But something was off, I could tell.
“Yes!” I replied.
“Alrighty!”
Then, I felt my body being thrown. And when I took a quick peek, I saw that it was straight into a pit of blue. I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared for the icy cold pool water to engulf me. Only, it didn’t. I opened my eyes to find Connor holding me, bridal style.
“Your face!” he exclaimed, causing me to bounce a little as he laughed.
I frowned and watched him, annoyance taking over.
“Bells, did you really think I was going to throw you into the pool?” he asked when he finished laughing.
I didn’t answer, and just looked around awkwardly.
“Well, I wouldn’t,” Connor said, a small grin on his face.
“Really?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Of course not!”
I let out a horrified scream as I was thrown in the air and into the freezing pool. When I surfaced, Connor was on the ground, laughing hard.
“You bastard!” I screamed, shaking like a veritable leaf as I put my arms around my body, trying to keep myself warm as I looked for a way out.
“You look cold,” Connor observed, his eyes twinkling.
I scowled as I swam to where he was standing.
“Here,” he offered, holding out his hand.
And yeah, that clichéd idea popped into my head. So I took his hand and pulled with all my strength, trying to pull him into the pool.
Only that didn’t happen.
He didn’t even budge. He just watched with amusement as I struggled to pull him in. After at least a minute, I sighed, giving up, and climbed out of the pool. My clothes were stuck to me, and I was pretty sure that I was dying.
“C-can we g-g-go ins-side?” I stuttered, my teeth chattering.
“Whatever you say, prin——” Connor was cut short as his body was thrown into the water.
I laughed when I saw his expression when he resurfaced—it exhibited pure shock. But then came the anger. His eyes darkened and he swam towards the edge of the pool.
“Uh-oh!” I whispered, backing away. And with incredible speed, Connor shot out of the pool and cut off my exit.
“Uh-oh is right,” Connor said, advancing on me.
I turned to make a break for it, with Connor right behind me. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it back to the house fast enough, so I went for the gate instead.
“Gotcha!” Connor said as he put his arms around me, flinging me around so that I was facing him.
I cried out as I slipped on a puddle of water, falling backwards. Connor reacted quickly and held on to me so that I wouldn’t fall. But I panicked, flailed my arms, and ended up smacking him in the face, causing us both to fall.
“Ahhh!” we both screamed as we fell back into the ice-like water.
I managed to keep my head above the water, while Connor sunk to the bottom before managing to bring himself to the surface. I couldn’t help but laugh at his “pissed off” expression. I was treading water while Connor simply stood to his full height of six foot one. Thankfully, we didn’t fall into the deep area. We were only at the five and a half feet part, which was good for my five foot five frame.
“You think it’s funny to get your head dunked under all this water?” he hissed, standing in front of me.
“You’re the one who threw me in!” I reminded him, backing away.
He grabbed my arm, stopping me from backing away any further.
“You’re treading water?” he asked, sporting a self-satisfied grin.
I frowned as I continued to stay afloat. Being awful at all things athletic, I started to struggle.
“Well, sorry! Not everyone can be as tall as you!” I snapped, a little breathless as I carried on kicking my legs lightly back and forth.
Connor laughed and pulled me closer, wrapping an arm around my waist. Being so close to him made it hard for me to continue to tread the water.
“C-C-Connor,” I stammered, shivering. Connor’s eyes twinkled as he pulled my body even closer towards him.
Before I could say another word, he crashed his lips to mine. I raised my arms to push him away when I made the sickening realization—I didn’t want to.
Despite all that I had said before, I couldn’t stop myself from putting my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He lifted me slightly, one arm resting under my butt, and I wrapped my legs around him. With his free hand, he threaded his fingers through my hair, deepening the kiss. And although we were in the freezing water, the kiss was so heated that I wasn’t bothered by the cold at all.
After what seemed like just a couple of minutes, he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine. We were both breathing heavily, our bodies still entwined. I rested my head against his shoulder as he somehow managed to pull himself out of the water while still carrying me. The second we were out of the water, the chilly October air was much more noticeable.
Connor carried me inside the house, turning the heat up as he did. I didn’t bother protesting as he carried me upstairs, and into the bathroom.
“You can take the first shower,” Connor said, placing me on the counter. He pulled out two towels from a cupboard and handed them to me. He then left the room, returning with a large t-shirt and sweatpants.
“They’re probably not going to fit, but you can adjust them.” Connor said, folding the clothes and leaving them on the counter. I shivered and nodded my head, giving him a grateful smile.
“You know, we could take a shower together. Save some water,” he said, his hot breath fanning across my face.
“Are you sure you don’t want to shower first?” I asked.
Connor shrugged, giving me a small smile. “I’m fine. But you know, the offer still stands, if you want to…”
I playfully slapped his chest, pushing myself off the counter.
“Out,” I said, smiling at him.
He bowed mockingly, skipped out of the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. I shook my head, still smiling.
