Lily stuffed her feet back into her shoes, tugging at the neck of the suit. She looked up and saw all of them looking at her, but their eyes seemed to be stuck at chest level.

  “What?” All four of them looked up quickly, and she realised with a blush that she’d caught them checking out her chest.

  “Yeah. So... yeah.” Matt had the grace to blush as he ran a hand through his hair, but the other three just smirked at her.

  “Lily, it’s hard not to,” Josh said, and reached forwards to gently tug on her braid. “You’re gorgeous.” He winked at her and gripped her hand. “Try not to swallow too much water. Hold your breath, and don’t let go.”

  “Don’t throw me in!” She tugged her hand free and backed up from them. Nate put his hand on her lower back, his thumb rotating circles that she felt even through the thick fabric.

  “We won’t throw you in, but if you try to wade in, you won’t make it. You’ll be turning around before you even get to your knees,” Nate said. “It’s colder than river or sea water.”

  “Okay, but don’t push me.” She crossed her arms across her chest, but it just served to push her bust out even more, and she was once again aware of their eyes dropping. She rolled her eyes and reached forward to slap Josh on the chest. He gave her a wounded look that quickly turned into a smirk.

  “We’ll never push you, Lily Flower. Be warned though, it’s freezing. No one I know wades in. We all jump from there.” Matt pointed to the rock that the boys had jumped from. The water was inky black there, and she knew it was deep.

  “Can you go in first, please?” she asked.

  “In case the crocodile is feeling hungry?” Nate asked, and chuckling he took his contact lenses out and put them into a special case in his bag. They went across to the rocks, and she climbed up behind Nate.

  Nate took a running jump and went down into the black water, causing a huge splash. She watched and saw him surface a couple of feet away. He slicked his hair back, treading water as he grinned up at them.

  “It’s freezing,” he yelled. “Come on down, Lily May!”

  Lily looked at Matt. A rush of adrenaline flowed through her, and she grinned. She moved right to the edge of the rock, ready to jump but was tugged back abruptly by Matt.

  “Don’t jump straight down, you could hit the side of the rocks. Take a running jump and aim to get at least three feet from the edge. It’s safer.”

  She looked up at him. He was watching her, a small smile played around his lips, his eyes warm. She reached out and pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, his smile softened and a warm feeling filled her. They really looked after her, and she could get used to that.

  He leant forward and pressed his lips to hers gently, making her heart flip in her chest. He pulled back from her and with a smile he ran off the edge, yelling as he went down, hugging his knees to his chest.

  “Want us to wait for you, or go on?” Josh spoke up; his voice was quiet with an edge that she hadn’t heard before. She turned to look at them, but they weren’t looking at her. They were both looking to where Matt was swimming towards Nate. She saw Ben start to climb back up to jump in again, and Lily knew they’d have to move to make room for him.

  “Can we jump in together, or is it too dangerous?” she asked, holding out her hands to them. Jake looked up at her, and she saw something reflected in his eyes that she didn’t quite get. They came forward and took hold of her hands.

  “On three, run and jump,” Josh said, his voice calm. Lily nodded, nerves and excitement making her heart beat faster. They clutched her hands tightly. Josh counted, and then she was running and jumping with them.

  They’d warned her it was cold, but noth
ing could have prepared her for just how cold it was. She hit the water feet first and plunged downwards. Her breath ripped from her as the water closed over her head. She could feel them holding her hands tightly as the downward momentum kept them going. It felt like she’d jumped into a pit of freezing needles that were tearing at her despite the wetsuit. She kept her mouth shut and her eyes open, but she could see nothing past the eruption of bubbles and black water. Fear slammed through her, and she ripped her hands free from theirs, kicking and trying to work herself back up. She broke through the surface, taking a huge lungful of air as she treaded water. She pushed her hair free from her face, glad that she had braided it. Josh and Jake broke through the surface beside her, gulping in air.

  “It’s freezing,” she cried out, laughing with the exhilaration that filled her now that the fear was gone.

