Fell In Love With My Roomy Chapter 23

The warmth in September caught me by surprise. Once we arrived, Kyle and Mark retrieved the cooler from the trunk and led the way down the path to the lake.

I began to sweat within just a couple of minutes of walking. I didn't particularly like how it looked, and it only fueled my desire to take a dip in the water.

Though we were on our way to the beach, the group of friends known as the clones had beaten us there. As we approached the clearing between the trees, Kent muttered something under his breath. Seeing Abby, Chase, Darren, Ellis, and Sydney among the group eased my apprehension about the trip.

Abby greeted me with a big smile as soon as I arrived. "Yay! I'm so glad you came, Julianna!" I couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "This is going to be the best!"

"I'm delighted to see you again," I replied, sharing her smile.

"Come on, lay down your towel, and let's kick off our beach day!" She instructed with unwavering enthusiasm. One cooler was from Mark and Kyle's apartment, and the other belonged to Abby. People began setting up chairs, beach blankets, and towels.

I settled down beside Abby, removed my sandals, and rummaged through my bag for sunscreen.

"Hey, Julianna," I heard Chase say as he sat down next to Abby.

"Hi," I greeted with a smile.

"Abby, could you help me with this?" He asked her, and she responded with a grin.

"Sure, could you do mine too?" She asked me, prompting me to rise from my spot on the towel. I removed my hat and tossed it aside, and she got up as well. I then proceeded to take off my t-shirt and shorts.

"Here, hand it over." She gestured for me to pass it to her, and I complied.

As I glanced at her, a pang of envy crept in. I wished I looked as confident in a swimsuit as Abby did. But I had to remind myself that she was an athlete, and I didn't need to compare myself to her, even though a part of me wished I could.

"Ugh," I heard a disgruntled noise, and I looked over to see Piper pulling her dress over her head. Envy welled up within me once more. If I wore a bikini like hers, I'd constantly worry about a wardrobe malfunction. Piper, on the other hand, had a slim, petite physique. We were polar opposites.

She instructed Chloe, "Get up, you know I don't look good like this," and I spotted Chloe rising with her iPhone in hand.

"Piper never misses a photo opportunity," I remarked with a wry smile. As she shared a laugh, I felt her begin to apply sunscreen to my back and shoulders.

"How are you, Julia?" She inquired with a chuckle. "Here's a little secret: most guys care more about your appearance than your words."

"I thought guys preferred thinner girls," I admitted. My body had changed since high school. I used to be smaller, but during my second and third years of college, I gained weight. It wasn't until recently that I started using birth control, which helped alleviate some of my issues.

A few months ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS, which caused bloating, weight gain in my stomach, and an increased appetite. The birth control led to higher estrogen levels, which prevented the symptoms from worsening. Consequently, more of my weight had shifted to my hips and breasts, but some still clung to my stomach.

I didn't consider myself large, but I fell between a size 8 and a size 10, and I knew my body didn't resemble the images on billboards and magazine covers.

"Julianna, guys are into boobs," she laughed, correcting my misconception. "Only women wish other women were thinner when they see them. That's not how men think," she informed me, and I rolled my eyes. "Well, maybe some do, but you shouldn't hang out with those kinds of guys anyway."

"On that note, I'm with you," I replied with a casual shrug, eliciting a laugh from her.

"You're done, so can you please help me?" She requested, and I smiled, handing her some sunscreen to assist her.

Afterward, I applied sunscreen to the remaining exposed parts of my body and returned to my towel. I put my hat back on and stashed my clothes in my bag.

"This year, we're lucky to have Julianna here, a lifeguard who can rescue anyone in case of drowning," Mark attempted to strike up a conversation.

The group remained mostly quiet, except for Piper and her entourage, who were running around the beach, capturing moments with their cameras. I couldn't help but notice that everyone, especially Chase and my roommates, appeared sunburned.

"What's going on?" Abby chuckled, tilting her head back when I commented on the sunburns.

"Bikinis," I responded with a laugh when she quipped back.

"You're a lifeguard?" Chase inquired, and I affirmed, realizing that I may not have explicitly mentioned it before. Perhaps I had only mentioned working at the pool.

"Yeah, I've been doing that for a while now," I shrugged. "I enjoy it; it's a lot of fun." Or maybe I hadn't mentioned that at all. Did swimsuits make people forget things?

