Highest Rank #61 in Fanfiction! Juliette McGill finds the perfect position as a nanny for a young boy with special needs. Only when she arrives at the family's home in British Columbia, she discovers that the boy is not quite what she expected and t...
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It was already mid-August and the days were hot, even in the mountains. Harry and I didn't want to be cooped up inside just to enjoy the air conditioning, so when we spent time outside, we often went swimming.
The pool was always a safe bet with its controlled temperature and smooth bottom, but one afternoon, the rocky inlet shore beckoned us like no other. We dove in after lunch and spent hours playing and frolicking between the stones and fallen trees. We had swam up and down the inlet on a regular basis, once I was confident in his swimming abilities, and today we decided to race from a dead tree at the northeast end back to a large flat stone that jutted out of the water about five yards from the shore. We sat there often, bathing in the sun's rays but today it would be our finish line.
We swam slowly up to the starting point, egging each other on.
"No way you'll beat me," I gloated. "I was captain of the swim team in high school."
"But I...I've been sww...swimming here all my life," he said and stuck his tongue out at me.
"Very mature, Mr. Styles," I giggled at him.
"Y..you started it," he said and rushed ahead to reach the tree first.
"The race hasn't started yet," I said as I approached him. "You should save your energy."
I let Harry signal the beginning of the race. He counted down and I watched his eyes nervously darting between me and the goal. "Three...two...one!"
We took off, swimming our best but Harry was truly a better swimmer than me, even though I really had been the team captain in high school. His body was long and lean and it probably helped that his arms were almost twice as long as mine. He was aerodynamic, sailing through the crystalline water like a fish.
I kept up with him fairly well but couldn't quite pass. As we neared the rock, the ground rose up to meet us and we both took advantage of the rocky bottom to propel ourselves towards the finish. When we were just a few feet away, I jumped forward and pushed his shoulder slightly, saying, "Careful! Don't slip, Harry. Don't fall!"
It became a battle between us, trying to keep the other one from reaching the rock, his arms grabbing at mine, trying to stop me from pushing him, my feet kicking at his to make him fall into the water, which he eventually did, and I plummeted after him. We wrestled against each other to stand up, holding on to the crook in each other's arms. We righted ourselves, still holding on to each other and laughing and when I looked up, I froze in absolute awe.
I didn't see Harry, the little boy hiding in a man's skin. I saw a man with broad shoulders, defined collarbones, and muscular biceps. I saw a man who was funny and smart and tender-hearted, not to mention absolutely beautiful. His smile could light up the entire northern sky and his eyes were brilliantly clear and bright. My breath caught in my throat as I saw him like this for the first time, not as my student but as my equal.
