Emily wasn't sure why she thought going to the school pool after class would be a peaceful, relaxing thing. She had her swimsuit, towel and an unhealthy amount of snacks stuffed into her tote bag. She just wanted one calm swim , no classmates, no noise, no awkward hallway nods.
Instead, she got Yunho. Or rather, ran into Yunho.
Literally.
She was rounding the corner of the locker rooms in a determined power-walk, pulling on her swim cap with one hand and texting with the other, when, bam, she smacked straight into a wall.
Except the wall was warm, slightly damp and said, "Oof."
Yunho.
Tall. Shirtless. Dripping wet. Holding a bottle of water and wearing swim trunks that probably should have been illegal in terms of distraction level.
Emily stumbled back, letting out a sound between a squeak and a sneeze.
"Whoa, uh, sorry!" Yunho said, steadying her by the elbow. "Didn't see you there."
"Didn't see you either!" she blurted, even though he was approximately the size of a refrigerator and kind of hard to miss.
They both paused. She looked at him. He looked at her. Then his eyes narrowed slightly and a slow smile spread across his face.
"Wait a minute," Yunho said, raising an eyebrow. "You're the girl who took my towel by mistake the other day at the pool, aren't you?"
Emily froze, cheeks instantly heating up. Her swim cap was slipping off, making her look like a lopsided alien and a granola bar was half-sticking out of her tote bag like it was trying to escape. She seriously considered teleporting away.
Emily froze for a second, then grinned. "Honestly, you were the one showing off your abs to me, not like I was stealing your towel on purpose."
Yunho chuckled. "Hey, you weren't just stealing towels, you were doing a pretty thorough inspection. Gotta admit, I'm flattered."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, keep your towel next time. Or at least don't distract people with your body."
Yunho's smile turned mischievous. "So, what do you say to a race? Loser buys the other a smoothie."
Emily blinked, then shrugged. "Alright, you're on."
They lined up at the pool edge. Yunho took off the moment he said "Go" slicing through the water like a hot knife through butter smooth, fast and effortless.
Emily splashed and kicked with everything she had but Yunho was already on his return lap when she barely reached half length of the pool. She surfaced panting and defeated.
"Okay, okay, you win," she gasped, throwing her hands up. "I officially give up."
Yunho climbed out of the pool water dripping from his hair as he flashed a triumphant grin. "Guess I wasn't going too easy after all."
Emily shot him a mock glare dripping wet herself. "Next time just keep your muscles and your towel to yourself. I'm not falling for your tricks again."
Yunho laughed. "Deal. But you're still buying that smoothie."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Fine." They grabbed their towels but Emily's grip tightened around hers like it was a lifeline. She glanced at Yunho, then immediately turned toward the showers.
"I'll rinse off," she said quickly, already moving.
"Cool," Yunho replied, casually. "I'll wait for you out here."
Emily paused mid-step. "Wait? Out here?"
He shrugged. "Sure. Unless you're planning to escape."
She stared at him. "No. But now that you mention it…"
Yunho grinned. "Take your time. I'm patient."
Emily disappeared into the locker room, half-hoping he was kidding. She stayed under the water long enough to be considered an aquatic creature, towel-dried at turtle speed and still, when she stepped out, there he was, leaning against the tiled wall outside the showers like he had nowhere better to be.
"Took you long enough," he said with a lazy smile.
Emily wrapped her towel tighter and gave a small, awkward smile. "How about a rain check? I think I need to recover from the race first."
Yunho's eyes lit up with interest. "A rain check, huh? That sounds like you're just trying to avoid me."
Emily shrugged, trying to keep her tone light. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just really bad at keeping up with swimmers and their charm."
Yunho laughed. "Charm, huh? Now you've got my attention."
Emily shifted her weight, glancing toward the exit. "Look, I really should get going. Got stuff to do."
Yunho took a step closer, still grinning. "You know, I'm starting to think you just don't want to admit you enjoy my company."
Emily smiled but kept her distance. "Or maybe I'm just really good at pretending I don't."
He chuckled. "Alright, no pressure. But next time, you're not getting away so easily."
Emily nodded, a hint of a grin tugging at her lips. "We'll see about that."
Without waiting for another word, she turned on her heel and walked away as fast as she could without breaking into a full sprint.
Yunho watched her go, still smiling.