Violet was looking forward to the weekend and Friday night couldn't come quick enough. Steve had asked her if she wanted to hang out at the weekend and she'd told him that she could for some of it, but she still needed to practice and she had a tournament. She still had to tell her dad that they were officially dating. He already knew that the two of them were close and he'd had suspicions in the past that they might be together, but now it was real. It was all very real.

Since talking with Nancy, Violet hadn't had a chance to speak to her again. She wanted to. She hated unresolved conflict and she hated knowing that people who she liked were mad at her. She just wanted to work things out, but she knew that she had stolen her boyfriend from her. They could dress it up however they wanted, but the fact was that Violet had stolen Steve from her. She hadn't meant to, of course, she'd never wanted that, but she'd done it. She should've just spoken up before instead of staying quiet. She should've been brave and not a coward. But it was too late to go back now.

"Hey."

Violet had been packing away her tennis racket and was going to head to the car park. Steve had driven her to school again and had promised to wait for her, despite her saying she had to practice. Violet remained crouched on the ground, but peered up to see Jonathan stood above her. She forced a smile onto her face and stood up again, looking at Jonathan as he stood with his hands in his jacket's pockets.

"Hey," she said back to him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Jonathan assured her. "I wanted to see how you were getting on after the other day…everything with Nancy…and what Carol did to you."

"Oh, yeah," Violet said. Her mind was more focused on Nancy than what Carol had done to her. She didn't care what Carol had done to her. She wasn't interested in getting into more arguments with the girl. "Well, Carol is just a bitch and hates me. I don't care about her. I care about what I did to Nancy."

"I know," Jonathan promised her. "But Nancy will come round in the end. I think she's just upset that you lied to her."

"I know," Violet promised him and she picked her bag up from the floor, slinging it onto her shoulder. "And I didn't mean to lie to her. I told her that there were feelings, but I just didn't tell her how deep they were, but in all fairness, I didn't think they would last. I thought it was just a passing fancy because he was showing me attention."

"Just give her time, Vi," Jonathan urged from her. "She's got a lot on her plate, what with Barb's parents hiring the investigator and after everything that happened last year...she's still processing it."

"I know and I do understand," Violet promised and the two of them began to walk towards the car park together. "I just hate the idea of her being angry with me. I've told Steve that we should probably keep our distance for a little bit while we're at school. I don't want to rub anything in her face."

"Well, I'm sure she'll not mind in the end," Jonathan said. "I told her that you're not a bad person and you'd never intentionally mean to hurt her. She does know that and it'll be fine. You and Steve…I mean…Harrington is many things, but you can't deny that he loves you."

Violet quickly shook her head. "He doesn't love me," she said to Jonathan.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because we haven't even been on a date. It's far too soon for him to think he might love me," Violet replied. "And he…I mean…even if I think I love him, it's not as if we can be sure of that, is it? Not when we don't really know each other."

Jonathan chuckled and Violet looked at him, tilting her head and tugging on the strap on her bag.

"What?" she asked, wondering what he was finding so funny.

He shook his head at her. "Daisy always said that you didn't handle affection very well," he told her and Violet chewed on the inside of her cheek. She swore that she was going to kill her friend and her big mouth. "She said she wanted to be there the first time Steve holds your hand at school, claims you'll go as red a beetroot."

"You know, I'm not sure she can call herself my best friend," Violet mumbled.

"She's happy for you, so am I," Jonathan promised her that much and she felt slightly warmed by that. She knew that she had some good friends and she didn't want to do anything to risk that. "And Nancy will be, okay?"

"Are you going to see her?" Violet wondered as they saw the carpark and Violet spotted Steve sat on the trunk of his car, book in his hand and eyes glanced down at it. Violet looked to him and she felt her stomach flutter once more. She'd had the same feeling when she'd left her house and found him waiting for her by his car. He'd smiled at her and raked a hand through his hair before opening the car door for her.

"Tonight," Jonathan said.

