Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Pool Party

 

The sun was shining through the window when I woke up.  My head was resting on Alex’s chest and I listened to the soothing sound of his heart beat.  His heart rate was faster than a full human, but it was so relaxing that I started to drift back to sleep as Alex started to stroke my hair humming quietly. 

“I guess that’s a hint that I should try to wake up or are you going to let me sleep in?” I asked softly.

“Well the others would like you to be by the pool before noon.  The guests will be arriving around two o’clock, but we do a family thing first.  This party usually goes pretty late,” he replied.  I stretched luxuriously and snuggled in closer to him.  He laughed quietly.

“Well, I guess you’re not moving anytime soon.”

“Hmmmm, since I have you as a pillow I might as well take advantage of it. I hardly saw you yesterday so I’m stocking up.  I’ll probably hardly see you today as well with so many people being here,” I complained.

“I promise I will try to be with you more today but I thought you were sick of having us around all the time?” he chided.

“Having you around is not the issue.  Not being able to go anywhere without a chaperone now, that’s an issue.  A girl likes a bit of freedom you know,” I clarified.

“You can have all the freedom you want later.  Right now consider yourself under house arrest!” He winked.

“Only if you’re the jailer,” I teased.  He tightened his arms around me and I couldn’t imagine any other place I would rather be.

“You better get up, Lizzy is getting impatient.  She wants to make sure you’re ready for the party and she wants me to help George with something in the front yard,” His eyes had that far away look when he and his sister communicated.  Apparently I had slept long enough and I wouldn’t get to lounge the way I wanted to.  I sighed and got out of bed, threw on my robe and headed for the kitchen with Alex following.  I found Lizzy and Cassy sitting at the kitchen table discussing music sets for the party.

“It’s about time you got up we have a lot to do before the party,” Lizzy said exasperated.

“You’re such a kill joy.  You know that I was rather comfortable when you invaded his head,” I sapped playfully.

“You can sleep in tomorrow and why aren’t you dressed?” she demanded.

“Oh please. You got me out of bed.  I’m going to eat before I have a shower and get dressed so back off.” she wasn’t pleased but she conceded.

I ate breakfast slowly on purpose.  Alex was quite amused by the silent battle his sister and I were having.  Every time she sighed in frustration about my slowness I slowed down even more eating my cereal one piece at a time.

“The two of you are being ridiculous,” Cassy complained.

“Well, next time she’ll remember not to rush me.  Maybe I’ll take a really long shower too,” I teased.

“I’ll flush the toilet if you do,” Lizzy glowered.

“That doesn’t work in this house, Lizzy, as you know,” Alex said coming to my defence.  Lizzy glared at him.

“You’re not supposed to tell her that.  How am I going to get her ready for the party if she dawdles all morning?  I mean really can you move any slower?  Wait, don’t answer that.” she said looking at me and shaking her head in frustration.

“I’ll be ready in half an hour.  I don’t know what your rush is it’s only eleven thirty and I’m sure everything is ready.” I looked at her as I crossed my arms over my chest and started tapping my foot.  Lizzy laughed.

“Okay okay, you’re right.  I want to go open my presents.  So please go get ready.”

“But you told me you guys don’t get presents,” I exclaimed haughtily.

“No, we said you couldn’t get us anything because there was no time for you to get anything and it wasn’t safe for you.  However, the rest of the family did and we want you there, so hurry up,” she was bouncing on her chair.

“You’re such a child.  For someone who is turning 126 today you’re acting ridiculous.  Besides, I bet you already know what you’re getting anyway.” I smiled at her.

“Oh hurry up and get ready,” she pushed me down the hall all the way to Alex’s room. 

“And make sure you take what we picked out yesterday with you into the washroom so Alex can’t peek,” she whispered.  I nodded and then went to get ready. 

Once at the pool we sat down at one of the tables.   There was a small stack of presents on one of the tables beside us.  Alex got Lizzy a new car and Lizzy got Alex a motorcycle.  The rest of their presents were related to those first two gifts.  Alex got a helmet, riding jacket and riding boots.  Lizzy got a satellite stereo and a new leather jacket.  We sang happy birthday to them and brought out the cake.  While everyone was eating I got up and slipped into the change room by the pool to retrieve my presents for the twins.  I returned handing them the gifts that I had for them.

“But when did you get this?” Lizzy asked perplexed.

“I have my ways,” I answered, “Happy birthday Lizzy, I hope you like it.”

“Happy birthday Alex,” I smiled as I handed him his gift.

“Anna, this is fantastic.  When did you get this done?” Lizzy showed everyone the portrait.

“I had it done a few months ago.  I had to get James to help me since neither one of you would let me out of your sight,” I teased. She hugged me tightly.

“This is the best. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I’m glad you like it,” I beamed at her.

“Anna, where did you get this?” Alex asked holding up the coat of arms pin.

“It’s your family crest from your mother’s side.  It’s a clan hat pin.” I explained.

“Thank you, you shouldn’t have and the note book?” he questioned.

