(A/N: In case you have not already, please go read chapter 6 so you are more caught up with how Chris is feeling at this point.)
Chapter 8: Let’s Give Him a Show (Reprise)
“Okay, since everyone’s here, I would like to let you know what we have available.” Mrs. Moore announced with a clap, quickly getting the attention of all 11 of the hungry teens and preteens. “There are fully cooked fried eggs over here, bacon and sausages over there, some avocados in case we have any vegetarians in our midst, and there is a loaf of bread with butter and jam nearby, in case you guys want to make yourselves some toast.”
Mark was, surprisingly, the first person to yell out a loud “thank you, Mrs. Moore”. In the seconds that followed, just about every other person repeated the phrase, making the fancy resort room feel like a third-grade classroom. Even Ethan repeated the phrase, grinning at the happy smile on the woman’s face.
Ethan grabbed everything but the avocado when he briefly heard that there was in fact a vegetarian in their midst and found where Meaghan and Aiden had found seats on the floor. Ethan stood in front of the chatting two, giving them a weird look.
Meaghan looked up at Ethan for a moment before giggling.
“What?”
“You guys do realize that there were—actually are—other seats still available?” Ethan asked them, gesturing his free hand to some of the empty spaces that weren’t just carpet on top of tile. Aiden’s eyes went a bit wide.
“Oh.” He mumbled, looking around himself. “I hadn’t noticed. I was just talking to Meaghan.”
Aiden and Ethan looked over to Meaghan who just shrugged at their silent question.
“I’d noticed but I just think that the floor is more fun.” She explained to them, completely unapologetic as usual. And, as usual, Ethan and Aiden just went along with it. That’s why the three of them spent their breakfast on the floor while three perfectly good seats remained empty behind them.
Their conversation during the meal was pretty light and random, jumping from one topic to the other without a care in the world. But, as Meaghan was munching on her buttered toast, her eye caught Aaron’s form from across the room. At the sight of her older brother, she suddenly remembered a very pressing issue, his love life.
To make a long story short, Scarlett Hale was having Meaghan’s brother pretend to be her boyfriend. She was a total babe and found turning down boys tedious. So, what better solution than to already be in a relationship? Aaron had agreed because, according to him, he hadn’t been looking for a relationship either. However, Meaghan found that hard to believe. Her brother was a hardcore romantic and she knew that he would much rather be with someone than alone.
So, Meaghan dished up a plan. Aiden, adorable as he was, was interested in Aaron and Meaghan was positive that Aiden was just his type. So, Meaghan would do some of the classic Tyler female meddling and get Aaron so attracted to Aiden that he just had to act on it. Thus, getting her brother in a real relationship. Meaghan already had plans in motion to get the boys off of Scarlett’s butt when the time came, but for now, her main concern was being a matchmaker.
With all of this in mind, Meaghan turned to Aiden and Ethan, a wide grin on her lips. When Ethan saw that the look was aimed towards Aiden, he found that the grin showed up on his face as well. Ethan wasn’t actually sure about what Meaghan was smiling about.
She could have been grinning about her evil plan to drop Ethan and Aiden from her life (which Ethan doubted because they were amazing) and Ethan would have no idea. But, Ethan had a feeling that he was going to enjoy whatever had Meaghan grinning so widely.
With both of them staring at him with identical looks, Aiden got a bit scared.
“Uh, why are you guys staring at me like that?”
Meaghan tilted her head, that eerie smile not faltering for a second.
“Like what?” She asked.
“Like you have an evil plan.”
Meaghan didn’t immediately respond to that and Aiden shivered. Whatever they had planned, he wasn’t sure if he would like it very much.
“We’ll talk about it later, after breakfast.” Ethan butted in, making the quick decision. Meaghan nodded in agreement and Aiden relaxed further into the ground. He may have something to worry about later, but at least he had some time to prepare himself before then.
—————
“Sexy?” As Aiden repeated the word, he looked disbelievingly between two excited people in front of him.
“Yes, you should totally try to look sexy in front of him. That will get his attention for sure.” Ethan told Aiden, smiling widely in excitement. But his excitement didn’t seem to rub off on Aiden. Aiden still had this uncertain look on his face as he wrung his hands together.
