Chapter Four: Falling apart
792 Words
After the whole lemonade situation, something inside me sank.
He called me his sister.
Sister.
Ugh.
I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but it was a big deal… at least to me. So instead of sulking upstairs like a normal person, I decided to do something stupid. Something spontaneous.
A swim at 2 a.m.
Everyone was fast asleep anyway, so I tiptoed downstairs in my oversized tee and shorts, snuck out the back, and slipped into the pool. The water was cool, quiet, and just what I needed to drown my thoughts.
Until—
Creak.
The sound of the door opening made my heart stop. My breath caught in my throat.
Who…?
And then—
Leo.
I sighed in relief. “Oh, it’s you. I thought it was… I don’t know, some intruder or something.”
He raised an eyebrow, amused.
“Wow. You really think life’s a movie, huh?”
I looked at him, dead serious.
“Excuse me? Intruders exist in real life too, you know. Not just in movies.”
He laughed. “Okay, okay”
I shrugged. “Maybe. I’m just dramatic like that.”
“Wow. First time I’ve heard a girl admit she’s dramatic,” he teased.
“Well, I’m not like most girls,” I said in an over-the-top voice, pretending to flip imaginary long hair. He chuckled and sat by the edge of the pool, dipping his feet into the water, staring out into the night like he was searching for something.
I continued swimming for a bit, the water calm around me.
“You sure you don’t want to join?” I called out.
He shook his head. “Nah. I’m not trying to catch a cold tomorrow.”
I grinned and swam toward him, then climbed up and sat beside him, dripping wet.
“Please don’t come near me,” he said dramatically, pretending to flinch.
“You’ll get me soaked.”
“Oh, you want a hug? Alright, alright, come here!” I teased, reaching toward him.
He laughed, scooting away but not really trying to escape.
I kicked my feet gently in the water.
“You know… this really does feel like a movie.”
He turned to me, curious.
“I mean… I’m swimming in a pool at 2 a.m., in a beach house, with people I love just a few feet away. If I wanted a beer, I could just walk in and grab one. No one’s stopping me. It’s like… pure freedom.”
He smiled softly.
“Is this your first trip of freedom?”
I gasped. “OMG, how’d you know?”
“You just have that energy,” he said with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay, psychic.”
Then I paused.
“But yeah… it actually is.”
“How many trips have you been on?” I asked him.
“A few. If we’re not counting family trips, probably over ten with friends.”
“Damn,” I said, wide-eyed.
“You’ve lived the life.”
He smiled, then suddenly looked distant.
“This is probably my last trip here.”
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah… my last trip in this country”
“Why? Are you moving or something?”
He turned to me.
“You didn’t know?”
“No… I didn’t.”
He looked down at the water.
“I’m moving to Paris. For my studies. I leave this month.”
I stared at him. “Paris? Seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s something I’ve been working on for a long time. Finally got the chance. I’m excited, but… I’ll miss this. I doubt I’ll find people like this there. People like… you all.”
My chest felt heavy.
I smiled faintly. “That’s… amazing. I’m happy for you.”
But I wasn’t. Not really.
My heart, the one that was already hanging on by a thread, just… snapped.
I looked down. “I think I should go. It’s getting really late.”
“Oh. Okay,” he said, his voice hesitant. He sounded… confused, like he didn’t know what he’d said wrong.
But it wasn’t what he said.
It was what it meant.
I quickly dried off, walked upstairs, changed into my pajamas, and crawled into bed. But I couldn’t sleep. My mind was a mess.
In just two days, I had started to feel something. Something warm, something hopeful. And now I only had five more days in this house. Five days to forget how I was starting to fall for a boy who was already halfway out the door.
A boy who is leaving everything behind and moving away.
And I promised myself, I’m not falling any deeper.
- Writer
