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now playing: tweedle dee by lavern baker
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Their swimming hang out finally continued.

As Lynn nervously rang the doorbell, she could hear the faint sounds of footsteps descending the stairs inside. The door swung open to reveal Gwen, her face lighting up with excitement at the sight of Lynn.

"Hey, Lynn!" Gwen signed and spoke, her voice filled with warmth. "Come in! Don't worry, my mom's out, so we won't be bombarded with any boyfriend questions today."

Lynn let out a sigh of relief and stepped inside, glancing around at the spacious and elegantly furnished living room. "Your house is really nice," she said, genuinely impressed.

"Thanks," Gwen signed, her humility evident despite the opulent surroundings. "I'm glad you like it. Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes, I have," Lynn replied.

"Good," Gwen signed with a smile. "Let's go upstairs to my room."

Lynn followed Gwen up the sweeping staircase, her curiosity piqued by the beautiful artwork and family photos lining the walls. They entered Gwen's bedroom, and Lynn couldn't help but be struck by how clean and tidy it was. Everything had its place, and the room felt cozy and welcoming.

"I like to keep things clean," Gwen said, noticing Lynn's gaze.

"It's really nice," Lynn responded, feeling a bit envious of the immaculate space.

Gwen walked over to her closet and began to prepare her swimsuit. "I'll be right back," she said, heading to the bathroom to change.

While Gwen was in the bathroom, Lynn's eyes wandered around the room, landing on a series of picture frames on Gwen's dresser. One photo in particular caught her eye. It was of a young woman who looked like she was from the 60s, her features strikingly similar to Gwen's.

Lynn stared at the photo, lost in thought, until she heard the bathroom door open. She turned to see Gwen walking out in her swimsuit, her confidence and grace leaving Lynn momentarily speechless.

Gwen moved to her bed to gather her clothes, and Lynn couldn't help but watch in awe. "How can someone so beautiful be friends with me?" she muttered under her breath, forgetting for a moment that Gwen couldn't hear her.

Noticing Lynn's gaze, Gwen tried not to blush. She read Lynn's lips as she continued to offer compliments, like "You're so beautiful. Oh my God." making her feel both flattered and bashful.

Lynn was noticing the other girl's face and shut her mouth up. Her cheeks flaring.

To break the awkwardness, Gwen motioned for Lynn to use the bathroom to change into her swimwear. Lynn nodded and stepped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Changing quickly, she took one last look at herself in the mirror before stepping back out.

Gwen was standing by the picture frames, her fingers lightly touching the photo of the woman from the 60s. She turned to Lynn, her face lighting up at the sight of her in her swim trunks and shirt.

"Ready?" Gwen signed, her heart pounding.

"Ready," Lynn replied, smiling.

They made their way downstairs and out to the backyard, where the pool sparkled invitingly under the midday sun. Gwen led the way, her excitement palpable.

___

"Your pool is amazing," Lynn said, standing at the edge and looking around.

"Thank you," Gwen signed, grinning. "It's my favorite place to relax. Want to start a dive?"

Lynn nodded eagerly and climbed up the diving board. With a deep breath, she executed a perfect dive into the water. Gwen clapped her hands in approval, her eyes shining with admiration.

When Lynn surfaced, she shook the water from her hair and smiled. "Your turn!"

Gwen climbed up the board, took a deep breath, and dove gracefully into the pool. Lynn watched, her heart swelling with admiration. She couldn't believe she was here, spending the day with Gwen, her crush and someone she deeply respected.

When Gwen reached the surface of the water, the first thing she said was, "Wanna race?"

And moments later, the sun hung high in the sky, casting warm, golden light across the backyard pool. Lynn and Gwen stood at the edge of the deep end, their competitive spirits ignited. The cool, inviting water beckoned beneath them, glistening under the bright rays.

"Ready?" Lynn asked, her voice filled with excitement as she positioned herself at the starting line.

Gwen nodded, her eyes sparkling with determination. She signed back, "Ready!"

"On your mark, get set, go!" Lynn shouted.

