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I toss my hair up into a bun and head to my closet, pulling out my favourite comfy clothes – navy blue leggings and a light grey hoodie. I get dressed and take a look at myself in the mirror. I look okay, not great, but okay. Grabbing my swimming bag that’s always ready to go, my phone and keys, I head out of the door.
The pool is empty when I arrive, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I need some time to clear my head and reflect about what the hell I was thinking last night messaging Lycus like that.
Oh god, why did I say I didn’t want him to leave? Can I be any more desperate?
I take a deep breath and dive into the water, loving the coolness that washes over me.
As I swim, I try to focus on the rhythm of my strokes, but my mind keeps drifting back to Lycus. Why did I message him? Did I make a fool out of myself?
I shake my head, trying to push those thoughts aside. I can deal with the fallout later, right now I need to focus on me. Two whole days to concentrate on myself and not worry about work and what’s facing me next week.
I swim laps for what feels like hours, my muscles burning with exertion. As I finally come to a stop at the edge of the pool, a sense of calm has washed over me. The water has a way of flushing away my worries and leaving me feeling renewed.
As I make my way to the showers, I catch a glimpse of a figure in the corner of my eye. It’s Lycus, standing near the entrance to the pool. My heart races as I try to avoid eye contact, but it’s too late. He’s spotted me.
“Hey,” he calls out, making his way over to me.
I try to plaster on a smile, but it feels forced.
“Hi,” I reply, my voice a little uneven. My face heats up as I realise I’m still only wearing my swimsuit under my towel, and the material wrapped tightly around my body brings back too many memories of the night we kissed.
“Look, about the other night,” he begins, and I can feel my heart skip a beat. “I just wanted to say that I think we should forget about it.”
I raise an eyebrow in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah, I mean, I was drunk and it was a mistake. I think you’d had a drink last night when you texted me as well. I’ve seen the email from Mr Mortimer about working together on the new account…I just think it’s best if we pretend it never happened and move on.”
I nod slowly, still feeling a little dazed by how upfront and frank he’s being. Honestly, outside of work related transactions, this is the most he’s ever said to me. “Okay, sure. I can do that.”
“Great,” he says, a smile spreading across his face. He’s so handsome.
That’s when it hits me. He looks so damn good.Toodamn good for someone who was apparently too sick to come to work yesterday, especially standing there in nothing but a pair of loose board shorts. My mouth turns dry and I swallow.
“I thought you were sick,” I blurt out angrily.
He frowns. “I was.”
“You don’t look sick to me.”
He ignores my accusing tone and changes the topic. “Do you want to grab some breakfast?” He suggests, making me frown. We just agreed to pretend nothing happened between us, so why would we suddenly start hanging out together? It’s not like we were friends before – not even close – and we’re certainly not now.
“You look like you’re about to go for a swim,” I point out, noticing that his muscular chest is dry. Thank the lord, he’s dry. I don’t think I could cope if water droplets were sliding down his golden skin in slow motion, just begging my tongue to catch them.
And I would, without hesitation.
I clear my throat. “And I need to run.”
Without waiting for his reply, I turn and scurry into the ladies’ changing rooms.
After I shower and change into my regular clothes, my mind is reeling with what just happened. Did Lycus really just ask me out for breakfast? Or was it just a friendly gesture?
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I need to focus on the task at hand – getting some food in my stomach before I pass out.
As I head out of the changing room, I nearly run into Lycus. He’s standing there, looking sheepish, but fully clothed and dry in a navy blue hoodie and grey sweatpants that I have no right to be appreciating. But, my god.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to make things awkward.”
I shrug, trying to act nonchalant. “It’s fine.” It’s not fine.I’mnot fine. My whole body feels hot and tingly all of a sudden. Maybe I pushed too hard in the pool. I feel wobbly on my feet and weak at the knees. I really do need to eat before I swoon like a damsel in distress. Which would be due to overexertion and nothing to do with Lycus’ sweatpants.