"Can you just tell her that I…I'm glad I met her that day and she's a great friend and just that I'm sorry and if I could take it back then I would," Violet urged from Jonathan and he sensed that she was struggling with everything that had happened and he couldn't blame her for that. "Please?"

"I'll tell her," Jonathan promised and they came to his car. He stood by it and Violet somehow felt the urge to embrace him. And so she did. Jonathan was taken off guard by that, but he didn't complain. He just hugged her back tightly, silently telling her that everything was going to be alright.

"Thanks, Jonathan," Violet said.

He didn't tell her what him and Nancy were planning that weekend. He figured that Nancy wouldn't want Violet tagging along and the pair of them had agreed to keep it quiet, claiming that it would be safer to do that than tell other people. Violet would've no doubt wanted to have been involved, but she'd been through enough and her mind was on other things.

"Have a good weekend, Vi," Jonathan said goodbye to her and she headed over to where Steve was waiting for her. He'd put his book into his bag and tossed it onto the backseat. Tugging his jeans up his hips, he moved around the front of the car as Violet approached. He glanced over her shoulder and saw Jonathan in the distance.

"Byers alright?" Steve asked her.

"Yeah," Violet told him. "I was just asking him if he could talk to Nancy for me."

"She still mad?"

"Apparently," Violet said. "I don't know, I just figured she'd come round in time."

"And she will," Steve promised and he took her bag from her shoulder. She tried to protest, but Steve was adamant. "Come on, give me the bag…let me take your bag…"

"You know that I can carry my own bag the final two feet to the trunk of your car, right?" Violet asked from him, but she let him take it from her in the end. He popped the trunk and tossed it in, looking at her as she stood there with her arms folded defiantly. He smiled at the sight of her and reached for her hips, hands grabbing hold of her and bringing her towards him.

"And you know that I can be chivalrous," he retorted and Violet laid her hands on his shoulders and looked around the empty parking lot. "There's no one here, Vi, you don't need to be on edge."

"I'm not on edge."

"No? Then stop looking round like you're waiting for someone to come and yell at us," Steve told her and Violet rolled her eyes at his comment. "Besides, it's Friday night and you have given me…three hours tonight…to take you on a date."

Violet hit him on the chest gently. "It's because I need an early night. I have that tournament in the morning, remember?"

"And do you really need to take part in the tournament? Come on, you're already like one of the best tennis players in the world…surely playing some regional tournament is a piece of cake," Steve said to her and he moved a hand to her hair, finding a strand by her cheek that had fallen from her ponytail. He twirled it absentmindedly around his finger.

"You see, that's the thing, Steve, I can't get complacent," Violet told him. "I can never get complacent and playing in any competition is better than just practicing. It gives me something to play for. It gives me a competitive edge and makes me push myself harder."

"Where is it?"

"Hawkins Tennis Club," Violet told him.

"And can I come and watch?"

Violet frowned. "You want to come and watch?" she checked, not entirely sure if that was the best idea. Steve shrugged and kept on smiling at her.

"Well, yeah," he answered her. "I can come and cheer you on…you know…chant your name whenever you score a point."

"Tennis is usually a silent match, not much chanting," she told him.

"Then I can be quiet too," he said and he tugged on the strand of hair teasingly that was around his finger. "Come on, Vi, what're you so scared of? I won't put you off. I'll just-"

"-I haven't told my dad about us," Violet interrupted him before he could keep talking. "I think he knows there's something there, but I haven't told him that we are…well…you know…"

"Dating?" Steve suggested the word to her. "Do you think you'll ever be able to say that we're dating? Daisy did warn me about this though. She said that any attempt at PDA would probably earn me a punch to the gut or you'd just blush and be all embarrassed."

"I seriously don't know why she's my friend," Violet muttered, cursing Daisy for a second time, and kept her hands on his shoulders. "But that's just because I've never dated anyone before. This is new territory, Steve."

"Yeah and you're adorable with it," Steve promised her and she frowned at him again. "But you're gonna have to tell your dad soon enough, Vi."

