Chapter One: Night Swimming
I towel dried my hair, leaving it damp and letting it hang around my shoulders. I forced a brush through it, getting rid of all the tangles that came after a shower. It felt nice, the long, hot shower after such a long day. I sighed, content with being clean. I stepped into a pair of sweat pants and an old paint-splattered tank top, the soft worn fabric feeling good against my skin. I smiled.
I blew my hair dry, my curls returning to their usual form. I ran a brush through it again, putting it in low pigtails. I looked at myself in the mirror, thinking about what I saw. For once in years, I saw me... My eyes were bright blue, giving me a lingering essence of innocence. I was a tiny nineteen year old, just a couple inches taller than five foot. I was thin, always had been. My dark brown curly hair fell in front of my shoulders in the pigtails.
I chuckled, walking out of my bathroom. I grabbed my phone and a pair of socks on my way out of my room, trotting down the stairs. I came behind Max on the couch, watching him as he flipped through channels on TV. He looked back at me, raising his eyebrows.
"What?" I asked, walking around the couch. I sat down on one side, my back against the arm, facing him. I pulled my feet up to sit in front of me. He just laughed and shook his head.
"You're different..." he commented, turning back to the TV. I raised my brow at him, nudging his leg with my foot.
"Is that a good thing?" I asked.
Max just laughed again, nodding his head. "My last girl roommate never wore sweat pants," he explained, opening the DVR on the flat screen.
"I'm still not sure what that means," I told him.
Max looked at me sideways, a small smirk on his face. "She wore tight clothes and makeup all day," he said. "Because all she wanted to do was get in my pants."
I laughed, really hard, pulling my knees up to my chest. "I'm serious," he assured me, laughing with me. I only laughed harder, putting my forehead on my knees. He just shook his head, smiling, returning to the TV.
Once I finally calmed down, he elaborated, "So yes, its a good thing, Blakely."
It was silent for a few minutes while Max finally decided on one of those music channels. But not an awkward silence... One of those silences that's shared between two friends who've known each other forever.
"What kind of music do you like?" he asked, leaning forward and setting the remote on the table. He turned and put his body in the same position as mine, staring back at me. We fit perfectly on the couch, taking up just enough room. He reached behind him while he waited for my answer, pulling a folded quilt from next to the couch. He threw it over both of us, just looking at me.
"Uh... All music," I told him, pulling the quilt over my knees. "I can listen to anything, really."
He pondered this for a second, before firing another one at me. "What kind of movies do you like?"
"Depends," I said.
"On what?"
"Actors, theme of the movie, what its about... Stuff like that."
He smiled, satisfied with my answer. I laughed a little, shaking my head.
"Why all the questions?" I asked him, pulling on one of my pigtails.
"Well," he began. "The way I see it, we're probably gonna be living together for a while, right?"
I nodded, raising my eyebrow.
"So I think we should at least know a little bit about who we're living with," he said, reaching behind him yet again. This time he came back with a bowl, filled with all kinds of candy. Kit Kats, Hershey's, M&M's, gummy bears, all kinds of stuff. Max took a pack of M&M's before handing me the bowl. I nodded at him as I took a bag of gummy bears. He returned the bowl back where he got it, turning back to me.
"Fair enough," I said. "Go for it."
"Favorite ice cream?" he began firing.
"Cookie dough," I answered.
"Favorite color?"
"Blue!" I said happily.
"Animal?"
"Polar bears," I told him, popping a gummy in my mouth.
He laughed at my answer, his eyes sparkling in the light of the TV. "Why a polar bear?" he questioned.
"Because polar bears are the shit."
He laughed again, pouring a few chocolate candies in his mouth.
"My turn!" I said cheerily. He nodded, swallowing his candy.
"What're you in Juilliard for?" I started.
"The usual... acting, singing, all that junk."
"Whats your most prized possession?"
"My ukulele, easy," he answered with a wave of his hand.
Again, in that minute, something was strangely familiar to me about him. I cocked my head at him, staring as I tried to figure it out.
"What?" he asked, watching me with an amused expression on his face.
"Why do you seem so familiar to me?" I asked, holding his gaze.
He shrugged a little bit, eating some more candy. "Do you have a little sibling?"
I nodded. "A little sister."
"That's why," he said. "I'm on Nickelodeon a lot nowadays."
My eyes widened with recognition. "Oh!" I said, no longer confused. "That one movie, right? And that show?"
