Page 14 of The Right Guy
Lux was the playground for every beautiful and popular student who had the privilege of securing a VIP ticket to Fia’s party.
The pool was teaming with inflatable swans, bright and bold colored rubber rings with sexy girls in bikinis orbarely-thereswimsuits. White sunbeds, grouped in duos, were filling up quickly, but they were near the water.
“Can we find a cabana? I’d rather not be near the pool.” I stuffed my phone inside my pocket after sending Theo a quick text to ask if he was working tonight.
Kim circled the extensive white linen table, decorated with ice buckets, beer, champagne, spirits and fruit juices. A group of annoying freshers lingered by the table, ready to swipe alcohol without being noticed by security. We snatched two flutes of champagne while scouting for a free hideaway.
Happy beats blasted from the wireless speakers, hidden in the tall palm trees that lined the poolside. It was hip and luxurious, everything you would expect from prestigious students.Drinks flowed and fresh fruit slices were carried on platters by waiters in black shorts and bow ties.
The sky was cloudless, and the sun hot. A bead of sweat tumbled between my shoulder blades as we skirted thewater’s edge. I lugged my heavy bag, hating how the strap dug into my skin. The high sun shone in my eyes and I fought the impulse to rub them and dislodge my new contact lenses.
“There’s one. Come on.” Kim quickened her pace. When we arrived at the cube with a fabric roof and three curtain sides, she slung her purse onto the sheltered chaise lounge sofa and stood at the opening. “People, we have arrived!” she announced with arms wide.
I sank down in the shaded privacy and whistled lightly. “It’s warm. I don’t recognize anyone, do you?” In that second, I wished Theo was with me. He always had a lame-ass joke that made me laugh or a comforting arm slung around my shoulder.
“Ro’s running late.He has towait on Fia. She takes hours to put her face on. He told our mother it gets on his nerves.”
And there it was, a rare twinkle of hope.Fia annoyed him. That minor insignificant niggle would turn into a pet peeve, and then hate, and then he’d never want to be with her again.
Step aside, I’m coming through.
Kim whipped off her top, revealing a bold red bikini, teamed with high-waisted denim shorts. I was envious of her sporty physique and long svelte legs that went on for days. The shade of red brought out the color of her bright white hair. She strutted with born confidence, not too dissimilar to her brother. They pretended to hate each other, but secretly they were close. Kim swiped a bottle of champagne from the ice bucket and peeled the gold foil.
“I’m nipping to the loo before I strip to my bikini.” It was a stalling tactic.
“I’ll be here, entertaining this bottle with my lips.” Kim raised the black bottle in the air. This party was going to be messy.
I dodged the pool like the plague and darted to the toilets, nodding to the attendant who had glossed the porcelain to a shine that bordered on obsessively clean.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror and smiled shyly. Kim had helped with the contact lenses before we left The Loft. She’d been raving about them for so long and told me it was time to shed the nerdy frames. So, I got hooked up with a prescription, poked myself in the eye more than twenty times, and they’re in, for now. I kept blinking like there was grit in my eyeballs because that's how uncomfortable the damn things were.
I had tamed my unruly fuzz into sleek tendrils with the help of some anti-frizz gloss and a curling iron, and my face glowed with a sweep of bronzer. I couldn’t believe how long my lashes looked with mascara and a squeeze of an eyelash curler. I liked how they made my eyes look big and startled. The plan was to ‘wow’ Ro with mycurvalicious body and metallic bikini, held together with a few loose ties.
A loud cheer came from outside the washrooms. I patted my hands dry and took one last glance at my face before flip-flopping back out into the sunshine. A mass of male bodies, waving bottles and flamingo inflatables, rallied close by. They sang and roared, tossing each other into the pool for sport. I kept my head low and scurried toward the cabana. Suddenly, hands clutched my waist, and alcohol breath wafted in my face.
“In the pool!” a deep male voice shouted.
“Chuck her!” the crowd chanted.
I struggled, punched, and kicked, but the guy just laughed. “You’re going in,” he said through a wicked chuckle.
“Please, no!” I pleaded as he lifted me up from behind, and his friend grabbed my ankles. “I can’t swim!” I yelled to deaf ears.
The semi-naked bodies parted, and the tropical blue water was only a few meters away. When I wiggled and squirmed, the students hooted louder. A weightless toss carried me through the air until ice-cold water engulfed my fully clothed body.
I squealed on impact. The shock compelled me to inhale, and I gulped a gush of water. My hair swamped my cheeks like seaweed and my arms thrashed, trying desperately to find the surface. Panic trapped me beneath the water. I clamped my eyes shut so my lenses didn’t wash away. Beneath my panic, I wished Theo would save me.
Something skimmed past my leg. Hands slotted under my armpits. They propelled me upward, my face bursting into the sunlight. I bobbed along the surface, secured from behind by powerful arms and a hard chest. When we approached the ledge, I clung on, panting and spluttering. I blinked repeatedly while spitting out chlorinated pool water.
“Ada!” Kim’s voice was distant. “Ada!” Her blurry figure hunkered above me. She held out her palm, ready to haul me out of the pool.
“You’re okay, Ada.” The voice of my hero was familiar, his breath close to my neck, warming me more than the sun.
I grabbed Kim’s waggling fingers and noted a set of hands pushing my ass upwards. Slumped on the tiles, I hugged my knees and shivered in shock.
“Look at me, kid.” Ro heaved himself out of the water. “It’s okay.”Water droplets glistened on his sculpted torso and the sun lit him up from behind.
Kim went to war with the guys who had flung me into the pool. Large hands cinched my waist, and Ro helped me to rise.