"I will," Violet promised. "Well, I guess I'm telling him tonight if you want to come tomorrow."

"Seriously?" Steve checked with her and the smile on his face grew and Violet couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him, finding it almost contagious the way he was looking at her. Jokingly, she just rolled her eyes at him and patted his chest.

"I guess if you really want to then I can't stop you," she told him. "But, yeah, it'd be nice if you came."

"Then I'll come," Steve said.

"But that means I do need to go home tonight and tell my dad about us."

"Then let's go and do that," he said and he moved his arm around her shoulders, guiding her to the passenger door. Holding it open for her, he let her climb in before he jogged round the car to the other side, excited for the weekend to begin.

…

It turned out that Violet didn't need to bother telling her dad. They had pulled into the driveway and had stood by the car, making plans for the evening when Steve had hugged her tightly and had said something that had made her laugh. Neither of them had noticed Donnie pull into Violet's driveway. She had seen him and urged Steve to let go of her. He'd dropped his arms from around her and she'd babbled to her father about how the two of them were dating. Donnie had almost looked entertained by her struggling to tell him, but he'd put her out of her misery and told her that as long as she was happy then he was happy, but he warned Steve that he'd have to deal with him if he hurt her.

The two of them had gone back to Steve's and ordered pizza before sitting on the sofa and watching a film, despite the fact they talked over the entirety of it. She'd left at just gone nine, hugging Steve quickly after he'd walked her across the yard back to her house.

And then he'd gone to watch her at the tournament the next day. He'd parked his car in the parking lot and had seen numerous other teenagers darting around and heading to the different courts. Steve locked his car and glanced around, wondering just where Violet was. He headed towards the entrance leading to all of the courts and saw a woman sat behind a table, taking people's details if they were playing or their money if they were there to watch. Steve waited his turn in line before coming to the woman with bleached blonde hair at the desk.

"Player or spectator?" she asked from him.

"I find it charming that you even think I could play," Steve said and the woman looked up at him and he saw her bat her lashes and he reached for his wallet from his jean pocket. "But I'm here to spectate. I'm actually looking for Violet Mattheson."

"Ah yes, the star attraction round here," the woman said and Steve handed her four dollars. She filed it away in her little metal tin. "Ms Mattheson has caused quite the stir."

"I bet," Steve said.

"Well, if you head down the path, court number one is on the left in the middle. Her match starts in about ten minutes," the woman told him.

Steve thanked her and took off. He glanced at the other courts as he passed by them. He could hear chatter and laughter as he went down the middle walkway and then ducked underneath the sign that said 'court number one.' He came to stand at the top of the court that was surrounded by three stands. They weren't full, but they were almost getting there. Steve headed down the aisle to sit behind the umpire. He slipped into a row and apologised to people as he went before pulling down a seat and settling into it. Leaning forwards, he waited patiently. She wasn't on court just yet. Checking his watch, he saw that he only had two minutes before she should appear.

And then he saw her father move onto the court from the corner of it. He walked around the edge and slipped through a gate into the stands. He sat a few rows in front of Steve, dressed in trousers and a green jumper with a black jacket over it. He looked pretty smart and Steve wondered if he should say something, but he was soon swarmed by other people who wanted to talk to him.

Steve stayed where he was and then it was too late to move as the players entered. Steve clapped along with everyone else, seeing Violet walking behind her opponent. She was carrying her bag on her shoulder and was dressed in a long-sleeved white top and skorts, laces tied up on her pristinely white trainers. Steve kept his gaze fixed on her, but she was focused on what was coming up. Her opponent looked older than Violet. Steve would say that she was in college.

Violet left her bag by her chair and sat down. Grabbing her racket out, she took a drink of water and a bite of banana. She tightened her ponytail and jogged to the baseline of the court. She rallied as a warm up with the girl across from her before the umpired called time. Steve watched Violet serve first, hitting an ace. There was a quick clap from somewhere in the crowd at that, but Violet didn't pay it any attention.

