"Steal another fry, see what happens."

"Oh, so you can steal my heart but I can't steal a french fry?"

"Shut up," he chuckles. I'll order you some damm fries."

"No," I blurt. "We should share a chocolate milkshake."

"Harry, did you agree on California just because you wanted to eat In-N-Out Burger?"

"Nooooo, why would you think that?"

"Fine but I hope you realize all of this food goes straight to your thighs."

"Or my ass, pancake."

"That's it. No milkshake."

I laugh and strain to kiss him across the table.

He sighs as he stands up. "I like your chunky thighs, I guess I'll order a milkshake."

"Chunky? Excuse you mister."

He smirks and I start to wonder if he's right. Maybe I'm getting fat. I did have to squeeze into my jeans yesterday and...

"You're bloodly perfect Harry," he says as he sits down, poking two straws into the cup.

"Well duh."

"Why are you doubting yourself?"

"I...how do you know I was?"

He looks up at me from under those long lashes and replies "because I know you and I love you. I love every inch of you."

"Zayn stop," I blush. "I'm definitely forcing you to swim now."

"Zwimming isn't my thing."

"I see what you did there," I laugh. "There's a pool at our hotel. Why don't we start with that before testing the ocean?"

"I've been in a pool before."

"Even better," I grin. "Why so nervous?"

"I...I stayed in the shallow. Mason tried to pull me to the deep end and I had a panic attack."

"Okay," I say licking my lips. "I'm not going to do that to you. We won't go into the deep end until you're ready."

...

"You're so fit," I compliment. It makes him slightly less nervous.

"Just wanna touch you," he mumbles and squirts some sunscreen onto my back.

His hands massage it in, his fingers working diligently.

"You're so pale, think you can pick up a tan?"

"Probably not."

He hums against my skin, his lips meeting my neck.

"Zayn," I moan as he nibbles on my ear.

"No swimming. Let's just make love. Come on Harry, we can have mimosas and kiss until we're dizzy."

It sounds tempting and I nearly give in.

"Nice try. Come on babe."

He groans and dips his feet in the water. I jump into the deep end and swim over to him, my ringlets drenched. I smile and splash him playfully but he isn't amused.

"Zayn," I whine.

"I'm drowning Harry."

"You're not even in the pool," I chuckle. He meets my gaze, his expression completely serious.

"This is what drowning feels like. Being overwhelmed by oxygen and hydrogen...fire in my lungs because I can't get back to the surface. I'm trying to swim back up but I just can't. I'm grasping for something. Anything. Don't let me sink, don't let me-"

"I won't Zayn. I promise. Let's just float."

"Green eyes. I can see you above the water. I want to get to where you are. Please."

"I'm diving in Zayn. I'm going to save you. It's okay. Don't cry, don't cry my love."

"M'sorry. I'm so pathetic."

He dips in further until the water is at his waist. I cup his cheeks, a smile splaying on my face.

"Not so bad huh?"

The sun is glinting on my back. It's sweltering today and the water feels so nice.

My eyes don't miss the space between his thighs, his wet thighs that sends more heat through me. My blood thumps faster in my veins. Boiling much like the hot sun.

He could bracket me with muscle, I could settle there.

"Why are you blushing babe? Pink filling in the spaces between your sun-starved freckles."

"I..." my breath falters. "Nobody has ever described my freckles that way. Swim out deeper with me."

"Harry I don't think," he stops, his fingers absent-mindedly tracing over the ink on my wet arm. "I want to stay right here. Descending into the water was hard enough, the water was creeping up my skin."

His fingers skim over the surface of the water. He smiles up at me and inches closer, the water sloshing.

"Thought you wanted to stay right there," I smirk.

i will wade out

"Harry," he croaks. "Why are you getting further away?"

"It's too calm in the shallow end."

He's panicking. We're too far away in his mind and he isn't going to chance it.

"Can't I just flail my arms and trash around until you swim back over here?"

I sigh, paddling back and place my hand on his back. He's stunned for a moment, the fact that he's on his back suddenly dawning on him.

"You're floating," I murmur.

"Does chlorine burn your eyes? Can it burn your throat?"

I want to assure him it will be okay, want to feel his raven black between my fingers and run my tongue along his sharp jawline.

But it hurts that his mind was so filled with worries he didn't notice the way my thumb trailed down his spine.

I relished the hest of his skin, juxtaposed with the cool water.

Soft tan skin and flexing muscles and dark furrowed brows. Unkept but tidy all at once.

"Nevermind," he breaks the silence. "You can let go."

I do and he drifts aimlessly, his head tilted back, eyes squinted.

His limbs look so relaxed it the water. He's at ease and three minutes ago he would have none of it.

On second thought his jawline could slice through the water, his gaze could part the ocean.

I get out of the water and he hardly notices.

"Harry, come back."

"Come in me."

He rolls his eyes and loses his balance, toppling, the impact of his body hitting the water causing a splash.

Little ripples make their way to me, where I'm sitting at the edge of the pool.

He swallows some of the water and starts coughing violently, struggling to breathe.

I dip in immediately. He gasps, his eyes wide in fear.

My arms wrap around him and I feel his body relax.

I kiss him until his lips are bright pink and swollen, his eyes glimmering.

"You're still here. You didn't drown."

"Yeah," he smiles.

I could pierce his back with my fingernails, leaving little crescent marks. I could pay attention to the head and suck the tip and sink all the way down the base.

Sink.

s

i

n

k

He reaches up to cup my face with his wet palm and I lean into it.

