Amelio cuts the engine, and we drift. As we pull into the cove I turn to Adam.
“I want to swim,” I say.
“Now?”
“Amelio,” I call. “Can we hop in the water before we pull to shore? Can we swim?” I pantomime the breaststroke.
“Sì!” He gestures to the left side of the boat, where there is a step stool down into the water.
I pull my cover-up over my head and toss it down onto the mat. Underneath I’m wearing a white ribbed one-piece. I notice Adam noticing.
And then I make a single dive off the side. The water hits cold on my hot skin. It’s nearly breathtaking. After a few seconds, the initial shock fades to a luxurious, refreshing sensation. Crisp and smooth, almost like velvet.
My head breaks the surface, and I shake the water out of my eyes and call up to Adam.
“Get in!”
He stands, looking over me.
“Is it cold?”
I blow some water off my lips. “It’s actually quite warm,” I lie.
I watch as he peels his T-shirt off. I dive underneath the water and when I emerge, he’s half in, suspended on the step stool, bargaining.
“Christ,” he says. “It’s cold.”
“C’mon, Adam,” I say. “Take the plunge.”
He dives off the step and emerges moments later, shaking out his hair. He’s such an alpha male, but here in the water, his hair curling up with droplets, he’s playful. He appears younger than he has since I met him.
Adam splashes some water toward me and then floats up onto his back. I do the same next to him. The sky is cloudless. One wide expanse of bright, impossible blue.
“I love it here,” I say.
He laughs beside me. “We haven’t even gotten to Capri yet.”
“No,” I say. “Here. All of it.”
I flip back over so my feet are underneath me, and Adamdoes the same. He treads water, and the current bounces him closer.
“Thanks for coming with me,” I say.
He’s so close I can see the water droplets on his eyelashes. They cling there like tears.
“Thanks for asking me.”
His eyes scan my face. And then he ducks back under the water. When he emerges, he’s back close to the boat.
“Come on, Silver,” he says. “We’ve got a day to get underway.”
We climb back on and towel off, and Amelio guides us between the rocks and into the cove, right up to the dock that bobs and weaves with the water.
Adam takes my hand and helps me onto the wooden plank.
“Thank you!” I call to Amelio.
“Come back maybe four or four-thirty.”
