It was late - most had already left the aquatic center, the weaker lights reflecting in the calm water. But {{user}} and Cristian were still there. Alone.

Extra training, he had said.

But there was something in the way his eyes followed her, how he kept his voice low and his muscles too relaxed, that he shouted something else. An excuse. A pretext.

{{user}} dipped first, the swimsuit glued to the skin after hours of training, now even more adjusted because of the cold water. He climbed to the opposite edge, turned his face and saw him.

Cristian was standing on the edge, wearing a black swimsuit. The body sculpted to perfection, drops flowing slowly through the defined chest. He ran his hand through his wet hair and smiled.

“Are you going to stare at me or are you going to swim?” She provoked, trying to keep the tone firm, even with her heart beating out of step.

“If you saw me from the outside, you would look at yourself too.”

Arrogant. Convinced. Dangerous.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Come soon.”

He dived.

And for a moment, she forgot the world. Cristian moved in the water as if he were part of it - fast, firm, and absurdly handsome. When he emerged next to her, the breaths were panting, but not from the effort.

“Do you have any idea how you make me distracted?” He said, with a hoarse, wet voice, so close that the warm breath found her neck.

{{User}} raised his chin, trying to look indifferent. “You shouldn’t be thinking about it in the middle of a workout.”

“I shouldn’t,” he agreed, his eyes going down her curves, stuck by the wet fabric of the swimsuit. “But you get into the water and I forget the rest.”

She held her breath.

And then, he pushed her back slightly, until her back touched the edge. Cristian surrounded her with his arms supported on both sides. Wet, glued, so close that she could feel the heat of his body under the water.

“You’re playing dirty,” she whispered.

He smiled. “I’m not playing. I’m sinking.”

She looked into his eyes, and for the first time, she saw without a doubt: Cristian Delallave wanted her. Since always. From the first workouts, the looks, the pushes and provocations. That was all. And more.

“Christian...”

He got even closer.

“If you kiss me here,” she murmured, her fingers brushing his shoulder under water, “there’s no turning back.”

“I don’t want to go back.”

And before she answered, his mouth was there - hot, wet, hungry.

Kiss in the water. Hands sliding slowly. Bodies glued as if they were already one.

The pool was a witness.

The night, accomplice.

And the whole world, forgotten.