“You’re always writing things on scrap pieces of paper and losing them, so now you’ll have a place to record all your ideas.” I said quietly looking at my feet.  I was feeling a bit confused by his reaction to the gifts I had given him. I couldn’t tell whether he liked them or not.  He hugged me quickly. 

“Thank you Anna.” he whispered in my ear.  The emotion in his voice was hard for me to understand.  Did he like the gifts I had given him or not?

“Um, you’re welcome,” I said quietly as I quickly sat down more confused than ever.  What had I done wrong?  I spent the rest of our family lunch mulling over what had happened and trying to figure out what was wrong with the gifts that I had given him. 

“What’s wrong Anna?” James whispered pulling me from my thoughts.

“Nothing, I just need to stretch my legs for a minute.  Excuse me.” I smiled at him and rose from the table.  Alex and Lizzy looked at me questioningly as I walked away.  I went to my favourite place on the grounds; the garden.  It was a place I always felt at peace in, somewhere I could think.

“Anna, what’s wrong?” Lizzy asked quietly from behind me.

“Alex didn’t like his gift.  I hurt him, I didn’t mean to do that,” I replied sadly.

“You didn’t hurt him, you surprised him.  It caught him off guard that you knew him so well and he hadn’t realized that you watch him as much as he watches you.  He cherishes family above everything and you should know that he thinks of you as family, Anna, and that scares him because he doesn’t want you to leave.  He’s terrified that he might lose you.  Please don’t be upset by his reaction, he cherishes your gift.  I would know.”  She pointed to her head knowingly and smiled so warmly that I had to smile back.

“As long as you’re sure I didn’t upset him,” I said worriedly.

“He loves you Anna, even if he won’t say it out loud.  I know how he feels.  But he doesn’t want to force you to be claimed by him,” she said quietly.

“Is that what he thinks?” My eyes widened in shock.  I had to see a copy of that legend.  I had a feeling that there was more to this than any of us knew.

“Lizzy, I think the claiming is something more than what we understand.  That’s why I want to see the legend so badly.  It could have been misinterpreted.” I looked at her with wide pleading eyes.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see it soon enough.  Now put a smile on your face and get ready.  People have started to arrive.”  She grabbed my hand and led me back to the pool area. 

“Anna, there you are,” Alex stated as he moved to my side and put his arm around my waist.

“Where did you go?” I knew he was aware of where I was, he was just being polite. He pulled me tightly into an embrace and rested his chin on my head.

“I needed to think a bit is all.  Lizzy helped to clear things up.  Sometimes girls need some quiet time to mull things over,” I said quietly.

“Well the party has started and you’re late.  Not a very good hostess, I would say,” he teased.

“Well then I suggest we join the guests unless you would rather do something else?” I questioned innocently.  He smiled and kissed me quickly.

“Anna, would you stop fooling around with your boyfriend.  It’s so..” Christine chided us with a broad smile.  I turned to her and gave her a hug.

“I’m so happy you came, is Tisha and Sally here too?”

“They’re lounging by the pool already. Come on, let’s join them” she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me with her.

The music was blasting, people were in the pool, playing volley ball, and lounging in chairs.  Tisha was wearing a really cute pink tankini and Sally was wearing a simple yet elegant, purple two piece suit.

“Anna, Christine, finally! Why aren’t you in swim wear? You’re setting a bad example,” Tisha groused smiling at us.  Christine promptly removed her shorts and t-shirt to reveal a light blue one piece suit that beautifully accentuated her figure.  I glanced at Lizzy and she nodded.  I slowly removed my shirt to reveal the forest green string bikini top I was wearing.  Alex was three feet away standing next to Will.  Alex stopped talking mid sentence, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he watched me remove my shorts and sit down with Christine and Tisha.  Alex was still gawking at me in stunned silence as Will chuckled.  Lizzy and Cassy joined us smiling. 

“Way to go Anna, I’ve never seen him speechless like this,” Cassy said winking conspiratorially at me.  Lizzy giggled.

“Oh, are we in for it later, Anna.  He’s pretty much going crazy right now, his thoughts are.. Oh my,” Lizzy said her mouth dropping open in surprise.

“What is it, Lizzy?” I asked perplexed.

“I can’t say, I’m trying to block out those images.” She was blushing, shocked at what her brother was thinking.

“I didn’t realize you could do that. Should I go change?” I whispered.

“Don’t you dare.  It’s hilarious how he’s reacting to you, and I must say he’s not the only one.  He doesn’t like that too much either,” she giggled.  I laughed with her.  It was nice to know that I could get a reaction like that out of Alex.  It really boosted my confidence.

“Can I get you ladies a drink?” Will asked sidling up to us and grinning charmingly.

“Yes, I’ll have a coke,” Lizzy said politely.

“Me to” Cassy replied.           

“I’ll have one too,” I added.

“Could we have bottles of water please?” Christine asked.

“Not a problem ladies.  I’ll be right back,” Will smiled, took a quick glance at me and nodded appreciatively.  He winked at me as he moved off to fetch the drinks chuckling quietly to himself.

