Swimming in Underwear
I slowly cracked open Travis' door, letting it groan under my light touch. I peaked my head in between the space. I was unsure if I was welcomed to come back into his room, after what happened last time. He sat on his bed, phone in hand, and looked up at me. He look surprised to see me, obviously I wasn't who he was expecting. I weakly smiled and gave a slight wave. Once he got over the shock he gave a smile back.
"B- Annie! What's up? Come on in." It was the second time he called me Annie in the last twenty four hours, and it stung just as bad as the first time.
My smile fell and I stayed put, unsure what to say after this point. And after being addressed as I would by any other person, instead of his nickname for me, I was left especially tongue tied.
He stood up. A worried expression played on his face. He moved in close to me and gently pulled me out of the hallway and into his room. "Are you alright?" I nodded. "Do you... need somethin'?" I shook my head. "Then what's up?"
"What are you doing right now?" I quickly spit out before I could think about what I was saying.
"Pardon?"
"Umm. Do you have plans, or um, are you free?" I asked slower this time, with the hint of nervousness and embarrassment in my voice.
Travis studied me quietly. I squirmed under his inquisitive stare. I looked down at my shoes and started to rock on my heels. My face quickly began to heat up, and I involuntarily took a step backward. I was about to back out, out of the door when he hand clamped down on my arm, making me stay. "No." His deep voice came out husky. "I'm not busy."
I looked up into his mesmerizing eyes and felt a scandalous amount of joy from his answer. I tried to play it cool, even though my arm was tingling under his touch. "Awesome. I was just thinkin' that it's really hot outside and I kinda felt like goin' for a swim. I was just wonderin' if you wanted ta join me, since I did promise you a while back that I would take ya." I said thinking back to the morning after the "summer is ending party" when he and I went for a ride. "You don't have to if you don't wanna, it was just a thought." I said after he didn't respond.
He shook his head rather violently. "No. No. You took me by surprise, that's all. I'd like to go for a swim with you." He said with a brilliant smile.
I found myself blushing slightly and turned my back to him so he couldn't see. I cleared my throat. "Cool. Let's go then." My eyes widened at how badly I was at playing it cool. I walked out of his room quickly, only knowing that he was following by the sound of his deep chuckles.
I didn't turn back to face him until we reached the stables and I got Dance Partner out of her pen. Travis was about to saddle High Maintenance Girlfriend but I stop him. "I planned on just ridin' bareback. We'll have more time at the lake that way."
He looked at me surprised at first, then chuckled and shook his head. "Lemme guess, it's less work to ride bareback than it is to saddle Dance," he gave me a teasing smile.
I surprised myself by laughing with him, instead of snapping at him. "Somethin' like that. But it also give Dance more room to breathe, plus this is just a leisurely ride."
"Whatever you say, lazy bum." He teased.
I picked up a stray towel and threw it at Travis, but he simply thwarted it away. He laughed and I huffed sticking my tongue out at him, pretending to be upset, but I couldn't help a smile escape my lips. His eyes shone bright of laughter and I easily lost myself looking in them once again. I don't know how long we stood there, smiling at each other like two idiots, but we were snapped out of our trance when Dance made a noise of anticipation and agitation.
I turned back around to face Dance and lovingly stroked her nose. "Alright. Alright. No more lollygagin' Let's go." I grabbed her mane and hulled myself on to her back. I looked over and saw that Travis was already seated upon Girlfriend's milky white back. "Ready?"
"Born ready." He replied with a wolfish grin.
I laughed. "Don't get too excited." I said then kicked Dance's side, giving myself a head start.
We rode side by side in a comfortable silence. I was completely relaxed and basked in the sun, letting it's strong rays lick my skin. The branches above us swayed to the subtle breeze of the wind, their bright colored leaves rustled, fell, and crunched under our feet. It was finally fall.
"So where exactly are we goin'?" Travis asked.
"You know that lake where the party before school started was?"
"Yeah."
"We are on the other side of it." I said as we entered a clearing and could see the still lake before us.
"Wow," he breathed. "It looks so much different in the daylight."
"Yeah." I snorted. "Who would've thought this place would look so much more peaceful without all the rowdy drunk teenagers."
Travis gracefully slid off of Girlfriend, while I leapt off of Dance and stumbled on the hard ground. I held my hands out and quickly regained my balance. I stayed in place, with my head down and my arms out, for a few seconds before I started walking again. Travis chuckled from behind me. "You alright?"
I felt myself flush. "Just dandy," I squeaked out in response.
"Um, Annie?"
"Yes," I turned around to look at him. Taking note that I was still being addressed as Annie.
He looked around awkwardly. "Swimsuits?"
My eyes widened when I realized that I was very ill prepared for an impromptu swim. But that was the fun of it, right? I laughed as I saw Travis's face get increasingly hot. "Oh my goodness gracious! Is Travis Hillwood... blushin'?" He didn't say anything. "You are!"
"Am not," he mumbled weekly.
I tried to sober up my laughter. "Whatever you say, cowboy."
