Prove It

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I know I have readers of varying ages and lifestyles, so here's your warning: This chapter contains themes that may not be suitable for all readers such as underage drinking. Please know your limits. Reader discretion is advised. Thank you and enjoy!



"Hips up, head back, and try to relax."

"Tristan, I'm never going to get this."

"Yes, you are. And thinking that way is probably why you haven't been able to do it yet. You have to think positive."

Tristan was standing in the middle of the pool holding Sierra as she laid across his arms along the surface of the water. They'd been in the water for at least thirty minutes working on floating, but they weren't getting anywhere. Sierra wondered how she was supposed to think positive when she sank like a stone every time she tried. Tristan made it look so easy, even Jillian had mastered this elusive skill while Sierra still struggled with it. After the last time Tristan tried to let her go and she sank, he decided it may be time to change tactics.

"Okay, let's try something," he told her. "Tell me a story. Something happy that you remember."

Her mind immediately supplied memories of Tristan. Thoughts of all the times they spent in the music room, their fake fight in the grass, him teaching her how to swim. But she couldn't tell him about that, so she brought up another blissful memory.

"One of the things I remember about my mom was when we used to have girl's night. She would make my dad leave the house because there were no boys allowed. And then she would let me stay up as late as I wanted and we would style each other's hair, pig out on Chinese food all night, and watch silly movies. It used to be the best thing in the world spending that time with her."

Sierra was instantly transported to the past when she still had a mom. She remembered how much she loved her and was happy to have even the few memories that she did. She didn't realize the grin that reminiscing brought to her face.

"That sounds like it was fun," Tristan said.

"It was. I remember thinking how cool she was. My mom always knew how to have fun."

Usually, talking about her mother, even thinking about her, caused Sierra to have a nervous breakdown, the pain was always unbearable. But thinking about the good times she had with her, the memories she still carried, she wanted to talk about it, she wanted to share what she knew of her mother with the guy that meant the most to her next to her dad.

"What was your mom's name?"

"Charlotte."

"That's beautiful."

"I always thought so."

"It's still not as beautiful as Sierra, though."

The words jolted Sierra out of her memories and into the present. Sierra heard Tristan's voice coming from a different direction than she remembered. He'd moved. She was on the verge of panic when he floated into view and she instantly relaxed.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." Then realization hit. "Ummm, why aren't you holding me up?"

"Because I don't have to. You're floating."

"What?"

"You're floating."

"I'm floating?"

"Yeah."

"By myself?"

"Yup."

"Oh my God, I'm going to drown!"

Sierra kicked and splashed as she sank into the shallow water. Tristan was there in seconds, his strong arms going around her, providing support and protection.

"I've got you," he said trying so hard not to laugh and failing.

"It's not funny," Sierra said wiping the wet hair that came loose from her ponytail and was now plastered to her face. She was sure she looked like a drowned rat.

"Yes, it is." He said giving up all together. His laughter echoed throughout the indoor space. "Wait, no don't go," he said when she moved to get out of the pool. "I'm sorry I laughed at you. But who does that?" Then he started laughing again. He grabbed hold of her arm when she continued to head toward the side of the pool. "Wait. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Sierra couldn't look at him, with his face lit up with humor. His smile was always a weakness for her. She wouldn't be able to stay mad if she looked at him.

"You can't say sorry for laughing at me but then keep laughing at me. It negates the apology."

"Okay, I'm almost done. I just need some time to ..." he chokes on his laugh. "Sierra, that was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Why did you panic like that?"

"I don't know. I got scared when I knew you weren't holding me."

"You're going to have to learn to rely on your own abilities pretty soon," he said starting to sober up. "I expect you to be swimming by the end of next week."

"Next week? Isn't that a little soon?"

"Nope. You're a natural. You already know how to float." Chuckle.

"Tristan," she chided.

"Sorry," he said. He cleared his throat and tried again. "You can already float and I don't think it will take long to teach you how to tread water. And once that's all done, then I can start teaching you some of the different strokes."

