Chapter Ten: Midnight Swim

We sat on the lounge chairs on the deck and he opened the bottle of wine. He noticed my raised eyebrows and shrugged apologetically.

"I should probably be the adult here and forbid you from drinking. But I'd like to drink, and you're drunk anyway so the damage is already done." He said and I couldn't help but laugh. He handed me a glass of the same delicious wine I was drinking earlier and I took a sip and sighed in contentment.

"You like it?" he asked, referring to the wine. I nodded.

"What is it?"

"Heck if I know. Winery is Gia's forte." He answered in a heartbeat and I nodded.

"That does not surprise me." I said and he laughed. As an afterthought, I added, "Christian Grey would know what wine it is."

"You shouldn't be reading such books Azania." He shook his head and took a sip of his own wine. The way the light from the moon casted on him made him look even more attractive than he already was.

"I'm almost 18. I think that gives me carte blanche to read whatever I want to read."

"Ha! So, you're not even old enough to drink!" he pointed out and I laughed again.

"I'm just getting a head start."

"How did you even get drinks tonight without your ID?"

"Charm."

"Oh please." He argued and I cocked an eyebrow.

"Just because you're a stranger to my charms doesn't mean that they don't exist." I said with a coy smile. He choked on his wine and I busted out laughing.

"I hope I never get acquainted with your charms then, Miss Wyatt." He joked when he finally composed himself. I laughed and sank back in my seat.

"Kevin's barber works at the club we went to. That's how we got in, and how we got our drinks." I stated and took a sip of the delicious wine.

"I don't know, apart from being too young, I didn't peg you for a club girl." He was looking at me again, his head cocked. He does that a lot.

"Well, he hadn't told me where we were going. I just dressed up. But we went to dinner first." Why was I telling him all of this?

"How did you end up at the club then?"

"Justin, his stepbrother, called and told us that some band that Kevin really likes was playing so we paid for our meal and left."

"And then what happened?"

"You know you're nosier than my best friend. And that's saying a lot." I pointed out and he laughed. I took another sip of my wine and sighed.

"Well, it was pretty packed when we got there, but somehow our names were already on the list, so we got in without any questions. The band was already playing so Kevin immediately got into fan boy mode and ran to the front of the crowd. I don't like rock music, too white for me, so the music was more annoying than enjoyable. Ayanda was there too because where Justin goes, she goes. Although she will never admit to it. Upon seeing my annoyance, she suggested I try let loose and have a drink. She ordered a couple of shots and I tried one. Then we danced our asses off, but Ayanda eventually disappeared to dance with a couple of guys that grabbed her attention. A couple of guys approached me, but I declined their offers. Obviously. I was getting bored, so I ordered a cocktail. I finished that one and ordered another one. Some guy approached me and offered to buy me a drink and I accepted because why the fuck not? We started doing shots and I lost count of how many. I started dancing with this lad and my douche of a boyfriend came from nowhere and punched the living daylights out of him." I explained with yet another sigh.

"And that pissed you off?" he asked, sounding intrigued.

"Of course, it did. I mean, he took me to a club to listen to some douchebag band play only to ignore me the whole night. Then when I finally find someone to converse with, he comes over and stakes his claim over me. We got into a huge argument after that and he stormed out, leaving me stranded in a club! I was pissed so the guy and I just continued drinking our livers away. I got really messed up, so he called me a cab and that's how I got home."

"Quite a story." He muttered dryly, his jaw ticking. What's his problem?

"Is that why you were crying?" he asked softly, making me pause. I drank the remainder of my wine and asked for a refill.

"No. I was just overwhelmed by everything." I said as he filled my glass to the brim.

"The truth Azania." He ordered; his eyes hooded.

"Haibo, and wie is jy?" I asked him incredulously. He sighed next me.

"I don't even know what that means." He said and sighed again.

"I said, what the fuck, and who are you?" I repeated in English. He rolled his eyes at that.

"Do you want to play a game?" he asked suddenly. When I turned to look at him, and he was already looking at me with sparkling eyes and a suggestive expression.

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" I asked as I shuffled around in my seat, so I was facing him.

"20 Questions; I ask you a question and you have to answer truthfully. If the question is too heavy for you then you're allowed to pass. But you can only pass once. And vice versa. You game?" he queried, and I took a moment to think about it, but eventually gave in and nodded.

"Should I start?" he asked me, and I nodded again.