They both dove into the water, their bodies slicing through the surface with powerful, synchronized strokes. Lynn surged ahead, her strong, practiced movements propelling her forward at an impressive speed. She reached the other end of the pool in no time, touching the wall and glancing back to see Gwen just a few strokes behind.

Gwen surfaced, panting but smiling. She signed, "Wow, you're really fast!"

Lynn laughed, her cheeks flushing with pride. "Thanks! Let's go again. Maybe you'll beat me this time."

They returned to the starting point, their competitive spirits reignited. This time, as they launched off the wall, Lynn intentionally held back, letting her strokes be just a bit slower. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Gwen pulled ahead, her determination evident in every movement.

Gwen reached the end of the pool first, turning to see Lynn finishing just behind her. Her face lit up with triumph, a broad smile spreading across her features.

"I did it! I won!" Gwen signed excitedly, her eyes wide with delight.

Lynn couldn't help but smile goofily, her heart swelling with affection. "You did! You were amazing, Gwen."

Gwen blushed, her smile turning shy. "Thanks, Lynn. That means a lot."

They floated together in the water for a moment, the excitement of the race lingering in the air. Gwen's eyes sparkled as she looked at Lynn, admiration clear in her gaze. "You're really great at swimming. How did you get so fast?"

Lynn shrugged modestly, her cheeks still pink from the exertion and Gwen's compliment. "I've been practicing for a long time. It's kind of my thing, you know?"

Gwen nodded, understanding. "Well, you're incredible. I'm really glad... we're friends."

Gwen felt that sounded wrong for her.  But why those words 'we're friends' did it? Gwen had gone entirely confused.

Lynn's heart skipped a beat at the word "friends," her mind racing with thoughts of how much she wanted to be more than that. But for now, she was content to enjoy the moment, basking in Gwen's admiration and the warmth of the sun.

"Let's just float for a while," Gwen suggested and brushed off a feeling, stretching out on her back and looking up at the sky.

Lynn joined her, the two of them drifting peacefully in the pool. The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in their own bubble of contentment.

As they floated, Gwen reached out and gently took Lynn's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Lynn squeezed back, a silent promise passing between them.

The sun continued to shine down on them, casting a golden glow on the surface of the water. And in that perfect moment, Lynn felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be, with the person she cared about most in the world.

After a while, they climbed out of the pool and wrapped themselves in large, fluffy towels. Gwen gestured towards a small table she set up with snacks and drinks. "Hungry?" she signed, her eyes sparkling with warmth.

"Starving," Lynn admitted with a grin.

They sat down, enjoying the snacks and each other's company. Lynn couldn't help but ask, "Who's the girl in the photo from your bedroom? The one that looks like you and from the 60s?"

Gwen's expression softened as she signed, "That's my grand-aunt. My grandmother's sister. People always say I look a lot like her."

"I can see the resemblance. She was beautiful, just like you," Lynn said.

Gwen blushed deeply, looking away for a moment. When she looked back, she signed, "Thank you, Lynn."

"You know, I've been thinking of asking you this but where are you from before moving to Royal Woods?" Lynn questioned and bit on her sandwich.

Gwen stables her breath and could not bear the thought of letting others know where she came from. But this is Lynn who she is with and she knew that Lynn is a good friend she can trust.

"Monaco." Gwen simply answered and opened her one eye to see Lynn's reaction.

"Monaco?" Lynn's jaw dropped, "The place where they set the F1?"

"Yup,"

"Holy shit," Lynn gulped and drank a half glass of apple juice. "That's fantastic, oh my god..."

Lynn still could not shut her mouth and the chatters faltered afterwards. An awkward silence fills the air once again.

Gwen talked first, "That swim race we did was quite intense."

"You think racing in the pool is intense? Wait till you hear about a typical day in the Loud house," Lynn began, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

Gwen tilted her head curiously, ready to listen. "Tell me," she signed with a smile.

Lynn took a deep breath and started. "Okay, so there's this one time when my brother Lincoln thought it would be a good idea to try and make a haunted house in our basement. It was supposed to be this epic, scary place for Halloween."

Gwen's eyes widened with interest. "A haunted house? In your basement?"