Sierra was surprised by how much thought he put into her lessons. He scheduled it all out, but hearing what he had planned seemed overwhelming. She only just got the hang of floating. Well, she only kind of got the hang of floating. She wasn't sure she was ready to move on from that just yet. Tristan read her thoughts easily.

"Don't get overwhelmed. We're still going to take it one step at a time. If you think about it, you've accomplished so much over the past few weeks. I mean, did you ever think you would get to this point so fast? Just a month ago, I couldn't even get to go in the deep end and now you're practically floating on your own. That's a big deal."

Sierra thought back to when she first started learning to swim and it was pretty amazing what they'd accomplished together in such a short amount of time. There was a time when she thought she would never be able to go in the water without losing it but now she knew she could do it, the water no longer had power over her. And she owed everything to Tristan. He tries to downplay his role in her success by making it seem like she did everything on her own, but he deserved most of the credit. She could not have done any of this without him.

"I know you need to leave early today so you can get ready for Tia's party, but we have a few hours before it starts. Do you want to practice floating some more?"

She looked into her favorite green eyes, saw the beginning of his playful smile and knew there was only one answer she could give.

"Yeah."

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Sierra put on the outfit she picked out for the party the night before with Tia's help. When she looked in the mirror she immediately had second thoughts. She looked like she was auditioning to be the lead in a music video. Her clothes seemed more suitable for going to the club rather than a house party. This is what happens when you let an overzealous best friend choose your clothes with the intent of helping you hook up with a guy.

She twisted and turned in front of her mirror examining the ensemble from all angles. She wore a flowy lavender purple tank top that fell to the top of her hips and had skinny silver straps that crisscrossed in the back. The top wasn't form fitting, it just hinted at the shape beneath, but it left the majority of her back exposed. The bottoms she wore on the other hand covered everything but left absolutely nothing to the imagination. They were black and tight and fit her like a second skin. The material clung to every inch and hugged every curve of her lower body. Her dad would not approve.

She looked at the clock and sighed. It was 8:30. Too late to change. Sierra resolved that she was stuck wearing what she had on so she was going to have to make it work. She looked at her shoes. Tia said she should wear heels, but there was no way. She felt uncomfortable enough without having to deal with her feet hurting all night. She looked at a cute pair of black boots with a relatively low heel, but they definitely added to the video vixen look she was trying to avoid, so she settled for some pointed black flats that would allow her to be comfortable and dance as much as she wanted and it helped to tone down the outfit.

Her hair was conditioned to give it body and flat-ironed bone straight for a sleek finish. It swung lightly with her movements and hung to just beneath her shoulder blades. She slathered her skin in her favorite vanilla scented lotion, put a pink gloss on her lips, and did some last minute primping. She made one last trip to the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. The shoes helped, a lot. They added the perfect touch of casual she needed to make the outfit more her style. She was ready.

She jumped a little when she heard the doorbell ring. Tristan was here. All of her confidence faded and she suddenly felt self-conscious again. She looked at her watch. The hands showed 8:45. Yup, definitely too late to change.

She was being ridiculous, she looked amazing and Tristan had seen her in much less than this during their swimming lessons. Ignoring those annoying butterflies in her belly, she walked out of her room and paused at the top of the stairs. Here goes nothing, she thought and headed down.

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As Sierra descended the stairs she stopped in her tracks when Tristan came into view. He was facing mostly away from her but she could still see every detail of him. He wore a gray sweater with black suede patches at the shoulder and elbow. The shirt fit his tall frame perfectly, accenting his lean muscular build allowing her to make out the outline of his chest and biceps through the material. He paired the sweater with light blue jeans and gray and white sneakers. His hair framed his head in short damp waves, like he just took a shower and couldn't be bothered to deal with it. He looked cool and confident, like a male model. She couldn't stop staring.

He must have sensed her, he stopped talking to her dad midsentence and turned to look in her direction. They locked eyes as she stood on the third step from the bottom and their silence spoke volumes.

Her father cleared his throat. Sierra's face reddened as her eyes flew to her dad and she knew he didn't miss a single detail of that little exchange.

