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They texted that night. Elias had taken Candice back to the hotel and up the elevator, his feet stopping at the end of the hallway as he watched her walk to her room.

Candice was still talking during this time and only noticed that the presence of Elias had disappeared when she finally unlocked and pushed open the door of her hotel room, finally looking back and expecting to say a proper goodbye to Elias.

Instead of being disappointed or upset, Candice oddly found herself smiling as she entered her suite quietly.

Elias released a sigh at that moment; he had watched from the shadows as she entered, as creepy as it sounded.

He had gone back to his own suite that night, his fingers hovering over her name. He didn't want it to seem as if he just left her there but he knew if he had walked her to that door, he would've kissed her, and not by any means gently.

He gathered the courage and sent her a text and in less than two minutes, Candice replied giddily. He sent back a text and she sent another, then another, and another.

She fell asleep on him, despite trying to keep her eyes open as long as possible.

They texted the next day and the day after that. Thought that was the end? Well, it wasn't because the pair continued to text the following week and even got so far as to begin talking on the phone for hours and hours.

Elias could proudly say that he probably knew the names of all of her family members like the back of his hand; ranging as far as to her second cousin's wife's mother's new husband.

"So you're saying you can't drive?" He asked incredulously as he opens the lid of his laptop.

Candice laughed on the other side of the call, her cheeks blazing in embarrassment although he couldn't see her, "I never learned," She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think I ever wanted to." She concluded.

Elias hummed to show that he was listening, "Wow." He paused. "So what are you up to now?" He changes the subject by asking into the phone as he begins to type up an assignment that was due the first day back from summer break. He wanted to get an early start.

"Well," She let's out a breathy, sultry laugh that left the movement of Elias' fingers to stop at a stand-still. "I was trying to dry my skin for the past 30 minutes." She sighs. "But that's proven to be quite the task when one hand is occupied with your cellphone," She giggles.

Elias licks his lips for a short moment, "I—" He clears his throat to remove the rawness from it. "I didn't know I caught you at a bad time, I'm sorry," They had been talking for a little over half an hour now and Elias seemed to have impeccable timing since he called as soon as she exited the shower.

She flicked off her wrist although he couldn't see, urging him that it was nothing, "Ah, it's okay. I guess I'll just self-dry." She joked as she sat on her bed, her towel tightly around her body.

Elias was silent on the other end of the call. He tried, desperately tried, to erase the thought of Candice in her room, small, white, fluffy towel around her body and skin glistening from water droplets as her hair dripped at the ends with that same water.

Candice's laughter faltered when she didn't hear Elias talk or even snicker at her little attempt of a joke, "Elias?" She paused and waited for an answer.

"Elias? Are you there?" She whispered. Did she say something wrong?

Elias jumped slightly, his laptop nearly slipping off of his lap before he caught it swiftly and positioned it safely on the bed. He cleared his throat, "I'm here." No matter how much he tried, he couldn't seem to remove the husk that presented itself.

Candice felt herself squeezing her thighs for a reason unknownest to her. There was something about how those two words sounded in her ear that caused a shiver to run down her spine.

He continued, "What are you doing tomorrow?" He swung his feet over the edge of his bed and leaned his elbows on his knees.

Candice gulps, "You know, nothing much. Why?" She whispers.

He shrugs knowing that she can't see. He hasn't seen her in a little over a week which led him to do something that he didn't know he'd regret later, "I was wondering if you want to go to the pool tomorrow. Spend an hour or two?" He asks.

Candice's eyes widen, her head nodding vigorously, "S-Sure. I'd love to," She breathes out.

Elias felt a smile forming on his face; a genuine smile.

The pair soon found themselves in another short-lived conversation about how Candice missed her pet dog, Milo, from where she lived. They left her with her cousin since her family came to Xerxia, and she's been thinking about him ever since.

They exchanged goodbyes shortly after, and while Elias locked his phone down and removed his shirt as he got ready to sleep, Candice quickly clung her towel to her body as she raced across the room, tripping in the process, and raiding her suitcase for a bathing suit.

