THE POOL GIRL: UNDER THE PEAR TREE
THE POOL GIRL: UNDER THE PEAR TREE
A SHORT SAPPHIC ROMANCE SET IN SUNRISE
Copyright © 2020 Leto Armitage – All rights reserved
Publisher: Libertalia Press
Content Guidance
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 DESCRIPTION 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
Melissa Milton has always had her best friend Lavi by her side – through cheerleading drama, family pressures, and the complicated dance of being eighteen. But when Melissa starts working for the enigmatic Robert Carlo, something shifts inside her, awakening feelings she never understood.
Now, curled up in her childhood bedroom with contraband fudge and their favourite film playing, Melissa finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about love, friendship, and herself. Because the emotions Robert stirred didn’t come from nowhere – they were already there, waiting, focused on the one person who’s always truly seen her.
Lavi has loved Melissa for years, content to be the steady rock in her friend’s turbulent world. But when Melissa starts asking the questions Lavi never dared voice, everything changes. Because sometimes the greatest love stories begin not with a first meeting, but with finally admitting what was always there.
A tender exploration of first love, self-discovery, and the courage it takes to speak your heart’s truth.
This is a sweet prequel to The Pool Girl series – no explicit content, just pure emotional connection between two young women discovering love.
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 EXCERPT 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
It was early June, a Tuesday, and, as always in the south, it was hot. Melissa Milton was walking home a few blocks from where she was cleaning Robert Carlo’s pool every day. She was wearing her summer uniform of shorts and a t-shirt with trainers and almost skipping along as she listened to her phone. Her golden hair floated when the occasional breeze interrupted the heat. The music of Blackpink blasted through earbuds as she sang along with the English lyrics, ‘little bit of this, little bit of that, gimme gimme gimme’ and then hummed along with the Korean lyrics.
Turning onto her street she saw a familiar blue Taurus and started jogging forward as she saw Lavi open the door and hold her arms open. Getting near Melissa slowed down to put away her phone and earbuds.
“Sis,” Melissa squealed, “from another miss!” Lavi finished. Lavi grabbed her friend in a hug. At 5’8” Melissa with her athletic body had to lean down just a little to hug the shorter cheerleader with curly dark hair, whose figure was fuller and softer. Lavi was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, an unusually plain look for her. As they pulled apart she grabbed her overnight bag from the passenger seat and shut up the car.
“So,” Lavi started, “you seem to have 180’d since I talked to you earlier.”
Melissa was smiling broadly, “What do you mean?”
“I mean I thought I was going to come over to find you listening to Billie Eilish and writing emo poetry on LiveJournal.”
“Oh my God, I did that like once!”
Lavi put one hand on her hip. “Babe, there are clubs you can’t leave once you join them.”
Melissa rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s get inside and I’ll educate you on why I’m not sitting the dark staring off in the middle distance and shit.”
“Are there cookies?”
“Only if you brought them. I think mom found my stash because it was gone yesterday.”
“Well, it’s not cookies but …” Lavi opened her bag.
Melissa’s eyes went wide. “I love you, I love Sylvia-mom.”
“I know.” Lavi grinned.
Inside was a large Ziplock bag with homemade fudge.
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 REVIEWS 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
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