I looked around and smirked. I could use this. Oh, I could totally use this. So much so that a part of me must have done this on purpose.
I looked back at Travis. "Well, I'm not gonna let somethin' as silly as not having a swimsuit stop me. What was it that you said? Just go with the flow." And with that I turned my back to him, kicked my shoes and socks off, pulled my tank top over my head, and pulled down my jeans. I didn't dare to look back, as I was stripping. I didn't want to be too bold, but I hoped that Travis, at least, had a rather large lump in his throat. I stood in only my underwear, and slightly shivered from the shock of minimum clothing. I looked down and silently thanked the Lord. I wasn't wearing anything too scandalous (not that I owned such a thing of that nature), but nothing embarrassing either. I was in my light blue bra and navy panties, with the words "Girls Run The World" on the butt. I bent down, picked up my stray clothing, and threw them over a branch. It was then that I finally turned to face Travis.
His face was bright red in color. There was perspiration forming on his brow. His hands were balled into fists at his side. His blue eyes were wide and watching my every move. I smiled shyly at him. I liked the attention that I- mostly the girls- was getting, but I still squirmed under the unfamiliarity of it all.
"Problem?" I asked him as he continued to stand there, not even trying to conceal that he was checking me out.
He cleared his throat. "Uh... um... no. No problem." His voice was husky and his words came out stuttered.
I shrugged my shoulders and turned away from him again. I smiled to myself. I was an evil genius. And I was loving it! I walked out into the lake, ignoring the coldness, and immersed myself into the water. I stayed down, enjoying the feeling of shock travel through my body. Then- slowly- I resurfaced. I pushed my wet and already matted hair out of my face.
Travis was in the exact same position that I left him in. "Hey!" I called out to him. "Don't be a stick in the mud! Get cha butt in here!"
He snapped out of his daze, gave me a dazzling smile, took off his shirt and dropped jeans so he was only in boxers, then took off into a run towards the water. He dove in when it was deep enough, swam underwater, and resurfaced in front of me. "Howdy."
His face was so close to mine that I could smell his minty breath. So close that if I just leaned in ever so slightly, we would be-
"Howdy." I choked out.
He reached out and touched my waist with his large hand. I shivered under the contact. He quirked a smile and slightly raised an eyebrow when I didn't move away. He slowly let his thumb trace circles on my bare skin, and another set of shivers trembled through me.
"It's kinda cold." I said quickly, trying to recover from the touch and ignore the goosebumps starting to form.
"Sure is." He said, but his tone and his eyes told me that he knew I was bluffing. I finally pulled away and clear my throat, in an attempt to regain my composure. A deep chuckle escaped through his lips. "Now you're blushin'."
I gasped and quickly covered my cheeks with my hands. "Am not!"
He moved in close again. He leaned in so his mouth was directly above my ear. I involuntarily closed my eyes and gripped his shoulders. "You are such a liar, Annabelle Storm." He whispered then pulled back with a smirk.
I squeaked, pushed his head down in the water, and swam away from him. My heart was beating as fast as hooves of horses on a race track. My entire body was hot out of embarrassment and something else that I haven't felt in a long time.
A muscular arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me up out of the water. My back was pressed up against his rock solid abs. "Where ya goin', Belle?"
I relaxed in his arms and leaned my head back on to his chest. I could hear his heart pounding equally as fast as mine. I turned around in his arms so I was face to chest with him. His body heat radiating off of him and on to me. I brought a shaking hand up to the base of his neck, I felt his Adam's apple bob as he took in a gulp of air. I let my fingers slowly trace down his neck, across his broad shoulders, and down to his muscular bicep. I let myself appreciate his body with my eyes and bit my lip. His thumb was moving in circles over my waist again. I took a stuttered breath and look upwards into his eyes. They were growing increasingly darker with lust but still managed to hold on to their confusion and shock. He brought his hand up and hesitated before placing it on my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch. I felt myself being brought closer to him, then... there were wet hot lips being pressed against the corner of my mouth.
Just as soon as it happened, it was gone. I opened my eyes and I was alone. He was swimming away from me, stopped when he was a good pace away, and didn't look back.
I turned my back on him as well. Gripping my hair tightly in my hands. What the hell just happened? Frustrated tears threatened to spill on to my still flushed cheeks. I lifted my legs from out underneath myself, sinking to the bottom of the lake. I sat on the sandy ground and looked upwards. I was met with murky green colored water and black specks, but it was still clear enough to see the sun shine and peak through the clouds above. I let some air out and watched as the bubbles expand before it dispersed as it hit the surface. Then I let it out. I screamed at the top of my lungs, letting them fill with water. Soon I ran out of air. I felt my eyes grow wide in their sockets. I was in a state of panic as I clawed to the top. When I surfaced, I gasped for air and chocked on it. Coughing violently, I struggled to get out of the water.
I reached land and collapsed on my hands and knees. I continued to cough out water until my head was pounding and I felt weak and tired. I closed my eyes as I breathed in the cold air. My throat burned from all the coughing, my mouth was dry and tasted like dirt.
