The Boy Next Door (R5 fanfic)

Chapter 6

Thursday night, Mary, Nicole and I had just finished watching She’s the Man and were deciding what movie to watch next when my phone begins vibrating on the coffee table.  I reach for it and smile when Ross’s face flashes across the screen. 

“Hello?” I ask as I stand, placing the phone to my ear. 

“Hey Elizabeth, it’s me, Ross.

“Hi Ross”, I laugh while making my way to the kitchen and settling onto one of the barstools.  “What’s up?”

 “Are you up for a midnight swim?” he blurts.

I glance at the green numbers displayed on the microwave.  “I think it’s a bit too early for that.  It’s only 10:58.  Not exactly midnight yet.”

“Yeah, I know but its close enough.  So what do you say?”

“Sure, I’ll be right over”, I say, hanging up and making my way back to my friends lounging on the couch. 

“So, that was Ross”, I begin but am interrupted by Mary.

“We heard your conversation; go ahead!  We’re okay if you skip out on girl’s night, but just this once!” she warns. 

I cannot help but break into a grin before quickly thanking them and dashing off to my room, trying to decide what would be the best bathing suit to pick.  I finally decide on my navy blue bikini and slip it on, pulling a pair of shorts and a shirt over my suit.  I grab my flip flops and make my way outside, surprised to see Ross waiting on his porch for me.

“Hey”, I say. 

“Hi”, he replies while leading me into the backyard through the gate, telling me his parents and sister are already asleep and how he did not want to risk waking them.  I watch as Ross pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his beautifully tanned and toned abs that I have starred at in numerous pictures.  His hot pink swim trunks hang low, showing the V line his hip bones make and the dark trail of hair that disappears into the waistline of his shorts.  I try to not be obvious as I watch him head over to the hose to wet his hair in order to prevent it from turning lime green from all of the chlorine in the pool.  He turns and walks back to me, the outdoor lights casting shadows across his body, the water dripping from the tips of his hair and then he smiles at me.  That perfect, dreamy smile that he has and loves to show.

“You ready?” he asks.

“Oh yeah”, I glance down to see my clothes still covering my bikini.  “One second”, I say, pulling my shirt off and wiggling out of my shorts.  Ross’s smile turns into a smirk as he looks my body up and down, taking in all of my exposed skin.  I slowly walk to the edge of the pool – aware that his hazel eyes are still on me – and jump in, the cool water enveloping me, feeling nice to escape the 75 degree night air.  Just as my head pops above the surface, Ross flips off the diving board, splashing me as I float a few feet away from him. 

His head resurfaces and he closes the distance between us.  “How’d I do?” he asks, flipping the hair out of his eyes, gesturing towards the diving board with a nod of his head.

“Stellar performance”, I sarcastically tell him.  He laughs and flicks his hand, sending drops of water towards my face.  I splash him back, sending much more water his way, leading to a flirty splashing war.  I finally surrender by sinking into the water and swimming away from him to the shallower end of the pool where I can easily touch because of my five eight frame.  Ross follows me, his arms raised above his head as he walks towards me, showing that he has given up as well.  I smile before climbing out of the pool and making my way to the diving board.  I walk to the very edge of it, my toes hanging off and grin as I tell him to watch and learn.  In one fluid motion, I raise my arms above my head, bend my knees and glide into the water in a perfect dive.  I hold my breath as I stay under the water longer and swim in the direction that I last saw Ross, confused when I cannot find him after my head pops up. 

“I don’t know”, Ross’s voice comes from behind as he climbs onto the diving board.  “I watched, but I don’t think I really learned much.  And besides, I think my awesome flips suit me more than your very gracious dive.”  I watch as Ross slowly turns around and does a back flip, and disappears in the blue water. 

I wait for his goofy grin and floppy hair to resurface but he does not.  I back up a bit, trying to get a better view of the deeper end of the pool, hoping to spot his body under the surface.  I jerk and turn at the sound of rustling leaves, watching my cousin’s cat jumping from branch to branch on the tree that overhangs into the Lynch’s backyard.  I turn back around when I hear the gentle sound of water lapping against the edges of the pool to find Ross standing right in front of me.