Chapter 3 The Lesson
1211 Words
Early the next morning, Rachel had just gotten out of bed when she heard Leslie's voice.
"Rachel! Are you ready?"
He was already dressed, holding a water volleyball, and waiting in the backyard.
'He's fast! I haven't even finished curling my hair yet!'
Leslie swam a few laps in the pool and then propped himself up at the edge, peering anxiously toward Rachel's bedroom window. "Rachel, is everything okay?"
"No. I'm on my way!" Rachel finally finished getting ready and stepped outside.
She was wearing a sexy bikini, her smooth skin glowing under the sun. The bikini top pushed her full breasts up high, her waist was slim, her stomach flat, and her hips round and perky. Her long legs were every bit as stunning as a model's.
Leslie immediately slipped back into the pool, taking a moment to resurface.
"Rachel, you... you look amazing..." he blurted out, wiping the water from his face. He quickly tried to recover. "I mean... that swimsuit really suits you."
Rachel clearly saw the admiration in his eyes and couldn't help but feel a bit pleased, though she still said, "Thanks."
Looking around, she noticed Connor wasn't there and asked, "Where's Connor?"
Leslie shrugged and explained, "I'm not sure. After dinner last night, he locked himself in his room and didn't seem too happy. Maybe his professor dumped a last-minute assignment on him."
"Is it okay if I'm the only one playing with you?" he asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
'Is he saying it'll just be the two of us in the pool?'
Rachel felt a flutter of nerves. But she couldn't think of a reason to say no, so she replied, "Of course, that's fine."
*****
Swimming in the summer definitely helped ease her mind. The tension Rachel had built up in New York melted away in the cool, clear water. But she still felt a bit awkward, keeping her distance from Leslie and tossing the ball back and forth half-heartedly.
She had to admit that the silence between them was creating a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere.
'Maybe I've just been away from the town too long. It's weird seeing the boy next door all grown up.'
Leslie seemed to pick up on her hesitation. Catching the ball she had thrown, he pointed to the far edge of the pool. "How about we race to see who can touch the other side first?"
It wasn't a bad idea.
Rachel looked toward the finish line, her interest piqued, but she crossed her arms and pretended to be annoyed. "You really think it's fair to race a girl?"
"I'll give you a head start. You can start at the halfway point, and I'll start at the beginning," Leslie explained.
"Well, thanks, but I don't need it," Rachel said with a grin, refusing his offer, and quickly took off.
Always competitive, Rachel wasn't about to accept an unfair challenge.
But the truth was, it had been a long time since she'd gone swimming, and even though she tried her hardest, her movements were clumsy compared to Leslie's. He reached the other side first.
"Oh!" Rachel, determined not to lose, kicked out hard to try and touch the wall but ended up colliding with Leslie's solid chest.
Leslie quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, his large hands firmly supporting her back.
"You okay, Rach?" Leslie asked, looking down at her with concern.
They were suddenly very close. His green eyes reflected her startled expression, and his warm breath brushed against her cheek. For some reason, Rachel's heart began to race. "I-I'm fine... Sorry for bumping into you."
"No worries. I'm strong," Leslie said, sounding a bit embarrassed himself.
His flustered expression made Rachel laugh, and she felt her tension slowly begin to dissolve.
*****
Even though they had put some distance between them, Leslie could still catch a faint whiff of Rachel's delicate lily of the valley scent. He watched her for a moment, unable to resist saying, "Sweetheart, I won."
"I gave it everything I had. I believe you're an athlete now," Rachel said, giving him a thumbs up.
Leslie's cheeks turned red, though whether from the exertion or something else, she couldn't tell. "Thanks... So, what's the reward for the winner?"
Rachel had almost forgotten they hadn't set any stakes.
"Alright, what do you want?" she asked, curious.
"I want..." Leslie's eyes roamed over her, but just as he was about to say something, he bit his tongue and looked away, clearly nervous. "I just want to ask you some questions. Honestly, Rachel, I'm really glad you came back to Seabreeze Bay."
"Hm?"
"I-I mean, Connor and I were both thrilled to hear you were coming back," Leslie quickly added. "But I'm curious, why did you come back? I heard you started a studio in New York and that it was doing really well."
It almost sounded like he'd been keeping tabs on her.
Rachel looked into his eyes, her heartbeat quickening. The words swirled in her mind before settling into a more somber thought. "Well, some things happened that made me sad. What about you? I'm shocked by how much you and Connor have changed. I didn't expect you two to end up at the same university I went to."
She hadn't realized the twins were so academically gifted.
Leslie's gaze was sincere. "If I told you I applied to Northbrook University because of you, would you believe me?"
Rachel froze. 'Is he trying to tell me...? No, that's impossible. He must mean he worked hard to be as successful as I was.'
After all, when he used to visit her house, he'd always admire the awards displayed in her room. That must have been when he started looking up to her for her academic achievements.
"Come on, Leslie, don't joke around." With that thought, Rachel's mood dropped, and she stared at her reflection in the water. "Don't tell me I, a failure, was your inspiration to study hard."
"That's not what I meant." Leslie was surprised by her response and quickly tried to clarify. "What happened to make you think that way?"
Rachel didn't want to bring up Trevor's name, the very thought of it pained her.
But it was the reason for her gloom.
She had once believed the praise for her graduation project was due to her talent. But later, she realized Trevor was attracted to her looks and body. What about everyone else? Were the compliments from her other collaborators just because she was a pretty face?
*****
Leslie grew visibly concerned when she didn't answer. "Did I say something wrong? You don't look so good."
"No... It's not your fault," Rachel quickly reassured him.
She knew she shouldn't be showing this side of herself to Leslie—they weren't that close. Maybe it was time to call it a day on today's lesson.
Just as she was about to swim to the edge, Leslie suddenly moved behind her, his arms reaching around her to grab the floating volleyball.
"Hey, relax, Rachel. Let go of all those bad memories. Remember how to serve?"
His lips were so close to her skin, his warm breath grazing her ear like a soft electric current.
"If you don't remember, I'll show you again."
- Writer
