Everything down here seemed so quiet yet so chaotic at the same time, the sound of flowing water in my ears for the first time acted as a tranquilizer instead of giving me a panic attack. I exhaled from my nose and watched the bubbles from my nose drift to the surface; my hair was floating around me as I did my best to stay underwater.

My chest was starting to burn as my lungs demanded oxygen, I could feel the constriction, but I was stubborn, I wanted to see how long I could stay without it. It was solacing – in a strange way – to be able to prove to stay beneath something I was terrified to get in.

When Mitchell first taught me to hold my breath underwater, I refused out of fear, but he said that my fear wasn't the water or even drowning, it was suffocating. As I sat beneath the swimming pool, calmly holding my breath, I realized how correct he was.

I shut my eyes and convinced myself a few seconds longer, I wanted to savor this moment of conquering my fear but within seconds, I was pushed up to the surface and my lungs absorbed all the O² it needed. I instinctively gasped loudly, breathing in, and exhaling audibly.

"What is wrong with you?" I blinked the water out of my eyes and slicked my wet hair backward, getting it out of my face.

With his hands around me, Leo looked awfully annoyed, his hair was a wet mess sitting on his forehead and I watched as droplet fell from a strand, down over his thick eyebrows, down to the side of his face, and then met a whole lot of droplets on his neck where they fell onto his broad chest.

Leo's skin appeared golden in the sun, his hair looked a chestnut brown, and his eyes resembled the color of honey, even the little hair on his chest looked lighter. My eyes fell to his right chest pec and I admired the tattoo he got after we lost contact, when I asked him about it on our first lesson together, he told me it was an ancient symbol for unity in diversity.

"My eyes are up here." He snapped me out of my thoughts.

I squinted my eyes a little because of the sun and looked up into his light brown ones, "What do you mean?"

He gave an irritated look, "I went inside for less than five minutes, and when I come out I see you're drowning, and it appeared to be voluntary."

"I wasn't drowning," I rolled my eyes at how dramatic he was, "I was practicing my breathing control."

"You obviously went too far because you didn't even hear me yell your name, repeatedly." He was keeping his cool, but I could see he was on the verge of losing it.

For the last week, I had been at Leo's every morning or afternoon and was making great progress with the swimming lessons. Being in the water felt good and now that I could stay afloat and swim – not at a good speed – but I was able to peddle my way from one end of the pool to the other, I found swimming to be a good way to unwind.

"You're being dramatic," I told him, "I didn't hear you because I was underwater."

He clenched his jaw and didn't reply with words but just stared at me intensely for a long moment, his gaze was burning into mine and I knew his mind was going crazy with thoughts.

"Stop thinking so much," I said to him, "Your brain will short circuit."

I attempted squirming out of his hold, but his fingers pressed into my skin, holding me in place. I gave him a bored look, "Do you mind?"

"Mila," He started dryly, "I'm starting to worry about you, you've been showing subtle signs of recklessness lately."

He was overreacting, first, everyone was complaining I was too cooped up indoors and now that I found something to take my mind of everything, they thought I'm being reckless – you really could never please people.

"I had no idea that swimming was being reckless," I countered, "If it makes you feel better, I will really invest in some armbands and maybe a swim ring."

"I didn't mean it in that way," He said, sounding a little remorseful, "I just want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm not," I flatly told him, "And I don't know when or if I ever will be again but I'd appreciate it if you stopped smothering me and quite judging the things I do to clear my mind."

His frown was back, "Like drowning yourself underwater?"

I was starting to grow annoyed at him, "No, apart from being a medical student I know my body better than anyone else. You're just being paranoid."

"Now, I know you love finding excuses to touch me, Mitch," I squirmed out of his hold, "But please let me go."

He let go and I was about to swim off, but he held my hand a second after letting go, "Mila, I'm not smothering you, I just..." He trailed off and his frown deepened, "What did you call me?"