Twenty-five minutes later
I actually finished my shower ten minutes ago, but the hot water seduced me into staying longer! I kept on spinning around as the jets streamed down on me. This is the…
“Ahhhhhh!” I screamed. I felt myself slipping so I grabbed onto the glass door. Right as I was standing up, the glass door flung open, causing me to tumble out of the shower. I slipped and let out a strangled scream as I slid across the bathroom and onto the door, falling to the ground in a heap. I groaned and stood up slowly, feeling the pain all over my body. I looked at the trail of water I left. All I needed to do was avoid the water and I’ll be…
“Noooo!” I wailed, as I found myself slipping backwards again. I braced myself for the impact, only to find that there were arms wrapped around my midsection. Wait, what?! I let out a shriek as I was pulled up to a standing position. I immediately whirled around and struggled to get away, trying to cover myself as much as I could. I looked up at Connor in horror as his eyes trailed over my body.
“Stop that!” I snapped, shifting awkwardly as I tried to adjust my hands.
Connor looked into my eyes, full-on smirking.
“Don’t be ashamed,” he whispered, taking a step forward.
I scowled and moved away. “You need to leave!” I ordered, my face flushed. To my surprise, Connor turned and left without another remark. He shut the door behind him, and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Peek-a-boo!” Connor yelled out, flinging open the door.
“Connor!” I shrieked, slamming the door closed.
I heard him laugh as he ran down the stairs.
Asshole!
I hastily dried myself off and changed, grateful that my bra and panties had dried off. I glanced at the mirror, wincing at the sight of the hickey on my neck. And because of the pool incident, some of my makeup had washed off. The shower removed the rest of it. After checking myself in the mirror, I cleaned off the floor, dumping everyt
hing into the basket in the corner. Then, I put on the clothes that Connor gave me. The t-shirt dwarfed my small frame, but the sweatpants were the most comfortable thing in the world.
In the living room
“You’re a douche!” I snapped as soon as I saw Connor lounging on the couch. I noticed that his hair was still damp, and he was wearing a set of new, dry clothes.
“Did you shower?” I asked, plopping down next to him.
“Yeah, I realized that waiting for you to finish would take too long. So I just used the one downstairs,” he said, facing me.
I nodded and turned towards the television. He was watching some basketball game, so I pretended to be distracted. However, I could feel his eyes on the side of my head, and I couldn’t help it anymore.
“Please just forget what happened,” I said, remaining to stare forward.
“Forget the image of those breasts and the Brazilian? I think not,” Connor said, amusement evident in his tone.
My jaw dropped and I turned to him, aghast.
“I saw everything,” he whispered, moving closer to me.
I flushed and turned away, hoping to distract myself. My heart began to pick up pace as Connor moved nearer and placed a hand on my leg. I ignored that action and continued to stare blankly at the television. But then, his hand began trailing up, slipping underneath my shirt.
“Stop it!” I snapped, standing up to glare at him.
He laughed and let his eyes trail over me.
“You look really good right now,” he said, his eyes meeting mine once again.
I rolled my eyes and snorted.
“What time is it now?” I asked, sitting back down next to him.
He checked his phone, which reminded me that mine was in my car.
“It’s almost ten o’clock.”
I yawned and nodded my head, leaning back. It only lasted about five minutes before my eyes started closing slowly. Right before I completely fell asleep, I noticed Connor put his arms around me, resting his chin on my head. I smiled as I shut my eyes, enjoying the warm embrace.
Connor
I gently lifted her up, put her back on the couch, and covered her with a fuzzy blanket. I sighed and quietly went out towards the back of the house. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, dialing a number I never thought I’d use again. After a couple of rings she finally answered.
“What happened to not wanting me anymore?”
“Hello to you, too,” I said, rolling my eyes at her greeting.
“Connor, the last time I saw you, you said that you didn’t want or need me,” she said, sounding pissed off.
“I don’t need you in that way,” I said, sighing. “Can you just come over?”
There was a pause before she answered, “I’m on my way.”
I peeked back inside the house to check on Bella who was sound asleep. I walked out onto the porch, waiting for her to come.
Ten minutes later
“Thanks for coming, Sam,” I said, standing up awkwardly.
She gave me a playful glare and plopped herself down on the porch swing.
“So, what do ya wanna talk about?” she asked, her green eyes glinting.
“There’s this girl, her name is Bella and…” I started.
“Let me guess, you’re trying to sleep with her?” she asked.
“Well, yes,” I mumbled, sitting down next to her.
She thoughtfully nodded.
“What’s the problem? She’s playing hard to get?”
“No. I think she just really doesn’t want to sleep with me,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
Sam’s eyes widened and she was silent for a few seconds. “What do you mean?” she finally asked.
“I may have not left her with a great first impression. To be honest, I didn’t act like I wanted her. It’s complicated.” I sighed. “But now that I do want her, she seems to like this other guy.”