"Not that, or that," Midas grumbled underneath his breath. He sat in the chair, his arms folded across his chest in exasperation. "Nope. Not gonna happen."

Article after article of clothing, Candice threw on her bed each time her brother disapproves.

Midas sat there. He barely even looked, he was just going to continue disapproving until she ran out of bathing suits to choose from.

"What about this?" She sighs out tiredly as she shows him the blue bikini that so happened to be the last one that she brought with her.

Midas sat up, looking at it closely. Candice breathed out a sigh of relief when he pointed at it as if it was perfect for today.

Her dreams were crushed and she shot a glare at Midas when he suddenly slouched back at the chair and deadpanned, "No."

"Midas!" She shouts. "That was my last one," She says softly as she sits on the bed and blows hair from her face.

Midas' widen before he stands up and stretches. "Really? Gee, bummer." He mocks.

Candice's glare intensifies at her younger brother and he just simply rolls his eyes and pushes his sleeves above his elbows, "Why walk with so many swimsuits anyway?"

She ignores him and walks across the room before digging through the pile again like a woman on a mission, "If you don't help me—" She pauses as she scrunches up her nose. She suddenly pulls out a small bikini, one that her mother bought for her ages ago.

It should still fit her physically, saying that she probably grew less than an inch taller since then. However, her breasts had surely gotten larger and so did her butt; it'd fit her like a glove. "—Then I'll wear this."

Midas stared at the piece, his jaw clenching. Candice suddenly gulped at the movement. If she didn't know Midas or his real age, she'd definitely be scared of him.

Midas marched forward towards her and without looking, pulled out an entirely different bikini from the same pile, his hands bawling fists around the material. All the rest of her swimsuits were the same, only differing in color. As far as he was concerned, he didn't like any of them, but he had to deal with it since she had no one-pieces. Anything was better than the thing that she held up in her hand.

Candice gushed and snatched it from him, planting a big kiss on his cheek before running into the bathroom.

Midas grumbled unhappily before walking out of her room.

"I hereby promise that I will not look inappropriately or touch Candice, nor will I pull any of my tricks. Scouts honor," Leon held up two fingers beside his head. "However, if she wants me or makes any advances towards me, I can't do anything to stop her." Leon finished with a cocky smirk on his lips.

At this point, Elias just ignored Leon as he ran a comb through his hair. He had no time for this bullshit. "You called Angel?" He asks Anthony.

The boy nodded, applying sunscreen all over his naked chest. He looked at himself in the mirror, his head bowing down to observe his waves. He wanted to look his best for the girl. He then threw on some hoodie pants and a matching hoodie.

It was weird attire since the weather outside was completely heated. However, Elias didn't question it since Anthony probably wasn't planning to go in the pool anyway.

"Ready?" Elias found himself asking as he then pushed a hand through his hair to finish the style off.

Both boys nodded, the trio leaving after Leon tells Maryam, Elias' mother, where they were going.

Two shirtless boys walked down to the pool as the other one trailed behind them, hoodie over his head even in the hot, summer weather, eyes glued to the screen of his phone.

"I don't have to worry about Alicia popping out of thin air now, do I?" Elias asked just to be sure. The girl was like a leech.

"First off, it's Alina, and if she does pop up, it isn't because of me—" Leon stopped his sentence abruptly, his hands smacking against the hard squares of Elias' stomach in shock.

Elias growled and pushed away his arms to stop the assault on his chest, making Leon turn in the other direction to commit the same actions of Anthony's chest, his eyes glued in one direction.

Anthony grew irritated and pushed his hand away, "What the fuck is your problem, m... man," Anthony bellowed as he looked at where Leon was looking.

Anthony's words trailed off in a blubber as he unconsciously wiped the side of his mouth to ensure that he wasn't drooling.

Elias looked at his friends weirdly, rolling his eyes. He expected this type of behavior from Leon, knowing that he was the King of checking out girls.

Throwing his towel over his shoulder, he glanced up for a quick moment before looking down again. His eyes immediately snapped up to where his friends were both looking, Elias feeling a huge lump form in the pit of his stomach.

