Kate POV
I headed straight to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and wrapped myself in a towel as I stepped out. That's when I saw Kevin's sister walk by. I sighed, grabbed a glass of water, and without thinking twice, splashed it right on Kevin's face.
"What the hell, Kate?!" he yelled, wiping his face.
"Get ready," I said flatly. "It's already late."
I walked out of the room, trying to ignore his glare.
Outside, the morning air felt fresh. I was watching the waves when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned and saw David. He smiled, took my hand, and gently led me toward the sea.
"No, I don't wanna I don't wanna swim!" I shouted, pulling back. "I'm scared of water!" I kept rambling nonsense, trying to make him stop, but he just laughed. I didn't swim that day. I couldn't.
By afternoon, everyone decided to go out for groceries and snacks they wanted to cook for themselves instead of letting the maids do it. Everyone left except Kevin and me.
As the sun began to set, I wandered near the water. I sat by the shore, my feet barely touching the edge. The waves were calm, soft, almost inviting. After a while, I stood and stared at the ocean, lost in its rhythm.
Then suddenly someone shoved me from behind.
I screamed as I hit the cold water. Panic surged through me. My arms flailed, fighting against the pull of the waves. I didn't want to die not like this. The ocean dragged me farther and farther away from the shore.
I tried to swim, to breathe, to survive but my body grew weaker. The world around me blurred, and my eyes slowly closed as darkness swallowed me whole.
Kevin POV
I put on my coat and headed outside, searching for everyone but the beach was empty. I frowned and walked toward the small store nearby, grabbed a drink, and sat down, wondering, Where did everyone go?
That's when I noticed something strange a girl being carried toward the shore by the waves. I stood up immediately. Then, I saw something floating it was a necklace. I picked it up and froze. It was Kate's necklace the one I gave her.
My heart dropped. As the waves pushed the girl closer, I saw her face. It was Kate.
Terrified, I threw off my coat and ran into the sea. The water was freezing, but I didn't care. I swam as fast as I could and finally reached her, pulling her limp body toward the shore.
I laid her down gently and tapped her cheeks. "Kate! Kate, wake up!" She didn't move. Panic filled me. I leaned closer and began giving her mouth-to-mouth until finally she coughed. Water spilled out, and she gasped for air.
Kate sat up, trembling and crying.
"What happened?" I asked softly.
"I thought I was going to die… I thought nobody would come for me," she sobbed.
"Who said you'd die when I'm here?" I whispered, cupping her face. I kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug.
"Do you know who pushed you?" I asked.
"I don't know…" she said between sobs. "I don't want to stay here anymore. It's so cold."
I nodded and helped her back to the room.
Once there, I wrapped a towel around her shoulders and used another to dry her hair. Then, I found one of my soft hoodies and a pair of pajamas.
"Go change into these," I said, handing them to her before heading to the bathroom.
I took a quick shower, changed, and rushed to the kitchen. I started cooking soup and some chicken for her. By the time I finished, Kate came out, her hair still damp but looking better.
"What are you cooking?" she asked.
"Soup and chicken," I replied, turning to check her temperature. "You should eat something hot. Then you'll feel better. Go wait for me."
"No," she said stubbornly. "I want to watch you cook."
I sighed and pointed to a seat near the counter. "Fine. Sit there."
As I cooked, I could feel her eyes on me. When I turned around, she was staring softly with that sweet smile of hers.
"Why are you staring?" I teased.
She quickly looked away. "Nothing."
After a while, she was scrolling through her phone and suddenly looked sad.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I miss my brother… It's been two weeks since we've been here," she said quietly.
"It's okay," I said, trying to comfort her. "I miss Ashi too."
When dinner was ready, we sat down to eat but before we could start, someone knocked on the door. I opened it to find David.
"Aren't you guys joining us?" he asked.
"No, we've already cooked," I said.
"Oh, great. Good night!" David said.
"Good night," I replied and closed the door.