"Yeah!" Lynn nodded, laughing at the memory. "He went all out, with spooky decorations, creepy sounds, the whole deal. He even got our sisters to play along. Luan, our resident prankster, was totally in her element. She had all these fake spiders and whoopee cushions set up everywhere."

Gwen giggled, already amused by the idea. "That sounds like so much fun."

"It was, until things got a little too real," Lynn continued, her grin widening. "Lola, who's usually all about beauty pageants, got so into her role as a ghost that she accidentally scared Leni, our fashionista sister, half to death. Leni screamed so loud that it set off the smoke alarm."

Gwen's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oh my gosh, what happened then?"

"Well, the alarms woke everyone up, including our parents. And in all the chaos, Luna, our rock star sister, started playing her guitar to calm everyone down. But instead of soothing music, she accidentally hit the wrong chord and made this ear-splitting noise. It was pandemonium."

Gwen was laughing now, her shoulders shaking with mirth. "That sounds absolutely crazy!"

"Oh, it gets better," Lynn said, her own laughter bubbling up. "Lana, who loves animals and all things gross, thought it would be a great idea to bring in her pet snake to add to the spooky atmosphere. But the snake got loose, and everyone freaked out. Lincoln was trying to catch it, but ended up slipping on one of Luan's whoopee cushions and falling into a pile of fake cobwebs."

By now, Gwen was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. "That's hilarious! Your family sounds like so much fun."

"It's never a dull moment, that's for sure," Lynn said, chuckling. "But the best part? After all the chaos, we ended up having a blast. We laughed about it for weeks. It's one of those memories that always makes me smile."

Gwen's laughter began to subside, and she looked at Lynn with genuine affection. "You're really lucky to have such a big, fun family," she spoke and signed.

"I know," Lynn said, her smile softening. "They drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't trade them for anything."

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, the shared laughter creating a deeper bond between them. Gwen reached out and gently took Lynn's hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Gwen signed, her eyes sparkling with warmth.

"Anytime," Lynn replied, squeezing back. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the backyard, Gwen turned to Lynn, her eyes reflecting a mixture of excitement and apprehension. She took a deep breath, ready to share her own story.

"I have something to tell you," Gwen signed, her hands moving with a gentle grace. "I'm an only child."

Lynn's eyes widened slightly, her full attention on Gwen. "Really? What's that like?"

Gwen smiled, touched by Lynn's eagerness. "It's... different. I think a lot about what it would be like to have siblings. That's why I love your story. I've always wondered what it would be like to have brothers and sisters."

Lynn chuckled. "Well, it can be a lot of fun, but siblings who snitch are the worst."

Gwen laughed, the sound musical despite its quietness. She then began to think if she should perhaps share something about her life.

But then her resistance to the glimpse of her childhood started to falter and something pushed her not to do so.

Gwen managed to smile and continued. "What about your grandparents? Do they visit often?"

Lynn's face lit up. "Oh, my grandparents are a blast! When they come over, the whole house feels like an earthquake. They bring so much energy and fun."

Gwen listened intently, a mixture of happiness and sadness in her eyes. "That sounds amazing."

Gwen was about to ask more when a car pulled up in the driveway, the sound breaking the moment of sharing. They stood up, still wrapped in their towels, and walked to the front door to see who had arrived.

An older woman stepped out of the car, her posture stern and her expression unreadable. Lynn could feel the tension radiating from Gwen, who was now breathing shakily.

"Who is that?" Lynn asked, her voice low.

Gwen took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she signed, "That's my grandmother."

Lynn watched as Gwen walked towards her grandmother, leaving her side. The older woman's stern demeanor was intimidating, and Lynn couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Gwen. She stood at the door, observing the interaction from afar, ready to support Gwen if needed.

Gwen greeted her grandmother with a hug, though it seemed hesitant. The stern woman's expression softened slightly, and they exchanged a few words. Gwen turned back to Lynn, her eyes meeting hers briefly before she gestured for Lynn to join them.

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author: I just found out that I've been updating once a month. ㅜㅜ I am deeply sorry for disappearing, but a long chapter is what you deserve.

Thank you for reading!