I heard the splashing of water growing louder and closer, and soon there was the sound of bare feet hitting the ground that filled my ears. I felt a large hand gently placed atop of my back in between my shoulder blades. Travis crouched down next to me and asked if I was alright. I lifted my hand off the ground and waved him off light heartedly. He grabbed my hand with his and pulled me up onto my unsteady feet. He wrapped his arm around my waist and supported me as we walked. He placed me down on a tree stump and with one hand on either side of me, squatted down. He moved the hair out of my face with one hand and was trying to warm my arm up with his other.
"Shhhh," he said, worry evident in his voice. "Just take deep breaths. It'll be alright." He moved his hand from my hair to rub my back. I looked into his blue eyes and was overwhelmed by the emotion in them. He smiled ever so slightly. "Are you okay, Annie?"
I stiffened up and scooted backwards, making his hands fall back on to the stump. I shook my head and winced at the pain that came from it. "No. Stop. Please don't."
"What? What's wrong?" His eyes became wide and panicked.
"Don't call me Annie. I'm not Annie to you. I've always been Belle. You've always called me Belle. I don't know why, but you calling by any other name... Just doesn't feel right. Why did you start calling me Belle anyway?" I rushed out surprising not just myself, but Travis as well. He stared into my eyes, unmoving, and blinked. I sighed and stood up, "never mind then." I stepped around Travis and walked towards Dance, who was drinking from the lake. My head hung low due to the enormous amount of embarrassment and ridiculousness I felt.
Travis's hand shot out to grab my wrist and spun me around to face him. I let out a surprised yelp, then his lips were on mine. My eyes widened with shock. It was my first time kissing someone in two years. Come on, Annabelle! Don't fuck this up! I brought my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him. He moved his hands to circle my waist and parted my lips with his tongue. I moaned when it stroked mine. My fingers moved up and tangled into his soft hair. His right hand moved from my waist to cup my cheek. Our lips moved together in a fast pace passionate kiss. He groaned when I softly tugged on his hair and pressed me closer to him. When we broke away to catch our breath, he still held onto me.
"Belle." He whispered as he nuzzled into my hair.
"Why?" I asked again curiously.
He sighed and looked me in the eyes. "I guess I just wanted to be someone special to you. As corny as it sounds, I've liked you since the moment I laid eyes on you, and after that party I liked you even more. But you always had your suitors, not just Landon or Hunter, but others even if you don't know it. Jenna and all 'em told me so. So to even stand a chance, I had to make myself different than everybody else. Everyone calls you Annie, but no one ever calls you Belle. I thought that if I had a special pet name for you, that I would be closer to you and have a more intimate relationship with you. And when you never corrected me, I really did feel like I was someone to you." He ran a hand through his hair and blushed. "I know it sounds stupid, but-"
"-it worked." I cut him off, taking his hands in mine. My heart pounded in my chest and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I gave him a big smile that he returned.
Then realization and reality seemed to physically slap him in the face. He flinched and took a step backwards, shaking me off of him. "Shit! Fuck! Shit!" He cursed with his back towards me.
"Travis," I said cautiously taking a step towards him.
He abruptly turned to face me, anger and hurt in his eyes. "What the fuck, Annie?" I flinched at his words. "You have a boyfriend! Landon! Remember him? Why would you let me kiss you? Why didn't I stop myself?" His hands were tugging on his hair. "Shit! I can't believe I just betrayed his trust. The Bradshaw's have been nothin' less than enormously kind to me (a kindness that I don't really deserve), and this is how I repay them! God damn it, Annie. I don't know what kind of shit you and Landon might be goin' trough but don't drag me into it!" He was pacing back and forth in front of my whole his hands made wild gestures.
"Do you really think that I would do all that if I was already taken?" I snapped. I knew that he didn't know about me and Landon not actually being a thing. But I was still hurt at his accusations and assumptions. "For your information, Cowboy." I said stooping to his level. "Landon and I aren't goin' through any type of shit because we are not and never were actually datin'. It wall all just a ploy for Landon to get Britt interested in him."
"What?" He stopped pacing and blinked at me in confusion.
"I know. It's a stupid plan. But it's all that he could come up with, and he's my best friend, so of course I'm gonna help him out when he asks for it. Apparently Brittany had the same idea as Landon and got Ramsey to help her out." I slowly explained to him, hoping that he would believe me.
"I swear to God, if you're fuckin' with me." He took a cautious step closer to me.
I shook my head violently. "I'm not. I swear I'm not." I moved to stand in front of him. Looking up into his hopeful blue eyes I let out what I've been holding back for who knows how long. "I really really really like you, Travis." And with that his lips were back on mine.
************************************************************************
A/N:
I really wanted to update for y'all, so I rushed to finish this chapter. I feel like I probably could have made it better, but it's been way too long since I last updated. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed it regardless. I also want to thank y'all for the comments you've been leaving, the 362 votes, and 9,690+ reads! Keep 'em coming! I also want to wish everyone good luck on their final exams coming up. Don't let wattpad be too big of a distraction ;p
-Madison