"What's your favourite colour?" I didn't even take a second to answer when I said,

"Orange." He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I did not expect that. You look like a black type of girl." He admitted and I giggled.

"My clothes and my heart may be black, but orange is my colour." I paused and thought about what to ask him. "When is your birthday?"

"26th of January." He said and my eyes widened.

"No kidding! Mine is on the 25th!" I exclaimed excitedly and he laughed.

"Well, would you look at that? Your birthday is 5 days away." He said softly and I blushed.

"Yeah yeah, next question."

"Uhm, favourite food?"

"Easy, Nutella." He laughed, like a full-blown laugh and it was the sexiest thing I had ever heard.

"That does not count as food Azania." He said in between laughs and I chuckled softly before saying; "Okay, chicken wings."

His laughter seized and he drank his wine in one gulp, only to refill it seconds later. We asked each other more simple questions like favourite car, movie genre and funniest childhood memories.

"Wai-wait, you did what?" I asked in between laughs, clutching the sides of my stomach while tears ran down my cheeks.

"I wish I was joking. But I really used to dress up in my sister's clothes and walk around the neighbourhood charming the pants off our neighbours. The old lady that lived next to us, Mrs Hemmings, fell for it one day and asked me to come play dress up with her. Imagine my surprise when an 80-year-old woman started stripping in front of my 7-year-old Anthony. I screamed and ran out faster than she could remove her blouse." he finished with a laugh of his own. My tummy hurt so bad from all the laughing, but as I got the image of a 7 year old Jackass dressed like a girl, standing in a room with a heavily made up 80 year old, in my head my laughter surfaced even harder.

"I never did it again after that day, I was too traumatized." he added with a snort, causing me to laugh even harder.

"Y-you just ha-ha, you just snort-snorted!" I couldn't breathe. It felt like a pregnant elephant was sitting on my chest. He laughed just as hard, I was surprised Gia and dad weren't woken up by our laughter.

"Oh, my word, yours beats mine by far." I added as I wiped my wet face and chuckled once again, finishing my second glass of wine. I was still pretty drunk, and Jackass was a little tipsy by now.

"How many questions do we have left?" he asked after we both calmed down from our laughing fit.

"Uhm, 10."

"Wait, I have another one. Why do you call your dad 'tata'? What does it mean?"

"How are you a South African man and you don't know what 'tata' means?" I asked him, shaking my head.

"Well, I don't know if you have noticed the colour of my skin, but I am English." He explained. If that even counts as an explanation.

"Is that an excuse though? We have 11 official languages in this country and you only speak one from the eleven. Does that not bother you?" I turned and laid on my side, so I could see him perfectly. His face was etched in a frown, deep in thought.

"Growing up, our nanny was Sotho. She used to teach us a couple of words. And at some point, I could speak a few sentences. My mom didn't like that though. So, she fired her. And that was that. I eventually forgot how to speak it and I never bothered to try and learn again." his frown deepened.

"My dad says he used to have a black nanny too, growing up. She taught him a couple of sentences in all 11 languages. The only one he remembers is 'haibo' and 'wena'." I said, laughing.

"And what do you know?" he asked, amused.

"I know a bit of Sotho, thanks to my friend Dineo. And a bit of Xhosa, thanks to Ayanda. I'm trying to learn Venda, but phew. And Afrikaans obviously, thanks to school. Although, Afrikaans is not a language that I would have went out of my way to learn. I want to speak all 11 languages by the time I'm 30." My head was swimming again, a tell-tale sign that I'm drunk.

"Why all 11? Is 5 not enough?" he was laying back on the chair, his left knee bent. He had his wine glass in one hand, and the other hand was cradling his head.

"My dad says its because of my name. But to be honest, I just want to feel black. A name is not enough for me." He turned his head to look at me, his eyes sparkling under the moonlight.

"What does your name mean?" his voice soft.

"Azania is what they used to called Southern Africa when Africa belonged to Africa, before colonizers. At least that is what I have gathered from Google."

"I admire that. You should teach me a couple of words too. Like 'haibo'. I like the way you say it." He said with a smile, making me chuckle.

"Do you want to keep playing or do you want to join me for a midnight swim? I want to sober up, I can't wake up with a hangover tomorrow since I have to attend that stupid hockey game." He muttered disapprovingly and I laughed.

