(Swim till)
16
0“This is the best trip ever!”
Ri’s voice echoed off the cracked tiles of the abandoned resort’s empty pool.
“I know, right?” Dyl laughed, setting his flashlights along the edge. The dark sky threatened rain, but the stillness felt like sanctuary.
Then came the sound—a heavy, suffocating sloshing. He turned. The drain, choked with years of debris, had backed up, filling the deep end with stagnant, frigid rainwater.
Ri was pulled under by the dark vortex.
“Yeah… wait, WHAT?” Dyl sprinted. Her muffled scream died beneath the surface.
He plunged into the ice-cold water, blinded, hands frantically tearing through the darkness until he snagged her jacket. He scooped her up, hauling her limp frame onto the concrete.
She was unconscious. Panicking, Dyl forced chest compressions, humming a desperate rhythm. *CPR, damn it, work.*
Ri gasped, sputtering water, chest heaving.
“Breathe, I want you to breathe, okay?” he whispered, brushing drenched hair from her face. Her frantic breath slowly leveled out.
Fat raindrops began to fall, tapping rhythmically against the concrete.
“C’mon, let’s get you outta here.” Dyl lifted her into his arms, carrying her through the roaring storm to his adjacent cabin. Inside, the rain clicked aggressively against the glass. Ri sat wrapped in towels, still distant, her gaze anchored to the window.
“Something about raindrops...” she murmured softly.
“Hm?”
“Never mind.”
Dyl leaned in close, the air heavy with an unsaid history that had kept them apart for years. “Are you okay now?”
Ri nodded, leaning closer, her eyes locking onto his. The pull was magnetic, forgiveness finally within reach.
Then Dyl froze. He stood abruptly, breaking the pull. “Alright, you hungry?”
Ri stared at him, the distance instantly snapping back. “…”
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