It was so rare for them all to get time off at the same time. However, with November starting, Trucker had decided that they all needed a beach day before the water got too cold. Y/N had decided to call the day a "team-building exercise," whilst everyone else had told her to stuff it with her corporate bullshit and just enjoy the day off.
So, there they were on a rather crisp November morning, umbrellas, coolers, and towels in tow as they made their way from the Grill to the beach. After finding the perfect spot (according to Piper and Tish) to set up, everyone except Y/N, Piper, and Jen ran headfirst into the beautiful, bright blue water.
Piper and Jen were quick to begin setting up their brightly colored towels and equally vibrant parasols on the silken sand, whilst Y/N unashamedly watched her new boyfriend peel his shirt off before running to join the rest of their group in the warm ocean water.
"And you say Noah and I are adorable."
Y/N turned back to her friends. She decided to ignore the pink beginning to darken her cheeks, instead responding with "You don't have a monopoly on being adorable," as she set up their towels beside them.
Piper began pulling out her art supplies as the three of them ended up chatting, Y/N way too behind on how things were with everyone.
Apparently, Tish had started dating a new guy whose name they couldn't properly remember (Jen claimed it was Brian, but Piper swore up and down that it was Ryan). He was, so far, really sweet, and they couldn't be happier for Tish.
Jen and Fuzzy were still going strong, thankfully. They would meet in Morro Bay as often as they could, aiming for weekends that they could spend together. The other girls might've spent a little longer than necessary making lewd jokes about the two before moving on.
Zo and Trucker were, obviously, doing well, and had even synchronized their store hours so that they could walk to and from work together.
"Hey, you never told us how your dinner date went," Jen pointed out.
Y/N shrugged. "It was nice. We went to a drive-in, had burgers and shakes, and then went home."
"Whose home?"
Y/N rolled her eyes. "I didn't sleep with him. Subtle, though, Piper."
Jen laughed as Piper huffed. "Well," Jen asked, once she calmed down enough. "How about Halloween?"
Y/N smiled at that. "It was…nice. We fell asleep on his couch, watching all three Evil Dead movies. We woke up, I convinced him to let me pick the movie next time, we stopped by my place so I could shower and change, then went to work."
"Is nice the only word you know?" Piper teased.
Y/N stuck her tongue out at her friend.
Before another word could be said, though, Priestly was running up to them, slipping and sliding a bit on the sand. His bright purple mohawk was plastered to his face, water droplets trailing down the strands like a he was on the cover of a bodice ripper. Y/N allowed her gaze to follow one of the droplets down his tattooed, muscled chest to his purple plaid swim shorts before meeting his gaze again. "Hey, you comin'?" he asked, slightly out of breath.
Y/N grinned, holding her hands up for him to take. "That's up to you, buddy."
He laughed, just enough pink dusting his cheeks to be blamed on the sun. He grabbed her hands, pulling her up and into a quick kiss in one motion. He chuckled at the surprised look on her face. "Finally, I made you blush for once!"
She grumbled against his shoulder. "I shall have my revenge."
He threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she melted into him. "Come on, I wanna see your swimsuit," he grinned. "And I'm gettin' cold standing here."
"Well, if you insist!"
When the sun had set, everyone trudge up onto the beach together, where Zo had started a roaring fire in one of the pits along the beach. They all sat around it, eating and chatting and just enjoying the company. At some point, someone brought out the ingredients for s'mores, and there was much rejoicing.
Tish was talking with Jen off to one side of the fire, the two of them giggling. Piper was speaking with Trucker and Zo, listening to them speak with a soft smile and an enraptured attention.
As the time passed, be it minutes or hours, Y/N found herself cuddling into Priestly's side. His arm wrapped around her whilst he leaned back on his other hand. One of her arms was wrapped around his middle, rubbing some measure of warmth into the side she wasn't snuggled into. Her other arm was holding onto the hand Priestly had resting on her shoulder.
She felt a soft kiss being pressed into the crown of her head, which caused her to smile widely. She looked up at her punk to see the same look on his face. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," he answered.
"What brought that on?"
"I need a reason?"
"I'm not saying I mind, you're just usually not this smooch-y."
He shrugged. "I mean…I was nervous before, you know?"
"No way."
"Shut up. But, I don't know, now I'm not nervous around you. I'm calm."
She pulled his face down to hers to press a kiss to his lips. "Careful, you'll make me start swooning."
"Glad to hear I'm not screwing everything up yet."
"I think you will have to work really hard to screw this up."
He pulled her closer. "Good to know."
Silence fell over them for a moment, and she heard his heart begin to pound under her ear. She frowned, pulling back a little. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah!" he scoffed. "Fine."
She narrowed her eyes.
He sighed, a little frustration showing through. "I just…you and I are, like…together, right?"
"I think I pretty much showed my hand on that, Priestly."
He nodded, his brow furrowing. "So…you wouldn't mind staying the night again, would you?"
"I thought we decided that we would do this part slow, since everything else has been so quick."
"I know, I'm not trying to…I just sleep better with you around," he confessed.
"Oh my gosh, you're gonna give me a cavity," she leaned up, mumbling against his lips.
"Sorry, I—"
"No, you don't stop this, alright? You're worth losing a few teeth," she grinned, laying her head back in the crook of his neck. There was a moment more of silence before she spoke again. "…Shannon wants to meet you."
"Shannon?"
"My roommate."
"Oh."
She pulled back, kneeling to face him. Without even looking, she could sense his worry. "Hey, she'll love you, alright? Just be you, not that weirdo who wears khaki, alright?"
He rolled his eyes, taking her hand in his. He was silent for a moment, tense, obviously thinking over his next few words very carefully. "Should I wear the kilt?"
She answered him by grabbing his face and smashing her lips to his.
"C'mon, stop making out for a minute!" The new couple looked up to see Tish standing and walking over to them. "This is a 'team-building event,' right? Get over here and team-build, lovebirds." she grinned brightly.
With that, the moment was broken, and the couple joined their friends.
