𝐀𝐪𝐮𝐚 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 ✓

8

"So what do you want to do for your birthday? It's in what, a month from today? What day is it today?" Faye asks with a mouthful of pepperoni pizza and a piece of butter chicken already in between her chopsticks, poised at the ready.

I shrug because I haven't really given it much thought. Knowing that my friends are all going to want to do something crazy for my twenty-first had made me put thoughts of my twentieth off to the side. "I'd be fine just staying in," I say noncommittally, but the look that passes over Faye's face lets me know that we will absolutely not be doing that.

"Whatever you want dear," I say sarcastically which earns me another eye roll from the Queen herself.

"If you wanted to wait until we're all twenty-one to do something big, it'll be a few years. Remember, Aurora is just eighteen." Faye says, shoving the sweet and sour chicken ball into her mouth in one big bite, barely able to chew without opening her mouth slightly and I try to hide my laugh.

"So are you and Lexi," I tell her matter-of-factly.

"Yeah but Lexi will be nineteen soon after you and I'm right after that," She says, looking up at the ceiling as if she's thinking of what we should do. "You know where we could all go? Canada." I raise my eyebrows and she shrugs as if she couldn't care less. I know she's just trying not to influence my decision, but what I really want is for her to just choose where she wants to go, because as long as she's there and happy, so am I.

I bite into my cheese pizza and wait for her to say something to give away her favorite option. Her focus is on her phone and she doesn't say a word to me as she continues to shovel the food into her mouth. I eat slowly, waiting for her to say something else while I watch her and the way her eyebrows furrow as she reads.

"Quebec or Alberta...Which one would you prefer?" She asks, finally looking up from her phone screen to me. She raises an eyebrow at me while I pretend to consider my options. "You just want me to pick, don't you?" She rolls her eyes but I see a smile threaten to break through her poker face.

"Yes. Please," I perk up and she shakes her head.

"Fine. Let's make it Quebec. It's further but Montreal sounds fun," She says and starts to type on her phone, presumably informing Lexi of the plans so that they can plan it right away. I thank God that I have them to make the decision for me. I could never pull off a birthday trip alone, and I'll probably never have to again.

"Why are you smiling so much?" Faye asks me, looking at me like I just told her that I enjoy getting shot with paintballs in my free time. I snap out of my trance and blink a few times. Faye laughs it off and stands up to wash her plate, taking my empty one as well. I watch her rinse off the dishes before placing them into the dishwasher haphazardly, knowing that I'll be fixing them later.

Faye leans her elbows on the counter opposite me and looks at me mischievously while I struggle to look at her face and not her exposed cleavage from her low-cut shirt, paired with her position against the counter.

"Let's go in the hot tub." She says, knowing that I won't say no. And why would I? "I don't want to go in it alone the first time," She continues and doesn't notice my struggle with where to focus my eyes. Faye walks around the counter excitedly, grabbing my hand and dragging me off of the stool that I was perched on, pulling me towards my bedroom. She lets go of my hand and pushes me in, closing the door before I even get the chance to turn around and say anything.

"Of course your majesty," I mutter under my breath as I strip down and pull a pair of swim trunks out of my recently unpacked closet, pulling them on over my briefs because i know I'm going to need the extra support. Seeing Faye in a swim suit isn't something I'll ever get used to. I open my door and make my way to the balcony where the hot tub is located and take the cover off. Messing around with the controls on the panel on the side, I eventually get it to work and bubbles start to appear as the jets kick on.

I use the stairs to climb up and into the water which is already slightly warm because of the air outside. Eventually, the water becomes hot and I settle into it, my heart beating fast in anticipation of Faye's arrival. No matter how much time I spend with her, she still gets my heart racing like she always has, and probably always will.

The glass door slides open and my head which is resting against the wall of the hot tub snaps up in attention. My eyes dart over Faye's perfect figure, toned from a lifetime of dance and a year of varsity cheerleading.

The swimsuit that Faye has on isn't a new one. I'd seen it a million times, but it never fails to leave me speechless; more so her body that does that rather than the bikini though. The emerald green color of her suit compliments her pale skin and makes her look more playful than when she wears her usual red ones. It shows off all of her freckles as well and I gaze over them appreciatively.

The top has thick straps and is built in a heart shape. This one is more supportive than her other ones and has her large breasts sitting high on her chest. Her bottoms are plain and low and the same color as the top, tying off at the sides and making my fingers itch to pull on one of the strings. Faye doesn't notice my attention as an excited look passes over her face as she glances at the hot tub. She climbs up the steps as I did and dips a foot in to test the temperature.

"Hot." She states and I nod slowly without taking my eyes off of her. She slowly steps in, sitting on the edge of the tub so that only her legs are submerged in the heated water. The jets push the water to swirl all around us and one massages my back as I push into it, the pressure hardly distracting me.

I manage to tear my eyes away from Faye and look off over the balcony, staring out at the water in the distance, past the residential buildings, lit brilliantly by the setting sun. "Wow," I say and look at Faye to see her eyes dart to where I was looking as well. I study her face and can't tell whether the pink hue of her cheeks is from the sun or not.

Faye nods in agreement and we sit in silence. Although neither of us is usually fond of the quiet, I sit here comfortably without feeling the need to fill the void with words, and I have a feeling Faye feels the same.