"Your timing is perfect, Sierra. I was just giving Tristan the 'talk'. Come down here so I don't have to repeat myself."

"Dad, this isn't a date. Do we really have to have the 'talk'?"

"Yes."

"Fine," she answered and walked over to where Tristan was standing next to her dad.

"Hi," Tristan greeted her softly. He bent down and whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She smiled as her cheeks burned. She was grateful for her brown skin as she hoped it camouflaged her blush.

"Okay, you two. Listen up..."

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"I'm so sorry about my dad."

Sierra climbed into Tristan's car after her father finally finished giving both of them his speech about being responsible and not losing his trust. Tristan didn't really seem to mind, but she still felt the need to apologize to him.

"It's no big deal. I'd do the same thing to any guy showing up to take my sister or my daughter out."

"Even though he knows this is Tia's birthday party, I still practically had to beg him to let me out tonight. I think he let me go because I told him you would be there. He really likes you."

Tristan flushed. "I like him, too. Your dad is great."

"Yeah, I guess. He's so strict sometimes."

"He's just looking out for you."

"Well I don't need to be looked after all the time. I'm not a baby."

"Cut him some slack. It's cool that he cares. He'll make sure every guy knows you deserve respect because you do. Never down play that. You're lucky to have someone that cares about you that way."

She beamed at Tristan. He could be so mature sometimes.

"No wonder my dad likes you."

He flushed again, but didn't say anything else about it. He turned the key in the car's ignition and drove them to the party.

They arrived at Tia's house an hour after the time Tia said the party would start which meant they were right on time. Sierra and Tristan could hear the music blasting from Tia's house the moment they got out of the car. No one would have a hard time figuring out which house the party was in.

Tia greeted them as soon as they walked through the unlocked front door.

"You made it!" she screamed over the music and grabbed each of them in a bear hug. "You look fantastic," she told Sierra beaming with pride.

"I look fantastic? You look incredible." Sierra returned the compliment.

"Thanks, babe!" Tia answered.

Tia had shown her what she was going to wear, but Sierra hadn't see her in it until now. Tia had on a strapless sequined black dress that was rode dangerously high on her thighs. It was short and tight, Tia's only requirements for her party dress. Her usually massive curly hair was slicked back in a huge smooth bun at the top of her head. She looked gorgeous.

"Happy Birthday, Tia," Tristan said and handed Tia a small wrapped box.

"You didn't have to bring me anything."

"Yes, I did." Tia took the gift from him and gave Tristan another hug.

"Don't hesitate to let Tony know if you need anything. Mi casa es su casa," Tia told the pair.

"Let Tony know?" Sierra asked.

"Yeah. Do you really expect the b-day girl to play hostess at her own party? Fuck that. Tony's handling everything. There's drinks in the kitchen whenever you're ready." Tia told them.

"Cool, thanks," Tristan said and Tia walked away. "Do you want to see what they have?" he asked.

"Okay."

Sierra walked with Tristan into the kitchen and looked at the collection of assorted beverages. There was beer and various alcoholic drinks in all the colors of the rainbow, along with numerous bottles of vodka and tequila.

"See anything you like?" Tristan asked.

Sierra chose a yellow one that she wasn't really sure what it was, but it looked like it would taste okay. Tristan took the top off the bottle and handed it to her and grabbed a beer for himself.

Sierra led Tristan into what used to be Tia's living room. All the furniture was removed except for a few chairs leaving a huge space for dancing. The make shift dance floor was already packed with people. Tristan grabbed Sierra's hand and maneuvered them easily through the crowd to a vacant spot near the wall by the fireplace. They stopped there for a moment while Sierra took a swig of her drink and felt an instant buzz.

"Do you want to dance?" Tristan asked her.

"Let's go."

