Page 59 of Vacation with the Ice Queen

"Why not?" she heard herself agreeing, the simple acceptance feeling like another small rebellion against her former self.

Lila grinned, immediately pulling her tank top over her head to reveal a simple sports bra beneath. She kicked off her shorts, leaving her in just the bra and yoga briefs, and waded into the water without hesitation.

Serena took a moment longer, her fingers hesitating at the hem of her designer top. Not out of modesty—their midnight pool encounter had long since eliminated those barriers—but from the strange novelty of spontaneity. Of doing something simply because it felt good, not because it served a purpose.

The water splashed as Lila dove beneath the surface, emerging a moment later with wet hair slicked back from her face. "Coming?" she called, floating effortlessly in the clear turquoise water.

Something about the sight—Lila surrounded by endless blue, smiling up at her with uncomplicated joy—broke through Serena's remaining hesitation. She pulled off her top and stepped out of her yoga pants, leaving them in a haphazard pile that would have horrified her personal shopper.

The water felt like silk against her skin as she waded in, cool without being cold, perfectly calibrated like everything else onthis island designed for pleasure. She moved deeper until the gentle waves lifted her feet from the sandy bottom, surrendering to the ocean's support.

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Lila said, floating nearby. "The way water holds you up when you stop fighting it."

"Much like life," Serena replied, surprising herself with the observation.

Lila's laughter rippled across the water. "Look at you, making metaphors about surrender. This island is changing you."

"Don't tell anyone back in New York. I'll lose my reputation as the Ice Queen of Tech," Serena said dryly, though the nickname no longer stung the way it once had. Here, with the sun warming her face and salt water buoying her body, the idea that she was somehow frozen seemed absurd.

They swam lazily toward a cluster of rocks that extended from the beach into deeper water. Schools of tiny silver fish darted beneath them, unbothered by their presence.

"Have you ever snorkeled?" Lila asked as they reached the rocks, finding footholds in the natural formation.

Serena shook her head. "Never had the time. Or the inclination, really."

"Wait here," Lila said, swimming back toward shore with powerful strokes.

Serena watched her go, admiring the easy grace with which she moved through the water. Everything about Lila suggested a woman comfortable in her own skin, attuned to her environment in ways Serena was only beginning to understand.

Minutes later, Lila returned with a mesh bag from their beach supplies. "We keep basic snorkel gear at all the beaches," she explained, pulling out two masks with attached snorkels. "Nothing fancy, but they do the job."

She demonstrated how to defog the mask, adjust the straps, and clear the snorkel while swimming. Serena listened withintensity, determined to master this new skill with her usual efficiency.

"You don't have to perfect it," Lila said, noticing her concentration. "It's just for fun."

The simple permission to be imperfect hit Serena with unexpected force. When was the last time she'd attempted something new without an immediate plan to excel at it? When had she last done anything "just for fun?”

"Sorry," she said, forcing her shoulders to relax. "Old habits."

Lila's expression softened. "Don't apologize for who you are. Just know that under that water, no one's keeping score."

They adjusted their masks and slipped beneath the surface together. Serena's first breath through the snorkel felt strange and unnatural, but Lila stayed close, her presence reassuring as Serena acclimatized to this new way of breathing.

And then the underwater world opened before her.

The reef extending from the rocks revealed itself as an explosion of life and color. Coral formations in shapes she couldn't have imagined—some like branching trees, others like giant brains, others still like delicate fans waving in the current. Fish in impossible hues darted among them—electric blue, sunshine yellow, deep purple with shimmering scales that caught the filtered sunlight.

Serena had seen underwater footage before, of course. But the difference between watching a screen and being immersed in this reality was like the difference between reading about a kiss and actually experiencing one.

Lila pointed to a particular formation where a small octopus had wedged itself into a crevice, its color shifting to match the surrounding coral with such precision that Serena would never have noticed it on her own. Its intelligent eyes watched them warily as one tentacle waved in the current.

They surfaced briefly, adjusting masks and catching proper breaths.

"It's incredible," Serena said, the simple words inadequate for the wonder she felt. "I had no idea."

"Most people don't," Lila replied. "We live our whole lives on the surface, never seeing the world that exists just beneath our feet."

The observation landed with the particular weight of truth. How much had Serena missed by focusing exclusively on targets and goals, never pausing to explore the depth of experience available beyond her narrow path?

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