Song: Nightswimming-- REM

Trent

She looked like a siren, hair splayed out along the shallow ripples of the water, her skin as pale as the stars in the night sky. It was a hot night for May. The new bikini she had purchased showed off every girlish curve of her slender body and gave off the impression that she was indeed trying to tease him.

His breathing grew ragged as he reached the pool. The girl dove in the chlorine-infused water, making herself as heavy as lead as she sank to the bottom. Trent knelt down at the edge of the pool as he awaited her to resurface.

Juno bobbed back onto the surface of the pool, wiping water from her eyes and face. Her hair stuck to her cheeks and water dribbled from her lips and chin. Trent sucked on his lower lip. Their green eyes met each other's. The young man felt his neck and ears grow warm, bashful that he had been caught observing her.

Those wintergreen eyes of hers pierced his skin. He felt hollow inside. Something was missing, something had been missing. Ever since the closeness they shared came to an end. Trent didn't blame Tori or Juno, he blamed himself. Maybe he should have just talked to Juno, heard how she felt about the whole situation instead of avoiding her presence. Maybe things wouldn't be as complicated as they were at that precise moment. 

Juno swam to the lip of the pool, beneath the spot where Trent was crouching down. The blue water illuminated her skin; she looked so ghostly and pale. The young woman tightly held onto the edge of the swimming pool, for she was at the six-foot mark. Trent knew her toes couldn't reach the bottom; he couldn't either.  

"Hi," he greeted softly, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. Juno lowered her eyes, staring at her ragged fingernails. She muttered a hushed reply. Trent stood up straight and without any notion, the man began to peel off his t-shirt. He felt her eyes watching him and he chuckled in delight. The shirt dropped to the ground as he proceeded to unbuckle his belt. In one fluid motion, his tight jeans were pooled around his ankles and Trent stepped out of them.

The man sank to his knees at the edge of the pool. Goosebumps broke out on his skin when his dipped a thin hand into the blue water. Absentmindedly, Trent sucked in a breath and rolled head-first into the crystalline liquid. 

It reminded him of when he was a child in Mercer. I can't go under the water, Dad. My ears hurt. They weren't plugged nor were they aching. He held his eyes open as they burned from the chlorine. Further and further, he slowly drifted to the bottom of the pool. On his back. He could spot her silhouette above him.

Two feet below the surface, I can still make out your wavy face.

He outstretched a freckled arm to touch her, to pull her with him. To hide from the rest of the world. All the sin, all the pigs. Everybody. 

If I could just reach you, maybe I could leave this place.

His lungs were on fire. When he arose from beneath the water he gasped for a breath, the warm air now icy against his wet skin. His dark hair clung to his face, his eyes stinging from the chemicals. A large splash of pool water drenched him, making him shiver even more than before. He turned in the direction of where the man-made wave hailed from. Juno was grinning fiendishly at him. She let out a laugh before drenching him in more of the chemically-cleaned liquid. Oh, so that's how she's gonna play, huh?

Before he knew it, Trent and Juno were soon showering one another with water, making small but effective tidal waves as they doused each other. The two of them were shrieking with laughter and acting like children at the shallow end of a public swimming pool. Maise was soon convinced by her owner to hop into the water with them as they splashed and waded in the deep end. 

Trent had never felt so free, for he had not a care in the world. Spending time with Juno, even if it consisted of doing childish activities such as this, brought a sense of clarity, a sense of pleasure into his life; it was so much more enjoyable than constantly going to work on the new album and getting drunk off his ass, only to wake up with a case of writer's block and a massive hangover. Juno reminded him what it was like to find solace in something other than work. She was so jovial and airy, and it balanced with his brooding negativity; she kept him sane. Though they had their rough patches, he knew she meant something. She wasn't just something, she was everything.

***

He wrapped the white cotton towel around her quivering body. Her eyes lingered on his soaking wet boxers, a noticeable bulge appearing against the deluged fabric. Trent's breathing was becoming more erratic by the minute. She looked so small, so innocent-- almost like a little girl even. Those emerald eyes grew as wide as saucers when he tucked a tendril of hair behind her right ear. Pink flushed her cheeks. As for himself, Trent was left with no towel in the night air, shivering a little when the breeze blew just right. 

Juno gnawed on her lower lip. Trent felt a warm heat stir in his gut. Stop fucking doing that, or I'll do it for you.

Fuck Tori. Fuck Nine Inch Nails. Fuck the Spooky Kids-- he just wanted her. Her, and only her. Nobody else could replace her in his heart. Juno was the kind of girl you only found once in a lifetime, and if you let her go, there were no other fish in the sea. She would be the one who got away. Maybe he was overthinking things, maybe his attraction was merely a product of long-term lust. Whatever this feeling was, he had to act upon it. Now.

Without warning, Trent demolished his roommate's mouth with his own. It was as if a new being had taken over his body; he couldn't control his actions. She did not turn away, she gave in. No slap or push, just a fistful of hair and permission to let his tongue enter her mouth. Juno exerted a womanly sigh, causing more goose pimples to break out on Trent's fair skin. The cotton towel was torn off of her by Trent, who bit down on her bottom lip. Tugging softly, he slowly moved his lips down to her neck, biting and nipping at the sensitive skin of her throat. Another soft moan escaped her swollen lips. Trent suddenly halted his actions, burying his face in the valley of her breasts. What was he doing? Why was he acting so animalistic? He had never been so urgent with a woman before. Juno made him act like a horny teenage boy, and he liked it. 

"Why'd you stop?" Juno questioned her breathing jagged and broken. Her hands remained in his hair. Trent sighed before looking up, his chin resting on her breastbone.

"What are we doing? Why are we doing this to each other?"

"Doing what?"

Trent removed himself from Juno's chest, standing up straight to get a better look at her. God. Sex was practically rolling off of her. Her hair tangled and matted to her head, her body with all the girlish curves a woman should acquire, that skimpy little bathing suit that barely covered her up. He wanted to take her right then and there, but he knew it wasn't meant to be. She deserved more than a quick one on a chaise lounge. She deserved luxury, and wine, and bathtub with rose petals and candles. 

"You know exactly what we're doing." The young man reached down to grab his jeans and shirt. He had sounded more boorish than he had expected. Trent slowly started to trudge back to the house, leaving Juno standing by herself.

Juno suddenly shouted, "Why'd you kiss me like that if we're 'just friends'?" 

Trent whipped around, making his way back to Juno. Their faces were separated by scant inches. His clothes were thrown to the ground. He cupped her face in his hands, his eyes bored into her skull. "Why do you make me act like this?"

She looked confused yet bewildered by his statement. He dropped his hands and turned away before she could reply. Trent went into the ranch house to leave Juno to ponder alone, with Maise trotting in behind him and wrinkled clothes in hand.