Wedding Vibes

Chapter 16

Half an hour later, night has truly fallen. It's completely dark except for the pool lights, which create a sort of magical, energetic atmosphere around us. I'm finally alone out in the deep end, arms around the pool ledge and feet treading water to stay afloat. I hear a throat clear; Rohan stands beside me, his hulking six foot frame outlined by the silver moonlight.

"Not hanging out with the others?" I ask him, shifting my arms as they start to cramp.

"I thought I'd come over, since you look so bored."

"Bored? Not really."

"Just- hold on." Suddenly, his hands wrap around my waist. He picks me up as if I'm a feather and sets me down on the slick pool ledge. I raise an eyebrow.

"Watching you paddle like a little kid in the deep end was entertaining, but talking to you at the same eye level is better," he smirks.

"Har de har." He settles into the same position I was in, back against the end wall and arms resting on the ledge. A girl - I think her name is Zui - swims over, her nose stud glittering under the moonlight.

"Rohan and Kalki alone in the deep end? Ooh la la," she teases. I glare at her, while Rohan only smiles. "Kalki, aren't you cold?"

"Hmm?"

"I said, aren't you cold? The air's freezing."

"Yeah," I reply, rubbing my arms.

"So why don't you just get in the water?" Zui says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, I guess." I swing my legs into the water and slide in- or at least try to. My right hand twists and I fall hard, the pool water engulfing me like a warm embrace. All I can see is blue and white;  feel myself sinking, the water maintaining a tight grip around my throat. I scream, but water fills my mouth and makes me gag. I'm so close to giving up when I feel an upward surge. My head breaks the water. I try to breathe, but my lungs are on fire, and I'm coughing out an impossible amount of water. Is this how it ends?

A few seconds later, I inhale a lungful of air. The pool comes back into focus. Rohan's next to me while Zui stands on my other side, her palm rubbing slow circles on my back. Luckily, nobody's noticed my little mishap; they're all on the other side of the pool. Although that might not be true. As I sweep the pool with my eyes, I catch him looking at me. He looks away, but his expression is caught between worry and annoyance. As my coughs subside, I straighten up.

"Are you fine?" Zui asks worriedly.

"Peachy."

"Are you sure?"

"Ye-" I burst into another coughing fit.

"Calm down before you choke yourself to death," Rohan chides me. His anxious eyes trace my movements. "Cough it all out-"

"Are you okay?" A new voice demands; I look up to see Siddharth in front of me. My throat suddenly goes dry.

"Just fine," I croak.

"She's fine," Rohan laughs. "Just fell off the ledge and inhaled about half the pool." Siddharth smiles, but it's not his usual smile. Out of my peripheral vision, I catch Siddharth shooting Rohan a weird look. Almost as if he... hates him? But why would Siddharth hate Rohan? 

"It isn't his fault, you know," I say quietly.

He snaps out of his thoughts, turning to stare at me. "What?"

"He didn't make me fall, or cause that coughing fit. That was all me."

A tiny crease appears between his eyebrows. "Why-"