AN: Hey guys! As promised, here's a chapter full of John/Rose!
I hope you're still there reading this! ;)
For the swimmers that are reading this (if there are any): I know some things in this chapter might sound improbable, but they're in the story for a reason (they're plot devices).
I would love to hear feedback, especially for this chapter since is so John/Rose centered :D
As alway, lots of thanks to EmilyAndTheDiamonds that helps me on this!

It was Sunday afternoon. Another competition was waiting for Rose just after the light lunch Jackie had made for her, but she couldn't eat anything, her stomach was clenched tight with nerves.
John's reassurances hadn't had much success, although she appreciated the effort he was putting in for her, even though he had the competition too and the results of it were far more important for him than they were for her. John could gain access to nationals!
She swallowed the last mouthful of her lunch and got up: time to get ready!

To say John was nervous was an understatement. Ever since he grumpily got up that morning he had only answered moody and complaining.
He was so glad to be at the pool, finally! Here were the only two things that could calm him: the water and the task to help Rose relax.

For now, he had only tried the former and he was impatiently waiting for the latter, knowing she'd get out of the water soon.
To distract himself, he took out his earbuds, sat against a wall and started listening to music.
He needed to focus on the competition, not the results, or he won't reach them.
Rose had been his lucky charm last time. He was so busy cheering her up that he'd had no time to worry. And, if he was honest with himself, he had swam to impress her, even though he rationally knew she'd probably be in the call room.

A swimsuit clad body blocked his visual and it took him some seconds to focus on the gorgeous girl in front of him: she still had water dripping from her hair and was wrapped in a pink towel, an unsure smile pinned to her face, barely hiding her worry.
He took a earbud out just in time to hear a whispered "Hey there" over the chaotic sounds of the pool.
"Hey.." He answered, patting the spot next to him on the floor with a small smile.
"How do you feel?" He asked as she sat down.
Rose shrugged.
"Alright, I guess" Then, at John's pointed stare, she relented.
"Okay, okay. I'm anxious. Happy now?"
"Of course not! I just hate when people lie to me even if they have painted over their face what they feel" he answered a bit rudely, then cringed internally.
Rose seemed taken aback by the abrupt response and John felt immediately guilty.
"I'm sorry Rose.. I know it was rude, I'm just a lot stressed right now.." He added in right after, letting his face fall in his hands, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"I know, I'm sorry too.. I know this competition is important for you and I didn't want to add any weight on you by leaning my worry on you.."
John lifted his head and fixed his eyes in hers, touched by the thoughtful gesture.
"Oh Rose..that's really sweet of you, but... Helping you with your worry actually helps me dealing with mine. Last time I was so focused on you that I barely had time to freak out and that was the best thing because when I dived into the water I had a clear mind." He finished smiling.
Rose nodded her understanding and tried to find something to say.
"Well, you already know I'm anxious for this competition and that I don't think I can make the time our trainer wants me to do" She said shrugging.
"And you as well know that I think our trainer wouldn't have set the goal too high, so you can at least get close to it" He remarked again and watched as Rose rolled her eyes at him.
"Was I rude again?" He asked sheepish a second later.
Rose laughed softly and nodded.
"Whoops.." He said, taking her hand.
That was something they did quite a lot, lately. When they were walking, if one of them needed reassurance, sometimes even when they were talking. It was something that comforted them both, that small physical contact. And, to be completely honest, it thrilled them every single time.
Rose squeezed his hand in answer.

After some minutes of silence, John felt his anxiety raise again and wanted to listen to music, but he knew it would have been rude with Rose sat next to him.
He could offer an earbud, but he also knew that people, when they were offered to listen to music by someone, often thought that the song itself held a "hidden meaning".
«Screw it, this is my pre-competition playlist and she can think whatever she wants» he thought, tired of overthinking.
"Wanna listen?" He said holding an earbud out to her.
Rose looked unsure for a second, then accepted the offer. After she plugged in, John decided to warn her.
"You may not like all the songs, though. This is the playlist I selected for the competitions so.." He trailed off sheepishly, but the soft smile he received in answer settled his worries.
"It's all right"
After that, none of them talked and both stared in front of them at the busy pool.
At some point Rose leaned her head on John's shoulder and his automatic reaction was to lean his own head against hers. This simple change caused in both mixed reactions: first butterflies in their stomachs and shudders, then a quiet sense of contentment washed over them and Rose sighed softly. This felt too good to be true.

John had made it! She couldn't believe it, he was so good!

