Page 32 of Hold On

Maybe he thought he wouldn’t, but Dominic toed off his trainers, curled his toes in the sand, then peeled the T-shirt over his head.

“Fucking hell,” Col blurted. “I thought it was just your arm. What happened to you?”

“I clipped him with my bike,” Ren said quickly. “He didn’t want you to know, but that’s what happened. It was an accident. Obviously. I wanted to call an ambulance but—”

“I wouldn’t let him. I’m fine. It looks worse than it is.” Dominic set off for the sea before anything else was said.

He was halfway there before Ren caught up with him. “Sorry, but I didn’t want you to lie.”

“Did Col tell you that you have to walk back?” Dominic kept staring at the sea.

Ren chuckled. “Not yet.”

“It’s okay. You’re right. Better to tell the truth and now the moment’s past, he won’t be so pissed off.”

“You didn’t see the look he gave me.”

A wave washed over Dominic’s foot and he sucked in a breath, shocked by the water temperature, but he didn’t stop walking.

“Jesus Christ!” Ren yelped behind him.

When the water reached Dominic’s waist, he threw himself forwards and dived through the wave.Oh my God, it’s freezing.When he came up, Ren was swimming beside him.

“Keep an eye on me?” Ren asked. “This is more exercise than I’ve taken in a while. I’ve been unwell.”

Dominic nodded. “We’ll get beyond the waves where it’s less choppy, then swim parallel to the beach.”

A few duck dives took them beyond the rough water and Ren turned. Dominic stayed on the open sea side of him and matched Ren’s pace. Tasting salt water made him smile.I’m really doing this. Swimming in the sea!Just as when he’d swum in the pool at Marsden, he felt as if his troubles and anxieties were being washed away. He’d have swum in that pool every day if he’d been allowed.

When Ren switched to breast stroke, Dominic did too.

“Okay?” Dominic asked.

“Yep.”

The water didn’t feel as cold now his body had adjusted. But despite the buoyancy offered by the salt water, it was harder work than swimming in the pool, and when Ren indicated he was going in, Dominic was glad to follow. Ren caught a wave and bodysurfed to the shore and Dominic tried to copy him. When he missed the first wave, he checked Ren was on the sand then swam out a little way and tried again. This time, he did it right, and rode most of the way in.

He knew he was smiling, laughing almost, as he pushed to his feet in the shallows. He felt full of endorphins until he caught sight of Ren’s chest. “What the hell?”

“I wondered if you’d noticed when we were walking down the beach. But you seemed intent onnotlooking at me.”

“What happened?”

“I was in an accident,” Ren said. “Had a few operations.”

“They don’t look like operation scars.”

“Nor does yours.”

Dominic looked down at the scar on his chest, faded now but still clear. Ren’s looked a lot more recent. “It’s a stab wound.”

He could have told him then, told him something, but he held back. Was it a matter of trust or something else? Though he didn’t trust Ren. Not because he didn’t know him. He didn’t trust anyone. Not even Col. Col wouldn’t deliberately hurt him but… Dominic was conditioned not to trust. It was going to be hard to break that habit. And Ren was lying. His scars weren’t from operations.

“You okay walking back?” Dominic asked. They’d been swept quite a way up the beach.

“If the alternative is swimming, yes. Though maybe we could sit a minute first.”

Dominic dropped down beside him on the sand, his hair dripping cold water down his back.

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