Elias barely feels Leon leaning on his shoulder for support, "You two are some lucky sons of bitch." He speaks as he wraps his hands around both boys' shoulders.

It was like it happened in slow motion. Elias and Anthony's posture slouched as they watched Candice and Angel perspectively talk to each other while walking in their direction.

The two obviously seemed to have found each other here but that really wasn't any of Elias' concern at the moment, nor Anthony's.

Elias really and truly didn't have eyes for anyone but Candice as she laughed, her hair soaking wet and her figure clad in a leopard-print bikini.

"Hallelujah," Anthony mumbled as he took note of the nude-colored one piece that Angel was wearing, showing off a healthy section of her midriff. The way it fit her perfect figure made Anthony immediately shrug off his hoodie, outside becoming incredibly hot all of a sudden.

"Hey!" Candice greeted as they finally reached the three boys.

Angel didn't miss how all three of them were checking her and Candice out. Well, to be more specific, Anthony was staring directly into Angel's soul and Elias the same to Candice. Leon was— well Leon was Leon. His eyes didn't spend more than two seconds on one of them before moving to the next. Back and forth, back and forth, his eyes went.

Angel looked down to hide her amused grin. Just show guys some ass and boobs and get ready to see them fall to their knees. She couldn't blame them, Angel knew she looked good. Candice was a little more on the humble side if you'd call it that. She wouldn't say that she had a bad or disgusting body or that it was perfect. She was pleased with herself, to say the least.

"I hope you don't mind, Angel and I were just dying to get in the water." Candice continued.

Candice's eyebrows scrunched together. They looked like they saw a ghost. Leon found himself first, snapping his fingers in front of Anthony's and Elias' face.

Elias caught up with himself and sent a non-reassuring smile to Candice as he cleared his throat, not-so-discreetly nudging Anthony in the ribs.

"Wha— huh?" He mumbles incoherently. "Yeah, hey." He unnoticeable puffs out his broad chest a bit more.

Elias steps away from his friends, slowly walking beside Candice and urging her to walk with him with a slight nudge of his head.

"So, what's up?" She conversed as she followed his actions and began to stroll with him.

Elias shrugged his shoulders and paused for a moment before answering. Usually, a simple shrug would be his response, but he didn't want Candice to think that he wasn't interested in talking with her.

"You know, nothing, everything," He spoke lowly.

Candice took the scrunchie from around her wrist and stretched to tangle it into her wet blonde hair in a loose ponytail. Elias took note of the action from his peripheral and tried not to look at how her chest appeared heftier from the movement and how her stomach looked like the perfect pathway to trail his tongue along.

He pushed his hands in his swim shorts' pockets, his hands balled in fists as he pulled forward the material as not to show his manhood too much.

Candice smiled, "So, you wanna go in the pool together now or...?" She trailed off as she awaited an answer. She tried not to look at how low his shorts rode on his hips or the prominent shapes on his chest.

Elias turned to look at her and stopped his sentence from leaving his lips when we heard his name being shouted. He turned around and squinted his eyes in the direction that his name came from.

He nearly smiled when he saw Louis, a family friend, as his eyes widened slightly. He didn't know that he'd be coming here this year and hadn't heard from the guy in a few years. Their parents had been friends for a while; since Elias and Louis were children actually. Elias didn't really associate himself with Louis anymore since their families separated when they moved.

Last time he heard from his parents, Louis was hanging out with a few of the wrong guys.

Elias felt a hand tugging at his arm and looked down to see Candice's face pale. His eyebrows shot up, "Are you alright?" He rested a hand on her waist innocently. He looked back and held up one finger to Louis, telling him to wait a moment.

Louis was impatient and decided to shake his head and jog up to them.

Candice swallowed as her voice. "I—I have to use to the bathroom," She stuttered as her eyes shifted back to Elias from behind him.

Elias immediately nodded, "You want time to come with you—"

"No!" She jumped slightly from in his arms. "I mean— no, no, thank you. I'll be back." She looked at him with a panicked expression before rushing off.

Word Count: 2605

Stay home and read this damn chapter.

~TheOfficialSinner