Soaked By Him

The first time Jayden Cole touched me, he was pulling me out of a swimming pool.The second thing he did was apologize.The third was look at me as if he had just discovered something he had spent two years pretending not to see.Unfortunately for him, I was too humiliated to care.It was supposed to be a simple birthday party. One evening of music, expensive drinks, and pretending I enjoyed being surrounded by people who cared more about appearances than anything else.Instead, I ended up nearly drowning in front of half our college.And Jayden Cole was responsible.I hadn't even wanted to attend his party. My friends had received invitations and spent an unreasonable amount of time convincing me to accompany them."Come on, Priya. It's just one party," Maya had insisted. "You can't avoid him forever.""I'm not avoiding him. We don't talk.""Exactly. Maybe it's time that changed."I had almost laughed.Jayden and I belonged to the same friend circle, attended the same college, and occasionally occupied the same spaces. Yet for two years, he had treated me like an inconvenience he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge.I had accepted the arrangement.I didn't need his attention, and I certainly didn't need to spend my evening hoping he would finally notice me.But my friends dragged me to his birthday party anyway.By nine o'clock, Jayden's backyard looked like something out of a celebrity's social media feed. Music shook the windows, colored lights illuminated the swimming pool, and students crowded around expensive decorations as if the photographs mattered more than the celebration itself.I stood near the pool, wishing I were somewhere else.Across the water, Jayden was busy being exactly who everyone expected him to be.Tall, confident, and effortlessly charming, he wore basketball shorts and a careless smile that seemed to attract attention without requiring any effort on his part.A basketball rested in his hands while his friends challenged him to perform increasingly ridiculous tricks."Dude, there's no way you can dunk backward!" one of them shouted.Jayden grinned."Watch me."I should have moved.That was the thought that would haunt me later. I should have walked away from the pool, found my friends, or simply gone home.Instead, I remained where I was, distracted by my phone and completely unaware that I was standing directly behind his target.His friends began chanting.Jayden turned his back to the basketball hoop."You're all about to witness greatness," he announced.Then he bounced the ball twice and launched it over his head without looking.He was aiming for the basket.He hit me instead.The impact struck my chest hard enough to steal my breath. I stumbled backward, my heel slipping against the wet tiles.For one suspended second, I saw the pool behind me.Then the water closed over my head.Cold swallowed me instantly.I surfaced, gasping, but panic took over before I could find my footing. The pool was deeper than I had expected, and I couldn't swim. Every desperate movement seemed to pull me farther beneath the surface.I tried to call for help, but water filled my mouth.Above me, the music continued. Lights fractured across the surface, and blurred faces gathered along the edge.Someone screamed.Then I sank again.I was going to drown at Jayden Cole's birthday party.The thought barely formed before strong arms caught me around the waist.Someone pulled me upward.I broke through the surface, coughing violently, and felt an arm tighten around me."Priya! Hey, look at me!"Jayden.His voice was nothing like the confident drawl I knew. It was sharp with panic, stripped of its usual arrogance."You're okay. I've got you. Just breathe."He dragged me toward the pool's edge, struggling to keep me above the water. By the time we reached the tiles, his friends had stopped shouting, and the music seemed impossibly distant.Jayden hauled himself out and helped me onto the ground.I collapsed onto my side, coughing until my chest hurt.He dropped to his knees beside me, completely soaked."Priya, can you hear me?"I nodded weakly."Are you hurt? Can you breathe?"His hands hovered near my shoulders, uncertain whether he should touch me again."I'm sorry," he said. "God, I'm so sorry. They dared me to do it, and I didn't look behind me. I swear I didn't know you were there."For a moment, I could only stare at him.He had jumped into the pool without hesitation. He had risked everything to pull me out.And I was grateful.Terrifyingly, painfully grateful.Then I became aware of the crowd surrounding us.My white dress clung to my body, my hair covered my face, and water dripped from my clothes onto the expensive tiles. People were whispering. Someone laughed before being quickly silenced.My humiliation settled over me more heavily than the wet fabric.Jayden had saved me from drowning, but he had also put me in that water.And I hated that both things could be true.I pulled my hands away when he reached for them."Don't touch me."He froze."Priya, please. I didn't mean to—""But you did."His expression tightened."It was an accident.""An accident doesn't mean there are no consequences." My voice trembled, and I despised myself for it. "You threw a basketball without looking. You didn't even consider that someone might be standing behind you.""I know.""No, Jayden. You don't."Silence settled between us.For the first time in two years, he was looking directly at me. Not through me, not past me, but at me.His wet hair fell across his forehead, and guilt shadowed his features. Yet there was something else in his expression, something I couldn't identify.His gaze lingered on my face."Priya," he said quietly.I stood before he could say anything else."Keep your apology."I walked away from the pool, ignoring my friends calling after me. I didn't look back, even though every instinct told me to see whether Jayden was watching.I refused to give him that satisfaction.But halfway across the backyard, I heard his voice behind me."Wait."I stopped despite myself.His footsteps approached, then halted a few feet away."I need to tell you something."I turned, my arms folded tightly across my chest."What could you possibly have to say?"For a moment, he seemed to struggle with the answer.Then his eyes met mine."I've been trying to stay away from you for a reason."My anger faltered.Two years of silence. Two years of pretending I didn't exist.And now, standing in the wreckage of his birthday party, Jayden Cole was finally offering me an explanation.I should have walked away.Instead, I asked the one question I knew I would regret."What reason?"His expression changed.And whatever he was about to tell me, he clearly wished he could take it back.