Southern Boy Charm | ✓

Chapter 27

After our date, spending the summer with Nick was easy to do. Every farm chore was an excuse to brush my hand over his.

During the days we worked. Every so often, when I would grow tired of laboring in the scorching sun, I would bat my eyelashes at him, asking if I could take the day off; and, like the whipped boy he was, he would happily oblige, even though it meant him staying out in the heat for hours later. So, thirty minutes later I would run out and help him. Part of it was because I felt guilty, but mostly because I missed spending time with him.

In the evening, however, is when we were finally able to enjoy ourselves. We'd go on horseback rides, a skill that I had picked up on surprisingly fast, or sit in the treehouse with nothing but books and each other to keep ourselves company. But other nights, nights like this one, when the air was still hot besides the sun leaving hours prior, we'd go to the creek.

"I don't want to do this," I say, biting my lip.

"C'mon. I promise it won't hurt." I eye him warily.

We stand on the top of a rocky ledge, the creek below us. It's the same ledge that he pushed me off when I first got here, a memory that seems like so long ago. I remember being so furious at him, but now I can't help but look back and laugh.

"This is your chance to get revenge on me. Are you really not going to take it?" He looks at me intently. "You're really not going to push me?"

I know that he feels somewhat bad about how things started between us, and this is his way to makeup for it. But honestly, the ledge feels scary. I know that when he pushed me, I found out that it was a lot less scary than it looked, but the same feeling of apprehension that pricked at my skin then is pricking away now.

What if his head hits a rock and he dies? And I'm the one that pushed him? That's murder! The thought is almost too much to bear, and he must take pity in my hesitation because he sighs.

"You really don't want to do it, do you?"

I shake my head furiously.

He grazes his hand over my cheek. "Then don't worry about it."

He pulls me in for a long sweet kiss, and I feel myself melt into him. We're both in our bathing suits, and in my bikini, this is the closest I've ever been to him. I can feel his skin beneath mine, and it's exhilarating. Despite the heat outside, I feel myself grow impossible hotter.

He wraps his hands around my waist, his thumbs grazing above my hip. I feel like I can barely breathe, my muscles now Jello. It feels like I've been lifted above ground, floating high in the air, my stomach dropping to the pit of my stomach, until it hits me: wait a minute, I am falling!

"What the hell Nick!" is the only phrase I can muster before my body is engulfed in water.

My breath is already gone due to a combination of fear and Nick and I's passionate kiss. I kick my legs rapidly, franticly trying to reach the surface. When I finally wipe the water from my eyes, I am welcomed to the wonderful sight of Nick laughing his ass off.

"You pushed me! Again!" I growl, whipping water at him. His laugh only intensifies.

"Technically, I didn't push you. I dragged you down with me." I splash him with even more water to wipe the smug smirk off his face.

"Well, technically, I should kill you right now."

He laughs at me, once again. Are my threats really that funny to people?

"You couldn't do that even if you tried."

I scoff. "And how are you so sure?"

"You couldn't even push me off the ledge two seconds ago. Besides, it would be too big a scandal for you. Crazy Girlfriend Drowns Boy doesn't sound like a headline you would want."

I raise my eyebrow. "Who said anything about me being your girlfriend?"

His face goes pale.

"That's my bad. I didn't mean to assume and call you that," he stammers. "Unless you want me to? But I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or to rush you or anything." He rambles on and on, and I try to hold in my laughter. Finally, I decide to take him out of his misery.

"It's sad that you didn't mean it. I thought it kind of had a nice ring to it," I say, swimming closer.

His face breaks into a relieved smile. "So, you do like me calling you that?"

Now it's my turn to laugh. Nervous Nick is quite a sight to see. "Of course. But what fun would it be if I didn't make you sweat first?"

I see an evil glint form in his eye, and I try to book it away from him as fast as humanly possible. I'm too slow though, because before I can swim more than a few feet away, his arm is around my waist and pulling me back towards him.

"Real nice to pick on the nervous guy."

I gasp. "You just threw me off a cliff two minutes ago!"

"Hmm," he says, "I can't seem to remember that. Maybe I should try throwing you again to jog my memory?"

My face drops. "That's really not necessary."

But he doesn't listen to me and lifts me up by my waist so I'm above the water. I can practically feel him winding up to throw me like I'm a fast ball.

"Nick don't you dare!" I scream, but he doesn't budge. I flail my arms and legs, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, but his arms are too strong a match for me. As I close my eyes and brace my body for impact, nothing happens. After a few seconds, I open my eyes to one of Nick's signature smirks.

"You're not going to throw me, are you?" I deadpan.

"Of course not. But what fun would it be if I didn't make you sweat?" I can practically hear the gloating in his voice.

"Touché," I mumble.

"Besides," he says, letting me back down into the water. "I would never do that to my beautiful girlfriend." The word causes my heart to grow warm. But, of course, I can't let him know this. He would be gloating even more than he already is.

"That's funny, considering that my boyfriend didn't seem to have a problem doing that to me two times now."

He raises his hand in defense. "To be fair, that first time doesn't really count."

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. "Why wouldn't it? I was still pushed into this here creek by a very special, psychotic someone."

"Yeah, but that was before," he says.

"Before what?"

He tucks a piece of wet hair stuck to my face behind my ear. "Before you."

My smile is bright enough to light up the night sky.