When I turned around, I found Kate sitting with a piece of chicken in her hand her eyes half-closed like she was about to fall asleep.
I chuckled and gently took the chicken from her hand.
Her eyes opened instantly. "Hey! What are you doing? Give it back!"
"Go sleep on your bed," I told her.
"No way! I prefer eating the chicken rather than sleeping," she said.
I grinned. "And I prefer lips rather than eating chicken."
"Stop it!" she said, blushing.
I stepped closer. "Make me."
"Get the hell out of here!" she yelled, grabbing a pillow.
That's how our pillow fight began. But in the middle of laughing and swinging pillows, my foot slipped. I fell and scraped my elbow — badly. Blood started to drip.
Kate gasped. "What the hell, Kevin? Can't you take care of yourself? Wait, I'll bring the first aid box."
She quickly came back, rolled up my sleeve, and began cleaning the wound with spirit. I winced.
"Ahhh! It stings!" I groaned.
"Don't be such a baby," she said, focusing on the cut.
I watched her, a small smile playing on my lips.
"What?" she asked, glancing at me.
"Nothing," I said softly. "Just thinking how sweet your lips are."
She froze, then smirked mischievously. "You know what I think you should—"
She pressed on my wound. "AHHH! Kate!"
"I don't want to see you anymore," she said, standing up dramatically and walking away.
"My arm hurts, but I'm going to care for myself!" I called after her, pretending to pout.
She sighed and came back. "You're so careless."
I smiled. "Okay, okay. Here—" I pulled a chocolate from my pocket.
Her eyes lit up. "Oh! I was craving chocolate!"
She reached out, but I pulled it away. "One condition."
"What?" she asked suspiciously.
"Kiss me," I said.
"What do you mean, Mr. Finch?" she teased.
"I mean I'll give you the chocolate when you kiss me, Mrs. Ryder," I said, smirking.
She thought for a second, then looked out the window. "Look! What's that?"
"What?" I turned quickly
And she took her chance, kissed my cheek, snatched the chocolate, and ran off laughing.
"Hey! Bring it back!" I shouted, chasing after her.
"Never!" she yelled, her laughter echoing through the room.
Kate POV
I ran down the hall, laughing so hard I could barely breathe. The chocolate was clutched in my hand like a prize I'd fought the world for.
Behind me, I could hear Kevin shouting, "Kate! You thief!"
I turned around just in time to see him chasing me, his hair still a little wet from the shower, his shirt sleeves rolled up. His smirk said I was in trouble.
"Catch me if you can, Mr. Finch!" I teased, sticking my tongue out.
"Oh, you're so dead, Mrs. Ryder," he said, lunging forward.
I screamed and bolted toward the living room, but he caught me easily, wrapping his arms around my waist. We both stumbled onto the couch, laughing breathlessly.
"Got you," he whispered near my ear. His breath brushed against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Okay, fine! You win!" I laughed, pretending to surrender.
Kevin grinned and held out his hand. "Now give me the chocolate."
I frowned dramatically. "No way. I almost drowned today, I deserve it."
His smile faded slightly. "Yeah… you did." His tone softened. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Kate."
For a moment, the room went quiet. The only sound was the soft ticking of the clock and the faint crash of waves outside.
I looked up at him his eyes were serious now, worried, almost vulnerable. My heart squeezed a little.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
He smiled faintly. "You better be." Then, to my surprise, he took the chocolate from my hand, unwrapped it, broke it in half, and handed me one piece.
"Truce?" he asked.
"Truce," I said, smiling back.
We sat there side by side, eating chocolate in comfortable silence. For the first time that day, I didn't feel scared anymore not of the sea, not of what happened. Because Kevin was there.
After a while, I rested my head on his shoulder without realizing it. He froze for a second, then slowly relaxed.
"Hey, Kate?" he said softly.
"Mm?"
"Next time, when you're scared of drowning…" He tilted his head toward me. "…just remember I'll always pull you back."
I smiled against his shoulder. "You better."