Page 12 of Powerless
I took a deep breath and started tilting my head back, the desert sky and tops of the palm trees entering my vision.
"Keep breathing. Just relax," Gunner instructed. "Your ears will go underwater but not your face. You'll be able to breath the whole time."
I nodded and allowed the back of my head to kiss the surface of the water. My toes stretched out along the bottom, curling to hold onto the sensation of solid ground. Gunner's hands on my back helped, but I was still scared to let go.
"Look straight up. Let your feet come up," he repeated gently. "I've got you."
When I leaned my head back just another inch, that was when my ears went below the surface and my feet lifted off the ground. I squeezed Gunner's forearm in a moment of panic. I couldn't hear him anymore!
But he leaned over me, looking down with a smile and mouthed, "Good job."
His voice was warbled and distorted but I could hear him after all, which was a huge relief.
"Am I doing it?" I asked, probably too loudly. "Am I floating?"
"You're doing it, baby girl."
He took one hand away from my back, which scared me into death-gripping his arm again, only until he pressed upward softly on my calves to float my legs higher.
"You're doing it on your own," he beamed down at me. "You don't need to hold onto anything."
"Don't let me go!"
"I won't." He leaned closer to me, the tips of his wet hair brushing my skin. "Promise I won't."
Goddamn, his eyes were gorgeous. And his smile. And...everything. He was such a beautiful specimen of a human being. I didn't notice how shamelessly I stared at him until he pulled back, looking at something in the distance.
"Ready to come up?"
I nodded and he returned both hands to my back, tilting me upward slowly until my feet found solid ground once again.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" he grinned, lowering into the water until only his shoulders were exposed.
"I had a good set of training wheels," I laughed, wringing out my hair.
"You can totally do it on your own," he assured me. "I think your fear is worse than what you're actually afraid of. Like, what's that saying?" He ran his hands through his hair, creating drops and rivulets running down his neck. "The only thing to fear is fear itself. I think one of the early presidents said that."
"Can't decide if those are words of wisdom or total bullshit," I teased, aiming a splash at him.
He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "There's a fine line between both, maybe."
A few moments of silence passed between us, with water lapping at the pool's edges as the only sound.
"Hey," I voiced softly. "Thanks, Gunner. I've never been able to do that before."
"Sure thing, baby girl." He looked toward the direction of the kitchen. "Think I'll head in for some grub. I heard chicken's on the menu. You coming?"
"I already ate, but thanks," I answered. "I got to watch Horus tear apart a whole chicken earlier."
"He's a savage," Gunner laughed. "That beak does not lend to careful eating. Sorry if that grossed you out."
"I have zero issue with blood and guts everywhere. But I think the kitchen staff were mildly traumatized."
"Ah. It's on them to get used to it then," he grinned, lifting himself out of the pool with one strong push of his long arms. "Have a good night, Mari. Keep practicing your float."
"You, too. Thanks again, Gun."
As he toweled himself off, he cast a downward smile that almost seemed shy. "I should thank you, too."
