“Ariana! Get back here!” Alex yells after me. I giggle, sucking in a breath as I run faster. I don’t know where I’m going, I simply run and run. I glance over my shoulder to find a dripping wet Alex chasing me, growing closer by the second. His eyes are lit up, droplets of water falling from his hair into his eyes.
“I’m sorry!” I screech, noticing how close he’s getting. Laughter erupts from my chest, travelling upwards and I come to a slow stop, leaves crunching underneath my feet. I quickly turn and hold my hands up in surrender but Alex pays no atten-tion. He dives on me, arms wrapping around my waist. I let out a squeal as we both tumble to the ground, landing softly on the floor.
“Alex, you’re soaking! Get off me!” I giggle hysterically, pushing at his strong hold with my hands. His grip only tightens and he buries his face in my neck, covering me with lake water.
“You shouldn’t have done that hermosa.” Alex chuckles down my ear.
My laughter fades into a nervous one and I pull back, biting down on my lip to stop my grin from spreading. Alex search-es my eyes intently, a small smirk on his lips. He suddenly springs up, taking me with him. I let out a small gasp of sur-prise, my eyes wide as I feel myself being lifted in the air. Within a split second, Alex’s back is my only view.
“Alex, what are you doing?!” I squeal, squirming to get free from his hold. He simply charges through the woods in long strides, ignoring me completely.
“Alex!” I yell, slapping his back.
“Shut up Ariana,” Alex responds lightly, his tone teasing. I let out a loud huff, glancing down at Alex’s body from the back.
It’s not a pretty bad view…
“You have a great body,” I murmur, my cheeks growing hot. Even though I can’t see him, I know he’s smirking at my words.
“Right back at you,” Alex replies, his hand tightening around my legs. I feel the heat of his fingers travelling through the fabric of my jeans, igniting my body.
“Please can you put me down now?” I ask him nicely, the sound of Caleb and Nikki’s voice growing louder. Alex chuckles under his breath, shaking his head.
“No way, it’s time for me to get payback.”
As soon as his words register in my mind, I let out a loud gasp.
“No Alex! You wouldn’t!” I squirm in his hold, desperate to get down. He chuckles again, speeding up until he’s running with me in his arms. I let out a loud scream as I feel him jump in the air before letting go of my body.
“Close your eyes hermosa!” He yells, the sound of his body hitting the water. I quickly follow after him, the sharp cold sting of the water hitting my body. Silence surrounds me, the sound of dulled out waves wrapping around me. Despite his words, I open my eyes, using my hands to stay beneath the water.
The lake is simply beautiful, the water underneath so crystal clear. A few feet away from me, Alex turns until his eyes meet mine. His lips tug upwards into a smile and I mirror his expression as I use my hands to swim towards him.
The entire time, I don’t break eye contact with him and it feels like time stands still. For what would have been seconds feels like hours as I lose myself in the beauty of his eyes. His dark hair comically floats around him as he approaches me, hand outstretched. In that moment, nothing can harm me or hurt my feelings. All I see is the image of Alex reaching out for me. My fingers immediately wrap around his before we both swim up towards the surface.
As soon as I resurface, I shake my head, breathing in a large gulp of fresh air. My hair clings to my head and I feel my body trembling from the cold. In front of me, Alex laughs loudly, his brown eyes twinkling at me. I can’t help but laugh along with him as we grow closer in the water, my hand still wrapped in his. He rests his forehead against mine, both of us floating in the water with legs tangled around each other.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” I whisper, the adrenaline cursing through my body. Despite almost freezing to death, I feel alive.
“I had to get payback somehow, right?” Alex murmurs, his warm breath hitting my face. I feel his free hand take a hold of my waist under the water as he inches closer, his breathing becoming shallow. My eyelids flutter shut and I lean into him, jumping a little in surprise as his lips connect with mine. He kissed me slowly, beads of water still dripping down our fac-es. Despite the coldness surrounding me, Alex warms me up.
My body heats up throughout, warmth and happiness spreading directly to my heart. I haven’t felt so happy in my entire life and something tells me this weekend would end up being the best one of my life. I deepen the kiss with Alex, desper-ately wanting more of him. The sensation his lips give my body is addicting and intoxicating all at once.
Alex lets out a low groan and I feel myself falling hard for him. Every moment we spend together, from the first day that I saved his life to frolicking around in a lake runs through my head. I pull back, slightly fearful by the feelings i’m experi-encing for him.
“You taste like lake water,” he whispers, his hand reaching up to push a piece of hair away from my face. I blush at his words, unable to tear my eyes away from his.
“Can I tell you something Alex?” I murmur, speaking my mind.
“Anything.”
“I think I’m falling for you.” I tell him shakily, searching his eyes for his reaction. Instead of looking horrified, his eyes light up, smile beaming at me.
“It’s about damn time,” he breathes out causing me to laugh. I love how simple it is to have a conversation with him, how easily it flows. Even though he has the ability to give me heart palpitations daily from a simple touch, his company is irre-placeable. He makes me feel comfortable and everything with him is so light hearted yet deep and meaningful. I pull him towards me again, pressing my lips into his firmly.
Behind us, cheers and whoops fill the air from Nikki and Caleb and I grin against Alex’s lips, my heart on the verge of busting with happiness.