We sat in silence for most of the rest of the break, then when the whistle blew for the next rotation, he caught my arm before I left the snack bar. “Hey, Nolan. If you want, some of us go out after the late shifts some times. Would be great if you came along,” he looked hopeful.
I just nodded and shrugged. I didn’t know how to handle this. I was just getting used to the idea that the boy of my dreams might be giving me the time of day. There was no way I was prepared to handle any type of showdown. Slow down there, tiger. Don’t get ahead of yourself, no one is fighting for you, my subconscious put me back in my place.
“Thanks, maybe sometime. I’ve got a lot going on,” I lied. It seemed to be enough. He just smiled and walked away.
When I looked back over at Reed, he was walking in for his break and staring at Tyler with a hard expression. Almost as if to lay a claim on me, he smacked my butt as I walked by. It was probably the most intimate contact we’d had, but it also felt like I was his running back or left tackle. “Sorry, coach, I’ll get a hustle on,” I said, making a joke out of it. Always making a joke.
The day flew by. Tyler was right about that, time passed quickly here. We all finished our shutdown duties, rolling up misters and pool ropes and hanging everything for the next morning. A few staff members were doing trick dives from the diving boards and cannonballs into the deep end. This was the fun time, I guess.
I didn’t even hear Reed coming up behind me, but suddenly I felt my legs get swept up and he started marching towards the water. I hadn’t been more than ankle deep all day and had heard the water was still pretty cold for the season.
“Reed Johnson, what are you doing?” I said, trying to sound tough. Upon reflection, probably not my best defensive move. He just smiled and took off in a full-on sprint, leaping from the edge and crashing us both in the water. I was completely submerged, but I came back up, still in his arms. He had me held snugly to his chest. I was having a hard time catching my breath from the shock of the cold. I pushed the dripping wetness from my hair back and reached up to clear my eyes before opening them.
“You ass!” I yelled at him, slapping his chest. And at that, he dunked me one more time. “Quit it!”
“Not until you quit calling me an ass,” he smiled.
“Fine, I quit. But you’re going to have to deal with me cranking the heater on and forcing you to put the top on the Jeep,” I said in my whiniest voice possible. The music cranked up a little louder and suddenly everyone was in the pool. Apparently the staff always spent the end of the day goofing off and blowing off steam. I was going to like it here, I thought.
I started to get goosebumps on my arms and chest that were exposed from the water. I think Reed could feel me shivering a bit, because he suddenly held me a little closer. I took full advantage and snuggled in under his chin, my face right at his chest. My eyes were out of his sight, so I could look at him all I wanted without getting caught. I admired his tan biceps and perfect abs. I noticed a thin string bracelet on his right wrist. I touched it a little. “What’s this?” I said, chattering a little while I talked.
“Oh, that’s from my cousin, Shelley. She’s 7, and she lives in California. I guess you could say we’re sort of pen pals,” he joked, lifting his arm so I could get a better look at the bracelet. She had braded it and put tiny beads throughout, the same as our school colors.
“That’s pretty sweet,” I said, smiling up at him.
“Yeah, it is,” he said softly.
Reed just stared down at me, shifting back and forth from eye to eye because we were so close. The music and screaming from other swimmers in the background started to fade out. It was the same sort of feeling I got when I was about to pass out, but I knew my head felt fine. Reed leaned his head forward, pressing his forehead to mine, closing his eyes for a bit. He just sort of spun us, ever-so slowly in a circle, with our lips breaths apart. My lips were tingling, almost numb, but not from the cold water. I bit my bottom lip to try to stop the twitching and keep myself from shaking. I felt Reed shift, getting an even stronger grip on me, somehow holding me closer, which didn’t seem possible.
I was frozen, the tip of my nose touching Reed’s, as we swayed slowly in the water to some sappy pop song about standing in the rain. I knew the song, it was one of my favorites. But ask me the words right now, and I’d only be able to spit out gibberish. I bit my lip again, licking it a little from this unbelievable, beautiful suspense. And then Reed’s lips were touching mine. Not hard, but so incredibly softly. It was barely a kiss, but it was still the best one I’d ever have. He tilted his head up, just barely, taking my top lip between both of his and leaving them there for a few seconds, sucking me in faintly so I felt the tips of his teeth.