“Are you sure? Is there not, like, a more solid plan to, uh, seduce Aaron?” Aiden asked them, stumbling over the words that made him especially uncomfortable.
Meaghan, always one for theatrics, walked over to where Aiden sat on his bed and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Aiden, sweetie,” She began, earning a small laugh from Ethan. “Acting sexier than usual is seduction.”
Aiden pursed his lips and Ethan saw that as him trying to ignore the fact that Meaghan was right. Aiden has been Ethan’s closest friend for a long time and Ethan knows how hesitant he could be when it came to putting himself out there. So, Ethan decided to throw his two cents out there, thinking that he might be able to better appeal to him.
“Aiden, I know I never say this, but you’re hot.” Ethan told him, earnestly. Aiden’s head shot up with a shocked expression. “It’s true, you’re really handsome and you probably never dated anybody because you were so focused on getting with Scarlett. So if you want Aaron and you make that clear to him, I doubt that anyone can stop you.”
Judging by the hopeful smile that had appeared on Aiden’s face, Ethan’s little speech worked. Ethan saw the way that Aiden sat up straighter, his confidence growing by the second.
“Alright, I’ll do it.” Aiden stated firmly, smiling proudly. His smile then faltered as a thought came to mind. “But, I have no idea how to act sexy. So, you’ll have to show me what to do.”
Meaghan was about to speak, but Ethan raised his hand to silence her.
“Don’t worry, I know exactly what to do.”
—————
“I’m so excited to go to the pool!” Aiden exclaimed, nearly skipping down the hall. “I love the water.”
Right after breakfast, they decided as a group to go to the pool and they were currently in the main building walking towards it. Aiden’s parents had gone earlier to secure some lounge chairs but the rest of them had to change into their swimsuits first. Speaking of swimsuits, Ethan had been a bit distracted since they first came out of their rooms.
The second he saw Chris, Ethan had to turn away almost immediately. It was just too much. His loose board shorts showed off his toned calves and firm thighs and left his top half bare. Good lord, that shirtless chest and stomach! Toned pecs, arms, abs. The abs are what really got him. Half of Ethan’s effort at all times went to keeping his eyes off of Chris’ body.
Now, Ethan didn’t have a potbelly or anything. He didn’t have abs, but the small amount of physical activity he did kept him fit enough. He was fine with showing his stomach as they swam.
Ethan, Meaghan, and Aiden were standing towards the front of the group, following a still skipping Aiden. Ethan saw when Aaron walked a bit faster, coming up to stand beside Aiden.
“So you swim often?” Aaron asked Aiden, referring to his comment about loving water. Aiden went slightly pink from the new attention but if someone wasn’t paying attention, they wouldn’t have noticed. Aiden nodded, sending Aaron a smile.
“Uh, yeah. I probably go to a community pool two or three times a month when it isn’t summer.” Aiden told him, his open stance telling Ethan that he wasn’t embarrassed by that fact at all.
“And when it is summer?” Aaron pushed, a curious look on his face. That was when Aiden wore a full blush.
“I probably go swimming every other day.”
Aaron chuckled about that fact and Aiden rubbed the back of his neck while avoiding Aaron’s gaze. Just at that moment, Mason jogged up to Aiden’s other side. Aiden’s younger brother was wearing a teasing smile, his look set on Aiden.
“Last one to the pool is a rotten egg.” Mason told his older brother, the simple phrase causing Aiden’s eyes to narrow into slits. Aiden was about five years older than his younger brother, but based on what he told Ethan, that had done little to keep the Moore siblings from becoming very close.
The challenge seemed to send any of Aiden’s embarrassment packing because he only had room for one thought. Beating his little brother.
“You’re on-”
Aiden wasn’t even able to finish his sentence because Mason had started sprinting down the hall. Aiden bolted after him yelling his complaint as he went.
“That was cheating!”
Jasmine and Mark seeing the Moore brothers sprinting away set their own bet and followed after them.
The rest of the group that was left behind laughed at their childish antics. It was funny to see a teenager chasing after his kid brother. From the corner of his eye, Ethan noticed Scarlett taking a video.
“What are you going to be doing with that?” Ethan asked her, gesturing towards her phone. Scarlett shrugged, probably not having thought that far ahead.
