At this, he stopped scowling, and looked more seriously at me. Then he let out a sigh. “Okay. If you insist.”
Yes.
“The water is lovely and warm. You’ll be comfortable in here,” I encouraged. And you’ll feel light. Weightless.
I returned to where I’d left my bath robe, and, hoisting myself out of the water, I wrapped it around me. Then I padded over to him. He had already unzipped his coat. I took it from him and hung it around the back of his chair. He removed his sweater, along with the many other layers we had packed on him. Finally he was wearing just his pants and a T-shirt. He lifted off the latter before unbuttoning the waist of his pants. He managed to ease them off the top half of his legs without much difficulty before I took the liberty of doing the rest of the work for him. I removed his shoes and rolled off his socks, then freed his legs from the pants.
I placed his clothes on a nearby bench before returning to him. He was now wearing just his boxers. I helped him out of his chair and lowered him to the edge of the pool. I slid his legs into the water before discarding my robe and dipping back in myself. I didn’t miss the way his eyes briefly roamed my submerged body, before they returned to my face. He still had a reluctant expression, but it was playful reluctant, rather than truly reluctant.
Gripping the side of the pool with one hand, I reached out my other to hold his right forearm. I tugged on him gently until he slipped into the water next to me. He shot downward instantly, of course, being unable to move his legs. I swiftly wrapped an arm around his waist and held him against me. I guided him to grip the pool’s edge. Now he could float, his legs swayed by the water jets.
It thrilled me to see a genuine smile on his face.
“Happy you came in now?” I asked.
He nodded.
I was tempted to do some water tricks for him, but I was sure that there would be cameras in here somewhere. It was better not to risk it. I backed away and splashed around in the water, swimming up and down nearby. I watched as he sank into relaxation.
“Hey,” I said, returning to his side. “Let me take you for a swim.”
Taking one of his arms, I turned my back on him and dropped it around my shoulders.
“You can manage?” he asked dubiously.
“Of course,” I said.
He placed the other arm around me and once I felt that he was holding on securely, I kicked against the side of the pool and launched toward the center. It was always a bit awkward swimming with somebody on your back but I could hardly feel his weight anyway. I swam up and down the length of the pool a few times, letting him enjoy the feeling of movement. Then I moved to the shallow end of the pool, which sloped upward gently until the water level was low enough that one could sit down, half submerged in water. I guided him to sit next to me and took a look at his face. He was eyeing the edges of the pool. Using his hands, he moved away from me and gripped hold of the side, placing himself against the jets again. Then his eyes met mine, and he smiled a little. “Come here, Grace. I want to try something.”
“What?” I asked.
“Just come.”
I moved up to him and found him doing the same to me as I’d just done to him—taking my arms and planting them around his neck. Then, still clinging to the sides, he began moving slowly along the pool’s borders.
He smirked. “Not as interesting as your ride, I’m afraid.”
“I’m enjoying myself,” I assured him. “Just let me know if I’m strangling you.”
“Will do,” he muttered.
He made his way around the pool until we arrived back in the shallow end. Here, I slid off him and sat next to him. That had hardly been strenuous, he would have barely felt my weight, but he looked worryingly out of breath.
“You okay?” I asked.
He nodded, an expression of triumph spreading across his face. “Now I can say that I’ve carried you.”
I chuckled, even as my cheeks flushed a little. “Thank you.”
We sat there in the warm water a bit longer while he caught his breath, and then I suggested that we head back to our room to shower and change, rather than use the changing rooms here. I helped him out of the pool and into his wheelchair before dabbing him down with a towel and wrapping a robe around him. I wrapped myself in my own robe, collected our clothes, and returned us to our room.
Once I’d helped him wash off the chlorine in the shower, I wrapped him up again in towels before pushing him back into the bedroom. He said that he could manage the rest himself—getting dressed and drying his hair—and simply asked me to lay out some clothes for him. Once I’d done that, I returned to the bathroom and took a shower myself and washed my hair before changing into a pair of silky pajamas, courtesy of the hotel.
When I reemerged in the bedroom, I found Josh already in bed. He was wrapped up in blankets, sound asleep.
I padded over to him and gazed down at his face. But for the slight frown that marred his forehead, he looked peaceful. Serene. Content, even. The swim must’ve worn him out.
I was about to return to my side of the room and climb into my bed, when I found myself leaning down closer to him, until my lips grazed his forehead in a gentle kiss.
“Good night, Josh,” I whispered.
Grace
I woke up with a start the next morning. Somebody was tugging at my blankets, and then hands were grasping my shoulders. The curtains had been drawn open, sun streaming into the room, blinding me. As my vision focused, I found myself staring up at Shayla.