My lungs immediately try to reject the water, but in order to cough I need air in my lungs to exhale, and once again I inhale a lungful of water. In my fight to pull air into my body I don't realize I'm not going to find oxygen under the water, and the fight for breath continues until it dawns on me that I'm drowning. In my panic, I can't seem to get my brain to work as I breathe and cough water while struggling for survival.

I turn frantic when I feel a set of arms start tugging on me. I'm tearing and clawing at the arms, hoping that they will lead me upwards to where my life support awaits. I'm yanked abruptly from near death. Someone is holding me tightly while I sputter and gasp. My body struggles to cooperate, and I'm finally able to get in one good cough that launches the liquid from my lungs. I gulp in the air around me.

When I've got myself somewhat under control, I notice that I'm being dragged through the water towards the edge of the lake. He must notice that I've stopped hacking up my lungs because we stop, and he looks back at me.

I meet Trevor's troubled green eyes. We stare at each other for a moment and then he pulls me to him. I don't think before I find myself grabbing onto him and tightly wrapping my arms around his neck. I can feel myself shaking, but feeling his arms tighten around my waist only magnifies my tremor. One of his arms moves up my back and then his hand lightly grips my neck before pulling my head closer to his chest. I instantly tense before pulling myself away from his touch. His hand drops to my shoulder, the other gripping my waist.

We're right at the edge of the lake where the water is shallow enough that we can both stand easily, but I have no energy to move. Fighting for my life ironically drained the life right out of me. I don't realize that I've started crying until Trevor's fingers wind themselves into my hair where he lightly massages the back of my head. I don't pull away this time.

"I'm sorry, Emma," he murmurs into my hair. "I'm so sorry."

I struggle to reign in my emotions before pulling back just enough to look at his worried face. My lips tug up into a gentle smile, but I know he can see the terror dancing behind my eyes.

"It... it's fine," I stutter out around a hiccup. "You didn't know my body was going to try and drown itself." I laugh timidly.

Trevor smiles back tenderly, but it doesn't quite meet his eyes. I can see the regret and panic hidden beneath his calm exterior. I can understand some panic, but he seems genuinely scared. His grip is tight, and his body solid. He won't let me go, and I though I'm not complaining in the slightest, I can't fathom why he's so worked up.

I suck in a breath as his fingers graze the skin of my stomach. I'm positive that he notices my reaction, but he doesn't pull away. He watches me for a moment; nearly dazed. He stares, but it's as if he's not really seeing. He's stuck, his mind elsewhere, and I realize that I know this look, because I've experienced it far too many times myself.

He's remembering something.

It only lasts a few seconds, and then the moment is gone. He blinks, narrowing his eyes as his fingers slide further around me, tightening just a bit. It's not an obvious movement and yet the action is so significant. Our breathing mingles together for a moment before Trevor seems to gain his senses back.

He doesn't loosen his hold on me completely, but something has changed. The intimacy of the moment has vanished.

"You think you'll be able to make it back up?" he asks, motioning with his head towards the edge of the lake where the path begins.

I nod a few times, slowly.

"Yeah. I think I'll be okay." 

Trevor releases his hold on my waist but grabs my arm to keep me steady as we climb our way back to shore.

"You okay down there?" Mike yells and we both glance up to see Lindsey and Mike peering over the edge with concern etched into their brows.

"Yeah," Trevor responds. "Just had a little scare."

I chuckle softly, hoping to lighten up the mood even just a little bit, but I'm wondering who was actually scared more: me or Trevor. He doesn't seem to notice as he helps me over the embankment.

We finally reach the top, and Trevor leads me to my towel, where I gratefully lay down. Lindsey is in full mom mode as she digs through her bag for a bottle of water and a sandwich. I guess she came prepared for a picnic. I don't hesitate to scarf down the water, which seems odd since I've just nearly drowned on the stuff. I can see Mike in the background eyeing me with concern, and I can tell he feels like he should help but doesn't have a clue what to do. I send him a small smile, which he returns ten-fold—a sure sign of his relief.

