Beneath The Lies | BWS

Chapter 6

"S-sorry" I mumbled as my cheeks reddened and I awkwardly stepped out from his arms.

"You don't have to apologize" Brad spoke softly as he tried to capture my gaze.

I lowered my gaze to look down at my shoes before he got the chance to. How could I just stare at his lips like that, what's wrong with me? Brad suddenly grasped my chin and interrupted the dialogue I had with myself as he tilted my head back so that his brown gaze could meet mine.

"Let's get out of here" he said as he flashed me a kind smile.

"But, I promised I would stay for an hour" I spoke up confused.

"I know, but I can tell you're not comfortable being here, and besides, there's a place I'd like to show you" he stated before he grasped my hand for the third time that night and guided me through the sea of teenagers and out through the open front door.

❁ ❁ ❁

I closed the car door behind me and gazed out over the lake. The moon reflected in the water and the stars lit up the otherwise dark night sky.

I rested my back against the hood of the car and breathed in the fresh air. "It's beautiful here" I said as I turned to look at the brunette standing beside me.

Brad smiled and turned his brown gaze to look out over the still lake. "I always used to come here when I was a kid and still believed in Santa... I still come here when I want to forget about everything that's happening in my life, if just for a while" he said as the light from the moon reflected in his eyes and illuminated his skin.

"Is that why you brought me here, to forget about your life?" I asked as I stared at his glowing profile.

Brad turned to look at me as a small smile played by the corner of his lips. "I don't know why I took you here tonight. It just felt right to show you this place, perhaps I thought that showing you this place might make you see me in a different light. That it would make you realize I'm not the bully you think I am"

"Why do you feel the need to make me change my mind about all you the time?" I tilted my head to the side as I studied his facial expression carefully.

Brad ran a hand through his curls and sighed as he looked out over the lake. "I don't know" he mumbled as his features twisted into a frown, making his eyebrows furrow and worry lines to appear across his forehead.

I stared at the boy standing before me and analyzed his face that was looking so different compared to what it looked like when a smile painted his pink lips. I found myself wishing he would smile instead.

So before I could even process what I was doing I grasped onto his hand the way he had done to me before at the party. Brad looked up at me with a shocked expression as I laced our fingers together. I smiled up at him before I took off running down the hill we were standing on, pulling him with me.

I let go off his hand when we reached the shoreline and kicked my shoes off before I rushed out into the dark lake. The cold water felt oddly refreshing and I turned around to look up at him where he stood by the shoreline.

"C'mon, get in!" I shouted as I backed farther out.

Brad kicked his shoes off and ran into the water after me. He waded up to where I stood, the water reaching up to just above his trousers. "You do know we're ruining our clothes, right?" He said as he tucked a loose strand of H/C hair behind my ear.

I smiled and took a step away from him. "I know, but it's just clothes. I never thought you were the kind of person to worry about clothes to be honest"

Brad chuckled at my statement before he wrapped his arms around my waist, and in one swift movement threw me over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed in laughter as he began to spin us around.

"Not worrying about clothes, that's what I'm doing" he said before he threw me off his shoulder and into the water.

I gasped as I plummeted below the surface and the cold water attacked me like needles on all sides. I quickly swam up to the surface and inhaled deeply. I pushed my hair out off my face and looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Brad?" I said his name as I spun around in the water. My gaze flickered back and forth and I wrapped my arms around my torso. "Okay, I get it. Really funny. If you scare me I'll kill you" I warned when I still couldn't see his figure anywhere.

I could suddenly feel something clasp around my ankle and I let out a yelp as I jumped in fright. Brad suddenly emerged next to me in the water and he clasped both his hands over his mouth to try and contain his laughter. I glared at him as I folded my arms over my chest.

"That was not funny" I cried out.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist"

I moved closer to him and draped my arms around his neck and tilted my head to the side, a wicked grin painting my lips. "I do hope you are" I whispered before I jumped up and pushed him down below the surface with my hands.

I laughed out loud as I took off running towards the shore. The water splashed all around my legs and I threw a look over my shoulder.

Brad broke through the surface and when he saw me running he instantly sat after me. I kept my pace and inched closer to the shore.

"You're so dead!" Brad called behind me, and I laughed as I kept running, his threat not facing me at all.

"You've got to catch me first, Simpson" I fired back as I picked up the pace.

I could hear him splashing through the water behind me and my feet finally touched the dry sand. But as soon as I thought I was safe a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist from behind, and Brad's soaked chest pressed up against my back.

"Caught you" he breathed against my neck, and my lips involuntarily lifted up into a smile.

I turned around in his embrace and allowed my hands to settle around his neck, my fingers brushing against his wet curls as they did so.

"I guess you did" I whispered as I gazed into his brown eyes that held a playful spark in them.

A smile uplifted his lips and he pulled me closer towards him. I gently pushed him away from me before I turned around and walked up the hill towards the parked car. I turned around towards him as I kept on walking backwards.

"I guess you're not as bad as I thought you were, Simpson"