“I bet I at least last longer than you.”
I laughed. “You really think so?”
The rest of the group fell into a deathly silence as they watched us volley for the win.
Inés raised an eyebrow, her tone razor-sharp. “I’m more than happy to prove it if you are.”
I smirked. “Let’s go.” I downed the remainder of my drink for some liquid courage, and without showing another shred of hesitation, I headed towards the garden and slid the glass open.
Wilson raced ahead of us as I reached the garden gate, heading out across the dunes, the cool night breeze welcome. I stopped to take in the view: the water, dark and endless, stretched out along the coast for as far as the eye could see, the moon glowing brightly against the backdrop of infinite darkness. Behind us, the group yelled as they slowly made their way across the beach, but my attention was taken up by Inés appearing beside me.
“Well,” she said, her arms folding. “Are you coming?”
She didn’t wait for my answer, pulling her top over her head, revealing a black bra. I tried not to let my gaze linger, but it was difficult, the fullness of her breasts distracting, even from the corner of my eye.
A cold wind bit at my skin as I copied her, removing my T-shirt, pushing down my shorts, stealing glances at Inés as she did the same, revealing her long, soft legs.
Standing in only underwear, with wet sand squishing under my toes, I looked at her with a sidelong glance. Finally, I saw a hesitation, a crack in this woman who’d only been giving me hell since I’d arrived.
Time to get some revenge.
“Are you chickening out?” I dared, wondering how far I’d push her. Could I actually get her to back down?
“Vete a la mierda.” She laughed once, the noise cutting through the otherwise peaceful beach. “Let’s get this over with.”
And then she was off, speeding across the sand. I launched after her, going full speed towards the water. We screamed as we both crashed into the ocean, the freezing salt water stinging my skin.
I gasped at the temperature, my breath catching in my chest, but I kept going, the water quickly reaching my hips, before it was deep enough that I felt my feet leave the ground, the water deep enough to swim.
Inés, to her credit, didn’t even seem to flinch. Her pace matched my own as her face set in determined defiance.
“It’s not so bad!” she managed, her voice strained but steady.
“Refreshing,” I added, trying to convince myself that Iwasn’tfreezing to death. My teeth were chattering hard; it felt like the cold was seeping deep into my bones.
“Joder.”She managed a single, broken laugh. “This is fucking awful.”
I nodded in agreement. “Horrible.” I glanced back at the shore, which seemed so far away, but I could see the rest of the group gathered on the shore, cheering us on as Wilson ran circles around them. “But we can’t let them know that.”
She followed my gaze, before shouting at the top of her lungs, “Oh, it’s wonderful.”
I followed her lead. “Practically tropical.”
The group remained on the shore, apparently unconvinced. That, or they couldn’t hear us.
“Is this really what it takes?” I teased, my teeth chattering, the tide taking my body closer to hers. Under the surface, we were bashing knees and feet. But I didn’t try to swim away. “To get us working as a team?”
She laughed, the noise strangled by the chill. “Nothing like a bit of voluntary suffering to bring two gals closer together.”
“I always love to swim in the ocean. In what feels like subzero temperatures, surrounded by sharks.”
Another wave almost brought her crashing into me, but she replied, “More people are killed each year by falling coconuts than sharks.”
“Fine, if you want to take the risk...” I trailed off, biting my lip to stop the shivering. Her eyes caught on the movement, as if mesmerized.
“Sounds like you’re the one who’s chicken.”
“I am not.” I shivered. “I could stay out here all night.” My words had resolve, but my tone had anything but, the coldness so sharp my body refused to get used to it. “But like, maybe we shouldn’t because, you know, hypothermia.”
