The Perfect First (Fulton U, #1)(22)

“Did you think we were going to a tropical island? They have a pool inside.”

“They do?” She squinted her eyes like she wasn’t one hundred percent sure I wasn’t screwing with her.

“How much of the campus have you actually explored?”

She stared back at me, blinking repeatedly like her eyes were answering me in Morse code.

“Exactly. Let’s go.” I held open the door and she ducked under my arm with her hands wrapped around her bag, clenching it so tightly her knuckles were white.

I slid my campus ID through the scanner and walked through the turnstile. She patted her pockets, pulled her ID out, mimicking me, and ran straight into the metal bar across the entrance. Her whole body nearly folded in half at the waist. I did my best not to laugh.

“You have it to do it more slowly. Sometimes the turnstile glitches—wait for the red light to turn green.”

Her head shot up and her cheeks burned a bright red. She looked at the card again, slide it through, and waited for the light. Pushing against the bar with her hand, she shoved it forward and followed me.

“Those things are tricky,” she grumbled, sliding her ID back into her pocket.

“They sure can be.” The corner of my mouth lifted when she glanced over at me.

Her eyes narrowed and she let out a small snort.

I pointed to the door on the other side of the hallway. “The changing room is that way.”

I changed in the guys’ locker room and walked out to the water. There weren’t a ton of people there. Most students probably weren’t looking for a swim on a wintery Tuesday afternoon.

The door to the pool swung open, and I’d have thought there was a poltergeist in the building if the light blue of her towel hadn’t poked out into the doorway.

I cupped my hands over my mouth. “Swimming involves actually getting into the water.” The door closed for a beat then swung open again.

Her towel was wrapped around her body as her flip-flops smacked and clapped against the tile in a steady rhythm and her gaze darted to the pool. She nibbled on her thumb, her eyes trained on the water. Standing from the bench, I grabbed the edge of her towel.

“You can’t wear this in the water.”

Her gaze snapped back to mine and she nodded. Like it was her only lifeline, she slowly let the towel drop away from her body.

My previous appreciation of her body had been sorely inadequate. Her librarian look was hiding curves that could derail a train. The one-piece black garment was not the usual, look-at-me style, and maybe that was why it was harder to look away. Grandmom bathing suit be damned, it was still skin-tight and clung to her smooth skin.

Help her, not bone her. Clearing my throat, I took the towel from her and guided her toward the pool. We sat on the edge, our feet in the water.

“When you said you couldn’t swim very well, what did you mean?”

“I’ve studied it a lot.” She stared down at the water, nibbling on her bottom lip. Her feet kicked out in front of her, slicing through the water.

“So, this is more of a getting comfortable thing? Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” Pushing off the edge, I dropped into the water. Coming up beside her legs, I treaded water and wiped my eyes. “We can start slow and you’ll be doing laps in no time.”

Her death grip on the edge of the pool should have been enough to crack the tile. She turned and lowered herself into the water like it was acid. Her shoulders bobbed above the water. The braids came in handy as her hair was twisted and knotted on top of her head. A droplet of water ran down the long slope of her neck before disappearing into the water.

I swam next to her, shaking my head. “Take my hand and we’ll take a tour.”

She glanced over her shoulder and slowly turned, keeping her hands on the edge. Her eyes darted to every corner of the pool and she slipped her hand into mine. With a force I couldn’t have imagined, she gripped me, and I swore my bones groaned.

“Ease up just a little, Seph. I need that hand to play and, you know, type and eat.”

Her head snapped up and her eyes landed on mine. She didn’t crack a smile, not even a lip lift, but she did loosen her grip. I pushed us off the wall. She wrapped her other hand around my arm.

“Hey, Reece, go wide,” someone called out from the far end of the pool.

I spun around, letting go of her hand and kicking my feet, shooting out of the water and catching the football. The guy held out his arms and I threw it back. It landed solidly, hitting his chest with a thud. As I’d told Nix, I could’ve been QB.

The guy cocked his arm back to throw it again, then his throwing arm slowly lowered. “Is she okay?”

I flipped around. A Seph-shaped figure disappeared under the water. Her fingertips skimmed across the surface. Swimming as fast as I could to her flapping and flailing arms, I shoved my hands under them and pulled her head out of the water, holding her body against my chest as I towed her to the edge.

She coughed and sputtered. Fuck. I kicked myself for being so careless. Hey, let me help you out Seph—help you with drowning, apparently. Bracing her hands on the edge of the pool, she threw herself onto the blue and white tiles around the edge of the water. I boosted her up by her butt, and she slid onto the walkway. A few people came over, crouching down around her.

I jumped out of the pool and knelt beside her.

She was rolled over on her side, fingers splayed against the tiles. A tremble shot through her and she closed her eyes. This was totally my fault and I felt like a grade-A asshole. I’d never have let her go if I’d known she couldn’t even tread water.