Submerged in Your Love (✔️)

Chapter Twenty

(Kai's POV)

"So the rumors are true." Carson said, eyeing me up and down.

I crossed my arms and sighed. "Appears so."

"You still remember how to swim? After taking a long break?"

He was pushing. Trying to get a reaction out of me. Trying to push the right button to get me to snap.

That's when I remembered Fi's words.

Don't react.

I recited those words in my head over and over again as I pushed past Carson.

I got about ten steps away when someone else stepped in front of me. I was relived when I saw a friendly face.

Eli Jones.

"Hey man." He said, pulling me in for a hug. He honestly looked like he was going to cry.

"Hey. Good to see you." I said, trying to ignore the stares and whispers of everyone in the room.

"F*ck. I'm so happy to see you. It's been forever. How you been?" He asked.

"Good. You?"

"Good." He smiled. He took a step back as two other guys walked over.

Garrett and Kingston. 

"Holy f*cking shit." Kingston said hugging me. 

"Hey."

Garrett didn't hug me. He punched me in the arm. Hard.

"That's for not f*cking calling." He said before he hugged me.

"Sorry."

"Just don't do it again."

"So it's true. You're back in the game? Back in this?"

I nodded.

"Good. It ain't been the same without you. Everyone sucks ass basically." Kingston said as we all sat down at a nearby table.

That's when Eli started chuckling. "Carson's stick is back."

I shook my head.

"He hasn't taken his eyes off of you."

"To be fair, no one has." Garrett said.

"Like I said, his stick is back. There's just something about you that pisses him off and makes him tense."

I shook my head. "I'm not doing anything. I haven't done anything."

"We know. That's why it pisses him off. Aggregates everyone on some level."

"What do you mean?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"What did the papers, magazines, and everyone else say? Why did they always talk about you in some way?"

I shrugged. "Because I'm good at swimming."

"No, not because you're good. You're more than that. You're the best anyone has ever seen. Even Phelps said in an interview one time that you might rival him. That's why people were pissed when you disappeared, why some people are still pissed. It's like if Picasso would've done one painting and then quit. A waste of talent."