Bella wasn't the type to jump headfirst into the unknown. With her short pixie-cut hair framing a sharp, determined face and a slender frame that moved with quiet confidence, she had always been more comfortable blending into the background than standing out. But here she was, standing on the edge of something new, a college campus buzzing with energy and endless possibilities.
She was quiet but strong, the kind of person who didn't need to shout to be noticed. Swimming had been her refuge growing up, a place where she could push herself, feel the rush of cold water and escape the noise of the world. Now, surrounded by strangers and the hum of a new city, Bella wasn't sure what to expect.
Bella had arrived early at the public pool with her younger brother, Jamie, in tow. The air was thick with the scent of chlorine and the distant echo of splashing water and kids shouting. She found a bench near the shallow end, setting down her bags carefully: her towel, goggles and a water bottle. After a quick scan of the pool, Jamie begged her to join him in the water and for once, Bella didn't hesitate.
Jamie didn't waste a second, he was already running toward the water. Bella smiled and followed him in, the cool water wrapping around her like an old friend. They splashed and played for a while, racing laps and diving for coins, losing track of time in their easy rhythm.
By the time they climbed out, the sun was higher and the pool had grown louder with new arrivals.
Unbeknownst to Bella, while she was in the water, a group of boys had shown up. Among them was Yunho, tall and broad-shouldered, his easy confidence matched only by the noise his friends brought with them. As they joked and laughed, Chad, Yunho's best friend, dropped his duffel bag carelessly onto the bench... right on top of Bella's belongings.
Her towel was half on the ground, her water bottle rolling toward the edge of the pool deck. The boys didn't notice. They were already halfway to the deeper lanes, shouting about who owed whom push-ups.
Bella returned to the bench minutes later, brows narrowing as she took in the mess. Her things were scattered and someone else's towel had been tossed carelessly nearby. She quickly gathered what she could and headed toward the locker rooms, draping a towel over her shoulder.
She hadn't gone far when a sharp voice rang out behind her.
"Hey! That's my towel!"
She stopped, turning instinctively toward the voice.
And for a moment, the entire pool faded into silence.
One of the boys from earlier was walking toward her, but now that she could actually see him, really see him, her breath caught in her throat.
Striding toward her was one of the boys from earlier, but now that he was out of the blur of background noise and movement, Bella saw him clearly for the first time. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair plastered to his forehead, water running down his skin in glistening rivulets. His bare chest looked sculpted, each muscle sharp and precise, like a statue come to life. Like a Roman god, chiselled and drenched, emerging from the sea.
Her breath caught in her throat. Not because he was angry, though he did look annoyed, but because she hadn't expected anyone to look like that outside of movies or mythology textbooks.
Bella didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
He stopped a few feet in front of her, eyes fixed on the towel slung over her shoulder.
"That's mine," he said, his voice low and firm. "Gray with blue trim."
Bella glanced down, then back up, regaining her composure like snapping a rubber band. Oh. So that's how he wanted to play it.
"Well," she said, arching a brow, "maybe if your friends hadn't scattered their stuff all over mine, I wouldn't have assumed it was mine."
He blinked, surprised at her calm. Maybe even a little amused.
"So you just take things that aren't yours?"
Bella gave him a slow once-over, the corner of her mouth lifting. "No. I just think this is your excuse to come over here… and show off your abs."
That threw him.
Yunho stared at her for a beat, then let out a short laugh, like he hadn't expected that at all.
"So you were checking me out."
"I'm observant," Bella said coolly. "Can't help it if the view's hard to miss."
He grinned now, full and slightly crooked. "You're funny and on dangerous ground."
She turned without waiting for a response, walking away with the towel still casually over her shoulder.
"You'll get it back," she said over her shoulder, "after I'm done admiring."
Behind her, Yunho stood still for a moment, water dripping from his hair, the beginnings of something unreadable in his eyes. For the first time in a long while, he was the one left speechless.
Yunho's POV
She turned and walked away like she hadn't just knocked the air out of his lungs.
Yunho stood there, towel-less and half-dripping, eyes fixed on the girl striding toward the locker rooms with his towel slung over her shoulder like it belonged to her. Like she belonged there, confident, cool and completely unfazed by him.
And that was the problem.
She hadn't even flinched. No blush, no stammering, no awkward apology. Just... that look. That tone. That devastating smirk when she said he'd made up an excuse to talk to her, and worse, to show off his abs.
Which, okay. Maybe a tiny part of him had stood up straighter when he realized she was looking. Maybe.
But she'd called him out on it before he could even decide how to flirt back.
Who was she?
He'd seen her earlier, maybe. In the water with a younger kid, laughing and racing across the shallow end. But she hadn't registered in the same way until she'd turned around just now, fire in her eyes and that dry, clever mouth that made him forget what he was going to say.
It was rare for someone to surprise him. Even rarer to leave him standing there like he'd just lost an argument he hadn't realized had started.
Yunho finally shook his head, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth as he ran a hand through his wet hair.
"She's trouble," he muttered to himself.