Another Love Story

Twenty seven

Hitting the water felt like a full body slap; and then I was sinking. Tiger's sweater was heavy when wet and for a few moments when I was disoriented, it dragged me down in the water. By the time I caught my bearings, I was about to hit the bottom of the pool and I had swallowed water.

I kicked for the surface with all my strength but an oversize sweater was definitely not swimming wear. I broke the surface of the water with my lungs burning. A few seconds later, the water was dragging me back down. I was surprised to find Ezekiel standing where I had been only a few moments before. It was something I would have expected of Andrew—but not Ezekiel. We didn't know each other like that yet.

I was distracted and missed the chance to take a deep breath before the weight of the sweater sent me back under. This time, I kicked for the surface faster. Ezekiel was squatting at the edge of the pool with a worried gaze.

"Michelle, kick and come towards me," he said with an outstretched hand. I wasn't very far from the edge of the pool. I spat water and began to kick. Close to the edge of the pool, I went under again. I fought my way to the surface and closed the distance to Ezekiel.

He clasped my hand in a firm grip. Before he could pull, I threw all my strength into a tug. When I saw that he had lost balance, I released his hand and went underwater. He flew over me and landed in the water.

I quickly swam away and broke the surface of the water further away from him; laughing. As I took off Tiger's sweater, I could hear laughter ringing out around the pool. I tossed Tiger's sweater at the pool side and turned in the water. Ezekiel had broken the surface and the shock on his face made me laugh harder.

"She got you good," Andrew said.

Tiger squatted at the pool side behind me. He touched my shoulder and I turned to face him. His eyes roamed over my face for a few moments. He reached under my arms and lifted me clean out of the water in one go. Watching his biceps flex made me temporarily forget that my vest and leggings were plastered to my body. As soon as I was on my feet, Tiger's arms closed around me and he began to rub my back and arms. I was cold. My teeth were chattering and I was shivering; all fun notwithstanding.

"I'm so sorry. It's a stupid character test we've been pulling since we were in university," Tiger said softly.

"Really?" I whispered through my mobile jaw.

"Absolutely. I was dunked in ice water in the middle of winter in Europe," he said. I had to smile at that.

"You've passed with flying colors. No one's ever fake drowned and retaliated. You got us good," he said. "You got me. For a second there, I was about to dive in and take the teasing for the rest of our lives."

I smiled wider and patted his chest. "I'm a star swimmer," I said.

"All hail Michelle," Andrew said behind me. I turned. Tiger kept me in the circle of his arms even though holding me was making him wet. I executed a mini curtsy to Andrew.

"Get over here, girl. Welcome to the family," Andrew said, with open arms. Tiger reluctantly released me. I crossed the few steps to Andrew and hugged him. It was hard to ignore the fact that he had solid, impressive abs. Unlike me, he had water bombed in swimming trunks. He was more or less dry from sitting at the poolside since then. I stepped back from him and right into a hug from Fred.

Paul patted my back while I hugged Fred. "Good one, Michelle," he said.

Over Fred's shoulder, I saw Ezekiel at the edge of the pool. He took off his Rolex and dropped his iPhone at the pool side. He lifted himself out of the water, smiling.