“I don’t know, maybe I’ll post it on Instagram or on my story.” She told him, smiling as she watched the video back. “Are they always like that?”
“They spend more time talking and playing board games together than running around but, yeah, basically.” Ethan said honestly. “Aiden and Mason are really close.”
“That’s sweet.” Rachel commented with a smile. “The most my brother and I talk is to argue over who gets the car on Fridays.”
“Who wins?” Meaghan asked, smiling softly.
“My brother, usually. He’s a senior.”
The resounding sounds of understanding erupted between them and Ethan snickered to himself because of it. As they continued to walk, their shoes against the tiles the only noise, Chris suddenly tripped.
Courtney was somehow the closest person to him and held his back and stomach to keep him from falling. Chris’ trip had not been nearly bad enough for him to need assistance, but Courtney’s hands remained. When she began to slightly rub up and down Chris stomach, Ethan stopped looking.
Aaron looked down and patted Chris’ shoulder to get him to look down as well.
“Your shoelace is untied, man.”
Chris kissed his teeth in annoyance before taking a knee to tie his shoe. Aaron stopped with him but the rest of the group slowed their walk, unsure if they should wait or not.
Chris noticed this almost immediately and shooed them away.
And so, their group was down four people.
There was a beat of silence before Scarlett suddenly reached behind herself to scratch at her back.
“Ugh, this thing is itchy.” She complained, her hand going under the string that kept her top on. Courtney came up behind her to see what was up and laughed.
“Scarlett, babe, you still have the tag on.”
Scarlett raised a hand to cover her face, obviously a bit bashful about the silly mistake but didn’t say anything about it. Courtney ripped off the tag and let it drop to the floor. Within a couple of seconds their group had already passed by it.
“Speaking of, where did you buy your bikini, it's really cute.” Courtney asked, slipping in a quick compliment. Scarlett smiled at the said compliment and took a moment to think.
“Forever 21, I believe. I bought it the day that we left and I didn’t want to spend too much in case I didn’t like it.” Scarlett explained, earning a couple of understanding nods.
“Well, it would have looked great on you anyway, Scarlett, your body is amazing.” Meaghan complimented, getting an embarrassed glare from Scarlett at the comment.
“Yeah, and you have zero scars. I would kill for skin so even all over my body.” Courtney admitted, frowning at the stretch marks on her hips and thighs. Scarlett rolled her eyes, looking at Courtney through narrowed eyes.
“Seriously? You have abs for Pete's sake, Court.” Scarlett reminded her friend, pressing a hand against the other girl’s stomach. “And, your arms are crazy toned. Mine are just flabby.”
As Ethan actually took the time to look at Courtney, he confirmed that every Scarlett said was true. Courtney didn’t just have wide hips, a large butt, and a perky rack, but she also had the body of a dancer. Her body was strong and defined and it further added to her appeal. She was truly gorgeous. Then, the image of her with her hands on Chris’ naked chest while she wore this revealing bathing suit came back. Ethan couldn’t look at Courtney any longer.
As Ethan frowned to himself, he remembered the speech he gave Aiden only an hour earlier. Courtney was a gorgeous girl and if she really wanted Chris, Ethan doubted that anyone could stop her. Not even him.
Rachel was the person to stop the girls from pointing fingers at who was the hottest after they had complimented Meaghan on her large boobs and were about to go after Rachel. She’d said something along the lines of them all being really hot and agreeing on that. Once that was settled they got back to the topic of swimming.
Before they got to the pool, Ethan found out that while Scarlett and Courtney only swam during the summer or on vacations, Rachel was actually on the swim team. Ethan mentally thought that explained the girl’s broad shoulders.
Then Meaghan said the same thing aloud and Rachel confirmed that her shoulders bulked up because of swimming.
After that conversation Ethan realized that the pool was in sight. So, he turned to Meaghan with an excited expression.
“Race you to the pool?”
Meaghan shot Ethan an incredulous look before sighing. She was silent for so long that Ethan almost asked her again when she suddenly started running.
“Okay, that was definitely cheating.” Ethan complained as he sped after her. Luckily for him, Meaghan’s shoes were terrible and they slowed her down considerably as they raced each other. Soon enough, Ethan had caught up and then ran past her to leap into the pool.