Steve knew that the tournament was a shorter one than usual. She'd told him how she usually played three sets, but in the interests of saving time, this tournament was shorter and it was the best out of nine games before the next opponent. There were only twelve other contestants and so the numbers would dwindle quickly.

Violet won her first match without dropping a game. She left the court for a while before coming back on and playing whoever had won on court number two. Steve left the court after that match to grab a drink and a snack before going back to his seat. He wasn't sure if she'd seen him yet, but he didn't want to distract her. And then Violet had gotten to the final. She'd dropped a game at the beginning, but she came back to win easily. Steve cheered as she took match point and everyone clapped. He stood up and Violet thanked the crowd, but she looked to him last, the smile on her face widening as he put his hands over his mouth and cheered as loud as he could, attracting attention from people sitting next to him. But he didn't care.

Violet was laughing at him and that was all he cared about. He watched her lift the trophy and then she jogged back to pack her things away. Steve grabbed hold of his can of coke and carried it down to the front of the stand. Her dad was stood there too and he looked over to him from the corner of his eye.

"Enjoy that, Harrington?"

"She's so good," Steve said. "I mean, I want to say that I can't believe how good she is, but she works so hard. I just…I want you to know that I'll never get in the way of what she does. I'd never do that to her."

"I appreciate that," Donnie said to Steve.

"Of course," Steve said.

Violet came over to them after a few minutes, carrying her bag. She went through the gate into the stand and Donnie was the first one to hug her, congratulating her and taking her bag to carry. He looked at her trophy and admired it before she turned to Steve and he moved his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him and not wanting to let go. Violet moved her free arm over his neck and then pulled back.

"Sorry, I probably stink."

"I've spent a lot of time in the boy's locker room. You smell fine," Steve assured her, keeping an arm around her waist. Violet looked to his coke can and he handed it to her, watching her take a gulp of it.

"Should you drink that?" Donnie asked his daughter.

"Just a sip," she said. "Besides, I need sugar."

"Violet Mattheson?"

Violet looked to where the noise had come from. There was a man in a three-piece-navy-suit moving down the steps towards them. Violet looked at him and Steve let go of her, taking his coke can back as the man held his hand out towards her. Violet shook it and her dad stayed close by her side.

"Mark Harcup," he introduced himself. "I work in the marketing team for a big sports retailer and you have become talk of every sport's marketing team out there. And this must be your team?" he asked her and Violet looked behind her.

"This is my dad and coach," Violet introduced him.

"Donnie Mattheson," Donnie said and extended his hand towards him.

The two men shook hands and Violet looked to Steve. "And this is Steve…he's…well…"

"The two of them are dating," Donnie answered and Violet wasn't entirely sure how she should introduce Steve. He wasn't her boyfriend, but she guessed he was more than her friend. Steve smiled at the man and just nodded his hand, keeping his distance and figuring that this didn't have anything to do with him.

"Ah, every father's worst nightmare," Mark said and Donnie chuckled in agreement. "Well, I wanted to come here because we wondered if you might be interested in being the face of our latest campaign. Now, the brand I work for…well…let's just say it's national and your face would be in the front of every store across the country. Since your Wimbledon victory, we've seen an increase by 68% of girls buying tennis equipment."

"Well, I didn't win," Violet said.

"You may as well have," he replied. "You're only seventeen and who knows what you'll do in Australia."

Violet knew that the news had broken that she was going to compete in the Grand Slam. She was trying not to think about it, feeling the pressure building already.

"Well, she works very hard," Donnie said. "And we don't want anything to detract from that."

"Oh, this wouldn't," Mark assured him. "In fact, it would just be working with our marketing team…some photoshoots…perhaps having an exclusive line of her own rackets, you know, her signature on them."

"And when would this be?"

