Arranged Fate

“Oliver,” I call out through the house on Tuesday after school. I drop my backpack by the front door, listening for Oliver to respond. But he never does. As I walk to the stairs, I look into the kitchen and living room to see if he’s there. But no such luck. “Oliver,” I call out again as I climb the stairs to his bedroom. I knock twice before entering.

I should have known. Sprawled out on the bed, tangled in the covers, is Oliver. I shake my head, a smile gracing my lips. He stirs, beginning to wake up.

“Annie?” He asks with his eyes still closed. He rubs his tired eyes with his fists and then they flutter open. “Hey,” He breathes open, a smile on his lips. “You’re home.”

I am,” I confirm, walking over to the bed and sitting on the corner of it. “And you’re asleep at 3 in the afternoon.”

“It’s 3?” He chuckles. “No wonder it’s so bright in here,” He says, squinting at the light coming through the window.

“Come on,” I say, standing up from the bed. “You need to get up!”

“Why?” He groans, rolling over onto his stomach causing him to get even more tangled in the sheets.

“Because I want to do something,” I laugh.

“Can’t we just sleep some more?” He asks with a smile in his voice. He sounded a bit like a little kid, actually.

“No!” I say loudly, slapping his leg that was sticking out of the covers. He kicked around at the air, probably trying to kick me but failing miserably. “Come on. We can go swimming,” I sing, trying to bribe him out of bed.

“I’m up,” He says, rolling over onto his back.

“Great,” I smile, turning and walking out of his room, closing the door behind me as I go. I hurry over to my room to find a swimsuit. Searching through the drawers, I realize just how badly I need to go swimsuit shopping. Then I remembered the swimsuit I had just bought on Saturday. I hurry over to the back corner of my closet and search for the bag that held the black swimsuit.

After changing, I stared at myself in the mirror uncomfortably. It seemed like the bikini had looked a lot better on me in the store. But I still looked good, so I tied my purple cover-up around my waist and made my way out of my room.

Oliver’s bedroom door was wide open, an empty room on the other side. He must already be in the pool. I stopped by the bathroom to grab two beach towels before making my way downstairs.

My father and I had just filled up the pool a week before he left. I liked having the pool during the spring so I wouldn’t have to go to the gym just to get in a swim. And during the colder days, I could have it heated. The perks of having a dad that’s never around.

As I thought, Oliver was already in the pool. He was floating on his back with his new black swim trunks on.

We match.

When I opened the back door, Oliver heard me. He stopped floating and turned to look at me with a big smile on his face. It easily turned into a smirk when he saw what I was wearing.

“Damn,” He whistled loudly. “Little Annie has a body.”

“Shut up,” I say, playfully rolling my eyes at him. I drop the towels on one of the lounge chairs, leaving my cover-up with them.

“Damn,” He says even louder, looking at my now exposed legs. “Look at those legs!”

“Oliver,” I chuckle as I walk to the side of the pool. “Shut up.”

“Get in,” He smiles, ignoring what I had said. “It’s warm,” He sings.

“How’d you know how to work that?” I question, couching down and feeling the water. It was warm! I slide down onto my butt, letting my feet hang into the pool.

“I have the exact one at my house,” He smirks. “That is not in.” Before I knew what was happening, I was under the water. That bastard pulled me in!

I coughed up water as I surfaced, looking around the pool for Oliver. Where did he go?

“Boo!” I hear from behind me, as well as water splashing. I squeak out in surprise, turning around quickly. The top half of him was now drenched. He must have hidden from me under the water. He’s a clever one…

“You’re such an ass!” I laugh, slapping his arm. It was meant to be playful, but the loud slap told me that it was not as playful as I had intended. “Oh, shit!”

“Damn!” Oliver says, his eyes wide as he brings his hand up to where I had slapped him. “You slap really, fucking hard! Remind me to never get in a bitch fight with you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh… Really, really loudly. I could see Oliver staring at me with amusement through my eyes that had begun to tear. How was I even laughing this hard right now? It wasn’t that funny.

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, Oliver pounces on me. He grabs me by my waist, pulling me close to his bare chest. My laughing stopped almost immediately and I couldn’t breathe for more than one reason.

“You have the most ridiculous laugh, Annie,” Oliver says, laughing a little. I could see his eyes through his wet hair and they were dancing with amusement.

“Well, not every girl can have the most beautiful laugh.” I strike back, letting one of my arms hand over his shoulder.

“Not every girl can make the faces that you do, and still look fucking stunning.”

What?

For what feels like the first time in my life, I’m speechless. Am I blushing too? What is this boy doing to me? My brain won’t function any words, so my mouth just hangs open slightly as I stare at the gorgeous boy pressed against me.

Stunning?

“Annie?” Oliver asks, chuckling. “Are you okay?”

“What?” I snap out of my trance. How long did I just stare at him?

“Are you okay?” He repeats, chuckling again. “You looked a little… shocked, maybe?”

“Oh,” I’m definitely blushing now. “I guess I’ve just never had a guy called me stunning before.”

“What?” He asks, sounding genuinely shocked.

“Why is that so shocking?” I chuckle.

“Maybe because you’re drop dead fucking gorgeous,” He exclaims, holding onto me tighter. “And that’s coming from me, the asshole.”

“You’re not an asshole all of the time.” I smile. “Like right now.”

“Oh, please, do not go mushy on me,” He groans.

“Alright, moment ruined,” I laugh, hooking my other arm over his shoulder and playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. I could tell it was driving him crazy by the way his facial features changed. Especially by the way he bit his lip…

I wonder how inappropriate it would be if I kissed him right now.