Meredith.
The water was colder than I expected.
Not cold, exactly, but cooler than my skin. It wrapped around me like a hesitant welcome, the surface licking at my waist as I stood in the shallowest part of the pool, arms crossed, trying not to let the nerves show.
Draven on the other side. He wasn't reading the water or teaching.
Just standing there—arms sleek and defined, hair still tied in that annoyingly perfect bun, his white shirt clinging to his torso in a way that did nothing to reduce how solid he looked beneath it.
And now I was supposed to trust him with my body. In a pool. Again.
Great.
"Alright," he said, voice calm, collected. "We will start with basic floating. Nothing dramatic."
I nodded once, lips tight. "Okay."
"Breathe steady. That's the first rule." He stepped closer, water swirling softly between us. "Your body needs to relax or you will sink."
"Relaxing in a situation I can't control isn't my strong suit."
He gave a low, mocking chuckle. "I'm aware."
