The Coldest Summer✓

Thirty-one

My body sinks unhurriedly into the depth of the swimming pool, the water cool and gentle against my skin. I can hear the ocean breezing even from here, shuffling the palm trees around while adding the chill in the night air. I flip and turn, propelling back.

Anger, tears, and frustration turns my swimming pace wild and dangerous. There's a storm in my heart and I hardly know how to tackle it. Why did I agree to leave Los Angeles in the first place? Why did I have to meet Liam only to lose him like this?

Lose him? I mentally laugh at myself heartily. He has never been mine to lose. Summer adventure? I'm probably the one who's been used by him to ease his breakup pain. Just the thought makes me angrier. He can't love any of us, Sam is right.

I pant heavily as I take a break. I'm now weak, no more strength left after taking more than fifteen lapses in the pool. I lay afloat when I fail to do anything more. If someone appears right now, they may think I'm dead waiting to be found.

I smile and whisper, "No, Kira Jones. You are stronger than this."

Silently, I let the shining sky numb my mind.

"Kira!" A sharp voice screams in horror.

I flap stoutly and my body loses its balance. My struggles to composure are interrupted by the person jumping in the pool. Woah! I don't even have time to react, as a pair of strong hands grabs me in what seems like a rescue from drowning.

"Malik?" I utter breathlessly, surprised.

"Are you okay?" he asks urgently, worry clouding his usually playful eyes.

I bob my head swiftly, holding onto his shoulders for support. We're both drenched but I can feel the warmth of his body that strangely reassures me that everything is really okay.

I hold him a little longer than necessary, and I feel like only he understands my pain, as he doesn't let me go, and allows me to grieve my sorrow in his embrace.

"Damn, you scared me," he says in a whisper and the beat of his heart is as violent as the sound of his breath. "I thought you—" He stammers, looking flustered.

"I drowned myself?" I giggle.

"Don't say that, please." He frowns.

I crease an amused eyebrow at him and he brushes it off with a sigh. He slowly wipes my hidden tears with the tips of his thumbs, and my gaze stays with his for a good while.

Why didn't I fall for this sweet guy instead? It suddenly crosses my mind, but I immediately shake it off by pulling myself away from him.

"Don't worry about me, Malik. I just wanted to cool my body off before going to sleep. It hasn't been a great night for me," I say while rubbing my wet wait.

Again, he sighs heavily. "I can see that. Now I believe you've had enough swimming for a lifetime," he remarks coolly and a smile curves my lips.

We exit the swimming pool and sit on the sun lounges. I quickly dry myself with the towel, running it through my hair and off to my skin. As the adrenaline withers Malik's gaze rests on my body, half-covered with a pair of bikini.

Our eyes collide and he instantly averts his. Jeez! Turning the night into a beach day is not a clever decision, is it? I smother my smile, a bit embarrassed. He probably has a lot to ask and I have a few questions of my own.

"I'll be back in a second, wait for me," he says and rushes inside the house.

I rest on the sun lounge, staring at the Miami night sky. It's not as starry as the Montana sky but it momentarily helps me to drift away. It makes me wonder how it feels like to be up above, where I can see everything before me, and able to fly high.