Anya Reyes

I woke up staring at a white ceiling.

My head felt heavy, my mouth tasted like salt, and I was wrapped in a scratchy blanket. The smell of antiseptic hit me next.

It took me a second to put it together. I was in the university clinic. My hair was damp, clinging to the back of my neck, and there was a dull, bruised ache in my chest every time I took a breath.

As I stared around, the memories came back.

The wave. The cold rush of water. My legs being yanked out from under me. That terrifying moment where I couldn’t tell which way was up.

And then, someone’s arms around me, pulling me out of the dark.

“You’re awake,” a voice said, cutting my reverie.

I turned my head toward the sound and found the campus nurse. She was a small, wiry woman with sharp eyes. She stood next to my bed, holding a paper cup that smelled faintly of chamomile.

“You scared the hell out of your instructor,” she said, setting the cup down on the table beside me. “Drink this with very slow sips.”

I pushed myself upright, the blanket slipping down to my lap. My limbs felt like wet sandbags. “What happened?” I asked, even though I already knew most of it. I guess I wanted her to confirm I hadn’t imagined the rescue part.

“You got caught by the swell and got dragged under.” She gave me a quick once-over. “Someone pulled you out just in time.”

I nodded, wrapping my hands around the warm cup. “Someone?” I echoed. "Who?"

“Mm-hm. That boy from the swim team… Kaelen, I think was his name.”

I frowned into my tea. “Kaelen did what?”

"He pulled you out of the water and brought you here."

Before she could answer, footsteps sounded in the hall, and then Ethan filled the doorway. His hair was a little wild, like he’d been running.

“God, Anya. Are you okay?” he asked, zeroing in on me like I was the only person in the room.

“She’s fine,” the nurse said, stepping back. “She needs rest, fluids, and to stay away from the ocean for a while.” She glanced at me as if I might be dumb enough to argue.

I lifted the cup in a weak salute. “Already on it.”

Ethan moved closer and pulled up the chair beside my bed.

“I’ll give you two some space,” the nurse said, and slipped out before I could bring up Kaelen again.

Ethan leaned forward, studying me with the same intensity you’d use for defusing a bomb.

“It’s fine,” I said, taking a sip of tea. “I only inhaled half the ocean. The other half’s still out there.”

He didn’t laugh.

“Anya,” he muttered. “You could’ve died. What happened?”

I let out a slow breath. “I was at the edge of the salt pool, and the storm rolled in out of nowhere. Next thing I know, I’m underwater and… it’s just chaos. I don’t remember much after that. Just… being pulled up.”

“By who?”

I shrugged, staring into my cup like it might hold the answer. “Didn’t see. Everything was… blurred.”

It was technically true. I hadn’t seen Kaelen’s face under the water. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to start talking about him when I didn’t even know what his deal was.

Ethan sat back, looking like he wanted to push but didn’t. “I heard there was a squall over the coast. The lifeguards cleared the public beach, but it hit here too fast. They cancelled most classes after that.”

“Figures. The one time skipping PE would’ve been smart…”

His mouth twitched, like maybe he almost smiled, but his eyes stayed fixed on me. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Just tired. And I’m never touching saltwater again. I’ll just live a happy chlorine-only life from now on.”

He stayed another minute, his leg bouncing like he couldn’t burn off the adrenaline. Then he glanced toward the door. “I’ll get your bag from the locker room. You shouldn’t go back there right now.”

“Thanks,” I said.

When he left, I stared at the ceiling fan again, wondering why Kaelen hadn’t stayed, or why the nurse had looked like she was about to say something she wasn’t supposed to. Ethan came back a few minutes later, my gym bag slung over his shoulder.

“Ready?” he asked.

I slid off the bed, wincing as my legs protested. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here before Nurse Mystery decides I need more tea.”

We stepped out of the clinic. The storm had passed, and the concrete walkways were slick with puddles. We were halfway across the courtyard when movement caught my eye over by the lockers. The swim team was packing up, their team duffels scattered across the benches.

And there he was. Kaelen.

I froze for half a second, watching him haul a gear bag over his shoulder. He didn’t look at me, didn’t acknowledge anything. He just kept moving like I was a random bystander.

And then, like some bad movie cliché, our eyes met for maybe two seconds. It was long enough for me to be sure it wasn’t accidental. Then just as quickly, he looked away.

“Anya?” Ethan said, turning to see why I’d stopped.

“I’ll catch up,” I told him, already stepping sideways.

“What—”

“Two seconds, promise.”

I didn’t wait for him to argue. My legs were still heavy, but I crossed the wet pavement toward Kaelen before he could vanish.

He noticed me coming, but didn’t move.

“You,” I said, planting myself in front of him. “We need to talk.”

His eyes flicked over me, calm in that detached, unnerving way.

“About?”

It was the first time I’d heard him speak, and, god, the sound caught me off guard. His voice was low and smooth, like warm tidewater sliding over stone. There was a weight to it, and it curled down my spine before I could stop it. My pulse jumped, and I hated that a single word could feel like it had been spoken straight into my bones.

“Don’t do that,” I snapped, shaking my head to focus.

"Do what?"

“The staring thing. You’ve been looking at me like some kind of...” I waved a hand, “...I don’t even know, like a weirdo surveillance drone, since this morning. You run into me, don’t help me up, and now I find out you pulled me out of the water, and you’re just… what? Pretending it didn’t happen?”

"Does it matter?" His jaw tightened slightly, but his tone remained the same. “You’re fine now. Aren't you?”

“That’s not the point.”

“It’s the only point.”

I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was joking.

“You could at least—” I stopped, because what did I want? A thank-you for letting him rescue me? That didn’t even make sense. “Why didn’t you stay? Why didn’t you—”

He rolled his eyes. “I have better things to do than watch you sleep.”

“You make it sound like you fixed a leaky faucet, not pulled someone out of the ocean.”

He finally looked me full in the face, and for a second there was something in his eyes, but it vanished before I could catch it.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said. “You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I would have done the same for anyone. And please, do yourself a favor and stay away from the ocean. Clearly, you do not have the talent for swimming.”

And then he stepped past me and walked away with the rest of the swim team.

"Hey, wait! I'm still talking to you!" I shouted at Kaelen, but he did not even give me a second glance. Geez. What an assh0le.