Change My Mind

33 - True colours

I had a hard time adjusting to Liv's new way of looking at me and how she spoke to me. I wasn't even sure it was a new thing - maybe I just hadn't noticed it before. When we came back down to the backyard, Syl, Sarah and Aiden had just sat down with their breakfast.

"Bug... You're looking good," Aiden said and looked me up and down in my swimwear. I felt like hiding behind a tree, but settled for hugging myself to try and cover some of my bare skin.

"Don't be a pig," Liv said to him and started walking down to the wooden dock. Harry and Niall were already waiting down there, looking out over the lake. They were both in their swimming shorts, and I was going to struggle keeping my eyes off Harry's body. The muscles on his back glistened in the sunlight, as he pointed off in the distance. I locked eyes with Aiden one last time before I joined Liv and the guys, and he winked at me, making me flustered as I hurried off.

"The buoy over there signals how far you can go," Liv said and pointed out over the lake. "The platform is over there. The lake is deep, so don't expect to be able to reach the bottom." They were all standing with their backs turned in my direction. I quietly walked up and stood next to Harry, not looking at him or saying a word. I held my arms over my midriff and battled how self conscious Aiden made me feel. Harry very carefully let his little finger nudge my thigh in deliberate motions. I looked up at him and a small smirk appeared on his lips, while he didn't move his gaze from the lake.

"So do we use the ladder over there?" Harry asked while pointing to a ladder leading into the water from the dock.

I looked cheekily at him and shrugged. "You can, yes. Or you could just..." I set off, sprinting out onto the dock, leaped into the air, and dove under the surface of the lake. The coolness of the water hit me like a refreshing wave, washing away the heat of the summer sun and enveloping me in tranquility. As I submerged deeper, the world above faded away, replaced by the serene depths below. Each stroke propelled me further into the cool deep, where time seemed to stand still, and all worries melted away. In that moment, I was weightless and unbothered.

I swam back up to the surface and popped out of the water just as Niall and Harry came flying over the edge of the dock, cannonball style. I trotted water, watching them hurl themselves into the lake, a huge spray splashing up onto the dock. I chuckled at them and started swimming in the direction where they had disappeared under the surface. Liv slid gently into the water from the ladder and calmly swam breaststroke past me on her way to the platform. 

Niall popped up first and howled a victory yell. "That was so awesome!" He yelled and started crawling after Liv, who was way ahead of us. Harry took a while, and I found myself getting slightly worried that he might be struggling to get back up to the surface. Naturally I should have guessed that he was going to pull my foot from beneath me and give me a huge fright. My head went under water, and Harry was right there, his arms ready to snake their way around my waist. We came back up for air, and I punched him in the shoulder and shook my head at him. 

"You dick! I thought you'd drowned for a moment there," I said with a surprised expression. 

Harry chuckled and let me go, so he could smooth his hair back from his face and wipe his eyes. "Did you just call me a dick?" He laughed and looked cheekily at me, only adding fuel to my already burning pit of fire. 

"I got scared," I hissed and splashed water in his face. 

"That's because you're in love with me," he whispered with a cheeky smirk, as he began to swim after Liv and Niall. I followed him the best I could, but he was a stronger swimmer than me, so I ended up being the last one on the platform. Liv had already found a comfortable position to lie and soak up the sun. Niall and Harry both sat with their legs stretched out in front of them, leaning back on their arms. Harry looked teasingly at me, as I boosted myself up on the platform.