Swimming

Dahlia’s POV

After breakfast, the uneasy feeling from my conversation with Aris still lingered. I tried to brush it off, but when Aris asked, “Do you want to go swimming with me?” it completely threw me off. Out of all the things he could have suggested, why swimming?

“I don’t know how to swim,” I admitted, hoping that would be the end of it.

“Okay,” he replied, “but you can still change into a swimsuit and join me. You don’t have to swim.”

His persistence caught me off guard. “I’m not comfortable with that,” I said, trying to convey how much the idea unsettled me.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” he said, completely ignoring my discomfort.

I followed him reluctantly, my mind racing for a way out. When we reached my door, he stopped and waited outside while I went in to change. As soon as I stepped into my room, I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I could use this time to figure out how to get out of this situation without making things awkward.

But then I realized I didn’t have a swimsui