Page 56 of Read Between The Lines

Leo, being Leo, choked back an ‘All good’, before starting a scrappy doggy paddle towards the wrong shore. I drew alongside him and took hold of his shoulders, forcing him to tread water with me.

‘Look at me, Leo, you’re alright. Take a moment. Breathe with me. In for four, hold, then out for four. Okay?’

I counted the breaths for a couple of rounds and saw his air of confusion gradually dissipate, to my great relief.

‘Right, let’s get to safety,’ I said, once I was confident that he could start swimming again.

‘What about Brian?’ he asked.

‘We’ll worry about him once we reach dry land.’ Nothing mattered more than getting Leo to safety.

We took our time getting to the shore, and I was very grateful that a marshal materialised as we arrived and helped haul us out. I was shaking with cold, and Leo wasn’t much better, although he was still pretending that he was absolutely fine.

‘You’re nearly at the end, folks, not long now,’ said the marshal. ‘One more challenge to get past and, as we know, love can overcome any obstacle.’

‘Be that as it may, I think it’s time for us to withdraw from the race,’ I said.

‘But what about Br…’ started Leo.

‘Everything else can wait until we’ve dried off and you’ve got your ribs checked,’ I said firmly.

The marshal escorted us back to the race village and took us to the medical tent where I insisted Leo submit himself to the attentions of a first-aider.

‘You’ll have a nasty bruise in the morning, but I don’t think you’ve done yourself any proper damage,’ she said cheerfully after she finished examining him.

‘Do you think he should get an X-ray to be on the safe side?’ I asked, not even the impressive sight of Leo’s bare chest distracting me from my worry.

‘I am here, you know,’ said Leo grumpily. ‘It’s nothing that a hot drink and a night in snuggled up with you on the sofa won’t solve.’

My breath caught. I knew he was probably only saying it for the benefit of our audience, but for a moment I imagined what it would be like if he’d meant it for real. He’d probably wind me up no end when it came to hogging the television remote, but I was beginning to realise I’d rather spend my free time fighting and making up with Leo than with anyone else.

The first-aider looked between us with delight on her face.

‘Aw, you guys, that’s so sweet. I must tell Dom he’s got another success on his hands. It’ll give him a much-needed boost.’

‘Oh, yes?’ said Leo with affected casualness.

The first-aider looked around and then lowered her voice. ‘Between you and me, I think he’s close to giving up on SO Ox.’

‘That’s such a shame. It’s bringing happiness to so many people like us,’ I said, linking my fingers with Leo’s. It was purely cover, I told myself.

He squeezed my hand back.

The first-aider sighed. ‘I know. But just because an app’s good at making matches, it doesn’t mean it’s profitable. In fact, it means the opposite. And Dom’s a numbers guy at heart. The figures he cares about most are the ones on his bank statement. Right, I think you guys both need some dry clothes, then I’ll have to move on to my next patients. The romance-to-damage ratio of this month’s obstacle course seems to be somewhat off, if you ask me.’

We slowly made our way out of the medical tent, wrapped in silver foil blankets and dressed in identical Love Can Overcome Any Obstacle t-shirts and shorts, our wet clothing in a plastic bag. My underwear was still soaking, but I’d drawn the line at removing it in the medical tent, even though I had been able to duck behind a privacy curtain to get changed.

‘I look like I’m a Sunday roast about to be put in the oven,’ grumbled Leo.

‘No need to make a meal of it,’ I quipped. ‘That metallic look does wonders for you; it really brings out the lines in your frown.’

Leo’s expression relaxed. ‘Don’t make me laugh. It’ll make my ribs ache even more than they already do.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it worse,’ I said, instantly feeling guilty. I felt even guiltier when he seemed to stumble over his feet. I put my arm around his waist. ‘Lean on me, I’ve got you.’

‘Now that’s better,’ said Leo. ‘We’ll warm up much more quickly if we huddle together,’ he added.

I shot him a glance. Was his mind still on the practical, or was he actually glad to be close to me? Perhaps I should be brave and just ask him?

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