She watched as he made his way to their trainer, pride showing through her eyes.
As he turned around he caught her stare and made a victory sign, slowly making his way to her.
Soon, though, he was stopped by his friends, the best swimmers of the team.
Rose saw the disappointment in his eyes as he forced the small talk and the smiles as they all complimented him. She bit her lip and looked away: she had almost forgotten the "difference" between them, that right now looked right an enormous gap. How could she be enough for someone so brilliant and successful?
«Snap out of it, Rose» She thought, «he has friends, what's the big deal? He was coming to you and you saw it. He was stopped and he'll come soon enough. No need for a pity party.»
Rose had to admit that the reasoning was correct: if their differences didn't matter to him, why should they matter to her?
Convinced, she looked up at him again and smiled at him, but her smile faltered: his discomfort was clear (although she didn't know the reason of it), so why none of his friends seemed to be asking about it?

After some other long minutes, the crowd around him dispersed and he looked at her, bright smile back on full blown.
He walked to her, his pace getting faster the closer he came to her.
"You did it!" She exclaimed, pride once again radiating from her and wide grin on her face.
"I did it!" He repeated and hugged her, lifting her and making her do a little spin.
Rose laughed and bathed in the feeling of joy that both of them felt.
As he set her down, she fixed her eyes on his.
"I'm proud of you." She said meaningfully.
John's smile turned soft, gentle, a kind of smile she'd only seen directed at her for now and she really much liked.
"Thank you" He said back in the same tone she'd used.

"Rose!" The moment was broken once again by their coach.
This time John looked at her and she felt like he could see everything, from the surface to the pit of her soul.
"Go and show them what you're made of." He incited her.
Rose nodded and took everything she needed from her bag.
"Good luck" John whispered at the last second and she had just the right time to answer "thank you" before going to the call room.
She felt John's eyes on her back the whole way there.

Rose's competition hadn't gone quite as well as hoped.
She had broken her personal record by some tenths of a second, but their trainer didn't seem happy.
John was woken from his reverie by a shouting, not loud enough to disturb the competition but still enough to be heard.
"Rose you can't go on like this! You're not improving enough even when others are, so it means that you're not working hard enough. You get better or you quit. We don't need failures on our team." His trainer finished and John was furious: how could he talk like that to Rose?! To anyone, really! That was not how you treat a person! Had he always talked like that to his friend?

In that second Rose rushed past him and his attempts to stop her were pointless. He understood, she needed some time alone and he would give her space, but he'll wait outside for her: she needed him and he needed to make sure she was alright.
For now, though, he had another task at hand. Slowly, like a storm, he approached the man responsible for the shouting. He cleared his voice and his eyes flashed angrily.
"Oh hey, John. Need something?" He asked as if nothing had just happened.
"Actually, yes." He stated and waited for the man's attention.
"You see, the girl you just happened to shout at, Rose, is a friend of mine. And I really do not like how you treated her. Even if I didn't happen to know her, that's not how you should deal with another human being. She might not have reached her goal, but there are better, less hurtful ways to pass on your thoughts. And really, a failure? I thought I was talking with a grown up man here. I hope I never have to see anything like this, ever again" He growled out, and every word sounded like a dangerous rumble out of his mouth.
The adult in front of him looked shell shocked, jaw hanging open. Satisfied, he turned around, going to retrieve his bag, but turned around at the last second.
"One last thing: if she quits, I quit too." He said and smirked at the surprise and panic in his trainer's eyes. Served him well for treating his friend like that.

Rose was still having a hard time containing the tears when she exited the changing rooms, hoping to avoid everybody like last time, but she was out of luck: there, leaning on the wall opposite of the door, stood John, looking concerned.
As soon as he saw her he walked to her.
"Hey.." He whispered.
"Hey" She croaked out, hating how husky her voice sounded for the crying.
"I know you probably don't want to talk right now, but can you give me a chance? I promise I won't keep you anywhere you don't want to be" he pleaded.
Rose thought it over in her head for a second, then reluctantly nodded her consent.
John's face was lightened up by a soft, small smile and he held out his hand as an invitation.
Rose slipped hers in his and wondered how this could already comfort her a little and how they could fit so perfectly.
Outside it was chilly and a soft breeze blew, but there were still at least a couple of hours before sunset.

John led the way and soon they found themselves in a small park: the trees had the first leaves on and there was a small lake surrounded by benches. It looked beautiful and Rose couldn't help but think how it'd be even more amazing in another season.
Her friend sat on a bench that was still near the lake but a bit secluded, surrounded by trees and blossoming flowers, and she followed him, leaving her bag on the ground next to her and sitting with her legs crossed, looking at him.

