Hearts in Harmony || Keesoul

Dive In

Chapter 46: Dive In

The sun was blazing down as Soul found himself standing at the edge of Keeho's pool, staring down at the shimmering water. It was a hot day, and Keeho had casually invited him over to cool off at his place. Soul hadn't expected the invite, but after everything that had been happening between them lately, he wasn't about to say no.

Keeho's backyard was spacious, with a sleek modern pool that looked straight out of a resort. The water sparkled in the sunlight, and Soul couldn't help but feel a little out of place. He hadn't been swimming in a long time, and the thought of being shirtless around Keeho made his nerves jump.

Keeho, on the other hand, was as relaxed as ever. He was already in the water, floating on his back with his eyes closed, completely at ease. "You coming in, or are you just gonna stand there?" he called out, cracking one eye open to glance at Soul.

Soul swallowed, glancing around before slowly peeling off his shirt. He tried not to think about how self-conscious he felt, especially with Keeho watching. Once he was down to his swim trunks, he gingerly stepped toward the pool.

Keeho grinned, splashing a bit of water in Soul's direction. "Don't tell me you're scared of the water."

"I'm not," Soul shot back, though his voice betrayed his nervousness. "It's just... cold."

Keeho rolled his eyes playfully. "Quit stalling. The water's fine." He reached out, splashing again, this time hitting Soul's legs with a burst of cool water.

Soul yelped, taking a step back. "Hey!"

Keeho laughed, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "What? You're gonna have to get wet eventually."

Soul huffed, but finally, he mustered the courage to jump in. The water hit him all at once, cool and refreshing, but it took him a moment to adjust. When he resurfaced, Keeho was grinning at him from a few feet away, looking far too pleased with himself.

"See? Not so bad, right?"

Soul wiped the water from his face, glaring half-heartedly at Keeho. "You could've just waited for me to ease in."

"That's no fun," Keeho teased, swimming closer. "Besides, now we're both in, so let's just enjoy it."

They swam for a while, the cool water doing wonders to relax Soul's nerves. Keeho was playful, splashing him occasionally, and Soul found himself laughing despite his earlier tension. The two of them floated around, chatting about random things, the earlier intensity between them seeming to fade as they fell into an easy rhythm.

At one point, Keeho swam up beside Soul, bumping his shoulder playfully. "So... you having fun yet?"

Soul smiled, glancing over at him. "Yeah, actually. This was a good idea."

Keeho's grin widened. "Told you."

For a moment, they just floated there, the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the pool the only thing breaking the silence. Soul found himself glancing at Keeho, noticing the way the sunlight reflected off his skin, making him seem almost unreal.

"Hey," Keeho said, his voice softening. "You good? You're staring again."

Soul's eyes widened, and he quickly looked away, his face burning. "I wasn't staring!"

Keeho chuckled, swimming a little closer until they were only inches apart. "You sure? Because it kinda seemed like you were."

Soul's heart raced as Keeho's teasing tone returned. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks again, despite the cool water. "Shut up," he mumbled, trying to push Keeho away, but his hand barely made contact with Keeho's chest before Keeho grabbed it gently.

For a moment, Soul froze, his heart pounding in his chest as Keeho's hand lingered on his. The playful atmosphere shifted, and suddenly, the air between them felt charged, like something unspoken was hanging in the space.

Keeho's gaze softened, and his teasing smile faded into something more serious. "You're really bad at hiding it, you know."

Soul swallowed, feeling trapped by Keeho's intense gaze. "Hiding what?"

Keeho's grip on his hand tightened slightly, his voice dropping lower. "How you feel."

Soul's heart skipped a beat. His mind raced, trying to come up with something to say, but he was too flustered to think straight.

Keeho's other hand came up, brushing wet strands of hair away from Soul's forehead. "You don't have to, you know. You can just... be honest."

Soul's breath caught in his throat. Was Keeho being serious? Or was this just another one of his playful games? The closeness between them was overwhelming, and Soul didn't know how to handle it.

Before he could say anything, Keeho's eyes flickered down to his lips, just for a second, but it was enough to send Soul's mind spiraling.

Keeho's voice was barely a whisper now. "You wanna kiss me, don't you?"

Soul's face turned bright red, his heart racing so fast he was sure Keeho could hear it. "I—I..."

But before Soul could even try to form a coherent response, the sound of a door sliding open broke the moment. They both turned, startled, to see Keeho's mom stepping out onto the patio with a smile.

"Keeho! Soul! I brought some snacks for you two."

Soul's face flushed even deeper, and he quickly pulled away from Keeho, trying to act casual. Keeho, on the other hand, just laughed softly, glancing over at his mom. "Thanks, Mom! We'll be right out."

As she went back inside, Keeho turned back to Soul, his teasing smirk returning. "Saved by the bell, huh?"

Soul glared at him, still flustered beyond belief. "You're impossible."

Keeho just chuckled, swimming toward the edge of the pool. "Come on, let's get some snacks. We can continue this later."

Soul's heart still hadn't settled, and he wasn't sure he could handle whatever "later" meant. But one thing was for sure—things between him and Keeho were only getting more complicated.

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