Pop

The rubber slammed against my skin with force, causing the balloon to break. A pool of water fell against my body, soaking my shirt. Niall stood before me, another water balloon in hand, and smiled. I silently cursed him for being quicker than me and having much better aim.

“Alright, I give up.”

I lifted my hands in mock surrender, dropping my yellow water balloon to the ground. It broke when it hit the grass, causing my feet to get splashed with the cool water.

Niall smiled, his recently straightened teeth coming through. He kept the balloon in his hands, balancing it between his fingers. He began tossing it from one hand to the other, as he moved slowly towards me.

When he was just steps away, he moved his hands in a mock throw. The balloon stayed in his hands, but the movement caused me to flinch.

I stepped backward a few steps, as he continued to come closer. The balloon continued to jump between his fingers.

“That’s enough, Niall!” I tried to sound serious, but I let out a small laugh.

He smiled again, this grin more wicked than the one before it. He moved his hands forward, throwing the balloon with them. The yellow ball landed at my feet, exactly where Niall had wanted it to. The splash of water just barely hit my legs.

Niall laughed. “You’ve got water all on your shirt. Did you know that?”

I glared at him, nodding my head slowly. He reached to the edges of his shirt, lifting them up.

As his shirt lifted over his head, I moved my head away. My hands moved to my eyes, in an effort to block the shirtless boy.

“Oh, come on, Sid,” Niall said, holding his shirt out in front of him. “Two weeks of dating and you still can’t see me without a shirt on?”

I shook my head. “Sorry, it’s not my policy.”

Niall laughed, tossing his shirt at me. “Here. Trade me.”

I moved my hands from my face, my eyes still tightly shut. I held his dry shirt out in front of me, unsure of what do with it.

“Alright, I know getting dressed is hard, but I’ll walk you through it.” Niall took a step closer to me. “First you have to take off the wet shirt.”

“Not while you’re looking!” I shouted, shaking my head quickly.

“Christ, Sidney. You’re wearing a swimming suit. I’ll even close my eyes.”

I sighed, taking a deep breath. With my eyes still closed, I handed Niall his shirt. He held it out in front of me, until I was ready to use it. I moved my hands to the edges of my shirt, lifting it over my head. My hands moved quickly to Niall’s shirt, pulling it away from him and onto my body. It fit perfectly, and smelled of his cologne.

“Alright, you can open your eyes,” I said, adjusting the edges of his shirt.

“It looks perfect,” Niall said. “Now, you can open your eyes, too.”

I shook my head. “Not until you put a shirt on.”

Niall laughed, and I heard the rustling off him struggling to put on my shirt.

When I opened my eyes, I had to fight to hold back the laughter. Niall stood before me, my shirt wrapped tightly around him. The wet edges clung to his body, making the fit look even less proper.

Niall laughed, holding out his arms. “See what you do to me?”

I laughed, moving closer to him. When I was just inches away, his arms wrapped around me. The wetness of the damp shirt Niall was now wearing moved to my dry one. His fingers moved to my hair, slowly combing out a few of the wet tangles.

“You should wear that on stage.” I smiled, pulling away from him.

He looked down at me, a small grin on his face. He inched towards me, moving his face closer. When his lips were just inches away from mine, I wrapped my hands in his hair, pulling him towards me. I felt him smile, as his lips moved gently against mine.

When he pulled away, he placed his lips against my forehead, whispering softly. “Only for you, Sidney. Only for you.”