THE DEVIL'S AFFECTION

9. DIVE

"You're kidding..." he mumbles as he looks down at the water in front of us.

Yes, my solution to his boredom was swimming. I went down to the hotel shop and got us both bathing suits before bringing him down here. He looks wildly unimpressed by my idea but I'm rather excited.

"Come on! This is fun! Don't you like to swim?"

"I used to have a pool at my house but... I don't remember it being that fun."

I back up and then I run past him, leaping into the water. I'm swallowed by the pool, feeling the shock of the cool water surrounding my body as I rise up to the surface.

I push my hair back and look up at him.

"It's nice! Jump in!"

He still looks down at me with a disinterested look.

"Maybe I'll just watch..." he turns to walk off.

"No!" I yell, grabbing onto the edge of the pool.

We're the only two in the pool so luckily, me yelling isn't an issue.

"Excuse me?" He turns back and glares at me.

"Come on! You want to take your mind off of things. This is a good way to do it!"

"I'm quite alright, thanks." He mumbles. "Just because this is your idea of fun, doesn't mean I'll enjoy it all the same."

Defeated, I slink away from the edge of the pool and float on my back. I enjoy the nice cool pool in the humid room. With my ears just below the waterline, everything falls quiet and when I close my eyes, I feel alone.

There's nothing more peaceful than being in water. There is nothing I've ever found better than swimming. Being under the water places you in another dimension inside our world. Things are slower, more calm. In the ocean, the fish have nothing to do but float around and survive. I've always thought of myself much like a fish. I've been living my life as a fish — doing what I need to survive without much direction.

I come out of my relaxed floating position and begin to tread again as I look over to Hanes. His eyes are locked on me as he glares, watching me as if I'm his prey.

"Sure you don't want to join in on the fun?"

"Doesn't look like much fun to me."

I slip down into the water, opening my eyes while they sting a bit from the chlorine. I look around to see the blue empty pool surrounding me. Its clear waters stretch further than it looks from the outside. I swim deeper down, feeling the water let my limbs flow free around me. I move slowly but purposefully.

As I move further into the pool, I feel a disturbance in the water and turn around to see Hanes rushing towards me. He grabs onto me and he pulls me up to the surface.

"What the hell?!" I push him off of me.

"What the hell?! What the hell?! I was yelling to you and you didn't respond! I thought you were drowning!" He snaps.

He jumped in to save me? If I was actually drowning, a part of me wouldn't be shocked if he left and got a staff member to come help me instead.

"Well, thank you for your concern but I wasn't. I was enjoying my swim."

He seems thoroughly unimpressed with me but at least he's in the water now.

"At least you're in now." I grin at him, although that fact seems to irritate him.

"How is this any fun to you? You're literally soaking in chemical-filled water."