“I’m not going back in there again,” Tsholo said, sitting down on a shawl she had laid down on the grass, a little further away from the pool.

“Me too, it is too crowded in there.” Thapelo laughed a little.

“They sure came out in numbers today.”

“Yeah, they really did.” When he turned to look at her, he saw that she was applying sunscreen on her long, shiny legs.

Oh Lord! Thapelo didn’t know what to do with himself. He couldn’t stop staring. He was sure that he was drooling, plus the blue and white bikini she was wearing didn’t help him at all. It fit her just so. She was delicate in her applying that sunscreen. She did it all so easy, like she was shooting an ad for that sunscreen brand.

“Wanna help?” Tsholo’s question yanked him out of his daydreaming.

Did she catch him staring? What should he say? She was handing him the sunscreen, so he knew she meant help applying it. But where? He was sweating on his forehead. Did she see that? Probably, but she seemed not to care because she was still smiling at him.

“Uhm, eh…” He stuttered again. How he hated this! Couldn’t he just talk like normal boys do when they are talking to normal beautiful girls? Except, she wasn’t normal to him. She was beautiful, tantalising, magnificent, and all those other adjectives you could think of to describe someone as breathtaking as her. Plus, she was his crush!

“Here, come. On my back.” Tsholo chuckled.

Thapelo was scared to even stand up from the position he was sitting on. What if he had a boner? The shorts he was wearing couldn’t hide anything, even if they tried. Plus, the fact that they were wet made things worse. They were clinging on him like his second skin.

“Uhm…yeah.” He heard himself say. He got up slowly, and took the small tube from her soft hand.

Thapelo turned to Tsholo’s back. She slouched over, giving him total access to her back.

Her skin was so radiant. That melanin made her look like she was dipped in a lava of chocolate, and came out looking just fine and yummy.

“Especially on my neck, okay?”

“Yeah…ok.” His voice was raspy.

He rubbed his hands together with the cream, and started running them on her back. Her skin was so soft. Was it the cream that made her skin this silky or was it like this naturally? He couldn’t tell.

He heard a whistle that was very familiar to him, coming from somewhere in the pool. Turning his head, Thapelo saw Bokang smiling like a fool inside the pool. He raised his hand and gave him a thumbs-up while mouthing, “Yebo.”

This guy was an idiot.

Thapelo was starting to enjoy this. He was rubbing and rubbing. He didn’t wish for it to end, but Tsholo told him that was enough. A tinge of hurt went all over him.

He went back to his spot and didn’t know what to do with his hands now. It was like they didn’t belong to him anymore.

Tsholo looked at him without saying anything, but smiling. He also didn’t know what to say, so he just smiled at her, and said nothing.

The ten seconds of silence between them felt like ten hours to Thapelo. He bit his lips, as if to stop them from saying anything stupid.

“So, do you have a girlfriend?” Tsholo asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

This question caught him off-guard. What should he say? That he doesn’t, which was true? Probably, yes.

No, that would lower your points. Girls love boys who are sought after. Lie to her. Tell her you have a girlfriend, she will want you more, said that sinister voice inside of him.

“Yes, I have a girlfriend!” Whoa! That came out rather hastily.

“Oh…ok.” Disappointment was written all over her face.

Thapelo realised then that he had shot himself in the foot. He totally blew it with her. What should he do?

Run! Run to the pool to gather your thoughts, that voice came back to him.

Before he knew it, Thapelo was on his feet, running to the pool, and leaving Tsholo there by herself on the grass.

Thapelo ran to the pool faster than The Flash. He dived inside, and swam deep along the floor. Looking up, the legs of the people were kicking and twirling. But they had nothing on his heart.

Tell us: Have you ever acted in exactly the opposite way to how you wanted to act, with a crush? How did it go down?