Chapter 1: Introduction
The chlorine stung my eyes as I gritted my teeth and pushed through the final lap. The pool was a blur of blue and white as I sliced through the water, my muscles screaming for relief. But I wasn’t done yet. Not by a long shot.
Swimming had always been my solace, my escape from the world. It was the one place where I could control everything—my breathing, my strokes, my speed. It was just me and the water, no distractions, no noise, nothing to think about.
Except today, I couldn’t drown out the thoughts of her.
I had seen her in the locker room after practice.
The same every time when I had seen her and personally my heart would always do a strange little flip. She always carried this energy, a mix of determination and a sense of adventure. She had her long, curly red hair pulled back into a messy bun, and she moved with an athletic grace that was hard to ignore. Leah Williams, the new swimmer on our college team, had earned her place more than once with her speed and endurance.
The end of practice found the locker room teeming with the usual chorus of thumps and clangs. Swimmers were shedding their wet suits, the air thick with the scent of sweat and chlorine. I headed towards the showers after grabbing a towel.