"Well, we would like to fly you out to New York sometime in the next few weeks to discuss it. We'll put you up in a hotel and pay for the flights, of course, and you can also have your legal team look over anything before you sign it too," Mark said and Violet glanced to her father. She felt so far out of her depth and, truth be told, so did Donnie. He knew that he'd have to find a lawyer now.

"We might be able to find time around Thanksgiving," Donnie said and the man nodded eagerly.

"Excellent," he said. "I mean, we would be looking at Violet receiving a 3-4% share of any sales made, but that would be a significant amount considering her popularity."

Violet just kept quiet and Donnie nodded, his mind clearly trying to keep up with what was going on. It was Steve who frowned and wondered if he should interject. He didn't want to cause trouble. It wasn't in his place to get involved. But he spoke anyway.

"Did you say that you'd seen sales increase by 68%?" he double-checked and all eyes turned to him.

Mark nodded his head in confirmation. "Just with girls. With women there's been a 12% increase and even with boys…around a 20% increase."

"So…sales have gone up significantly in correlation with Violet gaining popularity?" Steve pushed and Donnie wanted to glare at Steve, but he was intrigued as to where this was going. "Sorry, it's just that it seems Violet's going to be the face of the brand and she has a share in sales…and is even marketing a racket designed by her…even if you factor in production costs, which are usually around 30% of the RRP price and then marketing costs…other costs, such as distribution, then it still seems that 3-4% is particularly low for someone who is going to be the face of the brand."

Steve finished and Violet had to admit that she had no idea what was going to happen now. She waited patiently for someone to speak, but it was Mark who spoke first and chuckled. He folded his arms and nodded at Steve.

"Her boyfriend and agent?" he asked from Steve who just shrugged. "Well, we can be flexible on percentage, of course. I'd need to talk to the boss, but I'm sure we can renegotiate something that is more reflective of what you're looking for."

"Sounds like a plan," Donnie confirmed and Mark handed Violet his business card before shaking their hands and leaving them alone. Steve took a long drink of his coke as father and daughter looked at him, the former with a brow arched and the latter with mouth agape.

"That was impressive, Harrington," Donnie told the boy and Steve tossed his can into the bin behind him.

"I just don't like the idea of Violet being screwed over," Steve said.

"Well, keep that up and I might even be out of a job as her manager."

Steve laughed at that and Violet just kept quiet as Donnie kept on talking to the two of them and they left the tournament, Steve wondering if he'd upset Violet somehow.

…

"You know, I didn't think this would be where we'd go for our first date," Violet said.

She was stood in the shallow end of Steve's pool. She'd gotten home from the tournament and Steve had told her to come over when she was ready. She'd changed into a skirt and a green jumper, trying to make an effort, but then he'd tossed her a swimming costume as soon as she'd arrived. She'd looked at him sceptically, but he told her to change and he'd meet her in the pool. It was slightly cooler than he'd anticipated, but the pool had a heater. He sunk into it, letting it warm his body before she came out in the black one piece he'd bought.

She'd climbed down the steps in the shallow end, hair tied into a ponytail and pulled back from her face. Steve had tried not to look as she'd dropped her coat from her body onto a lounger. He'd seen her in shorts before, but this was different. The black swimming costume clung to her body and her legs seemed so much longer. Her shoulders were almost bare except for the thin straps and the costume just came up to her chest, the swell of her breasts peeking out from it. Violet had tried not to think about the fact that Steve was just in a pair of swim shorts, his chest bare and Violet could see his lean stomach and the hair covering it.

"Well, I was serious about teaching you how to swim," Steve said to her. "I've seen you almost drown too many times before."

"It's only been twice."

"Twice is two times too many," Steve said to her.

"And it's freezing," Violet continued complaining.

"Well dip in a bit more. The water's warm," he said.

He was halfway down the pool, crouched in it to make sure his shoulders stayed covered up. Violet ducked down into the water too, the ends of her hair dipping into the water. He stood across from her, trying to make sure he didn't get his hair wet. He'd only just washed it that morning. He didn't want to ruin it.

