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I take advantage of her shock. “Now.”
“What?” she repeats.
I take her hand, risking her wrath, and lead her to the waiting boat. I'd managed to fit a small basket in it. OJ and Momma's pancakes, still warm, as well as caffeine, because the sweet hit is life.
"Austin..."
I glance at her and see all the color drain from her face. "Mia?" I cup her face and hate that it feels clammy. "Do we need a doc?"
"Water..." she rasps.
Reaching into my bag. "Bottle of water?”
"No, Austin. Water."
I frown. "Thewater?"
She nods, the green is so pale I’m worried.
"Can you swim?"
She nods.
I wait as she pulls in a shaky breath, eyes darting everywhere so they don't have to meet mine. "I nearly died when I was five, it was at a friend’s house, she had a pool…" She shakes her head. "I misjudged where I was walking, fell in, and couldn't get myself out."
Her confession zeroes in and encases my heart in ice. The image floods my mind before I can stop it. Matt's face before he went under. I shake myself, the same way I'd seen her do only moments before.
"Nothing will happen to you. You questioning my boat skills, M.I.A.?" I smirk, knowing the flirting will bring her color back.
"No. I just...I've never been on a boat..."
Brushing a strand of hair around her ear forces her to look at me. I hold her gaze. "We need to rectify that. You can't be an elite's girl and be a boating virgin."
“I’m notyourgirl,” she counters.
“If you say so.” I’m sure I hear her mutter something about virginity, but I let it go.
No one knows as well as I do how it feels facing your fears.
"It's safe?" She nibbles her lip.
I’d love to take on the job of nibbling it myself. "You're always safe with me."
She takes the hand I offer, and the moment our skin touches, it creates butterflies that battle in my chest. I step into the boat first and balance the rocking as she joins me. "Mia, you need to breathe." She's taken on the facial features of a chipmunk. Blowing out a breath, she sits. I take my place in front of her and grab the oars.
"Have you been in the water since?" I ask.
She nods. "I go in occasionally, but it's pool water, manageable. This is a river..."
"I've got you." And I fight the urge to scoop her up and cradle her.
"Does it rock this much all the time?"
“It steadies out," I chuckle.
We're silent as I row along the Charles River. I've specifically chosen the scenic route as I feel she might enjoy seeing Boston from a different angle. I’d enjoyed it when I'd first come here and done my solo row, and I can see that she’s not enjoying it. She doesn't move her body, her head turning slightly to look around her. I bite my lip. She's just so damn cute when she's not trying to be. "Check under your seat."
She narrows her eyes before looking down, her body still rigid as her hands flap underneath, trying to find the package without actually moving. She finds it and pulls it out. Delight sparks in the green.
