Page 101 of Catch Me
He was in his room, and it felt weird to disturb him, but I knocked anyway. When the door opened, I felt warm at the sight in front of me. His body was wet and there was a towel wrapped aroundhis waist, leaving his chest bare. I didn’t want to look away, but I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“Sorry,” I said. “You’re busy.”
“Just a bath. I was getting bored anyway.”
“Of course you were. So, I was wondering if you want to hang out today.”
“Yeah, definitely. I was going to ask you, but I’ve been lazy today and I didn’t realize how much time passed.”
“It’s cool. I have a way to get you moving.”
He raised a single brow. “Oh?”
“Shorts, sneakers, and a backpack with a change of clothes. And a towel.”
His eyes narrowed. “Please tell me we’re going to a sauna.”
“No.”
“Damnit, Roman, you’re gonna get us killed.”
“That’s what the extra clothes are for. It’s not that cold today.”
“But the water is.”
I raised and lowered my brows with a smile. He didn’t look convinced, but he sighed. When he leaned against the doorframe, I had to fight not to look at his abdomen again.
“Cool, I’m gonna get dressed,” I said. “No backing out.”
“I shouldn’t have ever talked to you.”
“Probably not.”
My heart was racing as I closed my door. It was just a run, then a swim. The sky was clear today, so I imagined it shining down on his hair, bringing out the lighter parts while he felt the smooth stone under the water. Maybe it would help me get that drawing right, but I doubted it. The fucking eyes were never quite there.
*****
“I’m gonna get there first this time,” I said as we jogged through the woods.
His laugh seemed to bounce off of the trees. “We’ll see, Roman.”
After he said my name, I stared at him for a second. He looked at me, so I sped up. We didn’t have Tessa to lead us since it was cold and he didn’t want her in the water. She hadn’t been happy about it, but she had a marrow bone in front of the fireplace, so she’d be fine.
I swore when he came up beside me. He was fast, especially for his size. I ran, but not as much as him. Some days, he went more than once and he did other activities like hiking. His cardio game was far more on point than mine, but I was going to fight until the bitter end.
“Asshole,” I huffed when he gained some distance on me.
I saw the edge, so I put on as much speed as I could. He tossed his backpack onto the ground before he leapt, confident and fearless. The first time, I nearly had a heart attack, but now, I put everything I had into that jump.
I knew that he’d beaten me by a solid second, but as soon as I hit the water, it didn’t matter anymore. It was fucking freezing—not ice cold, but it was definitely colder than the air. My skin burned and it took me a second to orient myself before I kicked my feet and headed to the surface.
We broke through the water at the same time, right in front of each other. He surprised me by laughing. “It definitely woke me up.”
“Woke up my survival instincts.” I shivered and looked up at the sky through the breaks in the trees.
“It’s colder than a witch’s tit.”
The playful grin was still on his face as he floated on his back. I was torn between rushing for shore and staying at his side. The parts of my body that were underwater actually felt better than my shoulders and head. The cool air made every drop feel ten degrees colder.