It then hit me that I called him by the wrong name, I also just realized that after many days I said that name out loud – it felt weird. While underwater I was thinking of the words he shared while teaching me how to swim and I guess I wasn't used to Leo being so dramatic, that I confused the two.

I bit onto my lower lip, "I meant Leo, I confused you with my previous broody swimming instructor."

Leo's frown flattened and he let go of my hand, he seemed intrigued and curious, "The California one."

I simply nodded in response. Since my mom's death, I didn't think of anything but her, it was the first time that Mitchell crossed my mind, and now that I really thought about it, he seemed like such a long time ago. I idly wondered if he was back from his family vacation and if he wasn't, what he was doing, I wondered if he tried to call or text because my phone was still off; I was disconnected from the rest of the world.

"So," Leo drawled, "Was – is he someone special?"

I scrunched my nose, "Ew, you know I don't refer to people like that."

He lightly chuckled and I was relieved he was back to normal, "I'm glad to see that the Mila I know and adore is still in there."

For the last two weeks, I saw Leo every day without fail and it was nice. He was over at my grandparents place so often that it felt weird when he wasn't there, the only time he went home was to sleep, eat – because his mom got mad if he didn't eat at home – and go to the gym early in the mornings. Despite having meals at his house, he ate at my grandparents too, I didn't complain because it might've been very rare, but Leo got me smiling from time to time.

Reminiscing of growing up and talking about anything which came so naturally with Leo, helped me a lot. I enjoyed his company so much that I was dreading heading back to school in a week, the mere thought set furious butterflies in my stomach.

"So, when do I get a Storytime?" He asked, "I'm curious about this Mitch character."

"If you stop smothering me, I'll tell you everything," I told him.

He stepped backward, "Your wish is my command," He put up his hands defensively, "But I wasn't smothering you."

After a while in the pool, of swimming and Leo showing of different styles he could do, we were seated on the recliners with sandwiches Mrs. Marino made, accompanied by lemonade. Leo still had Mitchell on his mind while I once again forgot about him.

Since I always shared almost everything with Leo, I gave in to his insistence and told him all about my summer road trip and time in California. I told him how Mitchell and I met – how we really met – and he was in a fit of laughter, while I still felt utterly embarrassed about the incident.

Apart from the Moab incident, I didn't leave out a detail, from the flirting to the fighting, I told him everything. I even informed him about how our families were connected and that's why we had a fallout and now I didn't know what to refer to him as – the moment I was comfortable with calling Mitchell my friend, my theory of giving relationships a title proved itself correct, I was left disappointed and the bond we shared broke.

"I kind of get why he was mean to you at first," Leo said, "I would hold a grudge if you barfed in my mouth too." He laughed.

"Shut up!" I narrowed my eyes at him, "I suggested stopping but he didn't listen."

"I don't know Mils," Leo drawled, "It's hard to control oneself with you."

"You did pretty well in my grandparents' garage last week," I countered.

His light-hearted expression dropped and was replaced with a serious one, "I immediately explained why."

"Speaking of," Leo added seriously as I sipped on the cool lemonade, "Have you spoken to them about what you saw in the garage."

I dropped the lemonade on the glass table which separated mine and Leo's recliner before groaning under my breath, "No, I'm afraid if I ask then it would be true."

Leo looked at me sheepishly, "It kinda is."

My eyebrows knitted together, this was the first I was hearing of it from Leo, "What do you mean?"

Before exiting the garage, a week ago, I spotted a 'For Sale' sign with the number of a realtor hidden away in a corner where my grandparents thought no one would notice. I didn't quite understand it because my grandparents worked very hard to get that house and they loved the home they built together, so I didn't see why they would want to sell it.

All week I dropped subtle hints about selling things, I even brought up how the apartment in Queens was going up for sale, but they played ignorantly and didn't mention anything about their house. I was starting to think that perhaps the sign belonged to someone else and it somehow landed in their garage, but deep down I knew my thoughts were farfetched.