  “Yeah!” Jake laughed and swam towards her. He gripped her around the waist and started to tug her towards the others. “C’mon, you don’t want to be underneath them when they jump.”

  The other boys were waiting for a clear area before they jumped, and she forced herself to swim alongside the twins. As she swam, she began to get used to the coldness, and she realised that to be able to stay in she’d have to keep moving. She made it to where the others were and treaded water again, her teeth chattering as she looked back at the boys ready to jump. They were all gathered at the edge, hugging themselves against the cold as they talked.

  “Need to keep moving,” she stuttered and began to swim towards the shallow area.

  “Crocodile!” She heard Matt yell, and she looked back to see him swimming towards her quickly. He caught her around her waist, and she was lifted and thrown a little way forward, Matt’s laughter in her ears. She turned, spluttering, and flicked water at him. He made to dive towards her again, and she gave a squeal of laughter and set off for the shallow bit. When she could finally put her feet down, she turned and looked back. Matt snapped his teeth at her, looming over her. Josh slid his arm around her and snapped his teeth as well.

  “Going to eat you all up,” Jake said, making claws with his hands. He caught her around the waist, and she cried out with laughter, trying to move away from them. Jake just laughed evilly and lifted her right up into the air. Her hands went to his shoulders instinctively, laughing as she looked down at him.

  “I’m a croc hunter. I’ll save you,” Nate called out. Jake launched her through the air to Nate. He caught her close, his arms around her. She was breathless with laughter, her hands on his shoulders.

  “What do I get for saving you?” he asked. His eyes held hers, and her laughter died on her lips. She wondered what he’d do if she kissed him.

  “Coming through!”

  Nate let her go; the moment was broken, and Lily felt a shiver of disappointment. Nate moved them both to one side as the boys pushed through the water beside them. They all eyed Lily, smirks on their faces as they passed her. She avoided eye contact with all of them, and turned away.

  “Let’s race,” Matt spoke up. “Those kids are happy to just jump in; if we stick to the left side, we can race and not get in their way.”

  “I’m not a great swimmer,” Lily said. “I won’t beat you.”

  “You don’t have to beat us, Lily May. Just try and keep up.”

  “And if I can’t even keep up?” she asked, hugging her arms around her, her teeth chattering again.

  “It doesn’t matter, we aren’t going anywhere. We’ll wait for you, Lily Pad,” Jake spoke quietly. “We’ll give you a head start if you want.”

  She grinned and stepped forwards slightly. “I’ll take you up on that, I really don’t swim well.”

  “Don’t you go often?” asked Matt. He was poking at his ear, head tilted to the side, to get the water out.

  “Not really. Never get the chance.”

  “Off you go then, Lily Flower. We’ll give you a thirty second start.”

  She grinned and struck out in a crawl. She made good progress but she didn’t have the power they did and they quickly caught up with her. They kept pace with her until about halfway to the other side. Then they powered ahead, and she knew they were racing each other now. She changed to the breast stroke, unable to keep up the crawl. She could see them clinging to the rocks, calling encouragement to her to keep going, and it spurred her on.

  Suddenly, something grabbed her foot and she went under, terror slamming through her. Images of crocodiles went through her head. Hands gripped her painfully, and she was pulled back through the water and then lifted high in the air. She was thrown forwards and landed awkwardly in the water. She fought to get to the surface, coughing and choking on the water, and then she was being grabbed and lifted again. She fought him, struggling in his hold, trying to get him to put her down, but he hoisted her easily out of the water, and she felt herself being thrown again. She went under, and terror filled every pore. They weren’t letting her get her breath and she was inhaling too much water. She was going to drown. Hands pulled at her arms, and she struck out again, not able to take anymore.

  “Lily!”

  She recognised Matt’s voice and stopped struggling. He hooked his hands under her armpits and began towing her back to the shallows. He dragged her out onto the bank, and she went to her hands and knees, coughing up the water she’d swallowed. Relief flowed through her as he banged her back firmly, helping her to bring the water up. He’d saved her.