"Right…come here," Steve urged from her.

"So…I just need you to trust me, alright? We won't go out of your depth," he promised her. "I'll hold onto you and you're not going to sink. You might feel like you will, but I'm not going to let you, alright?"

"Alright," Violet reluctantly agreed with him.

"So…stretch your arms in front of you," Steve instructed her. "And make a broad stroke with them…out and then in…" She did as he instructed and he moved his arm to her thighs, pulling them upwards. She instantly freaked out though, splashing around and then standing up as soon as she felt her feet leave the floor.

"What are you doing?" she demanded from him.

"You need to kick from the floor," he encouraged her. "You're gonna be alright and I'll keep hold of you…just trust me, okay?"

She nodded her head and went back to pushing her arms in and then out as Steve got her to kick her feet. He could tell she started to panic once she wasn't touching the floor, but he moved his arms under her waist, keeping hold of her as she began to swim, using him as some kind of float.

"There you go," Steve said to her. "Keep going…you're alright…"

Violet could feel the water lapping at her chin as she kicked frantically and Steve knew that she was doing the best she could. But then she got in her own head and started to freak out, feeling herself slipping under the water. Steve grabbed her then and she moved her arms around his neck, clinging to him as her legs went around his waist.

"You're alright," Steve promised her. "I've got you."

"Did I actually swim that?" Violet asked him and Steve nodded. He knew that the ends of his hair were getting wet, but he didn't really care. He kept bobbing around in the water with her in his grip.

"You did," he said to her. "You can do it."

"And this was really how you wanted to spend our first date?" Violet checked with him.

"You want the truth?" he asked from her. "I wanted you to know how to swim because I…because when I found you in the pool at Tina's party the other night I'd never felt panic like it. I never want to go through that again so if I can keep you safe by teaching you how to swim then maybe I might feel a bit better about things. I don't know…I know it sounds stupid, Vi, but it's important to me, okay?"

Violet shook her head at him. "It doesn't sound stupid," she promised him that much. "In fact, it's…well…it's pretty sweet of you," she confessed and Steve smirked.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed and he felt her lay her head on his shoulder. His bare skin was warm against her cheek and Violet quite enjoyed the way her legs wrapped around his waist, pushing her body against his. Steve looked down at her as she clung to him and he kept an arm beneath her thighs and another around her back, hand splayed out on the small of it.

"You weren't angry with me…earlier…were you?" Steve asked from her. "Y'know, with the marketing guy?"

"I wasn't mad," Violet promised him.

"Okay," Steve said. "It's just that you went really quiet and I thought you were mad at me."

Violet shook her head at that. She wasn't angry. She doubted she could ever really be angry with him. He watched her bite down on her lip before she looked him in the eye again.

"What is it?" he asked her. "If I didn't upset you then what is it?"

"It's embarrassing," Violet told him.

"I won't laugh," he promised her that much and she wasn't entirely sure if he was being honest, but she didn't want him to think that she was mad because she wasn't. She exhaled a sharp breath and moved her hands from the nape of his neck to his shoulders.

"It was…I don't know…I guess listening to you stick up for me…it was kinda…hot," she admitted and Steve hadn't expected her to say that. That had been the last thing he thought would come from her mouth. She nudged him in the shoulder as she saw him begin to snicker. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

"Trust me, this isn't a mocking laugh," he promised her. "In fact, it's flattering. I'm actually flattered."

"Yeah, I bet," Violet mumbled at him.

"Hey, if numbers gets you hot and bothered then I can start reciting times tables-"

"-Don't be a dick," Violet said, splashing at him. "It was just the way you stuck up for me. I mean, how did you know all of that anyway?"

"I pay attention to some lessons," was all that he admitted to her. "And if I know one thing, I know sports."

"Well, it was pretty nice," Violet said.

"I think the word you're looking for is hot," Steve said and she leaned her head back in annoyance. He squeezed her tightly then and kept on floating through the pool with her. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you looked pretty hot out there on that court kicking everyone's ass…and you look pretty hot in that costume too."

