He walked down to the edge of the pool and took off his shirt, wading into the water. He seemed to know where I was and started to swim over to the tree. I turned my back to the curtain and poured water over my shoulders. He cleared his throat and I turned around quickly, surprised that he had swum over so fast. I saw his face and suddenly was very aware of him in the water so close to me.

He came closer and I stayed where I was with my feet just on the bottom of the pool, he was so close that I could see the water droplets on his cheeks but I was not going to back down, not when I was so close to winning. He moved forward again, and I looked into his deep blue eyes and realised that neither if us were playing. It had never been a game. He put his hand against my face and I searched his eyes, finally finding what I had been searching for. I leant towards him and felt my lips against his briefly.

We broke apart and I looked at him uncertainly, I had realised that I had wanted him all along, ever since seeing him in the lake that early morning I had wanted him, but I was only just realising it, did he want me the same way. He caught my eye, “What’s the matter?” he asked me.

“I do not know…”

“If this is what you want?” he said trying to finish my sentence.

“No.. and yes… I am not sure if this is what you want?” I said looking at the wiry, muscled arm that had appeared around my waist when we had kissed. I was suddenly aware of a conciseness that seemed to be shouting at me and let it slip into my mind.

‘Of course I want this.’

“What do you mean?” I asked him, confused, he stared at me in the same way.

‘What am I doing, she’s slipping away!’ “Ilea, of course I want this.”

“But why?”

‘Because every time I see you, you seem to have a different emotion in your eyes, because I can’t get you out of my head, because I can never get the right words out to tell you what I’m thinking! But how can I tell you?’ “I just do.” ‘Now she’s going to leave.’

“Do you really think that about me?”

“Think what about you?” I didn’t know how to explain quickly so showed him the only way I could, I opened my mind into his completely. ‘Beau?’

‘What the hell! Ilea?’ I smiled at him weakly and nodded, ‘You’re in my mind?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’ I looked at him in surprise, every other person had only ever asked how.

‘It was the easiest way to explain my question to you.’

‘So you heard what I was thinking?’

‘Yes.’

‘All of it?’

‘I don’t know how much there was.’ I thought to him honestly, catching the note of panic in his mind. ‘Why what were you thinking?’ A rush of thoughts came into my head and I closed my eyes trying to concentrate on all the flashes of images that passed through. I shook my head and looked up at him again, trying to breath, the rush of his emotions were making it hard to function. “Stop.” I panted. Suddenly they stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief. “I cannot cope with all that emotion in my mind at once.” I explained slowly.

“I am sorry, do you want me to try again.” I nodded, and the emotions slowed down, briefly touching my mind, I felt his desire to hold me, to touch me, the forbidden presence I seemed to emit, the confusion he felt from my attitude, from the way my body was around him. I had not realised how many mixed signals I had been giving.

‘I am sorry, I had not realised how hard I had made things.’

‘It’s okay, I just could never think of the right things to say. I just wanted to understand what you were thinking, to know how to talk to you, to hold you in my arms, to feel you skin against mine.’ I laughed slightly under my breath, but he heard it. ‘You got all of that didn’t you?’

‘Yes.’ I rolled my eyes at him, trying to pretend that it was funny but really thinking how I felt exactly the same way.

‘Do you?’

‘Do I what?’

‘Feel the same way?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well you said, thought it to me.’

‘I did not mean to’

‘Oh, didn’t you?’ a mischievous grin crossed his face, ‘Why did you blush earlier when you tackled me?’ I smiled at him and said nothing, happy that this only worked one way as the image crossed my mind again of his body lying underneath mine. ‘So that’s why.’

‘What?’

‘You were embarrassed?’

“I never said that!”

‘No, but you thought it loud and clear.’ He grinned at me again and I stood there dumbfounded, how was he doing that?

‘I have no idea.’ He smirked at me like a young child.

“Get out of my head.” I closed off my mind and decided to try something, thinking of an image inside my head that would definitely get a reaction out of him. “Did you get that?”

“Get what?” I smiled.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Now that’s unfair, you can’t do that.” I smiled and went to pull away from his arms, but he hung on to me, unexpectedly. “Tell me?” he asked sternly but with a mischievous glint in his eyes, I shook my head. “If you don’t tell me I won’t let you go.” He was smiling as he said the words, but I could see the challenge in his eyes and was not sure what he wanted me to do; was I supposed to try and escape, or tell him?

I ducked under his arms and began to swim back to the side of the pool, but he caught up with me and grabbed me round the waist, kicking up and down to stay afloat, I rolled my eyes at him and created a small force field around us, keeping us afloat in the water. He stopped kicking and stared at me, “I’m guessing that you’re doing that.” I smiled and nodded, “You’re so full of surprises, and secrets… Tell me.”

“Nope.” I said, popping my lips.

