Chapter 5 #2
The confusion has barely taken over his face when I loop one arm around his waist and throw us both forward off the edge.
The noise from above cuts off as the water rushes over us.
Roo wriggles out of my hold, and we drift underwater for a moment, bubbles streaming out of our noses as we watch each other.
Then Roo flips me the bird and kicks up to the surface.
I duck-dive farther down, plant my feet on the bottom of the pool, then propel myself upward, using the momentum to grab Roo and launch him farther into the pool. I catch his yelp as my head breeches the water.
“Asshole,” he splutters when he comes up for air. His hair is plastered to his head, dripping steadily, and he reaches up to swipe it out of his eyes. He sends a torrent of water in my direction, and I send a wave right back before swimming closer.
“See? This isn’t so bad.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” His breathing is getting heavier as he treads water, so he swims closer and slides an arm around my shoulders.
“Geez, out of breath already?” I joke, more so I won’t focus on the fact that he’s touching me voluntarily for the first time.
“You just tried to drown me,” he points out.
I laugh. “Dramatic much?”
“Hasn’t changed.”
That settles me a little. “Remember when Ross from my swim team called me a dumbass one morning?”
The smile Roo tries to squash is a definite yes. “In my defense, I was still half asleep.”
“You threw his backpack in the pool. School books and everything.”
“Never said it again, did he?” He looks way too smug over something that happened seven years ago.
The thing is, though, it did keep happening, but since everyone knew what a short fuse Roo had when it came to me, they got a lot sneakier about when they said shit.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Roo blurts out.
My eyebrows jump up. “Ah, like what?”
“I don’t know. That’s the point of the question.”
Huh, I guess it is. I frown at the ripples in the water as I try to think of something—anything—Roo might not know about me. “I …” What? Where the hell was I going with that? “I don’t think there’s anything you don’t know.”
“Nothing?”
“Not off the top of my head. What about you?”
He bites his freckled lip as he thinks. “I’m sure there’s probably a lot. Out of curiosity, is there anything I could tell you that would make you hate me?”
I scoff. “Never.”
“What about if I hurt animals for fun?”
The hypothetical takes me a second. “Yeah, okay, that would be a deal breaker.”
“Or if I was an arsonist?”
I shake my head. “But you’re not those things.”
“I’m not. But like you said, things are different. Maybe there are things about me you wouldn’t like.”
And out of all the hypotheticals in the world, those are a steaming pile of stupid. “Nah, because no matter how much you’ve changed, you’re still a good person. So I don’t think anything would make me walk away.”
His expression is full of skepticism. “Remember you said that.”
“Should I be worried?”
“I don’t think so.” But he doesn’t look happy.
And Roo being unhappy is unacceptable. Deciding the conversation is over, I grab the hand resting on my shoulder and tug him until he’s behind me, before grabbing his other hand and locking his arms around my neck.
“Tanner, what are you—”
Holding his wrists with one hand, I dive, submerging us again, but this time I don’t let him go. If swimming gets him out of breath, then I’ll make things easy for him, because that’s what I do.
We spend another hour there, Roo holding on as I swim up and down the pool. We toss remember whens back and forth, and his voice in my ear reminds me of old times. Of falling asleep listening to his fierce rants about the world. Or his jokes. Or his plans for the future.
“You’re not wearing your medi-bracelet anymore,” I say, running a thumb over his wrist.
“Nah, I hated that thing. Since my seizures are so infrequent, I ditched it.”
“But they still happen.”
“Sometimes.”
“So …” I tread carefully. “Wouldn’t it be better to wear it? Just in case?”
His voice is tense when he answers. “If I can spend a year in a foreign country with total randoms without it, I think I’ll be okay in fucking Sunbury, Oregon.”
I wanna argue, but now probably isn’t the time. This is supposed to be about us reconnecting. “Now you’re here, are you going to start looking for a job?”
He hums. “Maybe. I saved a bunch of money while I was working, and Mom and Dad are fine with sending me whatever I need until I’m settled. Even if I do stay for a little bit, I can’t imagine there’s a lot going in my field.”
“Portland, maybe?”
“I could commute like Dad used to, but two hours on a bus is way longer than forty-five minutes in a car. Even then, I’m not sure how much demand there is for electrical engineers.”
“Probably more than for firemen who can’t read.”
Roo’s chest hits my back as he laughs. “You can read.” He pinches my shoulder. “Stop fishing for sympathy.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do. And just because comprehension isn’t your thing, doesn’t mean you can’t do better next time. But you need to get assistance. That’s why they offer it.”
I groan. “I know you don’t think it’s a big deal, but the other guys will judge me for it. You heard what Piper said about the swim team, and Byers was the worst. He has a permanent position there, and trust me when I say that jackass hasn’t changed.”
“So you’re worried he’ll tease you for it? Since when do you let small-minded people get in your way?”
“It’s not only that,” I mumble. Because, yeah, of course I don’t want to deal with him being a shit, but requesting help means I won’t earn the role on my own merit. It feels like cheating.
“Then what is it?”
I really should know by now that Roo wouldn’t accept my excuses. “Can we not talk about this?”
“All right … But we’ll be coming back to it.”
“Can’t wait.”
When we eventually climb out of the pool, my fingers are all pruney, and Roo immediately starts shivering in the cold air. I hand him his towel, and smile as he wraps it snuggly around his shoulders.
“Come on, let’s take a quick shower.”
There’s no one in the bathroom, so I strip down and turn on the water. It’s warm, and even though I don’t feel the cold so much, it still feels great. Roo takes the shower next to me, and I’m surprised to see he’s left his swim trunks on.
“Feeling modest, huh?”
“Something like that,” he says, keeping his back to me. Oh well, another thing to add to the changed column, I guess. My best friend is suddenly shy.
We finish up quickly, dry off, and get dressed, Roo still keeping his back firmly to me.
It gives me a good view of his ass again, and unlike last time, I notice the groove of muscles on either side.
The tan line. How round it is. And those two little dimples in his lower back, straddling his spine.
Yep. He’s done a lot of changing.
I have to swallow before I can speak again.
“Ready to head home?” I ask when we’re both dressed. He’s wearing sweats and a hoodie and looks ready to take on a snowstorm. His cheeks are flushed from the heat of the shower, his eyes bright.
“Sounds sort of funny. Us living together.”
“Well, it was always the plan.”
“True. Only happened five years behind schedule.”
I throw everything into my bag and sling it over my shoulder. “Just means we get to make up for lost time.”
“Oh yeah?” He reaches over and shoves my chest gently. “How do you reckon we’re going to do that?”
“I dunno, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”