We were both still wet from the pool, so the lock was slippery. He tightened his grip around me as he leaned in to kiss his thumb. I mirrored the gesture, making sure to keep my eyes on our hands and not locked on his face. My heart hammered against my chest, realizing that for a moment, he was a breath away.
“Hold on.” Leo kept his pinky hooked around mine as I was about to pull away. “You have to promise me something, too. That’s how it works.”
He wore a small smile with a glint of mischief in his eyes. My stomach flipped, and I did my best to make my tone sound nonchalant. His insistence and the deep tone of his voice made me want to melt.
“That’s definitely not how it works, but sure.”
“Promise you won’t do any more late-night swimming,” he said. “Unless you’re with me.”
“I’m not doing any more late-night swimming, period,” I promised, not completely understanding what he was getting at.
“Just wait and do it with me,” he insisted. “I’ll teach you, Kira. You won’t have to fake it anymore.”
I blinked, replaying his words in my head to make sure I understood him right. “Really?”
“Of course.” He gave my pinky a squeeze.
“Are you sure?” I didn’t want to get my hopes up. The excitement in my belly wasn’t just there because I was going to learn how to face one of my fears; the excitement existed because learning would take time, and that time would require my brother’s best friend to talk to me. To see me. It was pathetic, but God, that sounded like an absolute dream to me. Some part of me wholeheartedly believed that if Leo tried, we could be great friends. Maybe even something more.
“Positive.” He nodded, smile unwavering. “Deal?”
I grinned and kissed my thumb once more. “Deal.”
