#also lets discuss the crumbs you're leaving for some other ships in this au

[starfall-spirit]

dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun.

No but I love this so much. I've never been super invested in Emorie just because I haven't interacted much with those fics and stuff, but I absolutely love the energy of this fic and the romantic potential it has.

Summer ACOTAR writing circle hosted by @azrielshadowssing - pairing Emorie

Cool for the Summer Part 1 - 1808 words

Part 2 | Part 3

Read below or on AO3

Wind whipped through the open windows of Emerie’s truck as she navigated through the quiet streets. Gwyn sat in the backseat, sipping an iced coffee and belting out the lyrics to the song on the radio while Nesta grumbled from where she slumped in the passenger seat. 

“You have far too much energy for this early in the morning. It’s unnatural.”

Emerie snorted as Gwyn ignored their grumpy friend entirely, grinning like a fool. She looked downright adorable in her white lifeguard tank and matching visor, her copper hair pulled into a perky high pony, mirrored aviators perched on her nose despite the low light of the early morning. She was practically bouncing in her seat as she sang. Gwyn had always been a morning person, the exact opposite of Nesta’s night owl tendencies. Emerie, who was neutral on the subject, had never been quite sure if her friend’s high energy levels in the morning were natural, or due to the copious amounts of caffeine she often drank.

Rolling her head to the side, Nesta glared at Emerie over the top of her cateye sunglasses. “I hate you for dragging me out of bed this early to deal with her.”

“You didn’t have to come,” Emerie chuckled. “You were the one who insisted we should all work here together this summer.”

Nesta returned her glare to the window, a few wisps of hair that had escaped the braid wrapping around her head, dancing in the wind. “Yeah, well, that was before I realized it required predawn hours.”

“They told us what the hours would be during the interview. You still agreed.” Silently, Emerie agreed that she hadn’t quite anticipated the ungodly hours either when she’d submitted to the job in a desperate attempt to avoid her family as much as possible over the summer. Luckily, they wouldn’t always have the opening shift.

Nesta made a dismissive noise and continued to sulk as they finally approached the country club’s parking lot and drove to the small section at the back they’d been instructed to park in for their shifts. Piling out of the car, Gwyn still humming under her breath, they entered the pool’s admin building, dropping their things off in the employee lockers and helped each other slather on sunscreen before they began the various tasks required to open the pool for the day. 

Gwyn opened the storage area and began bringing out the various flotation devices available for the pool’s patrons, Nesta disappeared to fetch towels from laundry while Emerie began setting up lounge chairs and umbrellas. Within an hour, the pool deck was set and ready, the bathrooms and various amenities rooms were checked and the doors unlocked. A family consisting of three very energetic children and their tired mother were already waiting outside as soon as the pool opened and Emerie kept an eye on them from her elevated chair as the mother attempted to wrangle them all into floaties before they jumped into the water.

The morning was relatively slow as guests began to slowly trickle in. Someone had brought their own speakers and was playing reggaeton at a low enough volume that no one bothered them about it. The music was a welcome addition to the background noise of screaming children and splashing. She could see Gwyn dancing in her perch across from Emerie and even Nesta was nodding along to the beat.

Nothing particularly exciting happened for the first few hours, and Emerie was just beginning to wonder if the easy paycheck was really worth how terribly bored she was when a group of unfairly good looking people trooped in through the gates and headed over to the row of cabanas that had been pre-reserved for the day. 

Emerie watched them with interest as they set out the coolers of drinks and snacks they’d brought with them. The cabanas and the amenities rooms were the only areas where food and drinks, other than water, were allowed, and the curly haired girl in the frilly pink bathing suit was directing the men with her on where to lay everything out while the women rolled out towels and blankets and rearranged chairs to their satisfaction. There were seven of them in total, but only four appeared to be coupled off. The curly haired woman with the man with ridiculously luscious looking red hair, and a woman who looked a lot like Nesta with one of the dark haired men who wore a smirk like it was painted on his face. 

Actually, now that she was looking…

Emerie: Nes, are those your sisters?

Nesta: *eye rolling emoji* yes. Ignore them

Gwyn: Why would we ignore them? You should introduce us. I can’t believe we’ve never met them before!

Nesta: No

“Nes!” 

Emerie looked up from her phone as the largest man in the group with his long hair pulled up into a bun approached Nesta with a wide grin under his glasses. She felt a brow lift as she took in his well formed physique, tattoos covering his shoulders. He stopped below Nesta’s chair, his head almost eye level with her boobs. Emerie couldn’t hear what he said to her, but she could see the way her friend pointedly ignored the man.

Emerie: Um… who’s the hottie?

