Blackout

Ch 22 - Good Enough

We spent a little while just talking. Talking about any random thing we could think of. When the laughter from the others started getting louder, we watched them for a minute to figure out what was going on. Apparently, one of them had found an abandoned Nerf ball, and they were playing what looked to be some form of tag football. In the water. Naked.

Calum suggested, "Maybe we should stop being so antisocial and join them."

"As much as I'm enjoying this time alone with you, it does look like they're having fun." I gave Calum one last kiss before swimming their way.

Ashton and Alexis called dibs on Calum joining their team, so I was paired with Michael and Luke. There was some fierce competition going on out there. No one could agree on the rules, so we didn't really keep score. So, of course, each team thought theirs was the winner.

We had been arguing about it a few minutes when Luke suddenly screamed, and I mean screamed like a girl in a horror flick, and jumped onto Lex's back. She was the closest to him, so he chose her as his savior. "SOMETHING TOUCHED ME! OHMYGOD! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"I bet it's a snake!" Michael teased, followed by the childish laughter of the boys.

"An anaconda!" Calum egged on.

Luke wasn't amused. "The fuck! Let's go!"

No one moved, except Alexis, squirming to get out of Luke's grip. Realizing it was useless, she stopped, and calmly said, "Luke."

"Yeah?!"

She rolled her eyes and said, sweetly, "Your penis is on my back. Will you please be kind and remove it?"

Luke realized what he was doing, and the look of shame on his face was enough to get us going again. I swear, those boys and their fears were the best entertainment I'd had in my entire life.

"Sorry," he said, releasing his hold and stepping away, looking anywhere but at Lex. "But really, I felt something touch me. I think I'm finished with this skinny dipping thing."

At that point, we'd all had our fill of the water anyway. We agreed to exit the lake. But as we reached the more shallow area of the water we all hesitated, wondering what to do.

Noting that we were all struggling with the same dilemma, I volunteered, "How about you all turn around, and Lex and I will get out first." Calum, Luke, and Ashton were compliant. However, Michael stood there and just covered his eyes.

Alexis scolded him, "Michael Whatever-Your-Middle-Name-Is Clifford. We're not idiots. Turn your ass around." He huffed and faced the opposite way.

It took us a second to find our clothes scattered all over the place. But we had nothing to dry off with.

In his impatience to get away from this mystery creature in the water, Luke asked, "Aren't you ready yet?"

I responded, "Um, not exactly. There's nothing to dry off with. So..."

Michael had a solution. "Well then we'll just have to sit around in our underwear and air dry. It's just like wearing a bathing suit, right?"

I knew it was meant as a facetious suggestion, but it actually made sense. When Lex and I agreed, he said, "Really? Okay." I could hear the lustful smile in his voice. He was such a pervert, but in an okay way.

Once we were partially clothed, Lex told the boys it was safe to come out. We felt like being a little facetious ourselves, so we didn't turn around. The guys didn't even notice at first. But once Ashton saw us staring (at their faces...get your mind out of the gutter) he quickly covered his business with his hands and said, "Whoa! Excuse you!" Michael and Luke covered themselves as well, but Calum just strutted on up the hill, letting it all hang out. Yeah.

As we giggled and turned around, Lex told him, "It's not like we can see anything. It's dark, ya know." Thank God, because I know I was as red as the bra and underwear I was wearing.

We were once again sprawled out, this time all of us on the grass. I must admit, it was difficult trying not to stare at Calum in his boxer briefs. He was perfection. And don't think I didn't catch him stealing a glance or two. "Calum, truth or dare?"

"I'm too tired for a dare. So, truth."

I went with one of the classics. "What is your biggest fear?" I fully expected to hear the other guys start giving him a hard time about something that they knew he was afraid of, like spiders or clowns, or something along those lines. Instead, there was nothing.

"First of all, I'm not a pansy like these losers. Snakes, darkness, ducks, whatever. None of that stuff scares me. But I'm terrified of not being good enough. You know, I'm afraid of disappointing someone."

That admission got me right in the heart. I had only just met Calum, but I knew he was a genuinely good person. An amazing person. He was kind, respectful, and honest. I couldn't imagine anyone being disappointed by him. "Calum, you're more than good enough. Even in the short time I've known you, I see that."

"I don't know. I'm just insecure, I guess," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "What are you afraid of?"

That one was easy. "I'm afraid of being alone." I felt kind of silly admitting that. It made me sound kind of desperate. But it was what it was.

Calum nodded his head. "Me, too. But..." he paused, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me closer, "We're not alone right now, are we?"

All I could do was smile at him, because in my head I was thinking, "Exactly. Right now. But what about in a few hours?" Yes, Calum had promised he'd try to make it work. And that was enough for me for now. But the thought of not having him there with me physically made my heart hurt. And who was to say that when the sun came up and the drinks wore off that he wouldn't feel differently?