Nora

The house was quieter than I expected at night.  

No humming appliances. No creaking pipes. Just the faint rustle of wind against the windows and the occasional whisper of water filtering through distant vents.  

I stood by the pool’s glass doors for a moment before slipping inside.  

It was warm, humid in a way that wrapped around you like a second skin. The water glowed a soft, blue-green under the dim lights, calm and glassy. The kind of place designed for luxury, not comfort.  

I stepped to the edge and dipped a toe in. Perfect temperature. No noise. No footsteps. No judgment.  

Good.  

I slipped out of the oversized t-shirt and folded it neatly on one of the nearby lounge chairs. My swimsuit was plain black. High neck. Low back. Modest but fitted.  

I didn’t swim to be seen.  

I slipped into the water quietly, letting my body float near the surface as my mind drifted elsewhere. Everything felt heavier underwater, like the silence was deeper, too.  

I didn’t expect to like it. But there was something about floating in this unfamiliar place that made me feel slightly in control again.  

So I stayed.  

Ten minutes passed. Maybe more. Then I heard it.  

Footsteps.  

I turned slowly.  

He stood at the door, backlit by the hallway light. T-shirt clinging to his chest, damp towel slung over one shoulder.  

Axton.  

Of course.  

His eyes scanned the room, landed on me, then paused. He didn’t say anything right away. Just stared.  

I raised a brow. "Didn’t realize this place had a sign-up sheet."  

He shrugged once, stepping further inside. "Didn’t realize you’d actually use it."  

I turned my back to him, pushing away from the wall, letting my fingers glide over the water’s surface. "Guess we’re both full of surprises."  

He didn’t laugh. Didn’t even scoff. Just dropped the towel onto a nearby chair and sat down at the edge of the pool.  

Fully clothed. Barefoot.  

I kept swimming, letting the silence stretch between us like rope.  

"I didn’t come down here to talk," I said after a minute.  

“Good,” he replied. "I’m not great at it."  

I stopped near the edge, resting my arms on the tiled ledge. My head tilted just enough to meet his gaze. He looked tired. Edgy. Like he’d been thinking too much for too long.  

"You always sit in here fully dressed? Or is that just when uninvited sisters show up?"  

His eyes narrowed. "You’re not my sister."  

That made me pause. Not because it was a shock. It was the way he said it.  

Firm. Low. Measured.  

I dropped my gaze, letting a breath slip out through my nose. "Right. Step."  

Neither of us said anything after that. Eventually, he stood, walked over to the wall, and flicked a switch. The lights dimmed just a little more.  

I watched his reflection shimmer across the surface of the water.  

"I’ll leave in a minute," I said quietly. "Didn’t mean to take your space." 

"I don’t care about the pool."  

"Then why are you here?"  

He didn’t answer right away.  

"Because," he said finally, "it’s quiet here. And I needed quiet."

I nodded once. Somehow, I understood that.  

We didn’t say goodbye when I finally pulled myself out and reached for the towel. He didn’t watch me leave. But I knew he knew I was there.  

And for some reason… that stayed with me longer than I wanted to admit.