“Jump in? How deep is it?”
“I don't know, but it's deep enough to go for a dive,” he said, walking to the edge of the patio.
He stared down into the water, and I walked to the edge and joined him. You could see all the way to the bottom, the water was that clear and pristine.
“It's probably cold too,” he said. “But personally, I like diving right in and getting the shock over with. It usually feels so good after that.”
The idea of diving right in to unfamiliar waters scared me, a bit. But Nico was beside me and made me feel safe. If he was willing to do it, I didn't want to chicken out. I nodded, biting my lip and looked into his eyes.
“Okay, let's do it,” I said, a nervous flutter in my belly.
“One... two...” Nico took my hand in his and I held it tight. “Three!”
On three, we both jumped high into the air and came down in the water, which was cold but oh so refreshing, and I went under. At first, I panicked – not having much experience in ocean waters – but Nico pulled me above water, his hands on my waist.
“I’ve got you,” he said, reassuring me as I took a deep breath. “You can swim, can't you?”
“Yes, of course,” I said.
Honestly though, my swimming skills were very basic. I'd learned when I was a kid, in a pool, but it had been years since I'd put that skill to use. I could keep my head above water, but I was by no means going to be swimming laps anytime in the near future.
Nico let me go, and for a second, I panicked, afraid I'd go under again, but I managed to keep my head above crystal-clear water. I was surprised to feel a twinge of sadness when he'd let me go – there was a part of me wanted his arms back around me, holding me up. I liked the way his hands had felt on me as he'd held me with those strong, chiseled arms. I felt safe, secure, like nothing bad would ever happen to me as long as he held me tight.
Neither one of us said a word for a long time, we just relaxed in the water and watched as the sun began to set in the distance. The sky was filled with hues of purple, orange and red, which was gorgeous set against the brilliant blue waters. We were several yards from the beach, but you could hear the water crashing into the shore as well as the pilings below our bungalow.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” I said, feeling at peace for the first time in my life.
When Nico didn't answer, I looked over at him and caught him staring at me, not the sunset that had captured my gaze.
He smiled and quickly looked away. “Yes, yes, it is.”
For a brief second, I swore he was talking about me. I felt a blush creep up my neck and settle in my cheeks. Could he really have been talking about me? I wanted to let myself believe that he was.
The water started getting chilly, but I was reluctant to get out just yet.
“Your lips are turning blue,” Nico said. “Let's dry off and get ready for dinner.”
We swam back to the bungalow and climbed out. He offered me his hand to help me out. I took it, and he lifted me out of the water like I weighed nothing at all. I was standing, in front of him, his hands on me to steady me and our eyes met.
“Thank you for everything,” I said. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you, Sophia,” he said.
His face was so close to mine and the way he looked at me made the butterflies in my stomach swarm. I so badly wanted to reach out and to stroke his face, to kiss his lips. All of this was so new to me, these feelings of attraction and the desire to be with someone. If only he'd kiss me first, I thought. Then all my dreams would come true and I'd have to wonder if perhaps, I wasn't in some fairy tale instead of real life.
I closed my eyes
and hoped he'd take the hint, but instead, he took my hand and walked me into the bungalow, and the moment passed.
“We're going to eat in town,” he said. “It's a few miles away, but I hear the restaurant is amazing.”
“I can't wait,” I said softly. “What should I wear?”
“Anything you're comfortable in” he said.
“A sundress, maybe?”
“That would be perfect,” he said. “I'll ask Daniel to be here in about half an hour. That should give us time to shower and get dressed, right?”