She watched as Nesta snatched up her phone from where it had been sitting on the chair’s arm- right under his nose. She knew he’d seen the text when his grin widened and he turned to glance around the pool, nodding his head at Emerie and Gwyn when he caught sight of them, phone in hand.

Gwyn: *crying laughing emoji*

Emerie snickered to herself as she watched one of the last of the dark haired men from the cabana group make his way over to his friend, shaking his head in an exasperated sort of way. His steps paused as he scanned the pool deck and spotted Gwyn. 

Emerie: Oop! Looks like you caught one too, Gwyn. *evil grinning emoji*

Gwyn: *blushing emoji*

Nesta: stop it. Both of you.

Emerie: You never answered the question Nes. Who’s the hottie? 

The man in question was still attempting to flirt with Nesta, who had not even glanced in his direction, until his friend slapped a tattooed hand on his shoulder and steered him away.

Nesta: no one

Gwyn: HA!

Emerie: Oh, please. Don’t lie to us, Nes. It’s insulting.

*offended gif*

Gwyn: *pounting GIF*

Nesta: *eye roll emoji*

Smirking, Emerie looked over at her friend, her attention snagging briefly on a flash of bright red before doing a double take as another person joined the party in the cabanas. Emerie froze as her attention zeroed in entirely on the most gorgeous woman she’d ever seen. Strutting in red cork wedges with a matching bikini, under a sheer black sarong, a giant straw hat shaded her face but it was easy enough to make out her red, heart shaped sunglasses and equally red lips. Long blonde hair streamed behind her in perfect waves, and gold jewelry glinted at her throat and wrists. The woman looked like she’d stepped out of a magazine… or Emerie’s fantasies.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, jarring her back to the conversation with her friends. 

Nesta: close your mouth, Em. Your jaw is practically on the floor

Gwyn: *drooling emoji*

*GIF of cartoon character jaw drop*

Emerie’s cheeks heated as she glanced once more at the woman who was greeting the women who had to be Nesta’s sisters with a wide smile.

Emerie: shut up

Gwyn: *laughing emoji*

Nesta: *smirking emoji* That’s Mor

I can introduce you…

Gwyn: What?! You’ll introduce a potential love interest for Emerie, but won’t introduce your sisters?? Injustice!

Emerie: I agree with the ginger

Gwyn shot her a playful scowl from across the pool, which Emerie returned with a wink before remembering she was wearing sunglasses and just grinned. 

A loud whoop was followed by a massive splash that sent water shooting up high enough to drench Nesta, who sputtered indignantly, and caused waves to spread across the pool. Gwyn’s shrill whistle cut through the air as she stood and pointed at the grinning idiot that had been flirting with Nesta earlier, and had just resurfaced.

“No splashing!” she scolded. He ignored her, grinning up at a seething Nesta who now resembled a drowned rat. His friend shot Gwyn an apologetic look.

Emerie cursed under her breath and contemplated how to keep Nesta from doing something that might get her arrested but her sisters were already rushing over to diffuse the situation. Sitting back in her seat, she couldn’t stop her eyes from straying back over towards the cabanas, only to find the gorgeous blond staring right at her.

Heat flooded Emerie as she flushed under the attention. She reached up to play with the end of her braid, a nervous habit, as she held the woman’s gaze. It helped that they were both wearing glasses and were too far away to properly read each other’s expressions, which hopefully meant she couldn’t see just how red Emerie’s face was. 

The woman- Mor, reached a hand up to tip her sunglasses down, peering over them at Emerie in a way that made it obvious she was looking at her. Emerie flushed further as her red lips tipped up in a smirk. She then turned in an elegant move, untying the sarong around her waist so Emerie got a good look at her sculpted body as it fell away. Perching on the edge of a lounger, she slipped off her heels, reaching into the white and gold tote she’d brought in with her and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. Turning to stretch out in the chair, Emerie watched, mesmerized as she began massaging the lotion into her long, tanned legs…

Once again, her phone pulled her back to the present. The grinning idiot was now riding a ridiculous unicorn floaty next to his friend who sat at the edge of the pool eyeing Gwyn, while Nesta glared at them both. Gwyn, for her part, was staring Emerie down, her red eyebrows dancing over the edge of her glasses when she finally caught her attention, a bright grin on her face as she looked back and forth between Emerie and Mor who was smirking at her once again.

Cursing to herself again, Emerie glanced down at the group chat that was full of suggestive GIFs and teasing innuendos from her friends at her expense. Nesta had again offered to introduce her and Emerie stared at her phone for a moment, biting her lip as she considered. When she looked up again, however, it seemed the decision had been made for her.

Mor, apparently finished applying her sunscreen, had risen from her seat and was now sauntering across the pool deck, directly towards Emerie.