I followed Taylor back to the shade. He strode confidently, and I felt ashamed for the way I had treated him.
He sat down, looking up at me expectantly. I sat down in front of him slowly.
"What?" I asked him, fidgeting.
"I'm just waiting." he told me.
"What for?"
"You know."
I just watched him, and hung my head. Ever since we had met last year, I had practically been a monster to him, and yet, he was always patient with me. He even liked me more than he should.
"Kris?"
"What?" I mumbled. He grabbed my fringe, and pulled up, forcing my head up.
"Well?"
"I'm sorry." I said softly, not looking at the intense blue eyes, but at his eyebrows.
The eyebrows nodded. "Accepted."
I felt like crying. Don't ask me why. Whenever I was around him, I hated and loved him so much. It was weird. He felt like a brother to me. On the surface I'd pretend to despise him, like every sibling does. But deep inside, I knew if anything happened to him, I couldn't handle it.
"Well..." he sighed.
"Don't do this, Taylor. Don't." I said to him, looking away.
"What?"
"Don't bother with me. It won't work." I told the air in front of me, embarrassed. He had, in the short time he's known me, learned that I put up a front. I couldn't play the tough bad- girl role I so wanted to put up.
He shifted, and sighed again. "Yeah?" he asked, fiddling with his trunks.
"Yeah." I said, and finally looked at him. The sopping wet hair dripping water down his face. The squareness, the maleness of his fingers. The strong wirey arms. I noticed all this, and I shivered. Maybe my hormones had kicked in.
He had noticed I had looked. he moved his head slightly, in profile, but looked at me sideways.
I shivered again, hugging myself. Face it, Kris, i thought quietly, you can handle the press, shift the weirdest hours, work for hours straight, eat take away food like it's your religion and juggle school on top of that, but when it comes to boys? You're hopeless.
"Well, I'm done for the day." he said, his voice low. He shifted again, and I watched the muscles in his arms and shoulders work.
I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, and walked away.