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I bend, sitting on the edge of the pool and slipping s in the water The cool water prickles at eof the water against my bare skin and hold o underwater, and I suck in a hissing breath

"You should have just jumped all the way in"

I look up to see that Torres has now turned He’s still leaning against the pool’s edge, but he has his arms stretched out beside hi he is His ar

"Everyone always says that," I say, trying not to shiver "But I still prefer to ease e all at once"

"And this list of yours? That’s not plunging in all at once?"

"I suppose so ritthem around myself both to cover ht I had my first real drink of alcohol That was the first step Later, I’ll actually get drunk Even do a keg stand"

He laughs and drops his hands into the water He beginsto do a keg stand? Now, that is not soht you would have on your list"

Too ee bucket list in an atte and say, "It see to happen, but what do I know?

He laughs, stilltoward me, and coh that I don’t feel crowded, but still close enough to speed?"

"Very"

His eyes are dark, pupils expanded wide in the night, and the look he gives me isn’t one I can classify It’s sexual, for sure, but ives me are at least partly sexual And yet they’re all so different Before ined how varied the reactions of attraction could be It’s fascinating, and without realizing it, I’ve h now that I could reach out and touch hi to unwrap ," I say, feeling an irrational need to quash his attraction to me, to "

"Oh, sweetheart, I don’t think you could ever be boring"