the pool, a temporary and delicate truce as we pretend the other isn’t there.
I sneak to the pool nearly every night after that. As grateful as I am for Loni and her willingness to listen to me whenever I need to vent about how shitty things are at Angelview, nothing helps my stress quite like swimming. To my surprise, Liam is there most nights as well. He doesn’t speak to me, and I don’t speak to him. We swim on our designated sides of the pool, then return to our dorms as if nothing happened.
He hasn’t told Saint or Gabe that we swim together—not as far as I can tell, at least. I’ve no doubt Saint would somehow try to ruin my late-night escapes into that blue abyss because he’d never want me to have something I enjoy. He’d want to taint it. Ruin it so bad, I’d never be able to swim without thinking of him again. I don’t know why Liam hasn’t told him, but I’m grateful. Still, I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before Saint finds out, so I enjoy my swim time while I can.
Some nights, I can’t help but watch Liam. I pretend to be resting, but I’m secretly observing his form as he cuts through the water. He’s an excellent swimmer, and fast. I know he’s not on the school’s swim team, and I begin to wonder why. He could dominate if he joined. A part of me wants to ask him, but I don’t dare.
I’m afraid of what might happen if the silent agreement between us is broken.
I find myself growing more and more curious about him, though. I want to know why he has so many tattoos when the school has a strict rule against them and piercings. I wonder if they have special meanings behind them, or it they’re all just random. I even wonder why he’s friends with Saint, and if he’s really the jerk I initially thought him to be.
After two weeks of swimming in silence together, my questions for him are burning me up inside. I pause in the middle of my current set, and stare over at him as he glides to the end of the pool I’m resting on. There’s a brief moment when he reaches the wall where he goes still, and I jump at the opportunity.
“Hey,” I call out.
He stops completely and turns to me with a deep-set frown. It’s more confused than angry, though, and I know I’ve thrown him for a loop breaking the understood silence between us.
“What?” he snaps back.
“Where’d you get all those tattoos?” I ask the first question that pops into my mind that I think he might answer.
He looks even more baffled, as though he can’t understand the language I’m speaking.
“Why do you want to know?”
I suck in my lower lip for a beat before releasing it along with a shrug. “Curious.”
“Well, it’s none of your fucking business.”
I’m disappointed by his response, but I know I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Fine. Was just trying to be nice.”
I turn and get ready to spring back into my laps.
“Nobody’s asking you to be nice,” he mutters, as if he can’t help himself. “Least of all me.”
I ignore him and shoot forward into the water.
I make it to the other end of the pool, then flip over and swim back. When I pop back up, I let out a squeak of surprise when Liam’s face is right next to mine.
“What the hell, Halloway?” I gasp.
He doesn’t say anything at first, just studies me with an unnerving intensity that makes he want to shrink away from him. I keep myself steady, though, knowing any show of weakness would just be more ammunition for him and his asshole friends.
“What’s your deal, Ellis?” he asked, his tone hard, but not necessarily cruel.
“I … I don’t know what you mean,” I murmur like a fool.
He rests his arms on the lane rope between us and leans closer. His biceps flex and I can’t help but notice. “Why are you so curious about me?”
I roll my eyes. “I was just asking about your tattoos, not digging for a background check.”
He narrows his dark eyes in turn. He doesn’t speak for several long moments, and I start to think that maybe I should just call it a night and get away from his weird ass.
Just as I’m about to move to climb out of the pool, he drags his hand through his damp black hair and grumbles,