"So there was an ulterior reasons to this being our first date?" Violet said and Steve shrugged.

"You'll never know," he told her and she smiled at him, teeth bared and she noticed the way his eyes flickered down to her lips. Violet spotted the way he seemed to take in a deep breath and his hand slipped up to her cheek, stroking it gently. Was she getting the wrong message? "I know it's probably very forward for a first date, but all I keep thinking about is kissing you."

"I don't know, you've got me hardly wearing any clothes in your swimming pool. I think this is already pretty forward," she told him. "But you know…well…I haven't exactly…" she stammered and Steve just nodded at her.

"I know," he assured her. He knew that she'd never kissed anyone before.

"I just…what if you hate it? Hate me? And I'm bad at it?"

"Not possible," Steve told her. "Trust me, I won't hate it because it's with you and well, if you suck at it, then lucky for you that I'm actually very good at it so I can make it good for both of us. But something tells me that you're not going to suck at it because I don't think you've ever really sucked at anything in your life."

"I'm terrible at science."

"Very true," Steve agreed with that point.

"And being cool."

"Lucky for you, I'm super cool," Steve said.

"I also suck at swimming."

"Again, fortunately for you I'm a great teacher," Steve said to her. "So can you just shut up now so that I can kiss you?"

Violet swore it felt like a lifetime before she nodded. Steve just kept on smiling, his hand curling gently under her chin and tilting her face up towards his. He saw the way her lips parted slightly, a shaky breath coming from them. He lowered his face towards hers, seeing how her eyes closed in anticipation. He was soft, just letting his lips brush against hers, pecking them gently. He could taste the mint on her breath from where she'd been chewing gum on the way home.

Violet remained still, not entirely sure what she should be doing. She kept her eyes closed and enjoyed the feeling of his lips against hers. Steve only deepened the kiss after he was sure she wasn't going to pull away. He pressed harder against her, taking her slightly off guard and he heard a low moan rumble from her chest and through her throat. He swiped his tongue gently over her bottom lip, feeling her shiver in his arms at that and her mouth parted just enough for him to kiss her more forcefully. He moved a hand from her face to the back of her head, cupping it in his palm and tangling his fingers into her hair. Violet's hands slid from his neck, her own fingers getting lost in his strands of hair.

They pulled away for breath, Violet's cheeks red and her mouth open. Steve smirked at the look on her face and he leaned in to give her one final peck. "Told you there was nothing to worry about," he said.

"I don't know…maybe we could do better," Violet said. "I mean, practice does make perfect."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Violet replied.

And Steve leant back in, kissing her again but this time she reciprocated. He kept on smiling, his teeth clashing with hers as they both laughed at the feeling. He didn't care though, he was just thrilled to have her with him.

"Not interrupting, am I?"

They pulled apart from each other, but Steve kept Violet in his arms as he saw his father stood by the side of the pool. He hadn't expected his parents back for another day. Steve didn't let go of Violet, despite her trying to untangle herself from him.

"Dad, you know Violet," Steve said.

John Harrington eyed Violet with something that looked like contempt.

"I think we need a chat, Steve," John said without even looking at Violet. "I'll see you inside."

He turned on his heel and left without another word. Violet waited until he was gone before speaking. "Are you in trouble?"

"When am I not?" Steve muttered and he saw her face grow with concern. "Don't worry, Vi, it's nothing I can't handle and his bark is worse than his bite. It'll all be fine, trust me," he urged from her and kissed her briefly. "Besides, he's not going to ruin today. Nothing is going to ruin it. I'll see what he wants and then I'll come round afterwards."

"You don't want me to come in with you?"

"I don't want you to have to deal with him," Steve said. "I've got this. I promise."

He kissed her on the forehead as she slipped from his grip and went to get out of the pool. Steve followed her and wondered just what his father wanted with him this time.

….

A/N: Not sure if anyone is reading but I would love to know what you think!