Underwater, Ethan heard the muffled sound of Aiden and Mason’s laughter before he swam up to the surface. Ethan then turned to where Meaghan was slowly climbing into the pool.
“I won.”
Meaghan scowled at that statement, despite the fact that it was true, and jumped the remaining distance into the pool. Ethan was still the winner but he let Meaghan enjoy that moment without reminding her of that.
With Meaghan in the pool, her, Aiden, and Ethan retreated to the far end of the pool furthest from the entrance. It was pretty unlikely that if someone wanted to jump into the pool that they would do it near them.
“So, you know what to do, right?” Meaghan asked Aiden, turning towards him with a grin. Aiden curled in his lips, an unsure look on his face.
“Yeah, I just don’t know how.” He confessed, looking back and forth between Meaghan and Ethan. Ethan smirked, an idea of what Aiden could do prominent in his mind.
“Don’t worry, I can show you.” Ethan told the shorter boy as he walked over to the center of the pool. “This is a move I like to call, ‘The Little Mermaid.’”
Ethan heard Aiden ask, “what does that mean?” right before he swooped underwater. Ethan pretended to move around for a bit as if he were swimming before coming back up to the surface. Ethan kept his eyes closed as he came up. He whipped his head back, his hair flying out of his face and his hands following to slick the blonde strands back. Ethan’s shoulders were still below water but were revealed as Ethan slowly stood up.
As more and more skin was revealed, Ethan followed the newly exposed skin with his hands. His hands went down his body in a slow caress, going down his neck, chest, and stomach before stopping at the waistband of his shorts.
Then, as if Ethan actually considered removing the shorts, he pulled lightly at the elastic before letting it snap back. But, if anyone had been watching closely, they may have noticed the tan line where Ethan had briefly exposed the skin right above his member. Ethan licked at his lips, knowing that the action came off as sensuous before opening his eyes and leaving the pool.
Ethan walked around the edge of the pool because he didn’t feel like swimming and stood near where Aiden and Meaghan were floating. The two of them watched him with wide eyes but Ethan simply assumed that was because of his amazing performance. He grinned.
“So, did you get it?” Ethan asked, looking at Aiden expectantly. But Aiden didn’t look excited. He seemed more jittery as if he was dying to share news.
“Ethan!” He whisper-yelled, his voice barely heard by Ethan himself.
“What?”
“Aaron and Chris already got here.”
Ethan’s head shot up, his eyes finding Chris’ almost instantaneously. Chris was sending him a fierce look, his dark eyes practically burning into Ethan with his intensity. While the attention scared Ethan a bit, it also made him grow hot. Chris’ gaze was strong and Ethan felt as if he was being undressed by those eyes. And he liked that feeling.
A lot.
“Well would you look at that.” Meaghan smiled, her eyes moving from Ethan to Aiden. Ethan frowned in confusion, unsure of where Meaghan was going with this.
“I’m kind of shipping Ethan and Chris. Aren’t you Meaghan?”
At Aiden’s comments, Ethan blushed. For some reason, he hadn’t expected for them to the heated look Chris had sent his way. Knowing that they had noticed that made him fear that they would finally see Ethan’s not so simple crush on the taller male.
To try to hide how red he was getting, Ethan jumped into the pool, but he couldn’t drown out the sound of Aiden and Meaghan’s teasing giggles. As they played in the pool for the next few hours, Ethan felt that heated gaze find him again and again. But, he had returned it tenfold.
Whether he was misreading the looks or not, Ethan was going to enjoy all of Chris’ chocolate skin on display.
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I better not see anybody complain about a short chapter in the comments.
3000 words take up SPACE my friends!
JK, I’m not serious. You guys can still complain but this Chapter is way longer than usual. But, I knew I just had to get to the pool scene.
It was one of my favourite scenes from the first book and I’m happy I was able to recreate it.
Speaking of,
Did you like all of the added conversations in this book?
It's really fun to reimagine what was said during all of the parts that I glazed over 4 years ago.
Anywhy,
Vote, Comment, Share, Follow, anything else you can do with this book and I’ll see you next Chapter.bye!!!👋🏾👋🏾👋🏾