PART 5

“Relax your body and let me guide you,” Mike whispered, placing his hands on hers after positioning her correctly. Together, they threw the basketball, which sailed smoothly into the hoop.

With Mike so close, guiding her, Diana’s tension eased, and every shot she took afterward, free of embarrassment, swished through the net effortlessly.

“When my dad finds out he has to pay for everyone’s trip, he’s going to kill me,” Oscar lamented, burying his face in his hands.

“So, it was all about numbers, huh?” Johnny teased with a sly grin.

“And about having some coordination,” Anna added.

“Or not having two left hands,” Emily chimed in, hands on her hips, laughing.

“Who would’ve thought Micaela and Diana would get the highest scores?” Andrew remarked in surprise as the two high scorers exchanged a victorious high-five.

“Where to next?” Adrian asked the group, wrapping an arm around Emily’s waist, making her uncomfortable in front of Andrew.

“To see the dolphins,” Emily responded, subtly pulling away from Adrian.

“Dolphins?” Andrew echoed.

“Yes, there’s a kind of open pool where you can watch them,” Emily explained, her smile broadening, mirrored by the other women in the group, whose faces lit up at the description.

“Let’s go see the dolphins, then,” Johnny announced, taking the lead.

As they headed toward the pool, each person walked at their own pace; Emily, Diana, and Adrian led the way, followed by Anna, who, with an irritated expression, kept company with Oscar and Johnny as they chatted. Andrew and Mike brought up the rear.

“I see you’re getting closer to her,” Andrew remarked, glancing at Diana.

“You know, I’ve realized that all these years, I was only attracted to a superficial image of her,” Mike admitted after nodding. “But now that I’m starting to really know her… I think what I feel is much deeper. Every little gesture, every small act, no matter how strange, I find captivating, and it makes my heart race like never before.”

“You’re quite the romantic,” Andrew said, ruffling Mike’s hair playfully before letting go and falling silent for a moment, looking at him. “Mike… thanks for putting up with all my whims.”

“You have to put up with mine, too. That’s what friends are for, right?”

“When the time comes, don’t hesitate to confess. She seems like a fascinating girl.”

As Mike listened to his friend’s advice, he gazed at Diana from afar. He hadn’t noticed how a smile crept onto his face every time he talked, thought, or was near her. Watching her, he realized she was limping slightly, but before he could move closer, they had already reached their destination.

Fifteen minutes passed filled with laughter, curious comments about the dolphins, and a few jokes as they stood by the pool, watching those magnificent mammals that everyone loved for different reasons. The sun was beginning to set, and the park’s closing time was approaching.

“Well… it’s a shame, but isn’t it time we head out?” Oscar announced to the group.

“We could grab something to drink before leaving…” Diana suggested, absentmindedly reaching for the lump usually formed by the necklace she always wore under her clothes, but this time, it wasn’t there. “Where is it? My necklace? Where’s my necklace?”

“Calm down, Diana,” Emily tried to soothe her friend.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“You know that necklace is very important to me.”

“Is it this one?” Anna asked, smirking maliciously as she pulled the necklace from her bag. “It fell off when we got off the roller coaster. I thought about giving it to you, but then I forgot.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Diana’s eyes widened with a huge smile, while Andrew’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the pendant. Just as Diana reached for it, Anna sneezed hard, letting go of the necklace, which dropped into the large pool.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Diana,” Anna apologized, wearing an innocent expression on her sweet face.

However, no one expected what happened next. In a matter of seconds, the ebony-skinned girl dove into the pool, determined to retrieve her necklace.

After the accident she had as a child, the only object that allowed her to remember small fragments of her past was that “teardrop.” Though she didn’t know why, her heart would ache if she was away from it for too long. Her mother had told her that the necklace was a souvenir made of two parts, which she had given to a boy who visited Gers every summer. But the year he didn’t return, Diana had her accident in the winter.

For Diana, that necklace was like a talisman that kept her connected to her lost past. She couldn’t imagine being without it, in any way.

Diana swam down, reaching for the necklace, even as the pain in her ankle intensified rapidly. That’s when she noticed her leg was bleeding, turning the clear water a deep scarlet.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/NM2pnDb1/1.jpg]

“Why is she taking so long?” Emily asked, her voice trembling with concern.

Mike, remembering that Diana had been limping, was about to dive in after her.

“Don’t jump in, Mike,” Oscar said, grabbing his arm to stop him.

“I think her leg is hurt,” Mike responded, trying to free himself from his friend’s grip.

“If you jump in, you’ll blow your cover.”

“You guys are crazy. Let go of me,” Mike shouted desperately when a dark figure suddenly leaped into the pool in front of everyone.

“I’m going to get help,” Anna said, running off as she saw Andrew had dived in after Diana.

Underwater, Diana struggled to keep swimming. The pain was worse than a sprain, and she was slowly losing consciousness. Amidst the nothingness, she couldn’t stop thinking that she needed to reach the surface, that her family needed her… when suddenly, through the light coming from above the water, she saw a familiar figure—a boy from her past. As the figure came closer, it transformed into Andrew, who grabbed the thread of the necklace, pulled her towards him, and kissed her, passing some air into her lungs.

Then he held her tightly against his muscular body and carried her to the surface. The group helped pull a dazed Diana out first, followed by Andrew.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/Gt0qnDS6/2.jpg]

“Are you okay?” Mike asked, stepping back to give Diana some space.

“Yes…” she replied, coughing up some water.

“Thank goodness.” Emily knelt beside her, hugging her friend with tears in her eyes. “Don’t ever do something so dangerous again!”

“I’m sorry…” Diana apologized, accepting the hug, completely drenched.

A moment later, Anna returned with park staff.

“Are you all right?” a concerned employee asked. “Please follow us. We’ll take you to the staff area where you can dry off and get checked out.”

As they began to walk, following Diana and Andrew, the staff stopped them.

“Sorry, but only they can go. You can wait for them at the entrance. Apologies,” the other worker said, gesturing apologetically as Mike watched Andrew and Diana walk away together.

Minutes later, Andrew was in the staff waiting room, drying off, while Diana was being treated in the infirmary. The young woman couldn’t stop thinking about how their lips had met underwater, and though it wasn’t a full kiss, in some way, it was her first kiss.

“All done. You’ve got a pretty deep cut, but luckily, you won’t need stitches. Just a few days of rest. Sorry, but we don’t have crutches to lend you,” the nurse informed her as he finished bandaging her ankle.

“That’s okay. My friends have a car nearby. I can hop on one leg,” she replied, climbing off the examination table.

“I really feel bad about what happened to you,” the nurse apologized again.

“Don’t worry, it was really our fault,” she said, sticking out her tongue and scratching her head as she hopped out of the infirmary.

As Diana wondered where the object she had endured so much for was, Andrew finished drying his hair. Leaning against the back of the table, his shirt was so soaked that it clung to his toned torso, and his hair continued to drip heavily despite his efforts with the towel.

Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind, and he froze, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out Diana’s necklace. With a mischievous smile, he unhooked the red pendant that always hung from his ear and slowly brought the two objects together. The “teardrops” fit together perfectly, as if they had been made to be one.

“I’m glad to know you’re okay,” he murmured to himself with a smile unlike any he had shown before.

“Andrew?”

The young man holding the united necklace in the air heard a voice. When he looked up, he saw Diana, who had limped her way to him, gazing at him with curiosity.