They looked at each other in silence and she could see he was trying to find the best words to say.
"I'm sorry for what the trainer said" he finally said, surprising her. He was sorry? What could he have done to prevent their coach from shouting at her? It was her fault: she was a failure.
«He just had had the guts to say it to my face» she thought, tears pooling in her eyes again, but she pressed them back.
"You don't need to be sorry, it was just the truth. 'Sides, I'm used to that" she sniffed, and then wondered if she'd said something wrong: his eyes had gotten dark and he seemed angry.
"No Rose, it wasn't the truth. You are not a failure and he should know that: you can't always be as fast as you want, lots of things can have an influence on that. You could have a bad day, be a little sick, not in the right state of mind, have trained a little too hard, be a little down physically and I could list reasons for hours." He said passionately and she couldn't contain the tears anymore: slowly, the first made her way down her face from the corner of her right eye.
"Adding to that, god only knows how many more variable you girls have: you're an hormonal mess most of the time!" He said with a tone that suggested experience and Rose was surprised and curious.
Her face must have shown that because he added:"my sister's fault. Every time I say she's cranky she lectures me about woman and their menstrual cycle" blushing a little.
Rose cracked a small smile. But then she remembered what John had said before that and tears sprung to her eyes again, falling freely.
"But not every competition can go bad. Once in a while I could understand, but every single time? I think he's right, I'm a failure." She said wiping furiously at her face but succeeding only in making the tears fall faster.
John's face was a mixture of anger and concern: he took her hands and stopped her, then placed his own on the sides of her face and wiped away the tears with his thumbs.
"Listen... I know, it's frustrating but it's still no reason to think of yourself as a failure. You might be training the wrong way -I wouldn't be surprised, seeing how our trainer treated you- or, well..you might not be exactly cut for swimming, but I don't think so, because it should have been like this from the beginning and you still being in the team says otherwise. And, even if that was the case, that wouldn't make you a failure. You can't swim as fast as others do, so? You can swim all four swim-styles and not many can say the same. Hell, most people don't even know how to swim! And maybe you're surprisingly good at something else, you just haven't realized it yet." The tender tone of his voice made her shudder and all she could do was nod.
The tears had almost stopped, but his hands had remained on her face, his thumbs stroking slowly and soothingly her cheeks.
"Though I'm almost sure the training is the problem here." He said so out of the blue that Rose let out a small laugh.
When she sobered up, she thought about what he had said.
"Well, I don't know.. He never corrects me, or better, he reprimands me when I'm too slow. But he never says anything about how I swim or how fast I should go.."
John's angry face appeared again and he dropped his hands from her face.
She started to feel disappointed but then saw John clench his fists in anger.
"I swear that man...I don't understand, he never behaved like that with me, I never thought..."
"Well, that's because you're one of his favourites, he'd never do that to you.." Rose stated quietly.
Instead of calming him, though, the storm in his eyes intensified.
"That's even worse, he shouldn't do that with anybody! There are different ways of communicating with people!" He said angrily, then took a deep breath and Rose took one of his hands, squeezing it.
"You know what, I have an offer. It may sound ridiculous, but.." He said and she could see he was acting impulsively.
"Go on" she said, curious.
"Well, since I'm eighteen I had the chance to do the basic trainer course and I know quite some things about swimming competitively.." he trailed off.
Rose couldn't help but wonder: was he offering what she thought he was? She looked at him questioning.
"If you want sometimes we could meet at the pool and I could try and see if you do something wrong.. Kinda 'train' you, if you know what I mean.." He said sheepishly, even blushing a little and looking at her."If you want sometimes we could meet at the pool and I could try and see if you do something wrong.. Kinda "train" you, if you know what I mean.." He said sheepishly, even blushing a little and looking at her hopefully.

Rose couldn't believe her ears: he was really offering that! Oh god, how she wanted to do this!
"Are you sure it wouldn't be a problem? I don't want to impose more than I already do.." she said smiling a little, as to make sure he didn't misunderstand her nervousness for a rejection, even if all she wanted was to jump up and down in happiness.
«Is she crazy?! I can't wait to spend more time with her! And to see a smile on her face» John thought.
"Of course I'm sure!" He exclaimed.
The smile that blossomed on her face was breathtaking.
"Then of course!" She exclaimed excitedly before being engulfed in a celebratory hug.
As soon as he realised what he had done John pulled back with a slight blush, but was saved by Rose's stomach grumbling.
Checking the time, he had another idea to prolong their time together.
"Someone's hungry, what do you say about some chips?" He asked smiling.
"I want chips." Rose answered smiling back.
"Me too" John replied.
"Right then, before I have to get home, chips it is, and you can pay." She said with that tongue touched smile that made him shudder and he half nodded, distracted.
As if on accord they stood, took their bag and their hands found each other.
They started walking, hands swinging between them, when he realized something and blushed crimson.
"What?" Rose asked seeing his face.
"No money…" He said sheepishly grinning and scratching his neck with his free hand.
"What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad. Chips are on me. We've only got an hour before my dad comes pick me up" She said with a brilliant smile and he couldn't help but be happy: what a day!