The air was sticky and humid as they left the shop, leaving behind most of their tacos as well. But Cami was too intrigued as to where they might go to be worried about wasting the food.
They walked for a few blocks without saying anything; she knew better than to ask where they were going. She knew the response she would get would be, "You'll see when we get there." So she just kept walking beside him, hoping they would be there soon. The humidity was starting to make her hair frizz, and she was sweating a little. She hoped he didn't notice.
After a few more blocks, he pulled her into another alley. This time, unlike how the previous alley had hidden Gutterhound, the bar, this one had nothing but a dumpster. "Ok, for real, are you going to murder me this time?"
He smiled. "Haven't we already been over this?"
"Yes, but the fact that you keep bringing me into dark and somewhat creepy alleyways still gives me the intense gut feeling that you're going to do something terrible to me."
"And here I was, about to ask if you trust me."
"If I trust you?" she repeated. He nodded. "Y-yes," she stammered. "I do." And she really meant it; it was just the creepiness of the alley that made the words come out funnily.
Klaus turned his back on her. "Get on," he said.
"You want to know if I trust you so you can give me a piggyback ride?" she asked. "I can handle walking, my feet are holding up fine." That was a lie— the shoes had been killing her off and on all night. Her level of pain all depended on how intoxicated she was at the moment. Just then they weren't terrible, but she knew if she didn't get another drink in her soon that she might be walking barefoot by the end of the night.
He turned around and gave her a look that said she was completely daft. "Where we're going, we'd need to drive. And considering both of us are not sober, vamp speed is the second best mode of transportation. So, if you please…" He turned back around, his arms out around his sides, ready to catch her.
She rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. She couldn't believe she was about to do this without even knowing where they were going. But she still stepped up to him, her hands on his shoulders. "Ready?" she said.
"Yes."
Praying she wasn't going to break an ankle by jumping in this shoes, she gave a little hop and wrapped her legs around his waist as he hooked his arms under her knees. He swiveled his head, looking at her out of the very corner of his eye, wearing that stupid smirk she both loved and hated so much. "Turn around," she said, unable to mask the smile on her face.
"Are you ready?" he said.
Her stomach was churning already, partly because of the alcohol, partly because she was nervous from being so close to him. "Yes," she said shakily.
The city began to fly by them in a flash of continuous lights. It was as if the sights before her eyes were just a tape recording that was on fast forward. The air, previously so humid and hotly heavy against her skin, was cool as it passed by her, flying through her hair. It was a whole new way to see things, and she couldn't help but feel exhilarated to see things the way Klaus often saw them.
As they left the city, the lights grew dimmer and farther between until they were out closer to the country and the bayou. And just as suddenly as they had begun, they stopped.
Klaus set her down carefully, his left hand skimming along her leg as she slipped off his back. The inertia hit her then, and she felt that sick queasy feeling, like she had been swimming all day and still felt like she was in the water even though she'd been out of the pool for hours. As she tried to calm her stomach, she gained her bearings and looked around. "The plantation house?"
He nodded, wearing an expression that said he hoped she was impressed. Her mind started racing, trying to figure out why he would bring her here. Was it so he could seduce her? She wasn't sure how to feel about that idea. Of course she wanted it, of course she had fantasized about sleeping with Klaus many times, but she wasn't so sure she'd wanted it to happen this way, especially not when she was somewhat drunk.
"Wow, okay," she said, fishing for words. "The plantation house. That's uh…yeah, I've been here a bunch of times."
"Yes, I am aware," he said. "If there's somewhere else you'd rather go…"
"No, no, just…curious, I suppose," she admitted. He started walking towards the house and she followed.
"About?"
"What…uh…did you have any special reason for bringing me here, of all places?" That was the best way she could think to phrase the question without outright being like, "Did you bring me here so you could sleep with me?"
Looking back at her as they neared the house, he smiled. "I thought we could go for a swim." He veered off to the left of the front of the house, and she struggled to keep up as they walked through the grass and her heels sunk in.
Around the back of the house, everything was dark, but he quickly hopped up the deck and flipped a switch on the outer wall of the house. The pool lit up in undulating waves of blue and white, throwing glowing shadows dancing across both of them.
Her stomach tightened and she felt her blood run cold when he came back down beside the pool and began to unbutton his shirt. She couldn't help but stare as he took off the shirt, tossing it to the ground. The rippling light danced across his chest, and it took every ounce of restraint she had not to reach out and run her hands all over him.
There was a table and a few chairs a few feet away from where they stood, and he sat down there to take his shoes and socks off. She sat across the table from him and took off her own shoes. Cami had to consciously try to control her facial expression so she wouldn't let on the immense relief she felt by taking them off. The cool concrete was so soothing against her aching feet.
Klaus stood, and she felt even more nauseous, because now he was just down to his pants, and she was sure he wouldn't go swimming in them. Sure enough, his hands reached for his belt and started to unbuckle it. Her heart was hammering between her ears, and she felt so embarrassed because she knew he could hear. But he didn't wear that smug grin he normally would have, and she was so grateful for that. She hoped he didn't give that cheeky smirk because he was just as nervous as her.