"I asked my dad about it and he said Nonna mentioned to Ma a couple of months back that they missed Spain terribly and were thinking of spending the rest of their retirement there," He explained, "They put the house up for sale to see if anyone would be interested, and,"

"Oh God, it gets worse," I commented.

Leo looked apologetically at me, "I hate telling you this but we've never kept secrets from each other," He said before continuing, "And they got a great offer last month, both parties were happy but..."

I exhaled, "But shit happened."

He pursed his lips and nodded.

"I always knew they missed home and maybe it's time I spoke to them about what I saw," I said more to myself, "I'll talk to them tonight after dinner."

"And you'll have all the privacy you need," Leo said, "I won't be over tonight, I'm meeting up with some friends later."

I raised a brow, "Friends or a friend?"

"Friends," He clarified, "And it's nothing like you're thinking, they're some old friends I haven't seen in a long time. You are more than welcome to join."

"Nah, I'll pass," I still wasn't in the mood to go out and socialize, "But I am curious, what does your body count sit at right now?"

He looked rather amused at my question and that made me regret asking, I didn't want to make his head bigger than it already was.

"More than you can count," He smugly grinned.

"I can count pretty high," I countered.

"I know," He smirked.

"You're disgusting," I scrunched my nose.

He was highly amused now, "Jealous much?"

"Don't worry, you're still my favorite," He added with a wink.

"Firstly, I am not jealous, you were the one asking a hundred questions about Mitchell," I stated, "And secondly, is that all I was to you, a nice lay?"

His smile dropped, "That's unfair, you know you aren't just that," He reached over and pinched my cheek, "You're my Chubles."

I slapped his hand away and he ended up laughing, he then clarified that he was kidding, and his body count was nothing over fifteen – which I still thought was gross.

***

"Some more flan, cariño?" Abuela asked and without even waiting for a response she put another spoonful of the creamy dessert in my bowl.

"I ate enough Abeula," I told her, but she dismissed my statement.

"You need to put some meat on those arms, so eat up," She stated and took a seat. I glanced at my grandfather for help, but he simply shrugged, telling me he agreed with her.

'What was with grandparents and constantly feeding their grandkids?'

I sighed and glanced at the dessert, just looking at it made my stomach feel like it was going to explode – I was so full after Abuela's three-course dinner.

Pushing aside the dessert and mentally making a note to eat it tomorrow, I started the conversation I has been dying to for a week.

"Do you guys miss Spain?" I asked them.

Papa was about to put a spoonful of flan in his mouth but paused and looked at me, Abuela didn't seem too phased by the question so she answered casually, "All the time."

"Papa?" I asked my grandfather.

He didn't answer straight away but waited for a moment, "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, "You guys always speak of Costa Blanca and I can't help but wonder if you ever thought of spending the rest of your retirement over there."

"You still have your house over there don't you, Papa?" I added.

He nodded, "I do but we can't just pack up and leave, there are too many ties here."

"It's just me now," I told them, and this caught Abuela's attention, "I understood before when mom was sick but she's..." I trailed off and took in a breath before saying, "Gone now. You guys should do what makes you happy."

"It's not just you, Mila," Abuela pointed out, "It's the house, your tía, and our whole life that we made here."

My aunt was happily living her life in Michigan with her husband, she had a great career which consisted of a lot of traveling; she barely even visited New York.

"Tía is just fine in Michigan," I told her, "As for me, things are about to get really hectic when I'm back at school. Third-year is no joke, I'll constantly be busy with clinicals, classes, and studying – I don't know if I'll even have a chance to visit on some weekends."

"Then when I graduate, I don't know where I'll be placed for my residency, not to mention I won't be having free summers anymore."

I didn't think they priorly thought through what I just said because realization dawned down on both their features, with that, a hint of sadness grew in their eyes. They were always so used to having me around, but they probably hadn't noticed how much older I was getting, and life was starting to get very real for me.

"We," Papa began after a long moment of silence, "We can't leave you."

"You won't be leaving me," I promised, "You have spent your whole life for your kids, then for mom and me – it's time you do what makes you happy."

