A/N: Hi guys, it's been a while since my last appearance and I'm sorry. Just recently I discovered a movie called "Lieb Mich" (Love Me) which inspired this story here.. Unfortunately, don't expect updates too often, university is taking up all my time right now. The style I'm using with this is new for me, but I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters or the movie.
As soon as Jane plunged into the depths of the water, she felt this satisfying feeling of freedom rise in her and the bubble of silence surround her. Nothing could touch her here. Nothing but the fresh and soothing essence of the cool and blue pool water. She loved coming here, it had come to be her sweet escape from the dreadfulness which shaped her everyday life, her work routine.
She pushed through the water with more force now, finally having found her rhythm, the steady pattern of hands and feet in perfect synchronisation. She was finally here, in her favourite place with her lungs slightly burning and her muscles lightly spasming.
She needed this, especially after this gruesome case that had come in earlier this afternoon. A family, two kids and their parents, all executed at the dinner table. It had been a terrible sight. Who on earth was capable of doing something like this? That was the question she would be dealing with for the next days, the next weeks even. It would also mean a lot of night shifts and tons of coffee, which did nothing but to increase the level of tiredness. Usually she dove into the cases right away, but this one came inconveniently since it was Ava's first day at school next week and she had wanted to spend these last days full of quality time with her daughter before sending her off into a whole new stage of life.
A frustrated sigh escaped her lips unwittingly and immediately her lungs were filled with water. She came to a halt right before the pool edge, coughing up the burning chloride water. So much for being totally immune to the outside world. Seeing that her rhythm had been permanently interrupted, she defeatedly decided to get out of the water completely. She braced herself against the edge of the pool and pulled herself up, the muscles in her arms burning unexpectedly. She had been in here longer than she had thought to be.
She stayed at the edge, running her fingers repeatedly through the water, revelling in its liquid silkiness. She didn't want to go home. Didn't want to be reminded of the case when she saw her own beautiful little family. Didn't want to lose a goodnights sleep due to the vile images etched into her memory. But it was late now, darkness had settled in the evening sky and she felt her stomach tighten with the uncomfortable feeling of hunger.
Just as she was about to get up and leave for the showers, she became aware of someone else approaching the pool. It surprised her since she was used to be the only one using the pool this late. Intrigued, she let her gaze wander over the stranger who had unknowingly disturbed her quiet and enjoyed solitude. Long strawberry blonde hair fell softly down her delicate face, making her look like an angel. Toned arms came up to tame the unruly waves and well defined legs stopped at the edge of the pool opposite of where she sat. She had never seen this woman before and having swum here for years that was a very rare occurrence. The mysterious stranger hadn't noticed her yet and fixed her googles before diving into the water with a perfectly exerted header.
She was in awe. In awe of the beauty and flawlessness this stranger exuded. She couldn't help herself but to get up and walk over to the swim lane where the woman was steadily approaching her, doing the crawl with magnificent speed. Before she knew it, the stranger had arrived at her end, finally noticing her. "Hello." The sound of the voice was unexpected to say at least, flooding her system with calming waves. "Hi." She became aware of the effect her own deep and raspy voice was having on the stranger as surprise slightly flared up in her eyes. But the surprise was quickly replaced by a slight sarcastic streak when the woman spoke up again. "Do you always stalk people like this at swimming pools? Should I be scared?"
A low chuckle spread in Jane's chest, delighting in the humour the blonde seemed comfortable enough to use. "No, but you're new. I haven't seen you here before. Your swimming style really impressed me." The strangers eyes lit up at the compliment and a small and shy smile appeared on her lips. "Thank you. It's my first time here and I really like the pool, the atmosphere here. I've only recently moved back to Boston." That's why she hadn't recognised the woman. "Ah, sounds cool. Yeah, you should definitely consider giving our swimming team a try." The blonde looked confused. "Swimming team?" "Yes, we train two times a week and compete in tournaments every couple of months. If you're interested just come here next Tuesday at 8 p.m. for tryouts, even if I think you're better than most of the team." She seemed to ponder the request before nodding to herself. "I think I'll do that. It seems like a good way to meet people and probably will give my swimming a good challenge. I'll be there." She grinned and looked up shortly at Jane for confirmation. "Great, I'll be looking forward to it. I'm going to head for the showers now, but it was really nice meeting you." She waved at the blonde, who was already turning to resume her swimming, when the woman suddenly called back. "What's your name anyway?" "It's Jane." Apparently satisfied with the answer, the beautiful stranger took a deep breath and plunged back into the water.
Jane watched her depart and pervade the lane with languid strokes, before walking down the side of the pool in order to get to the shower. She was cold and tired now, the short encounter with the woman only having taken her mind off the needs of her body for a little while.
Freshly showered and ready to go, she couldn't help but to go back to the glass door of the pool entrance once more, finding the blonde still in the water. What a strange yet intriguing woman. Jane was simply fascinated by her energy and ability to swim and truly looked forward to getting to know her better next week. She shook her head at her own musings, confused as to why this person was so present in her thoughts, but eventually let it go and left the pool area to drive home.