"We can pause the game. I'm tired of being drunk." I said and stood up, stretching my arms above my head, appreciating the stretch. My stockings were ripped by my feet and on my thigh. My leather skirt bunched around my waist, I pulled it down. I didn't realise Jackass was watching until I heard him clear his throat, looking away when I looked at him. Oops. I quickly straightened myself up and refilled my glass again. Jackass did the same and stood up. It's funny how we want to sober up but we're still filling our glasses.

"Are you going to swim in your stockings, Azania?" he asked coyly. I rolled my eyes and smacked his naked hard chest.

"You just want to see me in a bikini, don't you?" I teased as I tied my hair in a messy bun using the hair tie that I always wore around my wrist.

"What's so special about you in a bikini?" He asked in a husky voice that made me blush.

"You'll see." I added coyly and walked towards the pool.

"You really don't have a filter, don't you?" He asked lazily and I turned to show him my devilish smirk.

"Not right now, no." I said as I walked towards my window, remembering Gia's advice from earlier.

"Or you could just swim in your underwear." He said softly.

"Wouldn't you like that?" I teased before slipping into my bedroom through the window. I didn't know if it was the alcohol or the lightness between us that introduced this boldness that made us so free with each other. But one thing was for sure, I liked it.

I could feel his eyes on me as I roamed around my room looking for a bathing suit. I had closed the curtains but they were a little sheer so I was sure he could see me. That thought alone turned me on in ways I could never explain. It gave me a sense of boldness and power and the alcohol that currently polluted my veins, overpowered my logic sense and allowed me to recklessly act on impulse. My back was turned towards the window as I pulled my crop top over my head. My heart started racing the moment I tossed my top away. I unzipped my skirt slowly, driven by the thought of him watching me. I pulled my stockings over my bubble bottom and down my toned legs so slowly, it felt like someone had pressed the slow-motion button. I carefully stepped out of them, impressed with myself that I didn't struggle like I usually did. His gaze casted a heaviness on my body, almost suffocating me. I slowly unclasped my bra, and let it fall to the ground. My bikini top was fastened and in place in a matter of seconds. I loved how sexy his gaze made me feel. I wondered idly what he was thinking as he looked through the window. At that moment, he wasn't my principal, or a friend of my dad's. He was just a hunk I had somehow bonded with; someone who made me feel sexy. But even the alcohol that was actively buzzing in my system was not enough to give me the courage to take off my panties in front of him, whether it was my backside or not. So, I picked up my bikini bottoms and walked into my ensuite bathroom, where I stripped and changed into my bikini bottoms. The time on the clock read 3:03am when I climbed through my bedroom window once my face was cleaned up and I looked presentable again. He was already in the pool, sitting on the steps with a glass of wine and a delicious looking smirk plastered on his face.

"You think you're all that, don't you?" He said as he handed me my glass, the moment I stepped into the pool as well.

"I don't think I am. I know I am." I replied playfully and I took a sip of the crisp wine.

"Is that you talking or is that the alcohol?" he questioned suspiciously and I just gave him a coy smile, set my glass on the edge of the pool and disappeared into the warm water. I heard him enter and follow me in the water, but I just raced ahead. He caught my foot mere seconds later, forcing me to resurface, coughing like a madman.

"I could have drowned you jackass!" I screamed at him and splashed him with water. The cocky bastard just laughed and swam closer to me.

"I would never let you drown. At least not on my watch. Your dad would have my balls roasted over a fire and serve them to me on a silver platter." He said, his eyes wrinkling in the corners as he laughed.

"Oh, my knight in shining armour. You flatter me." I said dryly, making him laugh harder.

"Be quiet, would you? My dad doesn't know I went out tonight and I would like to keep it that way." I whispered fiercely, darting my eyes to my dad's window.

"Don't worry, he won't hear a thing. Every outer wall on this estate is soundproof. Sound can't come in, and sound can't go out." He swam closer to me, holding my gaze, making my heart flutter in my stomach.

"Must be nice being rich." I said and swam away from him.

"It has it's perks." He was still swimming towards me.

"How are you so rich anyway? I know Westerbridge is a rich school, but I don't think they pay this much." He caught up to me, floating on his back. I joined him.

"That's a story for another day, princess." I turned my head to look at him, to find him looking at me. And for a while, nothing was said. We floated next to each other, looking up at the stars in the sky.

"I have one more question for the night." He stated after a few quiet moments had passed.

"Of course, you do." I said with a smile.

"Firstly, I hope you don't remember any of this in the morning." He stated as he started floating away from me. When he was about a meter away, he looked me directly in the eye and asked,

"Am I still a jackass?"