Soulful R&B vibes filled the room as couples paired up and bass pumped through the speakers. Tristan took Sierra's bottle and placed it next to his on the mantle for the fireplace. They moved away from the wall and Tristan positioned himself behind her. He placed his hands on her hips and they began to sway together to the beat of the music. Sierra could feel the heat coming from Tristan's body as that danced, she pressed back against him making sure there was no space between their bodies. Tristan lightly grabbed her keeping her in place against him as she lost herself to the music. She moved slowly feeling him out, letting him show her how intimate he wanted the dance to be. She felt his hips move effortlessly in time with hers. He had a natural rhythm that let her know he could keep up if she wanted to change the pace, but they had all night for that. Sierra just wanted to enjoy the feel of Tristan's hands on her and imagine that he was hers and that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

They fell into a comfortable groove, but then the song ended too soon. There was that awkward moment when one person wonders if their partner wanted to dance with them again for the next song. They looked at each other at the same time. Tristan lifted his brow in question.

"Hey, girl," Sierra heard a deep voice call from directly behind her. She turned, the smile already forming on her lips.

"Reggie, you came," Sierra said as she walked into his open arms. Reggie closed his arms around her and hugged her close to him. Too close. Sierra pulled away first.

"I didn't really have a choice. Tia threatened my life," he told her.

Sierra smiled. He was probably telling the truth. That sounded just like her best friend.

"I know Tia will be happy that you came."

"What about you? Are you happy I came?"

"Why would you ask that? Of course I am."

Reggie's face lit up at her answer. "Did you save me a dance?" he asked.

Sierra turned to Tristan to see what he thought. They weren't on a date but they did come to the party together and she didn't want to leave him alone. It was hard to know if Tristan would mind if she danced with Reggie. Did he want to dance with other girls and was she supposed to let him or were they only supposed to dance with each other all night? Why did everything between them have to be so confusing?

"Hey, man. You don't mind, do you?" Reggie asked Tristan while taking Sierra's hand in his.

"It's up to Sierra," Tristan answered.

She was hoping for a more definitive answer than that, some kind of sign that he wanted her to stay and dance with him.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself? I can stay with you," she offered.

"No, go have fun. I don't need a babysitter."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Reggie tugged her arm lightly as he squeezed the hand he was holding. Sierra gave Tristan one last look before letting Reggie lead her into the middle of the dance floor.

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Tristan watched as Reggie pulled Sierra away and had to fight the urge to take her back. He didn't have the right to stake him claim on her or tell her who she can and can't dance with, no matter how much he wished he did. He stalked back to where he placed their drinks. He grabbed his beer and drank. He watched Sierra dance with Reggie and hated every second of it, but he couldn't turn away, it was like watching choreography. They looked really good together, better than he looked with her.

Sierra was by far the most beautiful girl at the party tonight. He almost stopped breathing when he saw her at her house earlier. Tristan was honored to walk in with her on his arm. And the most amazing thing about her, she had no idea just how beautiful she was, inside and out. He gulped down more of his beer as he watched Sierra continue to dance with Reggie. He watched as Reggie bent to Sierra's ear and said something that made her laugh out loud and for some reason that pissed him off. He couldn't watch anymore. He headed to the kitchen to replace his empty beer with a fresh one.

"You alright?"

Tristan turned toward the owner of the voice. Tia stared back at him, her face filled with concern. He twisted the cap off his drink and took a sip.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Great party by the way," he responded sounding anything but sincere.

"Hey, don't blame my party for your dumbass decision. Nobody told you let her dance with Reggie."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Trust me, I know exactly what I'm talking about. I didn't miss a second of that little display you three put on out there. I saw my best friend look at you with those big sweet Bambi eyes of hers and practically beg you to give her a reason to stay with you, but you still let her go. Now you're standing in my kitchen sulking and you have no one to blame but yourself."

Tristan didn't feel like talking, especially not to Sierra's best friend. He just wanted to drink his beer and prayed that the rest of the night went by in a blur he'd only vaguely remember in the morning.

"I'm not sulking. Sierra is her own person. She made her decision and she chose to dance with him, she didn't have to if she didn't want to."

Tia gave him a look of utter disappointment and he felt like he let her down somehow.

"Will you two ever get it together?" she asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's what supposed to mean?" Sierra asked coming to a stop next to Tia. His heart sped up at the sight of her and that made him even more pissed off.

