Chapter 17

I look round at the stunning vista before me. The Peak National Park is one of the most beautiful places in the country and I forget it's right on my doorstep.

Riley had picked us up from my house and driven us to the reservoir visitor's centre. As far as the road goes.

Nick is standing beside me, also looking out over the view from Derwent Dam, and I give him a small nudge with my arm, receiving one of his widest smiles in return.

"Isn't it amazing?" he says, and I have to agree. I inhale deeply, breathing in the clear air. The midday sun is warming, promising a perfect afternoon.

"Are you two going to stand there gawping or are you coming?" We turn so see Riley and Kieran further along the path.

"Come on, there's still a way to go," Nick says, and starts off in their direction. I take another look at the view down the valley and follow them. The path takes us round another reservoir and then we follow a small river. I'm not sure where we're going, but I am aware I haven't seen anyone else for a while.

"Where is this place?" I ask.

Riley, who's leading us, stops and turns round at my question. The path has been climbing steadily for a while and he's a little out of breath. Kieran is still bouncing around and Nick looks fine. I feel alright too, as dancing keeps me pretty fit.

"It's still about a mile away," Riley explains.

"Wow, that's so far." Still, I hadn't expected it to be such a long distance from the car park.

"Oh, wait until you see it," Kieran says excitedly. "It's totally worth the walk. Not only because it's lovely, but also because almost no one bothers to walk it, so we'll probably have it to ourselves."

Kieran wasn't exaggerating when, fifteen minutes later, after following what now looks like a large stream, we come to a crossing of large stones. Kieran points out the pool beyond. It's not large, probably ten metres in diameter, but it looks deep. The path next to it rises, creating an overhang.

"Made it." Riley unshoulders the rucksack he's been carrying and folds himself onto the ground, lying on his back, his knees bent. "Just give me a minute," he chuckles, panting.

Kieran throws himself down next to him. He grabs the bag and rummages around in it, pulling out four bottles of water and handing them round.

"Do you want a swim first, before some food?" Nick asks as he opens the water and drinks half of it down.

"Sure." I'm warm, so cooling down first would be welcome. Nick grins and strips down to his swim shorts. I drink in his broad back and slim legs, his beautiful ass. I've seen him shirtless before, when he's getting changed after dancing. I've touched most parts of him, in hugs and dancing holds. I've felt his lean, hard muscles beneath his shirt. But somehow, this is different. This time, I want to play my fingers across his strong chest. Let my fingers follow the fall and rise of definition in his perfect abs. It's like I"m seeing him for the first time. No, not the first—he's still "familiar Nick," but the angle has changed. I haven't moved, still staring at Nick. He catches me looking, gives me the widest grin possible, and opens his arms wide.

"Come on," he shouts, walking backwards towards the lip of the overhang. Then he spins round and leaps off the top. I rush to the edge, not knowing if he's alright. I thought it was just a shallow pool, but a few seconds later he bobs to the surface, laughing and shaking water from his long blond fringe. I can't get my own clothes off fast enough and follow him in.

The water is cold. I lose my breath with the shock of it, and rise out of the water, gasping. Nick is there, concern written on his face.

"I'm fine," I croak, still fighting to draw air into my lungs. He rubs my back and soon I'm able to take steady breaths.

"Sorry, that was, erm, much colder than I'd expected."

His hand gently pushes away the hair that got plastered to my face in the plunge. The gesture, so seemingly normal before, is now achingly intimate.

"You've never been wild swimming before?"

"Never," I admit.

"Not even in the sea?"

"We never had time." The only occasion I'd ever been to a seaside town was for a dance competition, and we didn't get time to enjoy the seaside as well. A cloud drifts across my memories, that maybe I'd missed out on a few things in my childhood. I realise I wouldn't be the dancer I am if I hadn't have worked hard, but I can't help feeling an ache at missing something I never had the chance to have. It would have been nice to have run barefoot in the sand—just once.

"We'll make time." Nick's promise pulls me to the present, and I barely get the chance to say "thank you, I'd like that," when we're caught in the spray of a form landing in the water next to us. I see Kieran's red hair before the rest of him emerges. He shakes his curls like a dog, flinging water over us both.

Laughing, Nick flicks water back at him, and I join in until I can barely see and there's water flying all over. Riley jumps in and we all receive another drenching. He swims over to rescue Kieran as we're still dousing him with water. Nick is the first to get a dunking, but I manage to swim out of his reach just in time, and I hide behind Nick, who has resurfaced.

We carry on playing like this for a while. Dunking and soaking each other. Taking it in turns, throwing each other up out of the water to perform backflips. Something in my chest eases. My thoughts of not being accepted by Nick's friends are blown away on a breeze.

Eventually, Riley calls time and climbs out of the pool. Now we've calmed down, hunger pangs edge in, and I climb out too. I grab a towel, handing one to Nick as he flops down onto the grass. Kieran joins us and once he's also partly dry, hands round sausage rolls, sandwiches, and packets of crisps. He fetches out a bottle of beer each too, and although the picnic is simple, I can't remember a time I've enjoyed myself so much.

After we've eaten and cleared the rubbish away, Nick stands and offers me his hand. I take it and he pulls me up.

"C'mon," he whispers with a smile. Nick has a hundred different smiles, and this one holds promises.

