The subterranean gym at the Aurora was well used by the residents, but few would think of venturing down there after midnight. The equipment sat idle, the only sounds the thrum of the air conditioning and bubbling water in the adjoining pool area. The pool itself was luxuriously long and deep in order to accommodate lane swimmers, divers, and general loungers alike. The first time she had seen it Emily had actually squealed and may even have jumped up and down a little. In Charlie’s company, she did her best to maintain a cool, seen-it-all-before demeanour. Which was unlikely. The public swimming pools she had used up until that point had been workaday, noisy and crowded. The hotel pools she had enjoyed on holidays had been nice, but not fabulous. This one was fabulous. It wasn’t just its impressive size. The pool room had been designed to look like it belonged in the best Art Deco party house you’d ever imagined. There was black and jade green marble, picked out in gilding, with artfully considered lighting to avoid gloominess. Nothing gothic to be seenhere. The lines were angular and elegant, the chairs and tables, loungers and alcoves were each chosen or constructed to give yet more opulence and comfort, and the effect was stunning. There was even a fountain at the far end with light refracting through the tumbling water.
Emily was thankful she had packed her swimsuit. She was familiar with the gym from her Tae Kwan Do practice sessions her father had arranged before the tournament, but this was the first time she had been in the pool. She thought of tying her hair up, then decided it would look sexier to have it flowing loose in the water. In her turquoise suit she convinced herself she would be a mermaid, drifting about in the blue, blue pool, the clever lighting catching her as she swam.
Charlie appeared in tartan trunks, watched her for a few seconds and then ran at the pool. With a battle cry he leapt in the air, grabbing his feet as he went up. Emily screamed when she saw what he was about to do and turned to get out of the way but she wasn’t quick enough. He bombed into the water, creating a ridiculously huge splash which completely swamped her. He surfaced, laughing, in time to see Emily righting herself and spitting water. All composure and illusion of gracefulness gone, her first thought was to swear at him, but the sight of his genuinely happy face, and thethought of how funny she must look, sent her instead into a bout of giggles.
‘You idiot!’ she shouted at him, still laughing.
Charlie dived under the surface and then bobbed up again behind her, clearly at home in the water.
‘Can you do a flip?’ he asked.
‘A what?’
‘Get up on my shoulders, hold my hands. I’ll throw you forwards.’
‘I can’t do that!’
‘It’s easy! Come on,’ he said, taking her hands. ‘Climb up. Or are you chicken?’ When she took more than two seconds to respond he began to make tiny clucking noises.
‘No way! Right, keep still,’ she said, planting her feet first on his knees and then his chest, pulling herself up with his hands until, teetering, she was standing on his shoulders. She squealed when he almost went under. ‘Keep still, Charlie!’
‘Alright, remain calm,’ he said with mock seriousness. ‘You are in the hands of an expert. Just follow my instructions and I guarantee you won’t down. Well, almost guarantee it.’
‘Hurry up, I can’t stay like this forever!’
‘OK, I’m going to bounce upwards. When I do that, let go and flip forwards. Easy,’ he insisted.
‘Oh yeah, easy,’ she murmured. She wasn’t afraid, but she wasn’t about to make a complete fool of herself, either. She knew how to fall from years of martial arts training. All she had to do was fall from a height into the water. How hard could it be?
‘OK?’ Charlie asked.
‘OK!’
She felt him drop slightly deeper into the pool, then spring upwards. At the top of the jump she let go and sprang, curling herself over. She felt herself flip and tumble and was amazed to find she had gone high enough and far enough to enter the water feet first. She came up gasping but more than a little pleased with herself. Charlie was openly impressed.
‘Nice work!’
‘Your turn.’
‘What? I can’t stand on you. You’re…’
‘A girl?’
‘Well yes, that, and smaller than me.’
‘I’ll have you know I’ve been throwing men twice my size over my shoulder since I was eight. Come on, or areyouchicken?’ Now it was her turn to taunt with the clucking noises.
He swam behind her and took her hands, sensibly choosing to step onto her shoulders from her back rather than her chest. Emily gripped his hands tight andbraced herself for his weight. He was almost in position when they began to wobble.
‘Hurry up!’ she laughed, realising he was right about being too heavy for her. The next second he was falling backwards still holding onto her hands. They both disappeared under the water. When they resurfaced he was laughing at her loudly. She splashed water at him, squealing. It was only when she blinked the water from her eyes that she noticed the figure standing at the side of the pool.
Tudor made no attempt to mask the anger in his voice. ‘What in hell’s name are you doing down here!’ His face looked like thunder.
Emily searched for something to say to calm him down and save face at the same time. He had expressly told her not to leave the flat, and here she was swimming with a boy she had never met before at midnight, in the deserted gym.
Before she could form an answer, Charlie piped up. ‘It was my idea,’ he said, the fib coming easily to him.
Tudor glared at him. ‘Did I ask you a question? Didn’t think so.’