"Alright, let's raise a glass to the beginning of the new school year," Kyle proclaimed, opening the coolers and distributing beers to everyone in the group. We all cracked open our cans simultaneously, emulating Kyle's lead. "Cheers to surviving another year of school!" His words prompted laughter.

We all took sips of the cold beer and mimicked a toast. The designated drivers, however, sipped water instead of champagne, which I found a bit humorous. Kent seemed especially disgruntled by the water, and I tried to stifle a laugh.

"You guys are already drinking?" Piper grumbled as she rejoined the group, taking a seat beside Kent. "Why couldn't you wait until we got here?" She inquired, moving closer to him, to which he cleared his throat and subtly shifted away.

"We didn't want to interrupt the Vogue photoshoot," Kent mumbled.

Seeing them together was quite a spectacle. She clung to him like a snake. I nearly burst into laughter, imagining Kent as a rat or even a hamster.

"What's so funny?" Abby asked as she lay down on her towel next to me. I shook my head.

"Nothing."

But thoughts of how Kent, who often seemed disinterested when sober, acted under the influence kept creeping into my mind. I remembered how he had pushed Piper against the wall and passionately kissed her, which made my stomach churn.

"Alright," Mark announced, pulling a football from his bag. "Touch football, let's start the game."

"Mark, every time you bring out that football, this day takes a turn for the worse," Abby sighed, rolling onto her stomach and resting her head on her arms. "This is supposed to be a relaxing day."

"Okay, Abby's out," he shrugged, getting up, which made me laugh. "Who's in?"

"I'm in," Kyle agreed. Chase and Darren nodded in agreement. Ellis and Sydney had already strolled down the beach, but Abby had no intention of joining in.

"Julianna, how about you?" He chuckled as he asked, though I knew this wasn't exactly my sport. I lacked the speed and hand-eye coordination for it.

"Mark, I swim for a reason," I laughed. "You guys have fun."

"Kent, are you joining?" He asked, and before Kent could respond, Piper chimed in.

Everyone was in. She flashed a smile at her group of friends, and they all eagerly nodded.

I was already sweating from simply lying there, so I couldn't imagine running around in this heat. Plus, I knew the guys would get incredibly competitive.

They all rose and began discussing their teams, and I sighed as I pushed myself up from my towel.

"Abby, do you want to head to the pool?" I proposed, and she laughed.

"Julianna, I was raised a certain way. I'll be taking a nap soon," she informed me with a chuckle.

"Suit yourself. I'll catch up with you later," I said, offering a smile and a wave, to which she lazily waved back.

I decided to take a leisurely stroll towards the lake. The lakebed was covered in smooth stones, making it comfortable to walk on barefoot. As I took my first step into the water, it felt like bathwater. However, even this soothing warmth couldn't provide the immediate relief I sought.

I waded into the water until it reached my waist, gazing out at the serene lake. It appeared to be a relatively secluded spot, shielding me from the ongoing arguments on the beach. I had a hunch that Piper was at the center of the commotion.

I heard someone entering the water behind me, so I swiftly turned around, glancing over my shoulder. It was Kent.

He didn't utter a word as he waded in, which was typical of him. Kent and I couldn't have been more different when it came to filling awkward silences with conversation.

"No interest in joining the game?" I inquired as he approached me.

Kent was rather imposing. Despite my own tall stature, he seemed to tower over me by nearly a foot. His gym workouts had endowed him with a broad chest and muscular arms.

"We had an odd number – nine," he explained without looking at me, and I mirrored his avoidance.

I opted to stay out of the way and let the guys take on the girls.

"Oh, you didn't do that," I chuckled and, for the first time since he'd sat down beside me, met his eyes. "They're probably going to annihilate those poor girls because of you." He let out an unexpected hearty laugh and flashed a knowing smile.

"Yep, that was the plan," he shrugged, and as I turned my gaze back to the water, I rolled my eyes.

"Well, Piper would've probably been thrilled if you and she could've played as one person. Like a baby carrier, with her snugly nestled against your chest," I quipped with arms crossed. Kent burst into laughter, an unusual sight for him, and then quickly covered his mouth.

"That's quite an amusing image," he chuckled softly. "You don't like her, do you?"

"She's not exactly my favorite person," I replied with a nonchalant shrug. "At least, not to me."

"I don't think anyone really likes her," he remarked, running a hand through his hair.

The real question was why Kent had gotten involved with her.