Chapter 86
Swim teacher
Veronica’s POV
It didn’t seem like he heard what I said.
Or maybe he did, but then I didn’t think that was enough reason for him to stare at me like that.
“Orthon?” I called, snapping my fingers in his face. “Did you hear a word of what I just said?”
“And what would that be?” he asked, a lazy smile tugging at his lips, clearly unbothered by my annoyance. I arched a brow, realizing he had spaced out while I was talking.
“I was asking what other skills you can show me aside from just floating on the water. I would really like to swim, like a pro or something.” I said, crossing my arms and tapping my foot impatiently. He chuckled, that deep, almost too confident sound that made my stomach flip.
Did I say something funny?
“Why do you want to swim like a pro? You want to enter a competition?” he teased, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
I shook my head, the idea of swimming competitively almost laughable. “No. Just… you know, it would be fun to know something besides just splashing around like an amateur.”
Пle cocked his head, that playful smirk still on his lips. “You’re not an
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amateur, Veronica. You’re just… unpolished. But I can change that.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “What’s the catch?”
He chuckled lightly
“You are funny. Vee. You asked me to help and when I do, you think there is a catch?” He asked and I shrugged. “No catch. Just trust me and follow my instructions.” He gave me that look again. That intense one that had a way of messing with my senses.
I let out a breath and nodded, trying to fight the nervous flutter in my chest. “Fine. Teach me.”
He stepped forward, his hand extending out toward me, and without thinking. I took it. The second our hands touched, a strange surge of electricity shot through me, the jolt made me quickly retract my hand.
If he knew what was going on, he didn’t say a word. Yet I couldn’t stop kicking myself in my head. Why was I making myself so obvious?
He let me gently into the water, but I was too nervous to actually go in.
“Okay, first,” he said, pulling me closer, his voice taking on a more serious tone. “You need to relax. If you’re tense, you’ll sink. Let the water support you. We’re going to work with the flow, not against it.”
I nodded, but I could feel the tension in my shoulders. I tried to shake it off, but with him so close, it wasn’t easy. Every contact was igniting some form of electricity inside me and it
usual. Did he feel it too? The heat as beginning to feel hotter than
He rismeemd rather composed with his chest and abs out in the open. I felt almost violated, even when all he was doing was stare.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
“Good.” he said softly, guiding me back into the pool. “Now, just start kicking your legs slowly. I’ll hold you, so you don’t have to worry about staying afloat.”
As he held me there in the water, I began to kick as he instructed. But with every small movement, I could feel his hands holding me tighter, his fingers brushing against the small of my back, sending heat surging through my body.
I forced my focus to stay on the task at hand, but the way his presence affected me… it was impossible to ignore. It was like he had some sort of magnetic pull on me, pulling me in without even trying.
“Good,” he said again, a little closer now, his voice a low rumble in the water. “Now, start using your arms. Like this.” He demonstrated with smooth, fluid strokes, and I tried to follow along. But it was harder than it looked, and I couldn’t quite match his grace.
“Don’t force it,” he murmured. “Relax and let your body move naturally.”
I did my best, and after a few more tries, I felt myself moving through the water with a little more ease. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress.
“You’re doing better than you think,” he said, his eyes scanning me with approval. “You’re not an amateur, Veronica. You’ve got the potential to be great.”
For a moment, I felt a swell of pride, my confidence growing with each stroke. Maybe I could do this after all, even if it ended in my father’s pool.
But then, as if he had sensed the shift in my mood, Orthon stepped closer, his voice dropping lower. “You know, I’m pretty good at making people. feel comfortable. In and out of the water.”
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I swallowed, trying to ignore the heat spreading across my cheeks. “Are you always this cocky?”
He chuckled, the sound warm and teasing. “Only when I’m right.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to play it off, but there was something about the way he looked at me. Something that made it hard to breathe.
“Alright, swim to me,” he commanded, his voice no longer teasing, but direct. “Let’s see how far you’ve come.”
Without thinking, I kicked my legs and swam toward him, my strokes growing more confident. I reached out, and he grabbed my arms to steady me, holding me in place.
“You’re doing great, Veronica,” he said, his lips curving into a genuine smile this time. “You’re a fast learner.”
I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my own lips. “I guess I’m full of surprises.”
“Not just you.” His gaze softened as he looked at me, his touch lingering on my arms, the moment stretching between us. “You’re full of potential.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just looked at him, unsure of what this strange, charged connection meant. But I knew one thing: I wasn’t just learning how to swim. I was being pulled deeper into something I didn’t know how to escape.
The water between us felt like the only thing separating us, but I was starting to wonder if it could keep us apart for much longer.
Could I keep us apart for any longer?
