“Kiss me again; and don't let me see your eyes! I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer—but yours! How can I?” — Heathcliff Earnshaw.
After my much needed cigarette break, I watched my wrist watch as the hour hand of the clock stuck 9, while the other was resting at 20, and I decided to go in the premises. Practice was in the first period, so I directly headed over to the swimming room, before anyone else had came in. Ah, usual, punctual me. I peeled the shirt off my back, shoving it in the locker that was assigned to me. Leaning against it, I let the cool surface of the metal soothe my nerves, when I heard something vibrate in the locker. Ah, my phone.
Reaching for the locker, I took out my phone, noticing an unread text hovering over the screen. I swiped up, the action leading me directly to Cole's chatbox. He and I had been seeing eachother a lot after the huge spat with Niall, which laid a strong pavement for our friendship. Moreover, he had been the person to whom I vented about my feelings day and night. Dude was persistent, and he never once complained about my steady rants regarding Roulette.
Cole : “Dudeeeeeeee. I got news!”
The string of e's after the one original e made me roll my eyes in utter annoyance and happiness. I loved talking to Cole, and despite being nuts, he was the guy who would always stand up for you, no matter what situation you were in.
Me : “This better be important, idiot.”
Smiling at my own text, I leaned against the locker once more, silently eyeing the clear blue water of the pool. Casting a brief glance at it, I saw my wobbling reflection on the unsteady surface of the water. A hurried beep from the mobile distracted me, making me snap my eyes back on the screen.
Cole : “Alexander broke up with he-who-shall-not-be-named.”
Me : “Wait, what?”
I reread the text that Cole sent me, not quite believing it. They had been dating for what? Two weeks? I felt a flicker of hope arise in the pit of stomach, hoping that it was me who caused it. That it was me for whom Alexander had broken up. Because he wanted me and not Niall. Wishful thinking, I knew. But a man could dream.
Cole : “Yes, you fucktard. Yes!!!!!!! I'm heading over to the pool rn. Talk to you there! Hang in there, bud!”
Once more, his exaggeration had me scoffing and rolling my eyes. Cold sweat broke out on my palm, my skin tingling with anticipation and hope. Tilting my head upwards, I closed my eyes, silently wishing that he had wanted me all along. Sighing, I shoved the phone inside the locker, slamming it with a thud.
—
Dragging myself out of the water, I ran a hand through my wet hair, shaking off excess water that had accumulated. The coach looked at me, silently smiling, but for the first time, I had not been proud of myself. Despite coming first, “What a game, Tobias. I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it.” He clapped my back, his face bubbling with triumph and enthusiasm.
He turned away from me, making his way to Alexander who casually shrugged his shoulders before the coach could even say anything. Eavesdropping was never my thing, yet, I was itching to hear the conversation, especially because of the coach’s agitated face, “Did you intentionally lag behind?” Just as I had guessed. He barely moved in the water today. He showed a behaviour like his hands and legs froze, “What? No.” There was a sigh from the other man, who clearly wasn't convinced.
He turned to face the team, before shouting out a decent ‘dismissed’. Cole and the others had gone into the bathroom stalls, while me and Alexander were busy scouring things from our lockers. Sticking my hand inside the metal box, I took out my grey t-shirt, throwing it over my shoulder.
“We need to talk.” The familiar voice jolted me out of my previous preoccupations, when I whirled back to face the speaker. He fixated his gaze on me, eyes turning into a darker shade of grey. My gaze travelled from his wet lips adorned with water droplets to the beads of water all over his bare stomach and chest, to his boxers. I quickly looked away for a second, not wanting to get hard here.
“There's nothing to talk about,” I snapped, trying to tone down the desire flowing in me. It had been weeks since he'd touched me and my body felt like begging for something in his presence. He took a step towards me, the heat emanating from his body neutralizing the coolness of the water that slicked his torso.
“There is,” His tone was domineering and full of authority, resulting in the death of the words in my mouth, “Come back. Back to me,” The struggle and his discomfort with words were clear in the stormy grey orbs that scanned me earnestly, hoping for a reaction. All I wanted to do was kiss him there was no tomorrow and feel him pounding inside me. The thoughts going on about my brain had melted my insides.
“You didn't call. You didn’t even fucking text,” I seethed through my gritted teeth, putting my wayward thoughts aside for a moment. I hated how pathetic I sounded, but that was the best I could manage.
“Did you want me to text?”