Oscar has never tried to fit in and has never wanted to, but when his party friend, Max, is revealed to be mafia prince, Marcus Gallagher, suddenly being a 'lone wolf' is no longer an option; not if Oscar wants to woo his prince and get out alive!
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While Oscar was a decent billiards player from all the time he spent in bars and at the club house, it was far rarer that he ever got to swim. Despite his lack of experience, Oscar seemed unintimidated by the water.
He stripped down to his boxer briefs and cannon-balled into the turquoise depths, leaving his clothes in a pile of black, denim, and chains by the side of the pool, without a second thought. But after a little splashing and paddling, he'd fully conquered the pool and was confidently horsing around, steadily finding higher and more complex ways to jump into the water. While not all attempts were exactly graceful, they were getting more impressive as he started to master backflips and somersaults off the diving board.
Elise laughed unabashedly at some of his less graceful attempts, getting quite a kick out of watching the sheer joy Oscar radiated. She'd pulled her wedge sandals off, and had perched on the side of the pool like a little bird with her legs in the water, but eventually, she couldn't resist how fun it looked, and after slipping her bra out from under her dress, jumped into the deep end herself, taking the opportunity to swim closer to Oscar once he'd resurfaced from one of his dives.
"How are the two of you doing, by the way?" she asked quietly, glancing around just to make sure no one had noticed where they were yet.
"Well..." Oscar panted lightly, his words brushing across the surface of the water as he slowly swam backwards towards the diving board. "Good, I think," he said, taking hold of the diving board from underneath and just hanging there like a little kid, while they talked. "It's kind of weird, ya know? ... But, like, good weird."
"Yeah," she nodded as she tread water to keep her chin just above the surface. "Well, not exactly, but yeah... I'm glad. I don't know a lot about what he and Da do, which is probably pretty obvious," she commented, glancing away. "But I'm sure it's not easy, or pretty... So, I like the idea of Marc having someone close that makes him happy; that makes his world a little less ugly."
The punk took a moment to let his gaze drift around from the house to the light reflecting off the water's surface and then back to Elise's beautiful face and smiled.
"I don't know... to me, his world looks anything but ugly."
Elise's cheeks flushed and she sent a splash of water at him. "You don't have to flatter me, Mr. Bradley," she teased. "I'm already on your side."
Oscar leaned in a little closer. "Mmm, I don't know... I mean, if it were me, I'd be suspicious of any guy who didn't hit on you at least a little..." His eyes met hers and then motioned up to the camera situated on the corner of the house before he pulled back. "...And I'm on strict instructions not to let on that Marcus and I are anything but pals," Oscar said doing a few mock pull ups on the board that were made much easier with the help of the water.
Elise followed his lead, turning her head briefly towards the camera, spotting it, before laughing and looking back at him. "Well, that sounds...dangerous for me," she said, with another giggle, face flushing a bit deeper red as she sank slightly lower in the pool. She understood the line of thinking, though. Her parents weren't stupid by any stretch, and she knew it had to be a concern on Marc's mind...them finding out.
