I was lying there on the grass, distancing myself from the group of people partying loudly. (I swear, sometimes they're no better than animals.) The stars twinkled, and I watched.
Footsteps emerged out of the darkness, and someone flopped down beside me. A voice I knew well asked so quietly that I almost didn't hear him, almost as if he didn't want to scare me away by speaking too loudly, "Are you okay?" I sighed. "Is the Fourth of July that big of a deal? Does it really deserve barbecues and huge parties and drunk people making out like there's no tomorrow?" Ethan laughed, a quiet low sound. "Why, Charlotte! Where's your sense of patriotism?" I returned dryly, "It shriveled up along with my tolerance for other people." He shrugged. "Fair enough," and lowered himself down to lay next to me. I was content to lie there in silence, but after fidgeting around for a while Ethan finally said, "Sure is pretty out tonight." I turned to look at him, and wow he was really close. He turned his head to return my glance, and I asked, "Can't you just enjoy the quiet for a few minutes?" He said softly, "Sorry," and we stared at each other for a while. I'd never noticed how pretty his eyes were before now...they were green with gold flecks, and I felt as if my own brown eyes were mediocre in comparison. He reached up and tucked a lock or hair behind my ear, and I tensed at his touch. I'm pretty sure he noticed, as he drew his hand away quickly. Feeling the need to say something, I awkwardly amended, "No, it's okay, I just wasn't expecting that." He half-smiled, one corner of his mouth hitched up higher than the other, and offered, "Everyone's pigging out at the barbecue. I bet we could go down to the lake front and be left well enough alone." I cocked an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that we go swimming? Together? In the dark?" He shrugged. "Well, the party was held near the lake for a reason. You did bring a swimsuit, didn't you?" I nodded. "Yes, I did. Let me go grab my bag." He looked like an excited puppy. "So you'll swim with me?" I gave him a glance over my shoulder. "Yeah, I will. Don't go getting any ideas." I walked back to the covered patio and grabbed my bag that held a swimsuit and a towel and quickly returned to where I had left Ethan. There he stood, a shirt and a towel draped over his shoulder, nothing on but swim trunks. I hated myself for it as soon as the thought crossed my mind, but...well, he looked really good and I definitely wasn't fascinated by his bare back or anything because I'm a normal human and normal humans aren't fascinated by other people's backs. He turned around with a lopsided grin stretching across his face, and as I drew up next to him he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers through mine. "C'mon." I tried to pretend that my heart hadn't skipped a beat the second his skin brushed mine and allowed myself to be led down to the lakefront. He stopped right up next to the water's edge and stepped in without a whisper of hesitation. As much as I didn't want to ever let go of his hand, I dropped it and stared at the dark glossy surface of the lake, sudden apprehension tickling my throat. He turned around, his face hinting at concern. "What's wrong, Char?" I gulped. "Ethan..." My voice caught in my throat and he inclined his head towards me, silently encouraging me to go on. I swallowed hard again and continued, "Ethan, what if there's...snakes in there?" He stepped out of the water slightly and asked gently, "Are you afraid of snakes?" I nodded, legs tense to stop them from trembling. He treated me to another grin, this one wider and full or some kind of warmth. "Good thing there aren't any snakes in this lake." That calmed me, but I was still hesitant to wade in. He sighed with mock impatience and said, "Oh, c'mon, you'll be fine!" I paused for a moment, and he reached out to me, grabbed my hand, and tugged me into the cool water. It slipped like silk around my body, and I felt better. Ethan suddenly said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, "I challenge you to a holding-your-breath-underwater contest! Whoever stays under longer wins!" I laughed. "Oh, you're on!" He counted down from three, and I sucked in a huge gulp of air before submerging my head. I had always loved underwater sounds, and this was no exception. For a moment, with my eyes shut tight, there was nothing but my thoughts and calming wave noises. Soon my lungs felt as if they were about to burst, and I sprang up from my half-crouch, my head shattering the watery reflection of the stars. Ethan was standing there, hair soaking wet and loosely framing the impressed look on his face, when I pushed my own wet hair out of my eyes. His voice was oddly hushed and low when he said, "You won, Char. Would you like a prize?" My eyebrows crinkled and I replied, "Sure, I guess..." He cut me off suddenly by softly brushing my lips with his, and the air I had worked so hard to hold was stolen away in a second. He pulled away, looking sheepish, and said, "Sorry if that was cheesy, but I've kind of been really wanting to do that for a while, and I understand if-" I returned the favor and cut him off abruptly by kissing him, hard. He seemed surprised for half an instant, then melted into me as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. One of his hands found my waist, the other found the back of my neck, and we stayed locked together for some amount of time. He broke away finally and asked with a sly smirk, "Well, Char, what do you think of Fourth of July now?"
A/N:
Sorry this took me forever! Here is the scene that you requested, @QuillOfTheFey! I'm so sorry that I literally took years to finish this, but theatre has sapped up all my time. I finished up my most recent show though, so I should have more time to update for a while! If anybody has any requests, let me know in the comments and I will be sure to do them to the best of my ability as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!