"Let him tell you," Tia answered. She walked out leaving them alone.

"What was that about?" Sierra asked, standing there looking stunning and flushed after dancing with another guy. He needed to get out of here.

"Nothing. You wanna go outside?"

"Yeah."

Tristan walked over to the refrigerator and handed her the same kind of drink she had earlier after twisting the top off. He grabbed another one of her drinks and a second beer and stuffed them in his pockets.

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Sierra was eager to get away from the loud music and feel fresh air on her skin. They walked outside and Sierra sat on the grass while Tristan stood and leaned up against a tree next to her. Sierra took a swig of her drink and felt the instant buzz.

"This is good. It tastes like juice. Do you want some?" Sierra offered.

"Yeah, you want some of mine?"

"Okay."

They exchanged drinks and Sierra took a sip of Tristan's beer. When the bitter taste of the brew hit her tongue, she was tempted to spit it out. How did anyone drink this stuff?

"Ugh, this is nasty."

Tristan chuckled and signaled for her to give his beer back. She did gladly.

"That's because it's a man's drink. Here, give it back and take your girly fruity drink."

Sierra took her drink back and guzzled it to get rid of the nasty taste of the beer.

"Whoa, slow down, you don't want to drink that too fast."

"Thanks, dad."

"I'm serious you could get sick."

"What do you care if I get sick?"

"I just don't want to have to explain to your father why you're in the hospital with alcohol poisoning."

"Don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah right. You can't take care of yourself. You can't even handle your liquor."

"Who says I can't ..." hiccup "handle my liquor? Hand me the second bottle."

"No way."

"I see my drink in your pocket. Give it to me."

"I said no."

"You can't tell me no."

"I just did."

"Tristan, give me the bottle."

"Forget it."

"Fine, I'll just go back to the house and get another one," she said getting up.

In her periphery, she saw Tristan finish his beer and drop the bottle, then he made a grab for her. She was feeling playful and tried to dodge him, but her movements were clumsy. He caught her arm and yanked a little too hard. Sierra lost her balance and they both tumbled to the ground in a drunken heap. They both fell to their backs and Sierra landed between Tristan's legs.

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Tristan wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the excitement of the moment, but he really liked having her there. Maybe he liked it a little too much. He knew the moment she sensed how much he liked having her between his legs because she scrambled forward and turned to look back at him. Her face was unreadable, especially in the dark.

"Sierra, I didn't..."

Before he could finish, Sierra climbed on top of him and put her lips on his. The sweet touch was over before it began. She pulled back and pressed her fingers to her lips and looked at him in dismay. Then with a whimper, she got up and ran off in the direction of the house.

Tristan sat there stunned for a minute while his drunken brain tried to process what just happened. She kissed him. Sierra kissed him. He was on his feet and after her before he could stop himself.

"Sierra, stop," he called after her.

She kept running. Fast. Tristan had to try harder than he expected to catch up to her. He caught her before she reached the back door that lead to the kitchen. He cornered her on the back side of the house and caged her between his arms so she couldn't move. He needed to know what this meant.

"Don't run from me."

"I shouldn't have done that," she whispered, looking everywhere but at him.

"Why not? I liked it," he said softly. His voice was deeper than she'd ever heard it.

"You did?" she asked looking into his eyes for the first time.

Why was she so pretty? He could stare at her all day. Sometimes he did stare. He leaned in. He was still hard from when they fell, and then the kiss, the chase turned him on, too. He wanted her to feel him. So she could know that he did want her. God, did he want her.

"You just surprised me. But I know you can feel how much I liked it. How much I like you," he said and began nuzzling her neck. She felt so warm and good against him.

"Don't move," he told her.

He wanted a real kiss this time. He brought his head down, slowly, giving her time to stop him if she wanted. He touched his mouth to hers. Her lips were so full and soft. The first touch sent a jolt of electricity course through him and his body shuddered. He needed more.

"Open your mouth," he ordered. When she hesitated he said, "No, don't get shy with me. You kissed me first, remember?"