“Fine then.” He stretched his arms around my back and began to dig his fingers into my skin gently and for some reason it made me laugh. He did it faster and I was gasping for air I was laughing so hard, loosing concentration and the force field with it. We both slipped under the water, splashing to resurface, when we did, the shocked look on his face made me laugh again. I quickly turned round and made it to the edge of the pool, I was pulling on my robe when he caught up with me, putting his arms round me from behind, making me stop with it just round my arms.

He put his head on my shoulder, blowing on me and making me shiver, “That is cold.” I said, almost in surprise, it had been over a year since I had gotten goose bumps from the cold.

“Then tell me.” I shook my head, “If you don’t I’m afraid I’ll have to get it out of you by torture.” His tone was playful still, but I stiffened automatically at the word, he noticed, “Well, drive you insane, until you tell me.” I relaxed a little and then he blew on my wet shoulder, making more goose bumps on my arms.

“Ready to tell me yet?”

“Never.” He lifted up my hair and blew on the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

“How about now?”

“Nope.” The he traced his lips across the back of my neck and along my shoulder, I turned my head towards him, but tried not to cave in.

“Now?”

“No.” I could feel him smile against my skin. I could feel him pushing against my mind again and tied to concentrate on keeping him out, but my defences were wavering. He pressed his lips against my shoulder, kissing up my neck and pulled me against his body at the same time, surprising me just enough to break through the barrier.

The image was still fresh in my mind, and he paused at it, I could feel him looking at it inside my mind, I let him stay for a few seconds and then drew my mind away. “Was that…”

“The first time I met you, in the lake.” He stood still, his arms still wrapped around me.

“When our hands touched, that’s what it felt like to you?” I nodded. “So you knew from then?”

“No, I knew that you were different, that you were not like other people, but I did not know that his would happen.”

“What, this?” He kissed my neck again and I tried not to smile.

“You know what I mean.” He kissed my neck again and I pulled away. ‘Why is she still drawing away from me? Unless there’s something I don’t know.’ I turned around and faced him, sighing.

“That’s exactly why.”

“Hey that’s not fair, you don’t get to hear my thoughts if I can’t hear yours.”

“It is hard to ignore what is being shouted at you.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Do not worry.”

“What did you mean, what don’t I know?”

“Everything, there is so much you do not know, so much I do not know if you would understand.”

“I don’t care.”

“Pardon.”

“I don’t care Ilea, you’re treating me like a young boy in his fifteenth cycle, I know what the world is like, I am not naïve as you seem to believe I am.”

“But you do not know about me.”

“I don’t care.”

“But Beau…”

“Listen.” He was pushing into my mind and I let him in, ‘I’m not very good with words, so please excuse me, this is the only way I can think of getting how I feel across.’ He looked at me as if asking permission.

“Do it slowly.” He nodded and then sent me pictures of him being asked to join the army, ‘to fight a battle with your country.’ An image of him turning away and his brother joining the armed forces, he showed how his world had looked so dull and hopeless. Then an image of me that night at the lake, I seemed to be shining with the very light of the stars, then the next thing was of him sitting by the edge of the pool and me leaping down from the tree; him feeling annoyed and strangely happy at the same time, then of me blushing on top of him, then of  me telling him to close his mouth, my words sharp but my eyes bright with teasing, making him even more confused, but hopeful at the same time. The last two images and emotions he showed me will stay in my mind forever; me standing by the pool, with my robe on the floor, the moonlight casting me as a silhouette, the desire for me overriding any sense of caution as he dropped down from the tree, and then his view of me under the tree in the water, the moonlight softening my face and my eyes, glinting and looking so anxious, and the feeling of defence for me in that moment, the way he wanted to hold me, but not out of desire anymore, to protect me from the rest of the world, from anything that could hurt me.

The images stopped and his eyes were deep and waiting, wanting to hear my response, but not wanting to hear my response. I sent the image of him getting out of the water the day before and the irrational urge I had had to kiss him in that moment, to feel his lips against mine. He looked at me, slightly surprised and then walked over to the tree, I could hear his mind buzzing with thoughts, but I was unable to catch any of them and also unable to see his face. I followed him cautiously, wondering what he was thinking. He turned around and looked at me, his eyes lit up, then he slipped his arms around my waist and began to kiss me calmly, completely in control as he pulled my body towards his and pressed against me.

Where as I had been cautious before, I was reckless now, giving myself to him completely; pushing my mouth against his and wishing that he would never stop kissing me. I could feel his hands on my back and his wide shoulders underneath my own hands, smooth and strong. I leant back against the tree and felt his body press against mine again, sending yet more shivers down my spine. He paused for a moment and then picked me up, laying me gently on the grass before kneeling next to me, studying my face closely. I knew that I should feel nervous, that I should shy away from him, but I didn’t, I wanted him more.

I untied my robe and then pulled him towards me, finally feeling his skin against my own.

I fell asleep against his chest as the dawn was breaking.