Above Water ✔️

6 - if it walks and talks like a cat

"You scared the fucking shit out of me, man," I said breathily. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to scare the fucking shit out of you, apparently," Dallas smiled. I sighed wearily. Curse words didn't sound right past his lips, like they were more scandalous coming from someone so elegant. "I didn't mean to, though. Sorry."

I held my towel closer to my bare torso. "Is anyone else here?" I asked, looking back down at the pool.

"I think there's one girl here. Jasmine. I think Carlos said she wasn't feeling well so she's laying down."

Nodding awkwardly, I started for the stairs. Dallas went back to his reading, so I made my way down to the pool in blissful quiet. It was a gorgeous sunny day. I knew that after ten minutes of just being in the sunlight, I'd be too tempted not to jump right in the pool.

I was making my way towards the perfect lounge chair spot when the gate behind me opened. I turned and saw a face I didn't recognize, but sure wish I did.

It was a guy about my age, holding a metal pole. For a moment I was so awestruck that I didn't put it together. Then I saw Pools Plus printed on his shirt and realized right away. He half-smiled at me. "Hey there, just here to clean your pool," he said.

"Right," I said mostly to myself.

He was hot. There, I said it.

I had sort of a weakness for tattoos. His entire right arm was covered in ink of various styles, none that I could decipher from the distance away I was. He had short, cropped black hair and deeply tanned skin. I made an effort not to stare as he came and went to get his equipment.

It was certainly just my luck that the first time I leave my bed to get in the pool, it's when the pool guy came.

Being antisocial seemed to be impossible around here.

I sat down on the lounge chair cautiously. I didn't want to get in his way any more than he wanted to get in mine, I was sure. I popped open the champagne and took a swig straight from the bottle.

From where I was sitting, I could see Dallas on the balcony. He was paying me, nor the pool boy, no attention. I just kept taking long swigs as I watched the vacuum suck up sand and debris from the bottom of the pool.

Maybe it was my imagination, too, but I swore I saw the guy look at me a few times. It was starting to feel kind of awkward with him working and me just sitting here, so I sparked conversation.

"Thanks for coming," I said. He looked at me with his eyebrows raised, as if he were surprised I'd even addressed him. "How often do you clean the pool?"

He adjusted his grip on the pole. I couldn't help but notice how muscular his arms were. "Once a week," he said. "Are you just here for the week?"

I shook my head. "Staying for the summer. My buddy's parents own the place," I said, gesturing towards the giant house behind us. We made regular conversation for a little while longer until he left. And in his absence I was left with a crush on the pool guy. God damn it.

As soon as he was gone, I got in the pool. I was sweating, and not just because I was watching a hot guy work. The water was refreshing on my skin and it felt like a slap in the face. I dove head first after going waist deep. When I emerged, I gasped, feeling the best I had since I'd gotten here.

The ocean was wild, unforgiving. But I could swim in the pool forever.

I was so caught up in wading around and floating on my back that I didn't see Dallas standing in the shallow end, skimming his fingers along the surface of the water. I stared up at the blue sky above me and wondered if Mrs. Cline had faced my cat's wrath yet. I tried to warn her not to pet her before she eats, but she didn't listen. She loved cats, though, and she lived next door, so she was the best contender for the role as cat sitter.

"What are you thinking about?"

My body flailed in the water as I jumped. "What the fuck, Dallas? Stop doing that!"

I glared at him from the deep end, my toes barely touching the ground every few seconds. He tried to suppress a smile, but ultimately failed, and held his hands up in surrender.

"You're the one that keeps zoning out! It's not my fault you're unaware of your surroundings," he said and swam towards me. "What were you thinking about?"

"My cat," I admitted with a blush. I looked away and focused on chasing after a rogue pool noodle.

I could hear him swim closer. "You have a cat?"

"Yup."

"That makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"You act like a cat."

I faced him in confusion. He smiled playfully, like he told a joke I wasn't in on. "I'm not saying you're wrong, but how?" I asked with a frown. Cats were given a bad rep.

Dallas hummed in thought. "You're hard to read sometimes, like I can't tell if you're pissed off or just minding your business. You sleep a lot, you keep to yourself. And, well, you come off as very . . . brusque."

"Brusque," I repeated.

"Yeah. Like a cat."

And with that, he splashed me.