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It flickers on and off hesitantly in my chest, unsure if it's welcome. I want to cup it and hug it tightly against me. To hold on to it tenderly, knowing I might not experience it again for a while.
Six screams with laughter as she jumps into the passenger seat, somehow beating Thayer to the car.
“She slipped on a mud patch,” she says, tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard.
The driver side door opens and Thayer gets in with a grumbled curse. She’s competitive and hates losing, even something as trivial as this.
“We need a redo,” she mutters, crossly.
“We need heat asap, that’s what we need. Turn on the car and blast it before I lose all function in my toes,” Six replies.
She does as instructed and I groan when I realize where she’s seated.
“Listen, we’ll cancel the dishes thing if you let one of us drive home.”
She flips me off without turning around and now it’s my turn to laugh.
“I don’t know where I got this frankly libelous reputation but I’ll have you both know that I am anexcellentdriver.” Six and I erupt into more laughter at that. “Luckily for you, I hate doing the dishes so I agree. But I want it noted for the record that that is theonlyreason I’m accepting!” She adds, vehemently.
“Noted,” I say, still laughing.
We trade spots and I get behind the wheel. We sit silently for long minutes, checking our phones and rubbing our hands over the heaters to get warm.
I shouldn’t text him, but I find that I need to tell him. It feels weird not to and I want someone to know I was happy tonight.
Me:I did it. I skinny dipped.
I darken the screen, expecting not to hear from him in response, but his answering text comes through immediately.
Gary:I said jump in, not skinny dip.
Gary:Fuck.
Gary:Every time I walk to work now, I’ll imagine you swimming naked in that pond.
Gary:Tell me you were alone.
Me:I went with the girls.
There’s a minute before his next text and I can almost see him as if he’s in front of me. He’ll be frowning, looking down at his phone, thinking about the fact that I skinny dipped. Wishing he could wrap his hand around my throat and make me bend to his will.
Gary:And?
Gary:How was it?
Me:My skin is on fire and my face hurts from smiling.
Gary:Take a picture and send it to me.
I look around at the girls inconspicuously. There’s no way I can take a selfie in here without the Spanish Inquisition coming down on me.
Me:I can’t right now.
Gary:Why not?
Me:With my flatmates.
Me:I’ll send it when I’m home.
