“No. I never learned. I tried, but the water…” Her words drifted off as she stared at the river, trying to think of how to explain this to a mortal.
“What about the water?” he asked, as if truly fascinated by what she had to say.
“Well, I don’t know how much you know about our kind, but I can feel it, with my Knowing. Water is always wanting to get to the ocean. It’s always rushing, rushing, rushing, and it’s… overwhelming. I always worried I would be swept away.”
Ty paused for a second as if to ponder that. “Here. Come in, and I’ll hold on to you,” he said as he gracefully swam back towards her.
“No way,” Ena said quickly, shaking her head.
“Come on. You don’t strike me as the type of person who is okay with not being able to do everything she puts her mind to. Am I wrong?” He grinned at her wolfishly. How he knew that about her after only having known her for five minutes, she had no idea. Did something about her just scream “perfectionist”?
“Come on,” he repeated as she eyed him skeptically. “I won’t let you get swept away.”
Ena was afraid, but for some Gaia-forsaken reason, she wanted to impress this boy. And she saw this for what it was—a challenge. He was testing her. Was she brave enough to do this? Maybe it was misguided, but she refused to appear meek in front of this predator. Besides, he did look sturdy enough to withstand the current.
“Fine,” she conceded, rolling her eyes as if her heart wasn’t beating out of her chest at the idea. Cautiously, she untied the strings on her brown bodice. Sliding it over her head, she tossed it on the beach behind her. Next, she slipped off her lightweight leather shoes. Since it was summer and hot, she now stood in just her thin white linen dress. Her nipples peaked underneath,and she felt his gaze on them before he looked up to meet her eyes once more.
Gaia, she’d never been this exposed with a boy before. Fooled around with a couple, yes, but she knew once she got in the water, most of her body would be visible through the thin dress, and she’d just met him not even an hour ago.
Remembering her regret at missing the opportunity to dance with him, she mustered her courage and walked slowly into the water. He walked towards her and held out his hand. Slowly, he led her into the water, deeper, deeper, until it was to her waist. Gaia, it felt wonderful—cold, but not too cold, and the air was still warm from the heat of the sun, which had slowly set behind the trees, bathing them in purple darkness.
Looking down at her, Ty moved closer and reached around her waist, tugging her into him. Above the fresh smell of the water, she could smell his skin. A heady combination of cedar and stone. Woodsmoke and honey.
“How’s that?” he asked, swallowing visibly as their bodies touched. This was the first time she’d seen him even slightly out of sorts. She could tell he was just as affected by this as she was.
“That’s good,” she said.
He held her as he slowly walked them deeper into the water, until her toes no longer touched the bottom. She felt the moment his feet left the river bottom too, and he started to tread water. She reached her arms up around his neck and held tight, fear gripping her suddenly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He grinned down at her. “Just hold on to me and I’ll take you for a swim.”
He released her waist as she clutched her arms around his neck tighter, bringing her face next to his. Using his arms, he pushed them around the water in smooth, relaxing glides. Ena smiled despite herself. It felt otherworldly. She could feel the current rushing around them, and Knew the water wantedthem to join it, but Ty was strong enough to keep them from flowing into it. She found herself enjoying the sensation as he swam them across to the eddy on the other side.
“Okay, now for the dip.”
“What?” Ena barely got the word out before he grabbed her waist and pulled her under with him. She felt the water cover her for one second, then two, before they came bursting to the surface. She gasped for air, using one hand to wipe her hair out of her face and the water from her eyes, while the other clutched tightly to Ty’s hard shoulder.
“What the fuck?!” she sputtered.
Ty, water dripping from his long lashes, looked at her and laughed.
Taking her knee, Ena rammed it as hard as she could into his thigh, but the resistance from the water softened the blow so it was actually more of a nudge. Feeling that her point had not come across, she took her free hand and went to slap him on the shoulder, but he caught her wrist.
“Oh, come on. You loved it,” he said, grinning at her mischievously.
Despite herself, she couldn’t help the small echoing smile that tugged at her mouth as her heart raced. Now that the initial adrenaline rush was wearing off, it was finally hitting her. She had gone under the water—she was swimming! A swell of pride and contentment filled her chest.
She laughed back at him lightly, shaking her head. “You’re reckless,” she said.
“That’s probably true,” he replied, as he started gliding them around in the water again.
They continued on that way for several minutes, enjoying the quiet of the evening, and the cooling air. The current bubbled serenely around them, the sound and motion soothing, and Enasoon found herself relaxing in Ty’s arms as he swam them back and forth across the river.
When the stars began to come out, he slowly made his way back to the shore, and they both emerged from the water dripping wet. As they trudged up onto the beach side by side, Ena couldn’t help but notice the way the water made his pants hang low on his hips, highlighting the v-shaped muscles that disappeared below them.
Quickly glancing away, she hurried to retrieve her bodice, feeling his eyes on her as she did so. Looking down at herself, she could see that her dress was plastered to her body, displaying her shape and the rosy color of her areolas. Facing away from him, she picked up her bodice and pulled it back over her head before she re-tightened the laces on the front. Turning around, now semi-decent, she found him looking at her with that intense gaze again.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks for the swim,” she said, trying to break the tension.