  “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Matt’s voice was gentle in her ear, his head close to hers. She nodded, still coughing. She was safe. He had kept her safe, but it had been scary. The feeling of the water closing over her, unable to catch her breath, wasn’t something she wanted to repeat ever again.

  “What the fucking hell did you think you were doing?” She heard one of the twins shouting angrily.

  “We were just playing with her. You were chucking her about just a minute ago.”

  “You almost drowned her, asshole!” She heard a scuffle as she turned to slump down onto the grass. She could see Josh, Jake, and Nate facing off against the three other boys. She tried to get her breath, shivers wracking through her as the cold seeped through the material of the suit. Matt draped a towel around her and then pulled her onto his lap, holding her tightly. She cuddled into him, his chin on the top of her head. She realised it was an intimate hold, but she couldn’t move even if she wanted to, and she didn’t want to. She felt safe in his arms. Safe and comfortable.

  She saw Josh reach forward and shove one of the boys in the chest. He went backwards, but Josh just followed him, his finger poking his chest as he growled at him, too low for Lily to hear.

  “Don’t let them fight.” Her voice was a little husky from coughing.

  “They won’t fight,” Matt said. The boys stalked towards her, angry snarls on their faces. They hesitated as they looked down at her, and she saw regret in their faces. They hadn’t been trying to drown her, they were just being stupid.

  “We didn’t mean to hurt you, we were just having fun,” one of them spoke up.She nodded. “It’s okay,” she whispered.

  “No, it’s not,” Matt contradicted her. “You nearly drowned her.”

  “We’re fucking sorry, alright?” They carried on, muttering as they grabbed their bags and disappeared over the rise of the path.

  “Damn, that was not supposed to happen,” Josh grunted and sat down beside them. “Are you okay, Lily?”

  “I’m fine. I just couldn’t get my breath, but I’m fine now, honest. Thanks for rescuing me.” She patted Matt on the arm that encircled her waist.

  “And thank you for stopping them,” she said to the others.

  Josh plucked her out of Matt’s arms and onto his lap. Jake settled beside him, and she was moved till she was sitting half on Jake’s and half on Josh’s laps as they held her between them tightly. Their arms were wrapped right around her, and she stiffened, unsure why they were doing it. Lips brushed over the top of her hea
d, and it no longer mattered why they were doing it. She melted into their hold with a sigh. She was attracted to all of them, but she realised it was more than that. It went deeper than mere attraction; she felt the same connection with all of them. Being held by them wasn’t awkward, it didn’t make her nervous. This was right, this was where she was supposed to be. With them.

  “We need to make a move, get dressed again before we get too cold.” Nate’s voice had the twins moving back. She started to shift forwards to get up, but hands slid under her arms and she was lifted to her feet, Nate’s face inches from hers.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he murmured, his blue eyes searching her face. She saw a smattering of tiny freckles over his nose that weren’t noticeable at a distance. His eyes caught hers, and she nodded at him, not sure she could trust her voice this close to him. He tilted his head and pulled her into him tightly, his arms wrapped around her, his face going into her neck. She felt his lips brush the skin under her ear, and she shuddered violently, but he just held her tighter and something settled deep inside her. He set her back from him and turned to the twins.

  “Go and make sure those losers have gone so Lily can change,” he ordered. They jumped to their feet and headed up the path. Nate looked back at Lily and reached out to touch the end of her nose. “You need to get dressed before you catch a chill. We’ll turn our backs, okay?”

  “Get dressed, Lily Flower,” Matt said softly as he moved past her. “We’ll take you to see a friend of ours in the village; he’ll get us warmed up with coffee.”

  “I don’t want to impose on him,” Lily spoke up, crossing to her bag.

  “We won’t be. He’s been putting up with us just dropping in at any time for years. He was our teacher in primary; he’s a great man, you’ll love him.”

  “Whose towel have I got?” she asked, seeing her own in the bag.

  “We brought extra, just in case,” Nate spoke up, pulling a towel from his bag. The twins came back, talking together quietly but stopped before she could hear what they were saying.