His eye contact is searing. Now I'm the one that can't breathe.

How do you make your lungs start up again?

There's stubble against my skin and his mouth takes so sweet.

I'm drinking him in.

Hot and insistent mouths.

Lukewarm water against our skin.

Shivering.

He pulls a few dark curls and I moan. His tongue flickers against mine and I'm convinced he has set me on fire.

But no, I'm in a pool.

How? I swear I'm melting and my dick is so hard I can see stars.

Hot and desparate and insistent. His mouth is so assured and confident. He tugs again at my hair. I keep hoping he'll pull me out of the pool and pull off his swim shorts, that he'll wrap his lips around...

he pulls away.

His eyes are wide, alnost black with heat and flicker over my exposed chest. I bite my already swollen lip, noticing the bulge in his swim trunks.

And our mouths crash again, me laughing into the kiss. Jarring. That's how it feels, our teeth clashing and tongues battling.

It's simple plate tectonics. Skin shifting and volcanoes erupting and molten hot lava gushing under my skin.

It's pumping through my arteries. I need to dip into the water, to extinguish the fire but I can't will myself to do it.

His tongue is so quick; so familiar. My fingers roughing over his stubble, he's sinking now and doesn't even care.

We're in the deep end now.

In so impossibly deep.

His tongue flicks tirelessly against the wet inside of my mouth and all of the want is suddenly spilling out.

My lungs. I can't breathe. This must be how he felt when he wouldn't swim back to the surface.

A burning pain in his chest, starving for air that won't come. Moments away from unconsciousness.

It stops. I touch my fingers to be swollen, obscenely red lips, lashes fluttering.

I'm dazed but he's swimming.

"Zayn, you're doing it!"

"Harry," he squeals excitedly, his arms paddling. "I can swim!"

"We should celebrate. How does a margarita sound?"

"Pretty fucking good," he grins.

...

We grind against each other, trying to prove something.

wet naked bodies

and the pressure

of my palm

hips pressing harder

My hand is cold against his warm skin, curled around his member because it belongs there. There's a small noise from the back of his throat, his head falling back against the wall with a thud.

The ocean can wait.

Pleasure comes in waves, who needs the tide?

He thrusts harder into my hand and I sink to my knees, pressing my mouth to his thigh, leaving a trail of wet kisses. My hand moves up and down rhythmically.

I look at him from under heavy lids.

mouth trailing

temptation,

tongue flicking

nudging his

legs apart

sucking a bruise

into his

inner thigh,

breath fanning

across his shaft

a groan from

deep

in the back

of his throat

leaning forward,

lips brushing

against the head

His eyes squeeze shut and he tangles his fist in my long curls, tugging desparately.

I could tease him but his eyes open and I take his head between my lips.

A needy moan and he snaps forward.

"Your mouth is everything," he stammers.

Tight and warm and wet but I'm no expert. So I groan and shift my hips as he hits the back of my throat.

Falling in deeper.

But not drowning. Not quite.

His climax is imminent, shallow strokes and laziness hinting at me so I take note, moaning around him, reaching a hand between his legs to press my palm to his precious jewels.

He's bursting at the seams, his moans ricocheting off the walls and he slumps down, hands carding through my hair.

He pants and I smile sheepishly.

I did that.

I unraveled him.

My lips find his neck sloppily and I take his hand in mine, moving it to his crotch.

His calloused hand works at his sensitive skin and he sucks in a breath.

If we were in class that hand would be stained with ink or perhaps smeared expo marker.

I giggle as my hand covers his palm and moves it gently.

"Your laugh always changes the subject. You're addictive like sugar, cracking stupid jokes and tripping over your own damn feet. You must hate gravity but fuck Harry, I wouldn't trade you for the world."

I'm waiting for the day he'll swim from one side of the pool to the other to lean into a kiss, messy mouths and water dripping from hair.

"We should try the ocean now."

"On one condition: you promise me I'll still be here tomorrow."

"I've promised you everything already Zayn. You just have to trust me."

...

He chokes as he swallows a mouthful of salt water, his eyes watering.

The current is strong and he's terrified he'll get caught in it. We're out waist deep and I pull him close to me.

"Harry, it's freezing and...the waves," his eyes grow wide as one builds up to staggering heights, crashing against the rocks down the shoreline.

"You're okay."

I speak to soon and one crashes upon us.

I easily resurface, my heart stammering.

"Zayn? Zayn!"

I dive back into the water and his eyes are open, his jet black hair a noose around his neck. His arms are moving, his legs kicking frantically.

He reaches for my arm and I tug him back up with me. He gasps for air and I move his hair away from his face.

"Why didn't you swim back up?"

"I...I blanked," his voice quivers.

My arms envelope his trembling body. His mouth is salty but it's so good. So much better at kissing than swimming.

He's so relieved when we're back on land, I'm certain he'll kiss the sand.

But he just shivers and I catch his lips again, my tongue slipping into his mouth.

"You're okay," I murmur as I pull away.

"Still drowning in my love for you," he smiles softly, his fingers tracing patterns in the sand.

"Some sink and some drown."

"What?"

"Relationships," I clarify. "Some make it and some don't. Just because Mason left you to drown doesn't mean-"

"We should shop tomorrow. Go sightseeing or something. I'm not fond of the sea and I never will be."

"Okay," I hum in agreement.

"No more floating or sinking, just walking. Just using our feet."

He trusted me, knew I wouldn't let him drown.

And I've never loved him more.

A/N: if you were expecting beach sex get over it 😂😂😂