SAVANNAH
"Put on your jumpsuit," Blake said with a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He stood tall beside the pool, his arms crossed and amusement glinting in his eyes like he was waiting for me to make a fool of myself.
I glanced around the nearly empty indoor pool facility, suddenly hyperaware of my surroundings. No girls' changing room in sight. Of course. Why had I followed him here without thinking this through?
"Where do I change?" I asked hesitantly, clutching my jumpsuit tightly in my hand.
He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"There's no girls' room here. This is the guys' side of the facility, Blake. I can't just go in there."
He chuckled, as if this was a casual inconvenience. "Oh, right. Well, I guess you could go back across campus to the main locker room... but class starts in forty minutes."
Today’s swimming class was during lunch break. He wanted us to use the time after school for his Physics tutorials.
I gave him a long, unamused stare. "Very funny."
He shrugged, then turned his back to me without another word. "Change here. I won't look. Promise."
"I don't trust you," I said flatly, my eyes narrowing. That smirk had never meant anything good before.
"Fair," he replied over his shoulder. "But I did save you the other night, didn't I? That has to earn me at least a sliver of trust."
He wasn’t wrong. That night still lived in my memory rent-free. Him pulling me out of the crowd, and the way he shielded me like he actually—no. No, I wasn’t going there.
I turned my back to him in return, making sure to stay a few feet away before hastily slipping out of my clothes and into the tight navy-blue jumpsuit. My heart pounded the entire time, half expecting him to sneak a peek. But he didn’t, not even once.
"Done," I said quickly, pulling my ponytail through the back of the suit.
"Took you long enough," he teased, turning around and pulling his shirt off in one fluid motion.
My breath caught in my throat.
Oh.
I mean, I knew he swam competitively, but knowing and seeing were two different things. His shoulders were broad, arms lean and defined. He stepped out of his pants and into swim shorts without shame, completely unfazed. Meanwhile, I felt like my face had just caught on fire.
"Ready?"
I nodded too quickly. "Y-yeah. Ready."
"Alright then. Let’s start with the basics."
He walked me over to the edge of the pool and knelt beside me.
"Swimming’s about control," he said. "Not just your body, but your breathing, too. It’s a rhythm. Like dancing, but with a real chance of drowning if you mess up."
"Comforting," I muttered.
He laughed. "Relax, I’m not gonna let you drown. Now, lie on your stomach."
"What?"
"On the ground. Just do it."
Sighing, I did as he said, lying flat on the cool tiled floor. He crouched beside me and demonstrated the correct arm strokes, guiding my hands gently.
"Your arms should move like this—smooth, like you’re carving a circle through the water. And keep your fingers together."
"Like this?" I copied him, arms sweeping outward.
"Close enough. We’ll fix the rest in the pool."
The moment I dipped my toes into the water, a chill ran through me.
"It’s cold!"
"It’s a pool, not a hot tub."
I glared at him, but took a deep breath and eased in. The water wrapped around my legs like an icy glove. My heart started racing.
"Okay," I said. "Now what?"
"Start by paddling. Just float and kick your legs. Keep your body relaxed."
I tried. I really did. But instead of smooth kicks, my limbs flailed like a panicked octopus. My arms smacked the surface, splashing water everywhere. Blake burst into laughter.
"You look like you’re trying to fight the pool!"
"You said to paddle!"
"Not like you're being electrocuted!"
I dragged myself to the edge, water dripping from my face. "You're so annoying."
He held out a hand to help me out. "Sorry, I couldn't help it."
I ignored his hand and got out on my own.
"Alright," he said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Let me actually teach you now."
This time, his instructions were clear, and he stayed beside me the entire time. He guided my legs when I kicked wrong, corrected my arm strokes, and reminded me to breathe evenly.
After half an hour of effort, something clicked. My movements synced, and I wasn't flailing anymore. I was swimming.
"You’re doing it, Savvy!" he shouted, keeping pace beside me.
I beamed, then accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water and sputtered to the side.
"Okay, almost doing it," he corrected with a grin.
We swam a few more laps, slowly, side by side. When I started to tire, he gestured for us to stop near the middle of the pool.
"You surprised me," he said.
"Why? Because I didn’t drown?"
"No. Because you actually listened."
"Wow. You really have no faith in me, huh?"
"Not true," he said, drifting closer. "I just didn’t think you’d be this determined."
His tone had shifted. No teasing. Just... soft honesty. It caught me off guard.
"Well," I murmured, suddenly shy. "I want to learn."
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at me. Then, slowly, his hands moved to my waist to help keep me steady.
I froze.
Every nerve in my body lit up. I could feel his fingertips lightly gripping me under the water.
"Relax," he said, voice low. "You’re stiff again."
"It’s your fault," I blurted out.
"Oh?"
"You keep... doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Looking at me like that."
He smirked again, but his eyes didn’t leave mine. Then, slowly, his gaze drifted downward, first to my waist where his hands were, then to my legs, and finally back up to my face.
"Not bad," he murmured under his breath.