I joined the swim team our freshman year and I was exceptionally good at it (I would later obtain a scholarship from it). I excelled at the butterfly stroke.

    Elliott said I swam like a fish. My dad said that if I applied myself, I could swim circle around the JV team. I fell in love with swimming almost instantly.

    I tried to get Elliott to join too but he declined, saying that he wasn’t as strong a swimmer as I was. And besides, he prefeed to watch me swim from the sidelines, is what he had said.

    At my first swim meet, I swam with grace, poise, and power. With each stroke, I glided through the water. While I didn’t win, I was still elated.

   Afterwards, we had gone back to my house and almost instantly, I was right back in that pool, swimming laps.

Elliott sat at the pool’s edge; patch-work butterfly jacket bundled up beside him, his feet dangling in the water.

    “Aren’t you tired Queenie?” he had asked, his chin in his hands.

     “No, not yet.” I had said as I dove back under the water.

God, I loved the feeling of swimming, of the water wrapping around me as soft as silk. The caressing feeling of freedom. I still loved swimming. I resurfaced in from of him, resting my head on the wet bricks.

    “Come swim with me, Ellie.”

    “It’s cold.” He had chuckled.

     “Aww, Ellie…” I had reached up and grabbed his hands. “pretty please?”
In the dull moonlight, I saw him blink a couple times before a small smile appeared, “Not gonna happen Queenie.”

     I remember I smiled at him. I remember that I held his hands tightly as I braced my legs against the side of the pool. He realized what I was planning a moment too late, I pushed off the poolside and I dragged Elliott in with me.

    While he floundered around in the pool, trying to get his barring, I had dived away, trying to get away.

    I felt his hand grab my ankle and drag me back. Water sloshed up my nose and the both of us were laughing and coughing, trying to catch our breathe.

     Once everything had settled and we had caught our breathe did we seem to notice how close were to each other. His chest brushing against mine with each breathe.

    “I thought you weren’t getting into the pool?” I had teased gently.
He had stayed quiet, he just blinked at me; a mixture of surprise and confusion written all over his face. 

    “You okay, Ellie?” I whispered.
His mouth opened and closed, “Do you… have you thought about… our kiss?”

    Now it was my turn to look at him in surprise, “Uh, I – I – yes.” I stuttered out, heat travelling up my neck and blooming across my face.

I was aware of his fingertips grazing the skin of my hips. Shivers tickled their way down my spine as he had pulled me in closer.

His jaw clenched and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

    “Yes, I think about it a lot.” I had said with earnest.

    “I want… can I… kiss you… again? Maybe? Please.”

My breath hitched, I remember whispering yes and his lips captured mine eagerly.

Unlike our first kiss, this one had been longer, sweeter.

It had been fantastic!