I like you better with no clothes on | g.d + e.d

Waterfalls.

(Messing with the layout for a few chapters)

We jumped, pushing out as far as we could. I screamed, the feeling of my gut flying to my head getting to me. As we reached the water, I clasped a hand over my nose and splashed, the water at a good temperature that wasn't freezing, but enough to wake me up.

As I rose to the top, I realised I had let go of Ethan. I swivelled around, looking for him but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Ethan?! Ethan where are yo-"

Suddenly, he lifted his head out of water infront of me and grabbed my waist, picking me up and swinging me around. I threw my head back, laughing. 

I stared at the sun peaking through the trees as he carried spinning me around. Everything was in slow motion and I savoured every moment of it. I felt so free and relaxed, something that I hadn't experienced in so long.

He let me down, our eyes locking. I smiled lightly, snaking my hands around his neck. He placed his hands on my hips and placed his forehead to mine, inhaling deeply. 

I pulled away slowly, looking at him one more time before grabbing his face and capturing his lips. He hummed in ease, following my pace. I let my thoughts and worries go, softening to his touch. 

Eventually, our lips parted, my eyes closing. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, making me angle my head into his palm. 

"I don't deserve you." I let out.

"Don't say tha-"

"I'm serious Ethan. You are so amazing. But what am I going to do? Hurt you, over and over. I can't live with myself if I let you go through tha-"

"I love you."

My eyes widened. My hand moved to my mouth, clasping over it. He didn't say that.. did he?

"You don't have to say anything Helena, but please know that I love you. You're who I want to be with. It hurts that you probably don't feel the same way, but I have to live with that. I just beg you don't rub it in my face. Seeing you come out of that room with Grayson, knowing what he did... made me want to kill him. Please don't let him do this to you. You don't deserve to feel like a piece of meat that is being used. I love you."

I sniffed, the tears streaming down my face. He was right. I was being used and manipulated. I hid from the fact that it was happening by giving myself some false hope of love. I thought I needed Grayson but I didn't, I needed Ethan. And he actually wanted me.

I pulled him into a hug, placing my head on his chest. His heart was beating quickly. He wasn't lying. Before it got any worse, he quickly changed the atmosphere.

"Hey, let's not make this sad. Let's have some fun! C'mon, race you to the top. Whoever touches my t-shirt first is the winner." he grabbed my shoulders, smiling.

He set off before me, already making this unfair because he was athletically fitter than me.

"That's not fair! Cheat!" I called out, swimming after him. 

However, I was a pretty good swimmer, so I managed to catch up to him. As he climbed out, I grabbed him, throwing him back into the water.

"I'm a dirty winner. Sorry!" I mocked, laughing as I climbed out effortlessly, running up the slope.

As I got near the top, I turned around and saw him catching. I screamed, picking up the speed. 

He managed to catch up to me, sticking his tongue out at me as we were side by side. I was not going to lose. 

The t-shirt was in metres distance and I sprinted, diving and grabbing it. 

"Mine!" I giggled, lying on my back with the t-shirt in my grasp, waving it in the sky up at him.

"You're lucky I'm just so kind and let you win." he shook his head, chuckling.

I sat up, glaring at him. "Got to make up excuses I see? What a shame." 

"Do you know what else is a shame? This!" 

He picked me up and ran to the edge, flinging me off.

"ETHAN!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, falling.

I landed with a loud splash, getting a mouthful of water along with it. I rose to the surface, an angry face plastered on me.

I could see him in hysterics on the top, before jumping in after me. He did a flip, landing a few metres infront.

"I'm going to kill you!" I shrieked, swimming up to him at a scarily fast speed. 

I grabbed his shoulders, wrestling him down underwater. All he did was laugh at me, knowing I had no chance of doing it. But for my own pleasure, he started to play along with it. 

He went under but found himself directly under me. He came back up, making my legs go over his shoulders and then stood up, raising me high from the water.

"E hold onto me I'm going to fall!" I let out, struggling to stay balanced.

Instead of keeping me up, he dropped me, making me splash behind him.

I ran my hands through the water, splashing him right in the face. He splashed me back, turning it into a water fight. I got the upper hand, making him put his hands up to his face to stop it from getting in his eyes.

"Okay, okay, you win!" he spluttered, water in his mouth as I kept splashing.

I stopped, laughing and tilting my head up in victory. That'll teach him. I swum to the edge and raised myself up onto the grass. With my legs still in the water, I grabbed my hair and wrung it into the water so it wasn't as heavy. Ethan slowly swam up to me, spreading my legs to go between them and push up on the grass, hovering his lips over mine. My breath hitched, making him smirk.

He lowered himself back down before I could kiss him, looking up at me for a reaction. I leaned back, smirking.

"I think I have a fun game we can play. More of a bet really. Wanna do it?" I asked casually.

Ethan's eyebrow perked up, curiously. That curiosity turned to confidence, like the look he had the first time I had ever met him. 

"Bring it on."