Chapter 3: Rolf

The next day, we went to the lake. Rain was a force of nature. It was almost impossible to say no to her. I was afraid to go into the water, but the same impulse that drove me into dancing with her in the rain caused me to go into the lake.

Rain grabbed my hand, and we tiptoed into the cold water. The coolness wrapped around my toes and swallowed my ankles. I froze, a combination of the cold water and my fear making my muscles rigid.

I swallowed as I stared out at the dark-blue depths. In this particular spot, the lake was almost flat and completely smooth. I didn’t want to look scared with Rain by my side.

“How about for today’s first lesson,” Rain suggested after a few moments, “I just teach you to float.”

“Okay,” I agreed warily, letting her lead me deeper in.

I drew in a deep breath, told myself to be brave.

“Georgios taught me how to swim when I was in Greece; he was a lifeguard. You’re safe with me.”

“She met a lot of guys all over the world,” I thought. “Am I just another name in her list?” I couldn’t help but feel jealous of every guy that she had met. I shook my head trying to get rid of these thoughts. We were not a couple. She was just a girl I met in the street and invited to my place.

“Relax and lie back on the water, lift your feet from the bottom,” Rain coached me.

It was hard to relax when my heart was hammering with fear.

Soon, with Rain’s gentle coaxing and her firm hands keeping hold of me at all times, I was able to float on my back and stared up at the blue sky.

“You’re doing well, Rolf. Don’t move your arms and legs.”

I was breathing fast, my efforts were clumsy, but at least I was keeping my head above the water.

On the way to the lake, Rain and I had visited a store at the mall, which she insisted was all she could afford. I had waited patiently as she tried on a variety of swimsuits before settling on a pink two-piece. It cut low over her breasts and then skimmed the top of her thighs.

“Tell me about this guy, Georgios?” I tried to make my voice sound casual and light.

She rolled her eyes but answered anyway.

“He was the person who taught me how to swim. He lives in Greece. I like to meet people wherever I go. I have never been afraid to talk to strangers. That’s how I met some of the most wonderful and interesting people along the way.”

Why Rain brought up such strong feelings in me?

I tried not to get jealous. I knew there were no reason nor right for me to be jealous, but still, I couldn’t shake the prickly feeling that came over me. The inexplicable feeling that I didn’t like Lukas and I didn’t like Georgios, I didn’t like them at all, even though I’d never met any of them. The idea of some other guy touching Rain, kissing her was killing me.

“You’re floating now,” Rain said, stretching my arms out, oblivious to my thoughts. “Doesn’t it feel awesome, looking up at the sky, feeling like you’re part of something massive, huge like the lake?”

“Yes. It is. I just don’t want to be part of the lake permanently,” I said nervously. “What if I drift into deeper water?”

“Then I’ll bring you back to safety,” Rain reassured me.

I tried to stand, but my feet couldn’t find the bottom. I panicked and threw both arms around Rain’s neck. We both sank down.

When we emerged, she said in a calm but firm voice, “Rolf, you have to let go of me.”

I squeezed my arms tighter around her neck.

“I can’t. I’m way too scared,” I looked down. I couldn’t see the bottom of the lake from where I was floating. We were not far from the old pier.

“Why did I let Rain talk me into this? Perhaps she had used some of her pixie magic on me.”

Rain tried to extricate my fingers from around her neck, but I had her in a fierce hold. The cold water made her nipples poke out. If I wasn’t so scared, I would be enjoying having my body pressed against hers.