Chelsea had to give Terrance credit for the pool. It was in-ground and Olympic sized and set into a stone patio. There were lounge chairs and glass tables with umbrellas and a huge smoking grill. The hot sun poured over Chelsea as she took off her cover-up revealing a modest black bikini; she laid out in one of the lounge chairs and tried to stop her beating heart.
This was not going to work with Blue. He couldn’t be tempting her like that; it was too dangerous. She would need to be ready to instantly destroy any romantic moments that might occur between them. She wasn’t a kid with a crush anymore. She was an adult with responsibilities and one of those was staying single. She needed to think of her career and her future.
It was just so unfair. She had dated and discarded dozens of boring men in Los Angeles. She thought it would be easy to stay single until after her album dropped. But now her one-nights stand was always around and tempting her and she had never been good at saying no.
Chelsea had only just sat down when Blue came out wearing a pair of loose blue swim trunks that sat low on his hips. Without hesitating he walked over the diving board and bounced once before performing an impeccable swan dive and slipping into the water with only the barest of splashes.
Colleen clapped from her spot underneath the umbrella, but Terrance only scoffed and claimed he could do better.
“What do you think of the house, Chelsea?” he asked her as Blue began to swim laps in the pool. “I’m sure it’s just as nice as all those mansions in LA.”
“Oh, I don’t go in many mansions,” Chelsea lied. “I live in a two-bedroom.” That part was true. She lived in a modest two-bedroom apartment, but she had been in many houses nicer than Terrance’s; she just didn’t want to insult him so early into their trip.
“Well, make sure you really look at this house so you can compare it when you get back. I’m telling you, this house is a real gem. It would fit right in on Rodeo Drive.”
Chelsea gave him a weak smile and then rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head on her arms, hoping he would get the signal and end the conversation. She could still hear Blue as he sliced through the water behind her. She had appreciated his strong arms as they had come up and arched before plunging back into the waters. It was too easy imagining herself wrapped up in them, being swept up and carried away by them.
“Chelsea, don’t forget to put sunscreen on,” Colleen said as she put a bottle of lotion on the table next to Chelsea. “That bottle’s almost out, but I’ll go and get some more from inside the house.”
“I’ll come with you,” Terrance said. “I need to make sure the housekeeper bought the beer I asked to her buy. I wanted the good imported stuff, no more Miller Light in this house.”
Chelsea heard them walk away, but she refused to react. She heard Blue as he pulled himself out of the water and plopped down on the lounge chair next to hers. She was alone with him again and her only option was to pretend to be asleep.
“You’re going to burn,” Blue said softly.
Chelsea knew he was right, but she couldn’t ask him to put sunblock on her back. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll have Jamie do my back when she comes out.”
“I’m right here with two working hands,” Blue said.
She heard the scrape as he lifted the lotion up off the table. And then his cool hands were on her hot back and goosebumps erupted over her flesh. He began to massage her back, rubbing the lotion over her skin, his hands working into her muscles. She stifled a moan; she knew she should stop him, that she should tell him to stop, but there was no way she was going to do that.
His hand slipped under the strap of her bikini and she couldn’t help but let out a quiet whimper at his touch. He continued to work the lotion over her back sliding down along her sides and stroking the edge of her breast – whether on purpose or on accident, she couldn’t tell. She settled more comfortably into the lounge chair. His hands felt wonderful on her skin, and what they were doing was so innocent. It was just one person putting sunblock on another, nothing inappropriate about it.
Then his hands travelled south. He rubbed the lotion over her lower back and then his hand slipped underneath her bikini bottom and he squeezed her ass and she couldn’t help but let out a quiet moan. His hands began to massage her ass, getting closer and closer to her center where she desperately wanted him to touch her.
His hands were confident and strong and she was putty in them. Then, somewhere, a door slammed and blue slowly pulled his hands out her bikini and Chelsea immediately missed them.
