Royally Flawsome ♛

18♛

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Dedicated to YoungKeiraR

I gasp as the cold water comes into contact with my skin. The cold that kept biting into my skin as the water slowly devoured my body felt completely new. I stop, it was too cold, the breeze itself freezing my bones. Maybe it was a sign to go back.

"Its cold!" I yell at Max who was smiling since the water came into contact with my toes.

"Don't worry!" He yells back and starts swimming towards me. I sigh, I didn't want to swim anymore, maybe swimming wasn't something I was meant to do.

Max thrusts out of the water just ahead of me, still wearing his big smile, "why so sad Iris?" I divert my eyes from his smile that seemed to frustrate me, "I don't think I'm ready, and its too cold we might catch a flu," He opens up his palms and nods towards them.

"Well let this flu be worth it," I roll my eyes trying to push back the smile and slowly place my small freezing hands on top of his.

"I don't want to swim Max, this was fun and anyways swimming isn't something I love," I never had told him I used to swim before maybe Sam did or maybe he just wants to swim with me. Whatever the reason was this was the second time he was persisting me to swim with him which made me slightly suspicious.

"Be free Hales, don't hold back?" I shake my head slipping my hand off of his as I slowly retreat.

"I don't want to," I don't want to remind myself of something I couldn't grasp to anymore, dreams, memories, ambition, everything, I just couldn't.

"Hales..." I shake my head looking away from his pleading eyes that I suspected were capable of making me stay.

"Please," I turn my back towards him.

"Im also afraid," I stop but don't turn back around.

"You think its easy for me to swim here again? It isn't...," he breaths in but doesn't stop talking, "Every stroke I make I think of him. Every where I look I see him. Its not easy for me also," I breath in, I knew him without even Max mentioning him.

"I came here because... I don't know, maybe I wanted both of us to get rid of these fears together. I know about the Olympics," and it was silent, the chirping birds that filled the forest were all silent leaving only the gushing wind to be heard. I turn around and look towards him, his head hanging low as he looked down at his hands, dripping hair covering his face. I neglected the Olympics part for now saving it to inquire for later. I wanted to know how he knew but at the same time I wanted to do this with him and plus I wasn't a fan of opening any memory caskets.

I swim towards him.

"Max," he looks up towards me, his eyes red,  filled with pain I had never seen on him. To see a man cry is rare and to see a man cry is to know that he trusts you so much he is ready to show you his vulnerability. Society has labeled men as emotionless caskets for a heart that beats, a man who cries is a man who's weak. It's heartbreaking seeing so many men fall into that stereotype, so many men not able to express their feelings because feelings were for the weak.  Max cried in front of me and that was the moment I realized that he trusted me and I was probably the only person he trusted because the whole world had turned their backs on him. He was labeled the bad guy and every one failed to see the broken prince that lied underneath the layers he showed the world.