two can play at this game | cg

27

night swimming
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The metal rattled violently as we climbed over the fence separating the pool from the parking lot. The smell of chlorine hit my nose and I stopped to take in the scenery, watching the water glisten in the moonlight and hearing the sound of waves hitting the tiles. As the pool was located on a hill, I took a moment to admire the view of downtown Chicago. White and yellow lights lined every building and street, creating veins that ran across the city. Everything looked so peaceful from up here..

"Are you coming in or not?" Carl called from the water as he bobbed up and down. I nodded and stripped down to my underwear before canon-balling into the pool. As I came up for air, I noticed Carl had disappeared so I frowned and tried to feel for him in the dark water. Suddenly, my body was lifted into the air and I found myself on his shoulders. "Put me down!" I whined, trying to splash him but he just walked me around the pool, starting up a conversation. We talked about the future, about our future and it made me realise that I was going miss the fuckboy that once tapped my ass or whispered sexual fantasies in my ear whilst I made my way to class. His quick decision to transfer schools came as a surprise because he was the opposite of formal and disciplined but it was what he wanted and all I wanted was for him to be happy.

*SPLASH*

My body came into contact with the cool water and I immediately resurfaced, coughing and gasping for air. "You son of a bitch!" I yelled as he tried to swim away from me but, before he could fully escape, my hand grabbed at his leg, pulling him back towards the shallow end. I leapt onto his back to keep him underwater but noticed that his arms started flailing about, almost as if he was struggling. Then, I felt his body freeze underneath me which sent me into panic mode.

"Carl? Oh my god.." My voice quivered as I dragged him to the poolside and laid him out on the concrete. "Think Vanessa, think!" I scanned my brain for ways that I could revive him, settling on something I'd seen in a movie. My fingers pinched his nose as I tilted his chin and blew air into his mouth, pulling away to see if it had had any effect. After seeing no response, I tried again but this time, I felt a slimey tongue sneak into my mouth, indicating he had been conscious the whole time. I immediately pulled away and pouted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Fuck you Gallagher! You actually scared me.." I moaned, my voice resembling a stroppy 5 year old. Once he'd contained his laughter, Carl smirked and unfolded my arms before muttering "You don't understand how much I've missed those lips of yours." We made eye contact and I felt his piercing hazel eyes staring into my soul, which softened my expression and turned me into putty in his hands. He had me right where he wanted me and I couldn't stop myself from falling hard. Again. Our bodies inched closer together until I could feel his warm breath on my lips but just as we were about to close the gap, sirens blared from the car park below.

"Shit!" I panicked as we pulled away, beginning to collect our clothes from the floor. The engine of the cop car cut off and, as the officers clambered out of the vehicle, we climbed back over the fence, taking refuge behind a bush. "If we get caught I'm blaming-" A hand covered my mouth as two flashlights shone in our direction. Once they'd reached the entrance to the pool, Carl removed his hand and hissed "Go, go, go!", pushing me towards the car. We dived in and watched as the cops started sprinting towards us, leaving their flashlights in the grass. "Get out of the car!" They yelled but we responded by revving the engine and speeding out of the parking lot.

Adrenaline surged through me for the second time that day and I tried to steady my heartbeat but that failed as I burst into fits of laughter. "You really know how to have fun, don't you?" I managed to squeeze out in between breaths and Carl looked over at me, a smirk already on his face. His hand slowly crept onto my thigh and the corners of my lips turned upwards as I placed mine on top, interlacing my fingers in his. "I'm going to miss you like mad.." My words were barely audible and I turned to look out of the window, watching the passing cars. Suddenly, I felt Carl squeeze my hand, indicating he'd heard what I'd said. "I'm going to miss you too."

[end of chapter]

hey loves, how's ur holiday going? i haven't gotten out of bed and it's almost 8pm so yeah, that's cool. love y'all 💘