Jake picked up his phone from the floor and sat back on the couch. I stared at him, waiting for him to go on, but he said nothing else about his ‘girlfriend’. I cursed myself. He was so used to my disinterest in his dating life that he knew when to end the conversation.

I licked my lips and sat down next to him. Not trying to sound too interested, I asked, “You met her at the pool?”

I tried to wrap my head around this situation. Was Isla dating Jake? She didn’t come across as someone who jumped so easily into relationships—though I had been wrong about her several times before. Besides Jake knew about my secret arrangement with Isla…why wouldn’t he tell me sooner?

Jake looked up, obviously surprised at my follow-up question. But his eyes still brightened up as he typed something on his phone and presented it to me. “That’s her.”

I took the phone a little too eagerly. I stared at the photo of a brown-eyed, ginger-haired girl. She was cute, but definitely not Isla. A smile tugged at my lips, and I fought hard to maintain a straight face. I cleared my throat and said, “She looks familiar.”

“Lucy. She’s a barista,” Jake said. “Works at the café in your building.”

“Oh.” I narrowed my eyes. “So, you met her a few days ago, and you’re already dating?”

“We like each other.” Jake grinned. “That will happen soon too.”

I shook my head at his confidence and scrolled through Lucy’s Instagram photos. I paused when I spotted a familiar pair of stunning blue eyes. Isla. She was hugging Lucy, captured mid-laugh. I had never seen her so… happy. Not even in the pool. She was always so stiff and formal around me.

“Isn’t she pretty?” Jake asked.

“She’s beautiful.” The words left my mouth on their own. I quickly caught myself and locked the phone. 

“Oh?” Jake sensed something was off and snatched the phone from my hands. He let out a low whistle as he saw who I’d been looking at. “Isla, huh? They’re best friends, by the way.”

My ears perked up at the information, but I didn’t respond. I collected the scattered papers and placed them in the file again. “Let me get back to work.”

“Maybe it’s time for you to date,” Jake said, watching me closely. When I didn’t show any interest, he sighed. “At this rate, your uncle will end up finding a bride for you.”

I gave him a pointed look. “Dating isn’t worth the trouble.”

“That’s because you haven’t found someone you like!” Jake zoomed in on Isla and waved his phone in front of my face. “If you open up more—”

“I can date my receptionist?”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“Jake…” I sighed and struggled to find the right words. 

Isla looked so lost and disappointed when she was in the pool with me. How could I date someone when I couldn’t even make them smile?

Instead of answering his question, I blurted out, “I want to change my swim instructor.”

“What?” Jake stood up. “Did something happen?”

I thought back to Isla’s questions, and how they had opened the floodgate of memories. I avoided Jake’s eyes and muttered, “No reason.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair. “You finally found someone to help you! Why do you want to fire her?”

When I didn’t reply, he sat down next to me again.

“Isla saved you, Noah. Remember what you told me?” He bore his eyes into mine. “If she saved you once, she can save you again. 100% guarantee, right?”

I pursed my lips. I could never get Jake to be serious—unless it came to this topic. He was right. Isla was my 100% guarantee. It was just that… I wasn’t confident. How long would I be able to push myself before I chickened out? One day or the other, I would panic again. The water would overwhelm me, and I would give up. 

What was the point of trying when things would never improve?

I didn’t say any of this to Jake. And he took my silence differently. “So, something did happen.”

“Nothing—”

“If you don’t tell me, I have ways to find out.” Jake unlocked his phone again. “I’ll call Lucy. She’ll ask Isla and let me know—”

“Isla asked me about that!” The words were out of my mouth before Jake could make the call.

“What?” Jake looked stunned.

I took a deep breath and explained, “Isla asked me why I never learned to swim.”

“Is that all?”

“Is that all?” I repeated in an incredulous tone. It was everything. I massaged my forehead and said, “You know I can’t… I can’t tell…”

“I know, Noah.” Jake sighed. “But you can’t hide it forever.”

I pursed my lips and looked away.

“How many swim instructors will you change?” he pressed. “Maybe it’s time you trust someone.”

It wasn’t as easy as he made it sound.

“I believe Isla can help you.”

I thought back to our swimming lesson today. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, I had to give credit. Isla did help me. But how was I supposed to face her when she asked me those questions? I wasn’t ready to trust her with the answers yet. Might never be able to. And what then? Would we forever remain at this impasse?

“Can I really do it?” I whispered. 

The question echoed between us for the hundredth time. Like always, Jake didn’t have an answer. And neither did I. If I couldn’t learn to swim in twenty years, could I learn it in twenty lessons?

“Do you have a choice?” Jake gritted his teeth and released a harsh breath. “You remember what your uncle said, right?”

My chest tightened. “I know.”

“Think about it, Noah. You can’t keep avoiding it.” Jake stood up and threw another dart at the dartboard. It missed the center this time. He turned to me and gave me a sad smile. “Because if you don’t learn to swim, you’ll lose everything.”