“I think you’re all good,” he said and Chelsea lifted her head and saw her mother, Jamie, and Terrance walking down towards the pool. Chelsea sat up, but avoided Blue’s gaze. She tried to calm her pounding heart, but her body was aching for his touch.
“Did I miss anything?” Jamie asked as she sat down on the other side of Chelsea.
“Nope,” Chelsea said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, hoping the red on her face could be attributed to the sun and not something else.
“So, Blue,” Jamie said, “what brings you back to Snowbird? Where have you been all these years?”
“Military,” Blue said. “I was in the Army. Did some time in Afghanistan and now I have done my service and I’m transitioning back to civilian life, as they say.”
“And how’s that transition going?”
“Not too bad so far,” Blue said, giving Chelsea a knowing look.
“And what are your plans now?” Chelsea asked, wincing at her own question. It made her sound like their high school guidance counselor.
“Thinking about going to college,” Blue said. “I have the GI Bill and I want to take advantage of it. I was looking at UC Berkeley for engineering.”
“Wow,” Chelsea said, looking at Blue in a new light. “That’s awesome.”
“It’s very cool,” Jamie chimed in.
“Yeah,” Blue said, “But my dad doesn’t like it...”
No one said anything. They were all thinking the same thing. Terrance was a jerk and he wasn’t worth listening to, but Terrance was also Blue’s father and Chelsea knew how hard it was to go against what your parents wanted.
“Blue, get up here! I need your help with something!” Terrance yelled from the house.
“Speak of the devil,” Blue said with a roll of his eyes as he stood up and walked towards the house.
“Terrance is a real dick, right?” Jamie asked.
“It defiantly looks like it,” Chelsea said, shaking her head. “What does Mom see in him?”
“Money, I guess. It’s the only thing that I can think of. So, when are you going to jump Blue’s bones again?”
“Stop it!” Chelsea hissed, looking up at the main house and making sure no one could hear them. The thought of her mother finding out was mortifying. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not? He’s hot and single, you’re hot and single, and you’re both stuck in this nothing town. What else are you going to do?”
“Jamie, we’re practically related,” Chelsea said.
“What? No you’re not. Your parents are dating; that doesn’t make you related. Besides, knowing mom, she’ll get tired of Terrance in a few months anyway. I give the two of them a year, tops.”
“I don’t know,” Chelsea said with a shake of her head. “The giant house, the pool, limo rides, those are all things Mom likes. Besides, look how rich Terrance is. She could be Queen of Snowbird. I don’t know that she’s going to walk away from this. So nothing can happen between Blue and me.”
“I think you’re acting crazy,” Jamie said. “You were so in love with him in high school. Honestly, I think sixteen-year-old Chelsea would slap twenty-three year old Chelsea if she were here.”
“Yeah, well, sixteen year-old Chelsea was kind of an idiot, so I think I’ll stay in charge.”
“Fine,” Jamie said. “But you should at least think about me. I had to listen to you talk about Blue DeMarco for years. I still remember his high school schedule: home room, then math, then English-”
“Stop!” Chelsea begged, her face red with embarrassment. It was true; she had been a little obsessed with Blue. It was a case of unrequited love. She had wanted him so badly, but he always pushed her away. They had a series of little moments where they almost kissed, but nothing had ever really happened between them. Until now, now they had slept together and they had to spend the next week in the same house as their parents who were dating. It was all too much and Chelsea was seriously beginning to regret coming home.
“I’m just saying, for what it’s worth, you have my permission. Forget about Mom and Terrance. You’re allowed to think about yourself every now and again, Chelsea.
But that was just it. Chelsea was thinking about herself. She was thinking about all of the work that had gone into her album, all of the planning and all of the people who were depending on her. She couldn’t release an album and tell the world she was sleeping with her stepbrother at the same time. It would be an outrage. Chelsea wanted Blue, but she had other dreams, and she needed to remember that.