°°°
"The earth has music for those who listen." - Shakespeare

[12] tragically beautiful

"You are gonna get in so much trouble if you get caught," was the first thing that left my mouth as Clarity began to climb over a fence. We were far away from town, more in the country where no one around. The sun was shining down on us and sweat was beggining to soak my shirt.

"I won't get caught. C'mon," she said, swinging a leg over the other side of the fence, "start climbing, buddy."

I began to shake my head. "No, I think I'm good," she dropped down, on the other side of the fence, and looked at me.

"You're gonna have to," she said. I walked all the way up to her. She had to look up to me, not by much though, she wasn't that short. She was actually pretty tall. Her hair was slightly tangled from the wind. She smiled up at me, mysterious and clever as always. My heart sped up like a teenage girl in love.

God, I was pathetically falling for her.

"If you don't climb over this fence," she said. "You're gonna have to stay here until I'm back."

"Where are we even going?" I asked her with raised eyebrows.

Clarity grinned. "If you climb over this fence, you'll find out."

I grin and shook my head. "Fine," I climbed over as quick as I could.

She was still standing there, waiting for me, and when we caught eyes, she grinned wider. "Come on. We aren't that far now..."

°°°

She lead me to a big field full of flowers and weeds. The sun warmed the land that we stood on. Thin wispy clouds littered the light blue sky.

It was beautiful.

"I come here when I am feeling down," said Clarity. "Which is quite often." Before I could say anything, she walked deeper into the field. I followed her after a few seconds when she didn't look back to see if I was following.

She sat down on a little patch of grass and I sat down beside her. "It's peaceful, isn't it?" She asked, looking over at me, close up.

I nodded.

"Do you like it?" asked Clarity. "You know, I've never brought anyone here before."

"Yeah, I do. But why did you bring me here?"

She studied me closely. She looked like she was about to answer, then stood up abruptly. "Are you hot? Because I am and want to cool off."

"Yeah, I am," I said and stood up with her. "How would we cool off though?"

Clarity grins again. I was about to ask why she was grinning at me like that but before I could say anything, she grabbed my wrist and broke out into a run. She pulled me along and I ran with her, not having the slightest clue what this girl - this beautiful, spectacular girl - was up to.

We ran a long ways until she stopped at a decent sized lake. She turned to look at me, "This," she said and took off her shoes, "is how we will cool off." She started stripping off the other layers of clothing.

"Um," I scratched the back of my neck. "I-I didn't bring my swimming shorts..." I averted my eyes away from her.

"And I didn't bring my bathing suit," replied Clarity. I didn't dare look at her. "So we will have to be swimming in our undergarments." She said the last part in a simple voice.

I gulped loud enough for her to hear. If it wasn't obvious enough, I've never had any sexual encounters with any girls or even seen a girl in her bra and panties. I've kissed a girl before in eighth grade at a birthday party as a dare, but it was quick and it didn't mean that much to either of us. And now here was probably the prettiest girls I've ever encountered standing not a few feet away from me, getting undressed to only wear her bra and panties to swim with me.

"Are you ready?" Clarity gained my attention. And to my embarrassment, I was still fully dressed which resulted in her having her attention on me. "Why aren't you even undressed yet?" She asked me as I pulled my shoes off.

I could feel my cheeks burning as I quickly pulled my shirt off, back to her. "Sorry," I mumbled without any explanation. I didn't take my pants off just yet. My hands felt all sweaty and my stomach felt like it was tied in knots.

"Are you going to take your pants off?" Clarity asked me, I could almost detect a smile in her tone.

I can't do this, I thought, I can't, I can't, I can't-

"Nolan?" I heard her take a few steps closer towards me. I didn't have the courage to face her right now with my cheeks on fire.

I didn't say anything. If I did, I knew I'd be a stuttering mess and tell her I didn't want to get in the water, that I'd rather just watch her swim and enjoy herself rather then get undressed in front of her.

I unbuttoned my jeans. Why am I freaking out so badly? She's not paying attention, stop over thinking everything. I pulled my jeans down my legs. As I turned around, mentally preparing myself for what my eyes would see, the unmistakable sound of someone jumping into water and the splash that soon followed filled my ears. A dark head emerged from the water, and I licked my dry lips as I watched wordlessly. Clarity smoothed her dark hair back and ran a hand over her face. Once she had wiped her face, she looked over at me. "Are you coming in or what?"

I just couldn't say no to her.

°°°

Being with Clarity, hanging with her, laughing - God, her laugh was the best thing I have ever heard in my life, I swear it - and when she'd give me that smile - the smile that would make my heart pound all throughout my body and my throat close up and I could promise you that I have never seen anything so beautiful before.

Clarity was something tragic, you could tell by the way she carried herself and the way sadness would flicker across her face for a fragment of a time then a spark of another breathtaking smile would form on her lips.

But something tragic can be beautiful also.

And she was.

We were laying on our clothes, hoping to get dry somehow (although we were soaking wet and we were, indeed, now laying on damp clothes). We were staring up at the luminous blue sky, taking in the sun's warmth. I could hear her breathing a few inches away from me, I didn't dare look at her, but I wanted to. I kept my gaze on a certain stratus cloud.

"I used to want to climb the clouds," said Clarity suddenly. "I wanted to lay on the clouds and feel them. Then I realized that you can't."

"At least you can see them, you know," I said. "To see how pretty they are even though you can't touch it or feel it. You know, you don't have to be able to touch something to admire its beauty."

"Ah, look at you," she teased, her elbow digging into my side, "being all poetic."

A smile made its way to my face, "I try."

"God knows we all do," she muttered, then stood up. "Nolan, why don't we get fully dressed?"

"Are we done having the time of our lives?" I asked her after we were dressed.

Clarity smirked, "It's only begun."

I know, I know. I haven't updated in quite some time. Whoops? Whoops.

So my birthday is on the 6th of November *cue the confetti* I'll be fourteen *cue more confetti*

Also has anyone else been watching American Horror Story: Hotel?