I glance back at Riley and Kieran, but they look to be dozing in the afternoon sun.

We walk to the top of the overhang and look over.

"On three?" Nick asks, and I nod.

We jump in, still holding hands, and this time because I've already acclimatised to the water—which isn't as cold when you get used to it—I stay breathing properly.

Nick tugs me to the edge of the pool so we're directly below the overhang. There's a rocky ledge where we can stand, the water at waist height. I'm surprised at how secluded it is. Even if anyone did walk along the path, they wouldn't be able to see down here. Nick's promise-filled smile is accentuated by his darkening eyes as he places a hand on my waist and cups my face with the other, drawing me in for a kiss. I raise my hands to the nape of his neck, pulling him down further and deeper into the kiss as his tongue finds mine. He pushes his hips forward, grinding slowly. I can feel his hard cock through the flimsy material of his swim shorts and my own thickens in response. I know he feels the effect he's having on me as he grins against my mouth and I nip his lip, earning me a soft groan in the process. That only serves to make my cock bounce slightly, and he chuckles gently. He pulls back from the kiss and looks at me. He runs his fingers across my chest and then traces lower, stopping just above the surface of the water.

"Can I?" he whispers. The request, given so respectfully, lodges somewhere in my ribcage, and I can only nod my assent because you need breath to speak and I don't have any left.

His eyes never leave mine as his fingers run along the waistband of my shorts and dip inside. He grazes the tip of my cockhead and I jerk slightly from the sensitivity of it, despite being underwater. He eases my shorts down until my cock is freed. The water is surprisingly clear, and I watch as he runs his hand up its length. I've fantasised about what it would be like to have his hands on me, but whatever I imagined doesn't come close to the delicate touch he has. And yet still I want more.

"I want to see you," I whisper, suddenly wanting to see what his cock looks like.

"Oh yes, D," he says as he pulls his shorts down, too. I reach out and explore with my hand. It's long and thick, a bit more than mine, but not excessively.

"Mmmm." Nick edges a little closer until his cock touches mine and I feel a frisson of excitement, and thrust a little at him, a move which catches me by surprise. I see delight dance across his face.

"Put your hands on my hips," he says, and I comply. My curiosity at his command is satisfied when he takes both of us together in one hand and starts languidly stroking up and down.

"Holy fuck, Nick!" The words slip out and he chuckles breathily. I can't keep my hands on his hips, because one wants to grab the perfect flesh of his ass, pulling us closer while the other clings to his shoulder. What I cannot do is tear my eyes away from the sight, even underwater, of his hand rhythmically sliding up and down. I'm mesmerised at the sight of our cockheads disappearing and reappearing through his fist. I'm aware of the friction of his hand on one side and the solidity of his cock on the other. It's all I can do to try to hold on, to allow this moment to go on forever, but I can't. A warmth blooms through my lower back and my balls tighten.

"Nick, I—" He doesn't let me finish as he captures my mouth, kissing me hard while he increases the pressure with his hand. It's enough to push me over the edge and I jerk as my orgasm washes over me. He strokes a couple more times and I feel him shudder against me, his kisses lightening, and eventually he pulls away. He looks at me, and although he is smiling, he's gnawing slightly on his bottom lip. I know this to be a nervous trait, which doesn't happen very often, and I realise he's waiting for my reaction. My heart feels too big right now, like there is no longer any room for its expansion, though it could just be because it's pumping harder than normal. I swallow.

"I have no idea what that was, but when can we do it again?"

He releases a huge breath and gives me a smile, like I've just given him the world.

I look down between us, at the white strings floating on the water's surface, and wonder if we should have desecrated this beautiful spot in such a manner. Even worse is that they cling to us.

"Um, should we have done that?" I see some of them start floating across the pool, heading for the stream that runs towards the river.

"I don't know." Nick laughs. "But maybe we should get out for a bit."

I can't agree quickly enough.

Drowsily blinking in the light, I realise I must've dozed off in the sunshine. Nick is lying next to me, propped up on one elbow. I can't see Riley or Kieran, though all the bags, clothes, and towels are still strewn across the ground. I hear laughter and splashing, so assume they're in the pool. I stretch in the warmth, content and enjoying the feeling of not needing to be anywhere, not doing anything for a while.

Nick glances down at me.

"Hey sleepy," he says.

I yawn. "Well, someone drained the life out of me." And it earns me a giggle. I notice he is turning something over in his mouth.

"What have you got there?" I ask, knowing full well it'll be something sweet based.

"What's it say?" he asks, and flips it over between his teeth. It's a candy heart, with "Be Mine" written across it.

"It says, ‘Be mine,'" I dutifully read out to him, and get the merest flash of his mischievous smile before his lips are on mine and he tongues the sweet into my mouth. I don't have a chance to resist, but I'm up for the game, and as he draws his mouth away, I follow him, wanting more kisses. He tastes of candy, and while I don't have quite the sweet tooth he does, I could develop a liking for him tasting of it. I push the sweet back into his mouth and halfway in he bites down, breaking it in two. Half each. It's silly, it's just a sweet, but when we break apart and I crunch on the rest of it, letting the pieces dissolve on my tongue, I can't help feeling that, once again, the prism has shifted and my life is now pre-sweet and post-sweet.