His belt undone, he reached for the button of his pants, but was watching her expectantly. She realized with a jolt that he was waiting for her to undress as well. In a rush, her hand reached up behind her, trying and failing to grasp the tiny, impossible zipper of her dress. Her fingers were sweaty, and the minuscule metal kept slipping from her grasp, getting her nowhere. Tried as she might, she just couldn't get a good hold on the zipper, and it remained unmoved.
She turned around and felt him come up behind her, moving her hair over one shoulder to get it out of the way. As the zipper slid down her back, she felt a shiver run up her spine, in part from the cool night air. But she knew that her skin had broken out into goosebumps because she felt his hands on her shoulders, slipping under the shoulders of her dress and pushing them off. She took her arms out, and the fabric dropped to the ground around her ankles.
Silently, she cursed herself for her lingerie choices. For her, it was much more important to wear her favorites, regardless of whether they matched or not. Tonight she was wearing a plain red bra, and mint green lace hipster panties. She wished that she'd matched, or at least picked a fancier bra or something. If she had only known the night was going to go this way…
Turning around to face him, she couldn't meet his eye. She could feel him staring at her up and down, and she self-consciously crossed her arms over her stomach. When she looked up, he was moving away from her, walking towards the main steps into the pool. A few feet away, he unzipped his pants and stepped out of them, revealing a pair of black boxer briefs.
She watched, entranced as he slowly stepped into the water. Every part of him was mesmerizing: the way his shoulders sloped down from his neck, the curve of his collarbones, the musculature of his chest and stomach, his innie belly button, his shapely legs. Her cheeks flushed—she knew he was watching her watch him. And he was watching her for herself, studying her body just as she had studied his.
It wasn't that she was particularly embarrassed of her body; it was just that she knew if he kept looking at her like that, she would not be able to stop herself from absolutely throwing herself at him. And so Cami did the only thing she could think of to get him to stop looking at her body.
Slowly, she walked over to the diving board at the deep end of the pool, stepping up onto the cold, springy plank and walking to the end of it. Her stomach was in knots, and she hoped the water would be cold enough to shock her and get her to calm down. Cami gave one small bounce on the springboard before she leaped into the water, jumping feet first straight down.
The water was as cold as she'd wished for, and it made the skin on her arms break out into goosebumps all over again. It closed in around her, wrapping her up in a chilly envelope of calm. She took a moment to herself down there, letting the water really soak into her, taking the time to try to collect herself.
When she resurfaced, he was still watching her intently. She brushed her hair out of her face, wiping at her eyes to make sure her makeup wasn't running. It was a little bit, but her mascara didn't budge, so it really wasn't all that bad. After a couple of swipes with the back of her hand, she'd wiped away the smudges of eyeshadow, and then swam over to where he was.
Where Klaus was standing, the water was only up to his mid-chest. She loved the way his skin glowed from the lights in the pool, the undulating waves of blue and white playing against his alabaster skin.
Cami stood in front of him and shivered when he reached out to touch her, swiping away the remaining smudge of makeup from her cheek. "Are you having a nice evening, Camille?"
He hadn't taken his thumb away from her cheek, and she was sure she was blushing profusely now. "It's been great. Are you having a good time?"
"The best," he said.
A splash of cold water hit her in the face, and then another as he splashed her. "No fair!" she said. "I wasn't ready!"
Klaus just kept splashing more cold water at her until she splashed back, soaking his previously neatly combed curls. They continued this water fight for several more minutes, each of the totally drenched when Klaus held up his hands in surrender. "Pause! I call a truce."
She agreed reluctantly, wiping the water that he'd splashed on her out of her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed so hard, or smiled so much, or felt so happy.
He turned towards the stairs to the pool, saying, "I'll be right back," over his shoulder. He got out of the water and opened the seat of a bench on the deck, extracting a towel and wrapping it around himself before going into the house. She watched him, appreciating the way the water made the fabric of his boxers cling to his backside.
She swam over to the edge of the pool, laying her arms on the concrete, resting her head on her forearms. He came back a few minutes later, holding a couple of items. He handed her the one in his right hand. She studied the bottle of whiskey before uncorking it and taking a pull straight from the bottle.
He sat down at the table, and she realized the items in his left hand had been a lighter and pack of smokes. He put a cigarette to his lips, taking a pull as he lit it, blowing the smoke into the air.
"I didn't know you smoke."
"Oh no, not since the sixties," he said with a grin. "Only very very occasionally now. It just felt right, I guess."
Cami set the whiskey bottle on the pool deck, and then placed her palms flat on the concrete as she pushed herself out of the water. She walked over to the table. "Can I have one?" she said, holding her hand out expectantly. She didn't normally smoke either, but he was right, it just felt fitting for some reason.
