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ChapterOne
If I had known I’d end up mouth to mouth with a handsome stranger, I might have skipped the tuna sandwich I had for lunch. But here I am, gasping for air while the handsome man pushes the life back into me.
I try to sit up, looking around at the world above me, but someone stops me with a hand on my chest. It’s him, the stranger who moments earlier had their lips on mine.
“Just sit tight. I need to check you out,” he says softly, and I’m mesmerized. Who is this literally breath-taking man? My throat is raw, like I’ve swallowed razor blades.
I’m not sure what happened, but I am sure I’ll be the next viral TikTok if I lie here. The beach hadn’t been so crowded when I went for the swim. The last thing I remember is going out for a quick swim to clear my head.
“W-what happened?” I croak out. I look at him for a response.
He runs a hand through his sandy wet hair and smiles meekly. “You got pulled out by a riptide, you almost drowned. You swallowed quite a bit of water so your throat might hurt for a few days.” He explains it calmly, although his face looks concerned.
“I drowned?” I repeat, confused. I am an incredible swimmer. How could that have happened? I look toward the water; it doesn’t look extra powerful or different from usual.
“Even the most experienced swimmers can drown in the wrong circumstances. What were you doing out there alone?” He looks at me, frowning.
“I—I just wanted to go for a swim,” I say, avoiding eye contact.
“You’re aware it’s March, right? You could’ve frozen.” Great, now he thinks I’m crazy.
It is an unseasonably hot day in March, almost seventy-five degrees, and the water wasn’t that cold. I am an experienced swimmer. I know the risks of swimming without a lifeguard. Hell, they had offered me the job too many summers to count.
“Yes, but I was wearing a wet suit.” I glance down. He must have unzipped it to give me CPR. “Are you even a lifeguard?”
“I’m CPR trained, but no, not since I was in high school.”
“Then what were you doing on the beach?” I say, full of sass. I am trying to distract myself from the pain. Who is this guy anyway? I will get enough sass from my mother when she finds out what happened.
“I was running and saw someone floating. I wanted to make sure you were okay, so I ran in after you.” He frowns at me. Almost like he’s disappointed.
“Well, sorry to ruin your run, but I’m fine.” I zip up my suit and sit up, but he doesn’t retreat, his face inches from mine.
“You didn’t ruin my run.” He chuckles. Great, now this guy is laughing at me. This is not what I had in mind when I left my house.
He takes a step back, shaking his hair out and running a hand through his beard. Water droplets drip down his chest to the perfectly sculpted v-line. He is like a women’s wet dream; it is annoying how handsome he is. I mean, couldn’t someone ugly have been here to see me drown like an idiot?
I stand up, but I’m a little dizzy. It feels like there is water in every inch of me somehow. He looks at me questionably, like he isn’t sure what to do next. I guess there isn’t a handbook on what to do when you save someone’s life.
“I’m Holly, by the way,” I say, putting out my hand. His lips have just been on mine and I don’t even know his name.
“Daniel.” He smiles and shakes my hand lightly.
“Well, Daniel, I’m perfectly fine if you’d like to continue on that run of yours.”
“I think I should at least take you to get something to eat, make sure you don’t experience secondary drowning,” Daniel says with a chuckle.
“Are you asking me out?” I raise an eyebrow.
“No! I just want to make sure you’re okay.” I’ll have to nurse my bruised ego later for how quickly he said no.
“I’m good, honestly. If I take any more time to get back, my family will worry,” I lie. Part of me wants to follow Daniel and have lunch with him, but I know it wouldn’t go anywhere. A man like him has to have a girlfriend, and I don’t have time to waste being a second option.
“I understand. Do you need a ride anywhere?”
“You don’t take no for an answer, do you?” I chuckle.
“Pretty sure making sure you get home okay is the least I can do after finding you in the water like that,” he says nervously.