Lindsey continues to fuss over me until I've had enough and tell her to back off. She just gives me a sly smile, and a wiggle of her eyebrows in Trevor's direction, before turning towards Mike and grabbing his arm. They both jump into the sea of death below, but her squeals, seconds later, are confirmation that she did not suffer the same fate I did.

I feel a presence beside me, and turn to see Trevor getting himself comfortable on the ground. He has slipped a pair of jeans on, but his shirt is still missing.

I watch him for a moment as he stares out across the lake. He's hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees and one hand gripping his opposite forearm. He appears so relaxed, but I can see the storm brewing behind his expression. He turns to meet my gaze. If he notices me staring he doesn't acknowledge it.

"I really am sorry about that," he says as he uses his free hand to play with a twig. "I was just goofing off and... Wow, that was just so stupid. Sorry."

"Please, I'm totally fine now," I assure him. "And I would hate for you to stop goofing off just because of this accident." I pause for a moment. "I like this side of you," I admit, somehow feeling much braver after my near-death experience.

He looks at me for a moment, and I can't read his features. The expression doesn't last long before he replaces it with a soft smile. His pale eyes twinkle lightly and my body warms drastically. I'd be sweating if I wasn't still shivering from the cold rush of adrenaline.

"Did I do that to you?" I gasp when my eyes land on a trail of red marks across his arms. There are even a couple that are bleeding. How did I not notice this a moment ago when I was checking him out?

Trevor glances to where I'm looking and rubs a hand over the damaged skin.

"You were fighting for your life," he says with a crooked smile. "It only makes sense that you'd try climbing me like a tree."

"I... What? I did what?" I gasp again, as I bury my face in my hands.

I hear him laughing beside me.

"It's not a big deal," he explains. "They're just scratches. I think I'll live."

"Gosh. I'm sorry." I'm mortified but I manage to peek around my hands at him to offer a timid smile.

He chuckles softly, and I'm momentarily incapable of tearing my eyes away from him. He's already beautiful, but this... When he smiles, really smiles, he's breathtaking. No man should be allowed to acquire this level of perfection. It's disgusting and intimidating, and I hate how much it affects me.

I'm sure he is aware that he is attractive, but he never flaunts it. If he ever harbors any vain thoughts he keeps them well hidden, so well hidden, in fact, that you'd almost think that he couldn't care less about his appearance.

He definitely catches me ogling him this time because he has to regain my attention by tipping his head down to my level and clearing his throat. I snap to attention, and I'm almost positive I've got steam bubbling out of my pores as my body ignites with embarrassment.

"So..." he begins, and I'm sure I see a smirk on his face. "You free tonight?"

My heart stutters beneath my chest. What is he asking me? Has that moment finally arrived? Have we jumped from friendship to something a little bit more that quickly?

He must see the turmoil in my eyes because he laughs before going on. "I'm just wondering if you'd want to finish our assignment tonight?"

"Oh," I respond, trying not to sound too disappointed.

Seriously, I'm such a goner that I'd probably say yes if he proposed at this very moment. Heck, I probably would have said yes a few months ago when he still hated my guts.

"Yeah, I'm free," I tell him.

We make plans for me to meet him at his place later this evening just as Lindsey and Mike appear from the edge of the path. Mike has Lindsey in a head lock and is rubbing mud into her hair, making her erupt with screams while she elbows him in the ribs.

It's probably been thirty minutes since I was in the water and I've now regained my composure. And, because I do hold a bit of pride, I decide to shove down my fear and take a leap off the edge of the cliff. This time, by choice, not by force. I'm surprised by how easy it is to do it again and again after this, and we spend another few hours at the lake before packing up and heading back to campus.

On our way home Trevor belts out every word to every song that comes on the radio and receives a slap upside the head from Mike when he makes an attempt at falsetto. I can't help but chuckle, but all the while I'm thinking about how tonight is going to go because I've finally decided that I'm ready to put the next step of my plan into action.

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How'd you all feel about this one? I'd love to hear your thoughts... or just seeing a vote of support is great too. Or, you can just enjoy the story and ignore me... Lol :D

What's your favorite thing about this story so far? Anything you don't like?