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CHAPTER 29:

WHERE SHE CHEERS FOR HIM

~~**~~

There were a couple of people seated in the bleachers as I made my way to the front. The people that were present were there to support the opposing team, no one from our school had shown up to show their support for the school's swim team even though they'd managed to qualify for the semi-finals.

It made me a little angry.

Archer had told me about their tournament a week ago. When I'd asked him if I could come to cheer him on he'd looked stunned. He'd told me that no one from school ever bothered to come to support them during tournaments. He'd shrugged and told me that I'd just be bored but I could see that he didn't really mean it.

My lips pulled into a grin when I saw Peyton making her way towards me and to my delight, she'd brought most of the girls from the volleyball team with her. A couple of paces behind Peyton I spotted a blonde head with a perfectly styled ponytail.

Caroline Williams

My smile widened.

I called Caroline last night last night and asked her to come to support the guys. She'd immediately agreed and told me that she'd bring the other cheerleaders too. All of them looked amazing with their high ponytails and cheer uniforms, they'd even brought their pom-poms.

Caroline sat down beside me and gave me a quick hug. Surprisingly, Caroline and I had become pretty good friends. She was really hard to not like and I enjoyed spending time with her.

A whistle sounded and everyone in the audience grew silent. One by one all the swimmers lined up at the edge of the pool. My breath hitched when I spotted Archer, he was wearing black swimming jammers and a swim cap, and his goggles were pushed up to his forehead.

His entire body was toned to perfection. I couldn't take my eyes off him.

I unfurled the banner I was holding. It wasn't much but I'd stayed up all night making it. I'd snuck out of the room after Archer had fallen asleep. It read- 'No one is faster than my man Archer' in Neon green letters. I'd even added glitter. Lots of glitter.

"Archer!" I called out excitedly.

I hadn't expected my voice to reach him but as soon as his name left my lips his head whipped in my direction.

A look of shock crossed his face. His eyes met mine and that look of shock suddenly changed into one of pure unadulterated joy. For a moment we both just stared at each other from across the Olympic-sized pool. His eyes zeroed on the banner I was holding and I grinned as I watched his shoulders shake as he laughed. He shook his head in disbelief and gave me a thumbs-up.

Then suddenly the other guys from the team caught on, their faces lit up in delight when they saw us. The cheerleaders waved their pom-poms enthusiastically and chanted 'Go Team' in chorus.

The swimmers finally took their positions. A whistle sounded and all of them dove into the pool disappearing below the surface.

By the end of the tournament, my hands ached from clapping so much and my throat was raw from screaming Archer's name

Colton won the individual's race by a huge margin, both the runner-up and second runner-up were guys from rival schools. We managed to get the best time in the team relay so our team progressed to the finals.

I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face as I watched one of the judges shake Archer's hand and place the medal around his neck.

~~**~~

We waited for the guys in the hallway outside the locker rooms. Peyton, Caroline, and I had stayed back to congratulate the team while the others had left.

Archer was the first one out. He'd changed into a white T-shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts. As soon as he spotted me he jogged to where I was standing and lifted me clean off my feet with his embrace.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed in his clean scent.

"I'm so proud of you," I whispered.

"Thank you for showing up." His voice was muffled in my hair.

"I'll always show up for you, Archer Hastings," I murmured.

The sound of people clearing their throats and wolf-whistling had us stepping away from each other. My cheeks burned with embarrassment but Archer looked completely unfazed.

"You guys are so adorable." Caroline crooned.

Colton just rolled his eyes. "If you guys are done mooning over each other you should know that we're planning to go to the beach to celebrate our victory."

The other guys hooted in agreement.

"Sounds fun. I'm in." Caroline said excitedly.

"I'll go if Fallon does." Peyton turned to look at me, her expression concerned. She knew how much I avoided going to the beach. I gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm in," I told everyone.

And when Peyton whispered in my ear and asked me what had made me change my mind about the beach I looked at Archer and told her the truth.

"I just realized that sometimes the only way to get rid of bad memories is to replace them with good ones."

~~**~~

We reached the beach just in time to watch the sunset. The guys made a small bonfire and someone brought marshmallows and crackers so we could make s'mores.

At one point we raced to the ocean only to hurry back when the water felt like ice against our skin.

We spent the entire night playing games and laughing at stupid jokes. We drew patterns on the sand and tried to get the others to guess what they were.

I felt warm.

Accepted

Content

Somewhere at the back of my mind, it occurred to me that the bad memories from the past didn't feel so overwhelming anymore

~~**~~

It was past 2 AM when we said our goodbyes.

Colton took Caroline and Peyton home in his car and Archer and I went in my convertible.

We parked the Convertible in the Parking Garage. It was a couple of blocks away from my apartment but it was safer to park the car there and it didn't cost a lot.

We walked towards the apartment in comfortable silence.

"So, finals huh? Pretty exciting." I nudged Archer with my shoulder.

He gave me a small smile. "I guess." He shrugged.

When I gave him a pointed look he chuckled. "Swimming is fun I'm just not super into it anymore, at least not like Colton and the other guys on the team are."

My mind suddenly drifted to the conversation I'd had with Peyton a couple of days ago and my stomach twisted uneasily.

I bit my lip. "So, what are you into? Like what are your plans for the future." My voice sounded small. I tilted my head up slightly to look at him.

He looked taken aback by my question.

"I-" he started to speak but the sound of thunder cut him off. Suddenly without any prior warning, it was raining.

Water poured down from above, completely soaking us.

For a moment we both stood there silently.

Our eyes locked.

In that fleeting moment, an intangible connection sparked between us.

Then, without warning, laughter bubbled up from within me, infectious and uncontrollable. Soon Archer joined in.

His hand clasped mine and together we ran the next couple of blocks laughing in the rain like lunatics.

We didn't stop till we reached the front door of our apartment.

~~**~~

I was panting and shivering at the same time when we stepped inside the apartment.

Spartacus, who'd been sleeping on the living-room couch jerked awake in surprise at the sudden noise but when he saw that it was just the two of us he stretched lazily and went back to sleep.

"You go, take a shower and change first." Archer urged, "I'll make us some hot chocolate."

I gave him a small smile before disappearing into the washroom.

The warm water felt like heaven on my chilled skin. I spent a good fifteen minutes soaking in the warmth and then begrudgingly got out because I didn't want to use up all the hot water before Archer got a chance to shower.

As I dried myself I realized that I'd forgotten to bring any dry clothes. Archer was probably making hot chocolate in the kitchen. I sighed in frustration as I tied the towel around my body and headed to my room to change.

I stepped inside the bedroom and turned on the lights. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust.

I inhaled sharply in surprise.

My heart thudded wildly in my chest

Because in front of me stood Archer.

A very naked Archer.