"And I know you thought about it because I found the for-sale sign in the garage," I added.

My grandparents were too good for their own good because after hearing that both of them looked guilty.

"We were only testing the waters, hija," Papa elaborated, "Just to see where we stand should we decide anything."

"And?" I asked.

"And nothing," Abuela stated and her tone told me she was done with this conversation, "We are not going to leave you all by yourself."

"You won't," I insisted, "I'm a big girl now Abuela – no matter how much you refuse to see it. I can handle myself and as I said, I'm going to be so busy."

"What about summers?" She countered.

"I'd rather spend my summers on the shores of the beautiful turquoise blue ocean in Costa Blanca than here," I said with a small smile.

"Hija," Papa began softly, "It won't feel right to leave you."

I reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "You should spend your retirement happily," I glanced at Abuela, "I appreciate and love you so much for being there for mom and me, but now you can rest assured that I am fine."

"And I do have Dad around if I ever need anything," I added.

That didn't help the situation, at least from Abuela's perspective because she snorted, "That hijo de puta has proved how reliable he's been in your life."

I suppressed my laughter at her curses, "He's trying to be better, in fact, he's been insisting I come to spend a few days with him."

"And are you going?" Abuela asked.

I shook my head, "No but I said I'll join them for dinner this weekend."

I knew my dad wasn't liked by my grandparents, but they never put a wedge between us or ever tried to stop me from seeing him.

"Good thing you told me in advance," Abuela commented, "I'll send over a baked dish so they can eat some real food for once in their lives – at least your sweet brothers will."

"Don't change the subject," I told them, "Think about what I said, moving back to Spain wouldn't be the worst idea in the world."

Papa opened his mouth to object but I cut him off, "There's no need to make a decision now, just take in what I said and remember I will support whatever you decide and I will love you no matter where you are in the world."

The week seemed to pass by in a blur, I didn't know how the time flew so quickly. I was always busy, whether it was swimming with Leo, watching soccer or movies with my grandparents, or sitting and reading by myself in my room.

It was Saturday evening and I was on my way to have dinner with my dad and his family, I didn't want to go by myself because I knew I wasn't great company as of late – I mean I barely spoke. So, to keep the conversation flowing and lift the spirits at the dinner table – because I knew my dad could never, and Mandy and the boys weren't that chatty at dinner either – I invited Leo to join me.

My dad lived on the Gold Coast on a large estate, the interior of the house itself was over twenty-six thousand square feet, the land the house was built on was a little over four acres. The home which was situated in the middle of the plot was a stunning integration of authentic Versailles and modern living, the exterior was made of French limestone and faced a large, marble fountain. The garden was neat with many beautiful plants and trees and a perfectly manicured lawn. The highlight had to the private deep-water dock, sandy beach, and Marble Pool.

Security out front saw me and let us onto the property without hesitation, the drive up to the house wasn't very short but Leo – seeing my dad's house for the first time – was in awe. I didn't blame him, my dad had a taste for nice things and when he built this home shortly after I turned two, he put his heart into it, and it turned out beautifully.

"I always knew your dad was a successful businessman but this," He gaped at the large house in front of us, "Damn."

Leo turned off the engine and I began to undo my seatbelt, "Says the guy driving in with a brand-new M-powered BMW."

"I accept my parents are rich but honey, your dad is loaded." He countered.

I ignored him, grabbed the baked Paella Abuela sent, and got out of the car. Leo followed behind me with a bottle of wine in his hands.

"I still think the wine was a bad idea," I told him as we made our way up the stairs to the front door.

"Why?" He asked, "I'm meeting your dad for the first time, I've got to set a good impression."

I rolled my eyes, "This isn't that kind of meeting and as long as you don't have Clarke as your last name, you'll be fine."

"He doesn't have any issues with the Marino's, right?" Leo checked and I shook my head.

"Nope, just the Clarke's," I answered.

He let out a sigh of relief, "Good."

I rang the doorbell and within seconds one of the staff members welcomed us with a smile.