Catch Me When I Fall (h.g.)

Chapter 32

The rest of the school year has flown by completely. It's now the last week of school, but luckily, our high school lets the students be exempt from their final exams at the end of the year. Seniors have to have a yearly average of 65 or above in their class. The underclassmen have to have an 80 or above in their class to be exempt. Hayes passed all of his classes with a mixture of A's and B's, and I had all A's. So while everyone who does have to take exams this last week, we have been relaxing and enjoying our early summer break.

We have been curled up on the couch the whole day, but I'm starting to get bored watching movie after movie. It feels like Hayes is starting to get bored, too. I sit up once the credits roll onto the screen and turn to him.

"Do you wanna do something else? I feel like getting out of the house," I say.

He nods and stretches his long arms over his head. "Yeah, me too," he yawns. "Where do you wanna go?"

I think for a minute until a suggestion comes to mind. "The pool's open in my neighborhood. Wanna go swimming?" I ask, slipping my shoes on.

"Yeah, let me grab my swimsuit real quick," he says before running upstairs to his room.

After a minute, Hayes runs down with a towel and his trunks in his hands.

"Why didn't you change?" I ask.

"I'll change at your house, so you don't have to rush to get ready," he says, grabbing his keys off the counter.

"I don't take that long to get ready," I say as we walk out to his car.

He gives me a look, and I give in.

"Okay, so I take a bit more time than you do," I say rolling my eyes playfully.

He laughs as we hop in his Jeep. We get to my house and both change into our suits. Hayes slips on his red trunks in my room while I change into my solid black bikini in my bathroom. I make sure my top is secure and walk out once Hayes is completely clothed.

"Hayes, do you mind getting the small blue cooler in the garage and filling it with a few drinks and some ice?" I ask as I twist my hair into a messy bun.

His eyes scan my body up and down lingering on my curves, and I remember that I'm standing in front of him in just a bikini. I start to feel self-conscious and begin to pull my arms around me.

He walks over and removes my arms. "No, don't cover up. You are absolutely beautiful," he says, kissing me softly on the cheek.

Heat rises to my cheeks. "Thank you," I say quietly.

He smiles at me before walking off to pack the ice chest. I pack my pool bag with sunscreen, my speaker, a book, and other pool necessities.

"I got the cooler, and I packed a few snacks in this bag," Hayes says, holding up a plastic Wal-Mart bag.

"Oh, perfect," I say. I grab my towel and slip on my flip-flops. "Ready?"

He nods and carries our stuff to the car. We drive down the street and park in front of the public pool. With it being Thursday in the middle of the day, hardly anyone is here. Everyone is either at school or work, so Hayes and I have the pool to ourselves. We set up our towels on two of the black lounge chairs. I hook my phone up to my bluetooth speaker and hit shuffle on my Spotify playlist.

"You brought sunscreen didn't you?" Hayes asks after setting the cooler and snacks in between our chairs.

"Yeah, spray or lotion?"

"Spray."

I toss him the bottle, and he turns the nozzle and begins to spray his face. I prefer the lotion because I feel like I'm getting completely covered. Before I can even flip the lid off, Hayes pulls his shirt over his head. My legs almost give out from under me as I take in every inch of his golden muscular body. He sprays the sunscreen over his arms and works his way down his chest to his toned stomach.