She bit her lip, slightly embarrassed but did as he asked and his tongue found hers. Her fingers curled into his sweater and his fingers tangled in her hair. He titled her head back, forcing her mouth wider, granting him easier access. Ensuring his control. The wet sounds of their kisses echoed into the night, which only fueled his drunken desire. He began to drag his lips across her neck and up her cheek. She trembled against him. Fuck, she was so responsive. Tristan felt her hands move from her sides and up to his waist. She continued up to his chest and then around his neck. He deepened his kisses enjoying the feel of her, the taste of her. He pulled his head away and looked at her. Her eyes were bright and her skin practically shimmered in the moonlight.

She stood up on the tips of her toes to reach him and touched her lips to his again. He coaxed her lips apart with his own. Her kisses were so sweet. She ran her fingers through his hair over and over and it felt amazing. She opened her mouth more, like she knew what he wanted. He groaned into her mouth when her fingers tightened around handfuls of his hair pulling him closer. He reached down and grabbed her legs and wrapped them around him so he could hold her, and have her as close to him as possible. Her breasts were soft as they pressed against his chest. She held on to him tight and began to grind on him. The friction was bitter sweet, it felt so good, yet not nearly good enough.

"Sierra, hold on. Ummm, don't do that," he said after he broke the kiss, breathing like he just ran a mile. He was very close to losing control and he needed to get a grip. Fast.

She rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"Why?" she asked, her voice muffled by his clothes. "I like the sounds you make and the way you kiss me when I do it."

He almost lost it then. Her honesty aroused him more than he thought words ever could. She began tracing little kisses along his neck. Then she bit him and he growled.

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Sierra was at Tia's party making out with Tristan. She couldn't believe this was happening. He wanted her. The evidence was poking her through his pants awakening sensations in places she tried to ignore. There was no ignoring her femininity tonight. Tristan made that impossible.

"Do that again," he begged.

She smiled against his skin and bit him on his neck again. His hands gripped her legs so tight. She was holding him so close, there was no space between them. She could swear she could feel his heart pounding in his chest, he could probably feel hers. She put her hands back in his hair. She loved his hair, it was so soft, it felt like silk. She loved the feel of all of him. She wanted more, needed more. She wished this night would last forever.

"Tristan," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I don't wanna stop."

He put his head on her shoulder and held her even tighter, if that was possible. She let him rest there, and they just held each other. She felt his breaths on her neck.

"Sierra, I think we should stop."

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Tristan immediately felt her stiffen at his words. He couldn't believe those words just came out of his mouth. He didn't mean them, not really. But he knew they were moving too fast.

"Why?" she asked.

"We've both been drinking and we're not thinking straight. We need to slow down. I mean, I just broke up with my girlfriend and you have Reggie."

"I'm not dating him," she defended.

"Maybe not, but it's obvious he likes you and if he knew ..."

"You're afraid of Reggie?" she asked him, annoyed.

"No, I just don't want any problems."

"Put me down."

"Sierra..."

"Put me down, now."

He let her slide down his body. When she was on the ground she turned and entered the house. Tristan took a moment to decide whether to go after her. He was still worked up and definitely under the influence; he wasn't sure if he was making good decisions right now. He needed to calm down and wait until the blood went back to his brain before he went after her, so he waited outside and let the cool air blow over him. It was ten minutes later when he finally went inside. He looked everywhere and couldn't find Sierra anywhere. When he spotted Tia, he knew she would know where Sierra headed off to.

"Have you seen Sierra?" he asked.

"Yeah, she said she wasn't feeling well and needed a ride home. Since the both of you have been drinking Tony took her. I thought you knew, she didn't tell you she was leaving?"

"No, she didn't."

Tristan felt his heart plummet and the warmth from earlier fled his body in a rush leaving him feeling empty and cold. She left the party without him.

He screwed up, bad. And he had no idea how he was going to fix it.

Damn.

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A/N: Sooooooo.... yeah, ummm.... I'm speechless. Tell me what you think. Love you guys.