Lost on Titan

{Part 26}

~Videl~

Videl enjoyed watching Kane lift weights a little too much. The concentration on his face was almost as sexy as his rippling muscles that glistened with sweat. She was working up a sweat watching him, but for completely different reasons. After about an hour, she decided that she had better excuse herself, so she could cool off. He had just finished a set at the squat rack when she walked over to him. He smiled when he noticed her approaching, and she lifted to her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. She licked her lips, enjoying the salty taste of his sweat, and his silver eyes zeroed in on the flick of her tongue, darkening slightly to the tempest-storm she now knew signaled his desire.

"I'm gonna go change, and head to the pool," Videl told him, her tone a little more sugary sweet than usual.

Kane nodded, flitting a glance down to the bag in her hand that held her bathing suit. The lavender color of it was visible through the plastic. There was a strange flash in his eyes that resembled a bolt of lightning streaking through - some emotion she couldn't read. Then, it was gone, like he was steeling himself against it.

"Have fun," he responded, with a slight edge in his voice. "We'll be done in an hour. We'll hit the showers, and swim with you after."

He gave her a half-smile that seemed a little forced, as he tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear affectionately. Then he turned to start another set. Videl headed to the women's locker rooms, feeling perplexed and apprehensive. What was that flash she had seen? Had she upset him by wanting to go swim? No, that didn't make sense - he had told her to bring a swimsuit. It happened when he had looked at her bag. Something about that moment, and his forced smile, made her uneasy. She rinsed off under the weak shower head, feeling glad that there weren't any girls in there to see her naked. Then, she slipped into her bikini bottoms, before fastening the clip on the back of her top, and tying the strings at her neck.

She somehow felt more exposed walking down the hall to the pool room in her bikini than when she was showering. She was glad for the towel rack by the door, and quickly wrapped herself in it, before entering the area where the pools were. Fortunately, there wasn't a soul in there at just after 7 a.m. , so she had the place to herself, much to her relief. Probably not for long though, she knew. The room echoed every sound, and the light that reflected off the water cast the imitations of the ripples on the walls and ceiling. She thought it was as magical as it was eerie. She made her way to the swimming pool for sane  people, as Dare had so eloquently referred to it the other day.

She was conscious of her every step, worried that her wet feet might slip against the tile. She would hate for Kane and Dare to show up, only to find her lifeless, with her head cracked open. Once she was standing at the top of the stairs that led into the shallow end, she felt a wave of niggling trepidation. There was no lifeguard. What if she drowned? She imagined another morbid scene of Kane and Dare finding her dead at the bottom of the pool, lungs filled with pool water. Videl made a sound that was half-childish-whine, half-fearful-moan. With the towel still wrapped around her, she sat on the concrete and eased her feet in. Maybe she would just wade today. There was no need to rush. The water was surprisingly warm. Not as warm as a bath, but definitely not as cold as she had expected. The pool must be the heated kind. She hummed, trying to relax. After a few minutes, she looked around to make sure that no one else had come in yet, before removing her towel. She took a deep, steadying breath and stood on the first step. The water level was at her ankles. She bit her lip, and took one more step down. The water was at the middle of her shins.