When We Realize (A Sheo Fanfic)

Chapter Eight

*Shailene’s POV*

“Let’s turn out the lights,” I say to Theo a few days later, grinning mischievously. We have been swimming in the pool for a while now, and it’s pretty late.

Nobody comes up this late, and swimming in the dark is always a lot more fun. You can easily imagine that you are swimming in the middle of the ocean, since you can’t really see the edges of the pool. I used to do that when I was younger. I liked swimming out to the deep end, where your feet don’t touch, and pretend there were coral reefs, and maybe even scary sharks right beneath me. All the other little kids would get scared, but to me, it was just a creative way to feed my imagination… It wasn’t scary because reality can only escape your mind to a certain degree. I always knew that the only thing beneath me was the bottom of the pool.

“If that is a code word for you are going to take off your clothes to skinny dip again, I don’t think that’s a good idea. There are only so many times you can get lucky with nobody walking in.”

I laughed. “I won’t. Besides, I don’t care who see’s my body. We are all natures’ creation!” I say, tip toeing across the slippery ground to turn out the lights. When I flip the switch I can’t see anything at all, but within seconds my eyes start to adjust, and I walk over to the edge of the pool and lower myself in.

“Yeah, that makes you and you only.” I laugh and swim underwater towards him very slowly, my mind envisioning a beautiful, neon coral reef all around me with colorful fish swimming about. “I don’t think you could get away with being seen naked. Someone might snap a pic and then the rest is history.” He tells me when I resurface.

I roll my eyes. “Let em’!”

“Nobody is allowed to see you naked but me,” He jokes back, pulling me against him and wrapping his arms around me.

“You aren’t the only one who’s seen me nude.” I inform him.

His eyebrows furrow and he looks away. “I don’t need to be reminded.” He snaps.

I stare at him in the dark, my hands on his chest. “I wasn’t really referring to other men…” I say awkwardly. I didn’t think he would take it like that. “I meant my friends, and close female family members.”

“That’s understandable. Sorry. I just don’t like to think about you being with other people that way.” His arms slowly let go of me, but our chests are still pressed up against each other.

At least he’s never walked in on me with somebody else, I think, as my fingers skim across the top of the cool water. “Well it’s reality. We both had lives before each other.”

“I realize that, I’m not pretending as if we didn’t. I just get… kind of jealous.”

“You do?”

He gives me an odd look. “You are flirty by nature, which isn’t a bad thing… You don’t do it in an unlikable way, but it used to bother me when it was directed towards people other than me.” I laugh once, and raise my eyebrows. “It was usually towards me, and I liked that. But sometimes Miles would flirt first or some other guy would and it always bugged me, and I tried to not make it bother me. I know it shouldn’t. I’m putting my foot in my mouth aren’t I?”

I laugh and place a kiss on his neck. “No. I think I understand. It’s kind of cute that you would be bothered by other men mingling with me.”

“Well you were single… and really pretty. I was always protective, and I didn’t know if you were looking for a boyfriend or something. You are independent and strong with or without a man, but I knew that if someone came along whom you fell in love with, that it wouldn’t matter. I just didn’t want you hurt or with the wrong person… Now that I think about it, I didn’t want you with anyone else but me I guess.” He admits, laughing and scratching the back of his head.