I quietly crept across the grass darkened by the night sky, going right up to the gate that separated my grandparents' house from Leo's. I took a deep breath before watching him for a little bit, feeling too nervous to go in. He shook his wet hair before brushing it back with his hands, smirking when he caught sight of me.
"You finally ready to swim with me," he asked as I let myself in.
"No, I just... What are you doing out here so late," I wondered, standing right by the edge of the shimmering pool.
"I couldn't sleep. I thought if I did a bunch of laps it would make me tired. Are you sure you don't want to join me?"
"No, I don't have a swimsuit with me."
"You can get in just in your underwear and throw my shirt over yourself. That would cover you up. It's red, so it won't be see through like white," he explained.
"No, I think I'll just watch if you don't care." I cautiously sat near the edge as he slowly nodded.
"Alright..." He licked his lips before diving beneath the surface again, splashing me a little with chlorine as he moved fast.
"Does your mom care about you being out so late," I questioned once he came up for air at the end of his run. He was wiping the water from his eyes as he answered.
"She probably wouldn't like it, but she's asleep upstairs, and her room's on the other side of the house."
I nodded as I forced a weak smile. "Are you getting tired yet?"
"A little bit. The water's pretty warm, since it's so muggy out," he admitted, touching his nose for a moment.
"Maybe I will get in... Is there somewhere I can change?"
"There's a small shed over there if you want to try it out. It's just got all the pool supplies in it. My shirt's over there in a pile." He nodded towards it as I went to retrieve it, the fabric soft in my hands.
It was weird changing in the pitch dark shed, except for the door I left cracked open just enough for a sliver of light. I made sure Leo's shirt was on me properly, grateful that it covered my hips and a fair amount of my thighs. I had forgotten he was so much taller than me. I stepped out just to find Leo gasping for air after coming up again. He coughed a little bit before his eyes focused on me. He gave me a soft smile, holding out his hand to help me to gently get into the water that was at a comfortable temperature.
"It's so nice out here," I breathed, gazing around as I heard the soothing sounds of the night.
"Yeah," he warmly smiled, taking my hand to lead me further into the center of the expanse of water.
"I've never really done laps like that before. I just mostly lie on stuff like inner tubes in the pool," I confessed.
"We have some in the shed if you want me to get one." He lifted his arm from the water to point to it, the quiet splash reaching my ears after.
"No, I'm okay." I shot him a weak smile as we just floated in one spot for awhile. "How are the kittens doing?"
"They're doing alright. They're safe in the garage right now with a couple of fans going," he responded, licking his lips.
"I'm getting kind of hungry," I admitted, since I had eaten a small supper, and it was hours ago.
"You want to get something from the kitchen?"
"Won't we wake up your mom?"
"Not if we're quiet," he faintly smirked, helping me out. He gave me his towel to wrap around my shoulders, him trailing a bunch of water into the house until he could get a fresh towel from the bathroom. I shivered at how cool the room was, wrapping the beach towel tighter around me. I could hear the air system humming softly as colder air rose from the vents. "You can have anything that's in the fridge." He opened the door wide open, so that I could peek inside. I scanned over the items before pulling out some vanilla pudding in a cup. He smiled at me before getting a chocolate flavored one. I watched as he almost silently opened the silverware drawer, handing me a clean spoon. We just ate in silence as we leaned against the grey granite countertop.
