KEISHA’S POV
The swimwear she found for was not sothing I would have ever in my life chosen for myself.
I stood in front of the mirror, looked at myself and looked at Nadia’s reflection behind mine.
"This is too much." I frowned.
"You always do this when i give you a dress. It fits perfectly." She rolled her eyes.
"It fits like a second skin." I complained.
"That’s what swimming costus do." She said. "They fit the body. That’s their whole purpose."
I gave her a look.
"You look incredible." She said flatly. "Stop making that face in the mirror. We’re going swimming, not to a formal dinner. Nobody cares."
I looked at my reflection one more ti.
Sobody was going to care.
I just didn’t say that out loud.
We went downstairs and I was already mapping the fastest route to the pool corridor, my head down, when I looked up and stopped walking.
Callum was on the sofa.
He looked up at the exact sa mont.
His eyes moved over once and ca straight back to my face and his expression looked conflicted. Like he was wondering what to say about what he saw.
I beca aware of every single centiter of the swimwear simultaneously.
"Hi Dad." Nadia walked through the room like nothing was happening at all. "We’re going swimming. Co with us."
"No thank you." I said at exactly the sa ti he did.
Nadia turned and looked at .
I looked back at her with the most pointed expression I had.
She ignored it completely and turned back to Callum. "She’s been in a mood since this afternoon." She said. "We thought the pool would help. Co on."
"I’m not in a mood." I cleared my throat.
"You’ve definitely been in a mood." She said pleasantly. "It’s okay. Very understandable mood. Dad co on, when did you last do sothing that wasn’t work related?"
"I do plenty of things that aren’t—" He started.
"Na one." She said. "Recent. Two weeks maximum."
He opened his mouth, then closed it.
"Twenty minutes." She pleaded. "That’s all I’m asking. Keisha needs cheering up and I can’t do it alone and you look like you need it too honestly."
"Nadia." I said. "He doesn’t have to—"
"I’ll get changed." He cut off.
I looked at him.
What?
He looked at and his face gave absolutely nothing as he stood and went upstairs.
I turned to Nadia the mont he was gone. "That was unnecessary." I hissed.
"He wanted to co." She said simply. "I just said the thing he was already thinking." She grabbed my arm and steered toward the corridor. "Move."
The pool was in the lower east wing, warm and lit low with the water moving slightly from the filtration system.
Nadia went straight in without slowing down, dropped under the surface and ca back up with her hair completely everywhere.
"Oh that’s so good." She sighed. "Get in."
I sat on the edge and put my feet in first.
"Keisha." She scowled.
"I’m getting in." I said. "Gradually."
"Gradually?" She said like it was a concept she had never encountered before." It’s a fucking pool."
"I like to adjust to the temperature." I shrugged.
Big lie.
"It’s heated." She plainly said. "There’s nothing to adjust to."
"Nadia." I stared at her.
"Get in the pool." She gave a look.
I slid in.
The water closed around imdiately and I stood in it up to my shoulders and felt sothing loose. in my chest that had been tight since I walked out of the clinic.
Nadia splashed without any warning.
Cold water hit my face and I gasped. "You—" I started.
She was already laughing.
I splashed her back hard. She shrieked and covered her face and then laughed harder and I laughed too.
This wasn’t so bad.
"There." She said, pointing at my face. "That. That’s the face I’ve been trying to get all evening."
"Don’t make it weird." I rolled my eyes.
"I’m not making it weird." She said. "I’m celebrating a victory."
I splashed her again and she shrieked again.
Callum appeared at the edge of the pool.
I imdiately beca very interested in the tiles at the far end.
He stood there for a mont. Then he got in slowly and I kept my eyes exactly where they were.
"You can look." Nadia said beside in a whisper that was pitched perfectly to reach and nobody else. Which given the acoustics of a pool room ant it probably reached everyone.
"I’m looking at the tiles." I shrugged.
"Beautiful tiles." She rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"Thank you." I said.
Callum swam past us toward the far end and I watched the tiles while Nadia watched watching the tiles and pressed her lips together very hard.
"Not a word." I warned her.
"I haven’t said anything." She looked away.
"But you’re thinking it."
"I’m thinking nothing." She said. "I’m a blank slate. Empty mind. Completely—"
Footsteps sounded on the pool deck.
I turned imdiately.
Dane was standing there still in his patrol jacket, looking at all three of us in the pool with an expression that was trying to figure out what he had walked into.
I looked at Nadia.
She was already waving at him with both arms. "Dane! Perfect timing. Get in."
He looked at her. "Why."
"Mood improvent exercise." She shrugged. "Very important. Get in."
He looked at Callum who gave him nothing and then, he looked at .
I gave him nothing either.
Oh my god.
Say no.
Please say no.
He looked at the pool.
"Fine." He said.
He shrugged his patrol jacket off.
Then he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head and dropped it on the pool deck.
Nadia made a sound.
Holy hell.
It was small and involuntary. She covered it instantly with a cough that convinced absolutely no one.
I looked at the tiles as Dane stood at the edge for a mont.
Then he got in.
The water shifted around all four of us and the pool suddenly felt significantly smaller than it had five minutes ago.
"Right." Nadia said finally. "Races."
I wanted to sink to the bottom of the pool.
Oh my god.
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