“I’m so sorry, Declan.”
He let his hand fall and he shook his head. “Please, don’t apologize. You can’t control your heart.”
I nodded. “But I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it.”
He closed his eyes for a brief moment before squaring his shoulders. “Listen, you and Luca have something special. It was obvious he hated me for even breathing next to you. There’s something between you. Don’t let him push you away. We never know how much time we get with the person we love. Don’t waste it with indecisiveness.”
I blinked at him becausefuck. A weight lifted off my chest. He was right.
“And to be completely honest with you,” he continued. “I’m not sure it’s time for me to move on from Sophie.”
I nodded, the tension in my shoulders had dissipated. “I’m sorry for bringing you out here.”
He went back over and resumed packing. “It was good to take a vacation for once. Besides, you taught me that I wasn’t ready to open my heart to someone new yet.”
And you taught me to fight for the love I knew I could have.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and helped Declan pack. I had to get to the bottom of whatever Luca and I had. Even if it ended badly, I would get closure during this trip. I was hellbent to get it and this time, I wouldn’t let him run away from me.
Day Three
1 PM - 3 PM - Scuba Diving
We stood on the edge of the boat with wet suits on. Oxygen cylinders were strapped to our backs and two respirators dangled at our sides. The diving instructor said there was one to breathe through and the other was a spare. I glanced at the instrument console: pressure gauge, depth gauge, and compass. The instructor had explained everything to us but was going through everything one more time before we were permitted to start diving.
“Alright. One more go through, and then I think you should be ready.” The shoulder-length, sandy-blonde instructor had a mile-wide smile as he stood on the edge with us. “Rule number one, never hold your breath underwater. Can someone tell me why?”
Evelyn popped her hand up. “Holding our breath underwater can result in serious injury and even death.” She repeated the words he had drilled into our heads before we boarded the boat.
He vigorously nodded his head. “Exactly. Keeping in mind Boyle’s law, the air in a diver’s lungs expands during ascent and contracts during descent. As long as you breathe continuously, this won’t be a problem because that excess air can escape. But when a diver holds their breath, the air can’t escape as it expands, and eventually, the alveoli that make up the lung walls will rupture, causing serious damage to the lungs.” His eyes wander down her wet suit that left little to the imagination. “Great job, Evelyn.”
I smirked as Evelyn blushed. She was already getting other men’s attention. She deserved the flattery.
“Thank you, sir.”
He winked at her. “Call me Ray.”
She smiled back and nodded.
He blinked as if realizing other people were around. “Rule number two is…” He trailed off, waiting for another reply.
Mags threw her hand up. “Practice safe ascents!”
My eyes shifted to her. She looked like a fucking water nymph. Her blonde hair was bouncy, and the golden locks shimmered in the sun. The black wetsuit clung to every curve on her body, and her green eyes were bright and excited. The gash had started to heal already and had mostly closed up. The bruising had turned more yellow and blended with her sun-kissed skin. Her bottom lip was still puffy, but it gave her a pouty look that made me want to kiss her.
My heart dropped. Magnolia wasn’t mine to kiss. She had Declan. I pulled my gaze away from her and back to the instructor. Although, Declan hadn’t come with her for scuba diving. Maybe he had a fear of the ocean or something—not that I cared.
The instructor snapped his fingers and pointed at her, helping me focus on what he was saying. “Almost as important as the first rule is to make sure you ascend slowly and safely at all times. If divers exceed the safe ascent rate, the nitrogen absorbed into the bloodstream at depth won’t have time to dissolve back into solution as the pressure decreases on the way to the surface. Bubbles form in the bloodstream, leading to decompression sickness. To avoid this, just maintain a rate of ascent no faster than thirty feet per minute. Which will be easy considering we will only be diving a hundred feet down. A general rule of thumb for those without a computer is to ascend no faster than their smallest bubble.”
“Can you go over the acronym again?” Faith asked, leaning on Asher.
He nodded. “Great idea. The five-point ascent: Signal, Time, Elevate, Look, Ascend. It’s STELA. Third rule?”
“Check your gear,” Asher said.
“Why?” he asked.
John cleared his throat. “Underwater, survival depends upon our equipment. We need to keep an eye on our buddies' equipment too.”