He reached into the pack and pulled out a cigarette and was about to hand it to her when he said, "Wait a second. I don't want you to ruin your voice." He flashed that wicked smile again, and she felt the anxiety that had left her for the past few minutes come flooding back. "Because you lost our bet, you see."
She gave a sharp, quick laugh. "How do you figure?"
"When we were dancing, I had way more than you."
"No way!" she said.
"Yes way," he said. "When we left, I had finished all but a quarter of my drink. You still had half of yours."
She racked her brain, trying to remember if this was true. She could call his bluff, ask him to prove it somehow, but she was sure that any argument she could come up with, he would have something to say in return. And that he wasn't going to let go of this until she sang him a song.
She sighed, her jaw clenching. "Fine," she said. He put the cigarette meant for her back in the pack, and put his own down on the table, standing up.
He pulled out the chair across from him, and gestured to it. She began to sat down, but he shook his head. "No, no, no, you need a proper stage."
Cami rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."
"Just do it. Please."
She rolled her eyes again, but sighed in resolve. Before she was going to do it, though, she was going to have another drink. She took another long pull from the bottle by the edge of the pool before she came back to the pulled-out chair. With a heavy sigh, she stepped up onto it as he held her hand to steady her. When she seemed stable and ready, he let go of her and sat down in his own seat.
"Okay, what do you want to hear?" she asked.
"Anything," he said with a smile. He was so smug, and she hated knowing that he was gloating because he'd gotten her to do this.
"Happy or sad?" she said.
He thought for a moment while he took another drag on his cigarette. "Sad," he said at last.
She racked her brain for a good sad song to sing. "Okay, I think I've got one. But I warn you, it'll break your heart."
"Already broken," he said. And then he gestured for her to begin.
"The ship was sinking, we were drinking, singing one last song
casting our gold into the ocean
You grabbed a bucket, started screaming come on, come on
Let's try and slow the downward motion
Back in the kingdom we were kings and queens and oh so strong
That God himself could not contain us
We never thought we'd be the shorter end of sword and gun
Now God himself can never save us
Waves of silver, waves of gold are coming down to take me
Separate my body from my soul and Jesus either leaves or takes me
Hopes of heaven, fears of hell and what's the chance I'll make it
When all my other plans have failed and I have tried so hard to fake it
We started sinking, drinking water from the open sea
Losing our bodies to the ocean
You grabbed my hand and started screaming, rescue me
Together fight the downward motion
Back in the kingdom we were kings and queens and oh so free
That God himself just had to show us
We never thought we'd be the colder side of land and sea
But he's the only one who knows us
Waves of silver, waves of gold are coming down to take me
Separate my body from my soul, and Jesus either leaves or takes me
Hopes of heaven, fears of hell and what's the chance I'll make it
When all my other plans have failed and I have tried so hard to fake it "
It wasn't really a song suited to be sung a capella, but it was the saddest one she could think of at the moment. She had missed a few notes here or there, but overall, she thought it sounded pretty decent. She studied his face carefully, trying to gauge his reaction, but his expression gave no indication of what he thought.
The next few moments passed in silence with her looking down at the ground and him staring at her, the cigarette motionless in his hand. At last, he said, "Thank you."
Cami stepped down off the chair. "I need another drink." Retrieving the bottle, she took another long pull, just like she had before she'd started singing. She took his lack of reaction to mean that he'd hated it, that she'd done a bad job. Setting the bottle back by the edge of the pool, she sat down, her feet dangling into the water.
She heard him sit down beside her, and he took a swig of the whiskey. "That was beautiful," he said.
"You don't have to patronize me."
"I'm not," he said indignantly. When she looked over at him, he had his hands raised, proclaiming his innocence. "Promise. You truly do have a lovely voice. I should thank my lucky stars that you're a lightweight, otherwise you would not have lost the bet, and I would not have heard that song."
"I am not a lightweight!" she said, snatching the whiskey bottle from where it was poised at his lips.
She took another drink from it, this time relishing the taste of the bitter liquid because now she could taste the place where his lips had touched the rim of the bottle. Or at least, she imagined she could.
When she had swallowed the swig, he took the bottle back from her gently. "Let's not test that theory too enthusiastically," he said. He set the bottle behind them and then looked at her, studying her carefully.
This time, where she would usually look away, abashed, she stared back. A little voice inside her told her not to be scared, not to break eye contact with him. Be brave. She watched the way his eyes were locked on hers, watched the way the rippling light from the water played across his face, watched the way his lips parted slightly as his tongue ran across them.
And then he was brushing the wet hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. His hand lingered there, his thumb tracing down her cheek. In spite of herself, her eyes closed; she felt like she was melting into a liquid as sloshy as the water in the pool, as the whiskey in her stomach. And when she opened her eyes again, he was leaning in…
[A/N]: The song that Cami sings in the chapter is called "One Last Song" by Josiah Leming, check it out! Pls follow, fav, review! As far as I know, there is still one more chapter to come, so bear with me as I work on it. Much love, -lordfartquad