18

"Tell me a bit about you, Anna"

Those words had my eyes pausing at the ones before me.

"Should I be concerned?" My voice was low, gaze in his.

"Why should you be concerned?"

"Cause whenever a guy asks a girl for—

"Let me tell you about me then, Anna" He cut in at once, eyes fixed on me.

"My name's Zachary Bloom Cobain"

My scrutiny took a better fix on his profile, eyes peering closer.

"Bloom? As in to bloom?" His eyes were blank at me, with him seemingly uniformed of whatever glee I partook in.

"Who would have thought a name like that would be given to someone so....you"

"Someone so me?"

"You know what I'm talking about"

"I beg to know what you're talking about, Darcy"

"It's you, Zac. You have this thing that gets one believing you have it out for them, you're always in your company, and whenever you're not, you're either causing one trouble or the other"

He fell silent at my utterance, gaze only peering on. Perhaps those words had caught him so bad that his eyes happened to be rushed with much levity.

"I'm never in my company, Anna. In the company of other people, yes, but not always in my company" He followed.

"You're only with your friends during dining hour, other times you're alone"

"Other times I either have my sheets over a girl, while her body's next to mine"

The silence followed at his words, a grin tugging at his lips while I pulled my face away.

"Is that all you think of me?" He questioned.

"Well your eyes" I began "They remain piercing and frightening, yet whenever gazed into, they somehow bear much warmth, and are beautiful"

"You think my eyes are beautiful?"

"I also said they are terrifying"

"I heard beautiful"

"Have you ever punched a teacher once" I called out of nowhere.

"Who told you that?"

I fell silent, questioning eyes looking at him.

"Well I did last summer" He let out.

"Why did you?"

"He compared me to my father, saying he is a man lacking value, who goes around chasing women, and that I was following in his steps"

"Do you chase women?"

"Who wishes to know?"

"I do"

"Why do you wish to know, Anna?"

"Consider it a way of getting to know you"

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, those eyes doing so much as earning my undivided attention.

"I've been in a couple.....relationships. All which one thing or the other had me breaking out of"

"So make of that what you will"

"Valerie" I followed at once.

"What about her?"

"You're always around her"

"Valerie and I only come to each other whenever we're pleasure-starved. I don't believe she takes me so serious" He called.

"Do you wish for her to take you serious?"

"Why are we talking about my ex?" He followed at once.

"I'm getting to know you, Zac"

"Why don't I get to know you?" He called shifting his weight.

"Let me guess—You're Anna Darcy, seventeen, never been in a relationship, doesn't party, has a soft spot for dogs and cats, and loves pink?"

"Loves pink? Why should that be significant?" I followed at once.

"Cause you strike me as one who would be into those sort of things" He let out.

"What sort of things?"

"Liking pink, that is"

"I mean, I don't hate pink, but I also don't uphold it so greatly"

"What are your likes then, Tinkerbell?"

"Painting........Reading.......Dancing"

"Can you dance?"

"I can't, but I love it regardless"

"I also like writing in my diary. It's like a means of comfort"

He only gave a nod, eyes fixed in mine.

"Why did you make a bucket list?" He questioned.

"Just wanted to try something different. Guess I'm in search of some spark"

"Anna" His voice was low, eyes still intent in mine. "You should know that there are some things we shouldn't be in a hurry to get into"

"For instance, sex"

"It could...bring about lots of regrets if it's done with the wrong person. Especially if it's your first time"

"Have you ever done it with the wrong person?"

"Yes" He followed immediately.

"She was my neighbor, several years older than me, came into my home and bore herself all to me"

"She was pretty, but I didn't feel what I should have felt"

"And what was that?"

"Comfort.....satisfaction"

We both fell silent, gazes fixed on the still lake, with the cold night air, sailing around our figures.

"Why did you bring me here, Zac?"

"You said you've never gone naked in a Lake"

"Here's your chance to cross one list off"

"I'm not gonna jump in naked with you being here"

He had shot to his feet at once, figure proceeding away.

"Then I'll hide behind that tree" He called out to me.

"What?"

"Just go in, Anna"

"What if there are snakes in there?"

I stood to my feet at once, eyes fixed on his departing form.

"I believe the snakes are sleeping, Anna"

"Snakes don't sleep!" I called at once "Do they?" The uncertainty was found in my voice.

"I don't know just jump in the water"

"I'm scared"

"And you created a bucket list, tinkerbell"

"I've never met any scared person who creates a bucket list. It takes a daring one to go through with it, Anna"

And at that I had snatched the dress off my body, pulling my hair up in a ponytail.

Zac was still behind that tree. I hope.

I can't imagine being out here alone, in a place I knew not a thing of.

"Anna?" He called out.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine"

I had unstrapped my brassiere, soon pulling my 'Minnie' the character, panties off, leaving me all bare, stood at the bank of the lake.

That voice barged into my head, telling me to grow up and do it, but just by the dip of my feet into the shallow water, the chill coursed through me, with me stepping out at once.

"It's freezing!" I called out to Zac, voice wavering.

"Jump in the water, Darcy" His voice trailed from behind the tree.

"I'll look, Anna" He followed.

"Wait, hold on a minute!" I snapped at once.

"I'm on my way to you, already"

I heard his voice become even prominent.

"Don't come here, Zac!" I snapped.

"I'm behind you, Tinkerbell"

And at that, I dived into the lake, the chills pulling from my legs all the way to my chest.

I know it was a late night, but what brought about such cold that was bound to stop a man's heart.

"It's cold" I muttered in quivering voice, arms wrapping around my body.

"Of course, it is" Followed the voice of Zac, with his figure soon coming into view.

He was stood by the bank, onlooking my form pulled in the lake, watching as I swam further away.

"You're in the middle of a lake at past midnight, It sure would be freezing, tinkerbell"

I only snickered at him, protecting my bare chest with my hands.

"Do you want me to come in?" I heard the call of his voice, with those eyes holding onto mine.

"Don't"

"You look like you would melt any minute from now"

"I'm fine" I followed.

"You can come out of the water now" I heard his voice.

"I think I'll stay here"

"It's unwise, Anna. Come out of the water" His hands beckoned onto me, voice laced with concern.

"I'm fine, Zac"

"We should leave" He followed immediately, gesturing onto me, but I remained where I was, making not a move.

"What are you doing, Anna? Come out" He called.

"I can't" I followed, voice shaking.

"What do you mean you can't?" His figure had pushed even nearer to the bank of the lake, eyes fixed in mine.

"I can't move, Zac"

Those words had his figure diving into the water at once, the splash jolting me, right as he swam over to where I stayed naked.