Chapter 184

A splashy swimming session had everyone’s cheeks aflame, except for Everard, who remained asnonchalant as ever, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred beneath the waves.

It was only when Cordelia felt her lungs screaming for air that Everard released her, and the pairbroke the surface, finally able to stand and speak.

Cordelia scowled. “You can’t swim?”

Everard nodded. “No, will you teach me?”

A silent rant passed through Cordelia’s mind. Figures, the guy’s all charm and no substance, a realpretty boy with no life skills!

She exhaled, offering consolation. “Don’t beat yourself up, you’ll learn if you practice.”

Everard said nothing.

Cordelia probed further, “But why on earth did you kiss me just now?”

Everard paused. Her question was so devoid of romance, it was almost funny. But he had hisresponse ready. “I was running out of breath and needed some air. I’ve seen it on TV shows,sharing a breath is supposed to work.”

“Really?” Cordelia hadn’t felt a thing since he’d sucked all the air from her lungs. “Is that so?” sheasked, puzzled.

Everard’s eyes narrowed, about to speak, when Cordelia piped up, “Let’s try again. You give me airthis time, and I’ll see if it works.”

“Sure.” Everard’s gaze held a hint of amusement, but he watched as Cordelia dipped back underthe water, and he followed suit…

Half a minute later, they surfaced again, and Everard asked, “Did you feel it?”

Cordelia shook her head. “Nope.”

Everard placed his hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her back down. “Then let’s keep going.”

After several more attempts without success, Cordelia stood upright and declared, “TV is full oflies!”

Everard grinned. “So, girl, will you teach me to swim now?”

Cordelia said reluctantly, “Fine.”

What followed was-

“Don’t cling to my waist!” said Cordelia.

“I’m scared I’ll drown. It’s terrifying in there, I feel so insecure.” replied Everard.

“Relax, you’ll float, comforted Cordelia.

“I can’t relax around you.” said Everard.

Their exchange, rife with innuendo, drifted to Merry and Bland, who were already feeling awkwardand now even more so. After a while, Bland asked, “Still scared of the water?”

Merry shook her head. “Not anymore.”

Bland’s voice was low and warm. “Then let’s go up and rest for a bit.”

“Sounds good”

They come out of the pool, and as Merry’s gaze lingered on Bland, he suggested, “Let’s wait forthem in the lounge outside”

“Ah, yeah, sure,” Merry replied, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of Bland.

It’s normal to take a shower and change before relaxing. Merry followed Bland a few steps beforehe stopped and looked back at her. “Hey, you want to shower together?”

That’s when Merry realized she had unwittingly followed Bland into the men’s locker room!

Thank goodness they had booked the pool privately today, otherwise…

Blushing furiously, Merry dashed into the women’s locker room.

They said goodbye to Cordelia, who spent some more time trying to teach Everard to swim. But heremained hopeless clinging to her every time they got in the water. Eventually she sighed, “Let’s call it a day.”

Once out of the pool and ready to change, Everard suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her into acollision with his chest.

Their scant attire made the contact all the more palpable. Cordelia, feeling the coolness of his body,was distracted by his voice. “Girl, it’s Saturday. We won’t see each other tomorrow.”

Cordelia was puzzled. “So?”

Everard leaned in closer. “I promised to stick to our dating schedule. This is this week’s kiss…”

Before she could protest, his lips were on hers.

In the shower, Cordelia touched her swollen lips with annoyance.

She had agreed to one kiss a week, but she hadn’t anticipated it could last so long!

When she reached the lounge, Everard was already dressed in a sleek black outfit that accentuatedhis trim waistline.

Cordelia caught herself staring a bit too long before shaking off the thoughts that lingered in hermind… Merry approached her, overhearing Cordelia muttering to herself, reciting poems to refocusher mind. It seemed Cordelia was ruminating on the saying about not knowing the vastness of thesky or the depths of the earth without experiencing them firsthand. But now, it was Everard’swaistline that seemed infinitely fascinating….

After a communal lunch, Bland inquired about the afternoon’s plans.

Cordelia wanted to get back to her studies.

Bland and Everard turned to Merry.

Recently influenced by Cordelia, Merry nodded. “I need to hit the books too, exams are coming up!”Determined to get closer to Ontoky City Film and Animation Academy and her brother, she had tobuckle down.

Bland and Everard had no choice but to drop the girls off at home.

That afternoon, Cordelia and Merry hunkered down in Cordelia’s room to study. With Cordelia’sguidance, Merry soon found her stride, catching up on her weaker subjects, hopeful for a strongexam performance.

At nine o’clock in the evening, like clockwork, Cordelia picked up her phone, ready to dive into hernightly gaming ritual.

The POT game was brilliantly designed, testing both reflexes and strategy. Cordelia had climbedthe ranks to the echelon of champions, each match more thrilling than the last, fueling her desire toconquer, to mast the game.

Despite the warning from the Jungler, Cordelia found it hard to believe that in the vast expanse ofthe Superiority Country, she’d actually come across some of Sweetheart’s fans.

But she underestimated the esports grapevine.

As she entered the match and locked in her character choice, she was immediately greeted by amessage on the public chat, visible to friend and foe alike, “Ladies and gents, we have The Learneron our team. Let’s just stay put, folks. The other team can push mid and end this quick. After thismatch, everyone can take a screenshot to Sweetheart and collect a cool hundred bucks!”

Cordelia’s brow furrowed in displeasure.

The match, undoubtedly, was a bust.