Adrian lets out a sigh, stopping to look up at the bright, cloudy sky.
'Cassidy.'
She is amazing in more ways than one. She has given him her heart and her body. Everything. She is always looking out for him - always showing him how much she loves and cares for him.
'Was it wrong for me to want to be with her all the time? Was Asher right? Should I really learn to give her space?' he asked himself.
He scratched the back of his head. That's when he heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Come on, Cassidy! What are you so embarrassed about? I'm sure you look fabulous!"
It was Irish. She's standing in front of some changing tent along with Olivia.
They appear to be just as impatient as him. He wonders what is going on. Without giving it a second thought, he begins walking in their direction.
"How long have you been in there? We can't wait out here forever…" Irish continued to call out to her while Olivia stood by.
"You're very pretty, you know. I'm sure it can't be that bad."
"No! There's no way I'm coming out like this…!" Adrian heard Cassidy say from inside the tent, taking him aback for a bit.
"I look horrible! Give me my clothes back!"
It wasn't long before he reached the changing tent. He turned to look at them and found Irish carrying his wife's clothes. He squinted his eyes at her, wondering what she and Olivia were planning.
"Hey…" Adrian started in all seriousness, grabbing their full attention.
"What are you all doing with my wife? What is she doing in there?"
"Oh, hey, brother…" Olivia greeted a bit nervously, not wanting any misunderstanding.
"It's alright. We're not doing anything bad. She's just... being stubborn."
"Please, wipe that scowl off of your face, lil' bro…" Irish said then sighed.
"We're no bullies anymore. I swear we're doing this for her."
Right after saying that, a smirk appeared on her face. She then hid Cassidy's clothes behind her back. Her twin sister only sighed, having caught on to what she's up to this time.
"Well, I guess we're going to go back to the canopy. We'll see you and Cassidy over there. Maybe you can convince her to come out? Seriously. I don't know why she's so embarrassed. I thought she looked good," Irish remarked, much to Adrian's confusion.
Without saying another word, the twins turned around and walked away, leaving him alone in front of the tent. He stayed silent for a few seconds, not sure what to say.
"Cassidy…?" Adrian called, placing his hands in his pockets.
"What are you doing in there? When are you gonna come out already? I was waiting for you to return, but you never did. So, I decided to come and look for you. What were they doing to you?"
"Ughhh…" he heard Cassidy groan from inside the tent.
"Everything is Irish's fault! She made me wear... t-this… this atrocity! This just doesn't go with me! Why does she do this to me? I was fine with my shorts. I didn't ask for this!"
It wasn't long before she, with a blushing face, slowly came out of the changing tent. Only then did he finally understand what she was talking about. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise at that moment.
Cassidy's there, standing in front of him - her smooth, flawless figure exposed with her thin, two-piece swimsuit. It's light red in color, which goes perfectly with her, with ruffles on the top and the bottom. Irish was right. She looks good.
Maybe too good.
"See?! Didn't I tell you?" Cassidy huffed, turning to look away from Adrian in embarrassment.
Her hair was tied up into a high ponytail, making her look five years younger. Along with that, the swimsuit makes her look absolutely breathtaking. But since she doesn't know that, all she really wants is to be in her regular t-shirt and shorts.
"This thing doesn't go with me, right? I've never worn a swimsuit like this before. You should have told them to leave my clothes with you. I can't walk around like this. We're not in a private beach anymore."
Cassidy is blushing madly at this point. Smiling, Adrian walks closer to her and starts caressing her cheeks.
"You shouldn't put yourself down too much, love. You look really cute - a lot better than I would've ever imagined," he reassured her sincerely.
"You don't sound too convinced," she said nonetheless, which caused him some laughter.
"You're just too stubborn to admit it too."
"What do I do? I don't feel comfortable like this at all. I can't believe Irish would force me to wear this. I thought I was only doing Asher a favor when she asked me to go to the mall with her and Olivia the other day. I didn't know they're already choosing a swimsuit for me-"
"Cassidy?"
He called out to her once more, snapping her out from her rambling. She looked at him again and found him still smiling at her.
"Do you really hate it that much? I don't see anything wrong with how you look. You're very beautiful," he told her before leaning in and pressing an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
"I appreciate that, dear, but I still don't think I can last long in this. You know what? I'm gonna go find something else to wear. Maybe there's a store around here with clothes. I can't stand this swimsuit any longer. I feel like the whole world is staring at me," she insisted, already combusting.
"You do look cute, Cassidy. But maybe you have a point."
Adrian pulled away from her for a moment. Cassidy then realized that he was taking off his shirt.
He handed it to her before he looked away.
"I can't have other guys looking at you like that. I don't think I'll be able to take it. Just put on my shirt for now. That should cover you up enough."
She was surprised but still nodded and accepted it. Putting the shirt on, she could immediately smell her husband's aroma all around her. Wearing it made her feel warm and protected. She looked down at it, feeling glad that it covered enough of her thighs to make her feel comfortable.
It didn't help that it was a white t-shirt, though. If she got in the water for a swim, she would expose everything to everyone.
"Thanks, Adrian. I guess this saves me the trouble of hunting Irish down..." she quipped.
"I just really can't walk around in something so revealing. Geez, just what was that woman thinking, anyway? Instead of wasting her time with me, she should really go and talk to Asher already."
She looked up at Adrian and saw him bare-chested, showing off his toned, muscular body. Cassidy gulped upon catching herself staring at him and wandering off again.
'Gosh. Look who's talking. You're hot yourself, you know.'