Page 59 of Everything She Wanted

In the change room, I take in the granite grey floor, wooden bench, and black mini lockers. I head over to them and start changing slowly, letting my erratic breathing calm.

She was right, the bikini does fit perfectly. I turn to glance at the mirror hanging from the ceiling and bring my hands to my hips.

Damn. I look good.

I grab my purse to freshen up my lip gloss, powder my nose and I pull my hair into a high bun.

I check my phone for something other than the usual barrage of work emails. Not a word from Eshaan since our fight last week. I ignore the anger that flares in my chest at him, at Dev, and at myself. He was overreacting as usual, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of apologizing either. It would make me look guilty and I can’t risk that—because I am. We’re supposed to meet tomorrow for engagement shopping, and he hasn’t cancelled so there’s that. I push him from my mind. For once, I’m going to let myself have fun. I stuff my belongings in a locker and close the door.

I steal a final glance in the mirror before heading into the spa area, where Nick is waiting in the cozy lounge.

“Hey.” I walk over to him as he gets up, his eyes roving my body, before he abruptly looks away.

“Thanks for waiting for me.”

“Yeah, no problem.” He rubs a hand over his face and hair.

“You okay?” I say nonchalantly, knowing very well he’s not okay. He can’t be, not after seeing me in this.

“Fine, good. Great, actually.”

He smiles and his usual confident demeanour returns.

“Where should we start?”

He reads aloud our options from signage on doors. “Hot tub, sauna, or cold plunge?”

“I think someone needs to cool off, so maybe the cold plunge?” I open the door and walk into a room with stone walls that make it look like it’s carved into the side of a mountain.

“It is pretty hot outside,” he says as he walks through the door I’m holding open for him.

“Right, outside.” I can’t stop the smile forming on my face as I look up at him through my lashes. “Good thing it’s cool in here.”

I dip my toes into the cold water and shriek. “It’s fucking freezing!”

I turn around but Nick’s right behind me and I ram right into his hard chest. It’s the first time I let myself actually look at him, the hard ridges, the tanned skin, his flexed forearms on either side of me. I’m gawking.

“You dipped like one toe in.”

I come back to earth from whatever orbit he sends me into.

“It was like my full foot, okay?” I glance back at the icy waters. “Not happening.”

He moves in front of me and holds out his hands.

“You can do this”

I don’t budge.

“You’re way more capable than you realize, Nish. Of this...of everything.”

Now, I know we’re not talking about the cold plunge.

My shoulders sag as I relent.

“Okay, but if I die of hypothermia while we’re playing hooky, that’s also on you.”

He smirks. “That won’t happen on my watch.”