A Walk In The Park

28 - A Little Game

Calum stands in front of me with his hands on his hips, looking a little sassy. I can't explain how much I love it when he flirts back. But I've learned that he's not actually flirting. This is a little unspoken game he invented after I started openly flirting with him. I flirt, and he "flirts" back. The point is to see who can make the other back down first. I lose every damn time. He knows that I genuinely get turned on and can't handle it, and I think he enjoys having that advantage over me. I don't exactly mind it, either. But I do worry that I'll overstep the boundaries, and he'll stop playing around with me. So that's another reason that I'm always the first to cave. Today, however, I'm determined to beat him at his own game, for a change. And he's just provided me with the perfect opportunity.

I lay down the hose, and it takes all the courage I have to pull my shirt up and over my head. I maintain eye contact and hope that I look more confident than I'm feeling. I drop the shirt on the ground between us and mimic Calum's stance and smirk. "Better?"

Calum's eyes grow larger and he swallows hard. Aww, he's really getting into this acting nervous thing. He pretends to check me out from head to toe. I so wish he wasn't acting, because he's making me feel some sort of way. It's so unfair.

He nods and answers weakly, "Yeah." Then he clears his throat and answers more confidently, "Yes. But..."

"But what?"

"I'm wet and you're not."

It only takes a split second for Calum to squat down and snatch up the water hose. But I'm just as quick as he is, and I'm able to grab it and aim it upwards before he sprays me. We wrestle over control of the hose for a good bit. Harley is loving it, jumping up and down, trying to get us to play with him, too. I get tickled at him and let my guard down just enough for Calum to take advantage and get the hose away from me. He tosses it out of my reach, then proceeds to scoop me up, throwing me over his shoulder. Then he starts walking toward the pool with ease, as though I'm not nearly as big as he is.

"Calum Thomas Hood, I swear if you don't put me down right now!"

"What are you going to do, Michael James Pierce?" he asks as we reach the pool's edge.

I'm squirming, but he's too strong for me to break free from his muscly arms. Though, I may or may not be trying less than I'm able to, because I'm not exactly hating all this physical contact. Just saying. I know he's getting ready to dump me into the pool, and I'm okay with that, except I have on brand new shoes.

"But my shoes, dude!"

Well, that plea is no help. Calum manages to not only remove my shoes and socks, but his own as well, in about three seconds - all the while holding me like a sack of potatoes. The next thing I know, we're both underwater in the deep end of the pool.

When we surface, Calum is looking rather smug and hot as fuck. He probably thinks I'm giving up. But I'm not finished. Not today, buddy. I charge at him the best I can while treading water, but he's prepared and quickly swims to the edge. 

"Wanna race?" he asks.

Ha ha. Yes. Yes, I do. "Yeah, I guess so." 

"Okay. To the other end and back?"

"I might be able to handle that."

We get into position. Calum counts us off, and the race is on. By the time I'm halfway back, Calum has slowed down and given up. I continue at full speed, just to show off, because it's not often that I'm better at something than Calum is.  

"What the fuck was that?" Calum asks, perturbed, yet surprised.

I swim to meet him in the middle of the pool. "I guess I've never told you that I was on my school's swim team?"