Alex walked silently over to Christine and handed her a bottle of water; she blushed crimson. He smiled sweetly at her and then passed a bottle to each of the other girls before he went back to sit at a table with a few of the guys from school.

Will returned and gave the first coke to Cassy and then slipped in between Lizzy’s and my chair handing us each our drinks.

“Well played ladies.  I just hope you’ll be able to handle the consequences.  He’s pretty much speechless. That’s twice in one day, Anna.  I love having you around, it’s never boring,” Will said grinning at me with respectful admiration.

“Shall we go for a swim?” I looked at Lizzy with a grin.  She smiled rising elegantly from her lounge chair and walked to the pool stairs.  I followed her, not as elegantly of course, but I did my best.  Alex watched my every move intently as we entered the pool.  He pulled off his shirt revealing his perfectly sculpted chest and abs and I was in awe watching him walk towards the pool.  He was wearing khaki shorts that sat low on his hips and just accentuated his perfect physique.  I lowered myself into the water and began swimming to the other end of pool.  When suddenly a hand grabbed my ankle and dragged me backwards.  I started to kick my legs harder to get away but the next thing I knew there were two very strong arms around my waist pulling me under water.  I turned to see Alex looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  I smiled and put my arms around his neck, watching his beautiful hair flowing serenely in the water.  He tightened his arms crushing me to his chest, allowing me to lean forward and brush my lips against his, to which he responded eagerly.  It was almost two minutes before we surfaced for air.  Lizzy and Will were laughing playfully splashing water at everyone in the lounge chairs.  I smiled happily.

“If I had known you were going to wear that I would never have let you out of the house,” Alex whispered into my ear, his lips brushing seductively against my neck.

“Well, that’s why I didn’t model it for you earlier.  Besides, I figured this would be a pretty good birthday present since I wasn’t sure you’d like the others.” I smiled contentedly leaning my head back against his muscular chest.

“I have to say my presents have been getting better as the day goes on,” he breathed slowly into my ear.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” I replied.

“Let’s just say that I’m not sure my sister will forgive me for the thoughts I had about you.  I forgot to shut her out.” he admitted, chuckling.

“And what exactly were you thinking?” I turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

He tightened his grip around my waist slightly, his eyes becoming more seductive if that was even possible!

“Perhaps I’ll get to show you one day,” he said kissing the nape of my neck softly.  Chills went up and down my spine as my imagination went wild with the possibilities.

“Hey Alex, want to play a game of water polo?” Will asked as he bounded up to us grinning.

“That sounds like fun,” I said.

“Christine, Tisha, Sally - water polo, you in?” I asked looking around at the other girls.

“Sure,” Christine replied eagerly jumping into the water, followed by Tisha.

“Come on Sally!” Christine called.

“I’ll come in later,” Sally said distractedly, as she watched one of the boys from the basketball team.  Stephan took his shirt off and joined us to play the game.  The sun was setting so it was safe for him to be in public.

We broke up into two groups of five.  I had Alex, George, Christine and Tisha on my team and Lizzy had Will, Stephan, Joel and Cassy on her team.  We played best two out of three.  Every time Christine got the ball Stephan was there to stop her; it was his excuse to be close to her.  I had known that he liked her for quite some time and I also knew that she had a crush on him, but she was dating Joel.  Joel didn’t seem bothered by the attention Stephan was giving her.  Every time I got the ball Will dragged me under and took it from me.  Alex would retaliate by doing the same to his sister.  We played back and forth until finally Lizzy’s team won by one point.

“You let her win,” I teased Alex.

“Old habits die hard,” Lizzy replied, smiling smugly.

“Hey, I plead the fifth,” Alex said innocently.

“Lets get something to eat I’m starving.”  I looked at Christine and she nodded.  We all happily exited the pool, Alex guiding me with his hand on my back as we ascended the stairs out of the water, he handed me a towel and my wrap once we were near our lounge chairs. I smiled as I covertly watched Stephan hand Christine a towel.

“What is it?” Alex asked.

“Stephan really likes her, doesn’t he?”

“Yes he does, but he’s not sure what to do.”

“Well he could ask her out on a date, you know.  I’m not sure things are still on with Joel.  I’ve been watching them all day and they haven’t really spoken at all.” As if to punctuate my point Joel moved to speak with Tisha.

“Maybe if Stephan actually spoke to her, he might find that she likes him too.  I know she’s had a crush on him for quite some time.” I looked up into Alex’s gorgeous eyes.

“He’s the shyest of all of us.  I don’t know if he will talk to her or not, she might have talk to him first to break the ice,” he laughed shaking his head and looking at me fondly.  I couldn’t help it, I wanted my friends to be happy.  I glanced over at Christine who was thanking Stephan for the towel.

“I’ll see what I can do.  Now, I’m starving can we get something to eat?”

“Put your wrap on,” he said as he looked appreciatively at my body.  I tied the wrap around my waist and grabbed his hand pulling him toward the tent with all the food.

“Alex” George called, I looked at the worried expression on George’s face, but Alex ignored him as we walked into the tent.