Page 40 of Seeking Stars
They unpacked the car and chose rooms, settling into the new place. Liam offered to get drinks, and Ana waited for him sitting with her feet in the pool. A few minutes later, Liam gave her a glass of bubbly water with ice and lemon, and sat next to her by the pool.
"Thanks," she said.
He sighed. "No problem. I'm thirsty. A nice, refreshing drink seemedUrgent."
She stole a glance at him but said nothing, and took a sip of her drink instead.
"I guess you're aLong, Long Way From Home, aren't you? Are you missing home yet?" He faced the pool with a small curl to his lips.
She frowned and shook her head. Was he up to something? "Not yet. I travel often to film and my place is fine, but I'm not sure it's home, if you know what I mean?"
"I think so." He nodded again. Liam looked up and scratched his forehead. "I think I'm starting to sweat. I hope your drink isCold As Ice?"
"Yeah, actually." She squinted at him. He was definitely up to something.
"I'm definitely gettingHot Blooded."
Catching on, she let out a delighted laugh. He was referencing Foreigner songs. He laughed with her, a deep, rumbly chuckle coming out of him. The vibrations grabbed her right behind her bellybutton, causing a tingling sensation.
"Okay, I get it. Very clever," she said, pointing at her shirt and ignoring her body's reaction.
"I think I'm going to get in the pool for a while.Say You Willtoo? Even better if we put some music on. I don't know, it can be anything you're inspired to listen to right now. You can be aJuke Box Hero."
"Har har. Sure. I'll put Foreigner on." She got up, and went into the cabin to change.
***
Liam leisurely floated in the cool water of the pool, eyes closed behind his sunglasses. He always felt at peace when suspended in the water like that, but didn't do it often despite having his own swimming pool back at home.
He shifted and stood on his feet once he heard the music start to play. His eyes found Ana; she walked about in her simple black bikini. She placed a wireless speaker on a table nearby, and he could easily imagine she did so in black underwear— but stopped. He shouldn't imagine such things.
He dunked his head underwater, sunglasses still on. His brain needed some cooling, stat.
He gazed at Ana again only when he thought he had himself in control. Foreigner sounded in the background at a low volume. When she positioned her camera at the edge of the pool he understood her reasoning: she wanted to record any conversations they might have.
"I saw you floating," she said as she approached the pool stairs. "I can't do that."
She stepped into the pool, two quick exhales escaping her at the contact with the cold water. He was close enough to see the goose bumps that appeared on her skin. It gave him a shiver, though he couldn't blame it on the pool's temperature. He created some space between them with a casual chest stroke in the opposite way.
"Pools aren't much better than the ocean for you?" he finally asked, turning to face her. She had put her hair on a high ponytail; he followed it down with his eyes, studying the width of her bikini strap, a freckle on her shoulder.
"As long as I can stand on the bottom if I need to, I can manage some strokes."
Protected by his sunglasses, he perused the sight of her some more. She held herself in the water, arms crossed and hands on opposite shoulders, perhaps still getting used to its coolness. The waterfall of her hair was long; the ends were floating in the water. Her neck was exposed, a few droplets resting on it.
"Where did you grow up?" he asked suddenly. "I hadn't thought to ask."
"Bloomington, Illinois," she said, finally opening her arms wide in the water and moving around. "Or thereabouts. What about you? Where did you grow up?"
"San Luis Obispo."
"So the ocean and swimming and perhaps pools were normal for you? No wonder you're so good in the water."
They ended up paddling and circling each other, as cowboys did in a Western movie.
"Yeah, but it was also my sport growing up. I was a competitive swimmer all throughout college. I got a scholarship for it, too."
She nodded, facing him, but her eyes seemed a bit unfocused. "What is your best memory growing up?"