Sam raised an eyebrow and curiously asked, “What? And this guy is still alive?”
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah. The thing is, I’ve never seen him with her. And I guess I’ll just keep hoping that they’re not true, the rumors I’ve heard.” I watched as Sam stared at me with a shocked expression on her face.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“You like her,” she said it as if it was obvious.
I scoffed. “I like her body.”
“No, you like her,” she said, shaking her head and giving me this look.
Thirty minutes later
“This was nice,” Sam said, standing at the bottom of the stairs.
I nodded and gave her a small hug. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me full on the lips.
“Just for old times’ sake,” she whispered, pulling away.
I watched her with amusement as she walked towards her car, giving me a small wave before driving off. Then, I smiled and walked back into the house. The moment I got in…
“I have to go.”
My head snapped to her direction. Bella looked angry as hell as she stood in front of me with her arms crossed.
“What? Why?” I asked, surprised by her sudden mood change.
She scoffed, pushed past me, and stalked towards the porch.
“Bella, what’s going on?” I asked, grabbing her arm to stop her.
She whirled around, giving me a look that made my blood run cold. Immediately, I dropped her arm, staring at her in confusion.
“Give me my keys,” she said, anger tinging her every word.
“One second,” I said, turning around. “Guess someone’s PMS-ing.”
Bella
“Guess someone’s PMS-ing,” he muttered, walking away.
I felt another wave of anger surge through me. How dare he?! He had no right to even pretend like nothing happened. I saw him trying to suffocate that blonde chick with his tongue. I’m not even going to pretend that I didn’t feel jealous. And used. Let’s not forget that.
“I have your keys,” he announced, leaning against the doorway.
“Give them back,” I hissed, holding out my hand expectantly.
He laughed and took my hand in his own. “Not until you agree to go out with me.”
“No!” I snapped, yanking my hand away.
He frowned and took a step closer. “Why not?”
“You are an unbelievable son of a bitch! You honestly think you can get whatever you want. But you know what? You can’t! Did you really expect me to run into your arms after you were making out with some girl on the porch?” I snarled, getting right up in his face.
“Why do you care?” he snapped, causing me to flinch back. “You’ve been treating me like shit all this time and you really expect me to wait around for you to maybe even consider me?”
I winced and stared past him. “This is why it won’t work,” I said, backing away with a frown on my face.
Connor was watching me then, breathing heavily.
“We believe in two different things. You think that it is okay to be with other girls while chasing after one. And I think that if you really want to be with someone, you should not give up and just whore around until they come around,” I said, shaking my head and holding out my hand.
“You haven’t even given me a chance,” Connor said sadly, taking my hand once more, cupping it in between his.
“Do you even deserve one?” I asked numbly.
A look of hurt flashed through Connor’s face, and he dropped my hand and backed away.
“I’m sorry,” I hastily said.
“You’re giving Liam a chance,” he said, his expression now hard and emotionless.
“Yeah, but…”
“He just wants to use you,” Connor stated dully.
“Excuse me?”
“Never, not even once, have I not gotten the girl I went for. So when you started talking to Liam, he made a little plan in his head. He thinks that he can sleep with you before I can—using you to take my title.”
I froze as his words started to sink in.
“So I’m just some prize for this little competition between you two, of who can get my virginity?” I asked, not even trying to hide the hurt and anger I felt.
“Bella, please give me a chance,” Connor pleaded, taking a step forward.
“This is crazy! Everything is moving way too fast. I barely even know you!” I snapped, looking away.
“This isn’t a date,” Connor said, letting out a sigh of annoyance.
“Fine,” I said, staring at him blankly.
Connor froze, almost as if he hadn’t expected me to go along with it.
“Well, do you want your clothes or…?”
“No, I’ll wear this. It’s not a date,” I said, crossing my arms defiantly.
Expecting Connor to be angry, I guess you could say I was surprised when he leaned back and laughed.
“Let’s go then,” he said, walking towards his car.
“What about my…?”
“Car? No, we’re taking mine. It’s not a date, so that means you can’t storm out like those girls do in those dramatic movies.”
Now, it was my turn to laugh as I got into his car.
“Whatever you say,” I said, buckling my seatbelt as he started the car and pulled out of the driveway.
“This is going to be worth it,” Connor said, giving me a grin as we pulled out onto the street.
“Only if it was a date,” I countered, laughing as I turned on the radio.
Little did I know that this simple act of “getting to know each other” would cause him to grow quite interested in my life—uncovering my hidden past.
Little did I know that he would soon find me so interesting that he would decide he just had to get closer to me.
Little did I know that by agreeing to this, I had given Connor the chance to attach himself to me—holding on with such persistence until he could get what he wanted.
And let me tell you one thing, the boy just wouldn’t let go.
Chapter 10
I looked at Connor and smiled. Maybe I hadn’t made the wrong choice of letting Connor take me out.