Max nodded, pointing at me. "Rags, and How to Rock," he clarified. "But I'm taking a few years off to actually go to school."
I nodded, happy to no longer be in the dark. "Boxers or briefs?" I asked, continuing my questioning. He laughed, throwing his head back. I smiled at him, nudging him again with my foot.
"Its an honest question!" I asked with a laugh. he just shook his head, crumpling his candy wrapper.
"Boxers," he laughed. "My turn again," he added. I nodded, eating more gummy bears.
"Favorite candy?" he asked.
"Anything Sour Patch," I responded instantly.
"Best movie you've ever seen?"
"Little Mermaid!" I said, seriously.
He laughed again, putting his hands in his lap.
* * * * *
Hours passed with just me and Max on the couch, eating candy and asking each other some of the most random questions. At one point he threw an M&M at me, resulting in a giggling, laughing, candy fight, ending in a truce and half an hour of clean up. Once we had finally gotten tired enough to head to bed, we ascended the stairs, bidding each other goodnight as we went into our separate rooms.
But, now that I was in bed and under my covers, I couldn't get my mind to shut down. My thoughts ran wild, causing me to toss and turn and never be able to even close my eyes. I stared up at the ceiling for a while, my brain jumping from place to place. Minutes ticked by, turning into a good forty-five minutes before I finally sat up, admitting defeat. I looked around my room for a minute, before thinking of what I was going to do.
I quietly stepped out of bed, walking over to my closet. I grabbed my bikini from one of the top shelves, quickly changing, putting my tank top back over it. I slipped out of my room, stopping in the lounge to make sure Max's door was closed. I tip-toed down the stairs, quietly padding out the back door and out to the pool.
The night was beautifully warm, with gusts of hot air that made it a perfect night for a dip in the pool. I sighed, sticking my toes in the water. It felt nice, not cold at all. I pulled my tank top off, stepping into the water. I pushed off, out stretching my hands in front of me as I glided through the pool. I floated on my back, closing my eyes while I listened to the crickets chirp around me. It was quiet, the darkness keeping my company along with the soft lapping of the water around me. My hair floated around me, tickling my shoulders. I took a deep breath, the night calming me.
"Can't sleep?" I heard.
I jumped, my eyes snapping open. I stood in the water, looking for Max by the door... But it was empty.
"Up here," he said. I looked above me, noticing a balcony on the side of the house. Max was leaning over the side, his weight on his elbows and his hands folded in front of him. He looked down at me, his gaze soft. Even from here I saw his brown eyes' gentle stare.
"You need to stop scaring me," I laughed, making my way towards the edge of the pool. He looked down at me, a smile on his face. "So how come you get a balcony?" I asked playfully.
"Because my room is on this side of the house," he answered in the same tone with a laugh. "You've got the bigger room, I've got the balcony." I found his smile contagious, and I couldn't help but grin back.
"Night swimming, huh?" he said, a smirk becoming evident on his face. I rolled my eyes, nodding at him. He grin grew wider as he stepped away from the rail.
"Hold on!" he called, running back in his room and shutting the door. I scrunched my eyebrows, cocking my head and laughing a little bit as I began floating on my back again. The serene surroundings gave me peace, creating a smile that plastered itself across my face.
"WHOOO!" I heard Max yelling. I opened my eyes to look up at the balcony, but found it empty. I was about to stand back up, until I heard a huge splash right next to me that made me go under. I came up sputtering, laughter making me choke on water.
"Max!!!" I said, my words tainted with a chuckled as I splashed the boy. He was laughing, cheesing hardcore as he shook his head sharply. His hair whipped, displacing water all over my face.
"Your ridiculous," I said with a smile, wiping my eyes. He just shrugged, splashing water on me.
"I'm just concerned for your safety," he said, matter of factly. I laughed, watching him smile back at me.
"How you figure that?"
He smiled at me, his eyes full of laughter.
"Your supposed to swim with a buddy!" he reminded me.
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Hai :D
So here it is... Upon my best friend's request, and a very positive comment or two :3
I really like writing this story, its fun and makes me laugh.
Blakely and Max are fun to write about.
Thanks to the two who left a comment on the last chapter!
And my best friend Celeste of course :)
You guys motivated me to get this done early, haha.
So, comment, vote, fan, anything you guys feel I deserve!
Uh...
I think that's it...
...
Yeah, haha.
BAI! :3