She had just managed to open the door when something bumped into her, almost making her fall over. "Ma!" It was her wonderful little girl. "You're finally home! But you missed dinner.. we had the bestest gnocchi in the world. Nanna made it just for us and I extra saved something for you because Papa wanted to eat it all." Jane put down her bag and picked her giggling little bundle of energy up, breathing in her sweet and calming scent. "Wonderful sweetie, thank you so much. How was your day? Did you have fun with Nana?" The little brown haired girl nodded, excitement glowing in her dark eyes. "Yes, we went to the zoo and watched the monkeys. They're soo funny and one even waved at me with a bana." "You mean a banana?" Ava seemed confused for a few moments, but then she giggled. "Yes, that's what I meant."
Chuckling, Jane placed her daughter back on the ground, hanging up her jacket and moving into the house. "Where's your dad, sweetheart?" Ava pointed to the living room, "He's in there, he said he's tired because he ate too much." Jane walked into the living room, met with the sight of her sleeping husband on the far side of the couch while the TV showed an old baseball game. Probably he'd had a hard day at work, the veterans were piling up since they had heard of the office. She was proud of him and his work. Being a veteran himself, he had dealt with hard times after returning from Afghanistan and now he was using his knowledge and experience to help others to get back into the American society.
"Papa, wake up! Ma's here." Ava pounced on her dad's stomach, trying to get a reaction out of him. Grunting, her husband tried to defend himself from the little girl, but unfortunately it was to no avail, Ava's will was too strong, "Okay, okay, I'm awake now. Please get off my tummy, darling. It's too full and it can't take little monsters like you jumping up and down on it." Ava obediently moved to his side, finally giving him the chance to look at his wife. "Hey there honey, you're home pretty late tonight. Everything okay?" Jane came to sit beside him, giving him a quick but loving kiss. "Yeah, just some pretty bad stuff at work and I kinda forgot time when I was at the pool. But I heard you had a wonderful dinner with our little princess here." She smiled at her daughter, whose eyes were starting to droop. He opened his arms, inviting her to snuggle into him. She accepted his offer and finally found herself at peace with her husband's musky scent and safety surrounding her.
She loved her family.
"How about I take our little monster to bed and you wait for me so we can talk in private?" Jane knew what her husband meant with talking in private and usually she was up to it, but tonight she only wanted to feel his arms wrap her up in a tight embrace, helping her to fight off the images that we're still haunting her tired mind. "Sounds like a good idea, but I'd rather just sleep and cuddle tonight. I kinda overdid things at the pool earlier. Is that okay?" He couldn't hide the brief look of disappointment, but sobered up fast enough. "Sure, honey, no problem. I'll be joining you as soon as possible, I don't think it will be too hard to get our tiny little bugger into bed tonight. She seems wiped out after the visit at the zoo with Angela." Jane ran her hands through her daughters soft curls once more, before placing one last kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, darling. Sleep well." Ava's only response was a slightly scrunched up nose, her eyes thankfully staying closed. "I'll meet you in the bedroom." And with that he picked her up and carried her out, leaving Jane alone with her thoughts. She went into the kitchen, warming up some of the left over gnocchi's and getting out a beer. She knew she had about another twenty minutes until he would be joining her, so she took her time, enjoying every bite of the delicious food.
Her mind, though, strayed back to the events from this evening, to the mysterious woman at the pool. Jane hadn't ever seen a more beautiful being before and she hated the way her heartbeat picked up and a faint blush spread over her cheeks. She shouldn't be thinking things like this, thoughts like these brought her nowhere. She was married to a man and had a wonderful child. She didn't like women, she was just fascinated by this woman's abilities, not her beauty. No.
"Jane?" Her husbands call broke her out of her thoughts and she placed her dishes at the sink before walking down the hall into their bedroom. "Sorry, I just needed to eat some of my Ma's pasta, my stomach was killing me." He was already lying on his side of the bed, waiting for her to do the same. She changed out of her clothes and crawled under the covers, finally letting out a deep and relaxing breath. "No problem, I just missed you today. Work was like hell, this one guy's trauma is worse than we had believed. It's so frustrating to see that nothing is able to help him, no therapeutic approach, no conversation. I was really done with the day when I finally could leave to get home." Jane turned towards him, caressing his hair. "I'm sorry to hear that, but you will find a way to help him, somehow. Don't give up honey." With a long kiss she turned back and settled against him for the night, loving how his presence made her feel safe and cherished. "Goodnight babe, love you." His mumbled words felt like a lullaby and Jane's eyes became heavier and heavier. "Love you too, Casey."
She closed her eyes then, willing herself to fall asleep when it suddenly hit her. The woman at the pool, she hadn't even asked for her name. Even after being asked for her own name, she hadn't asked for hers in return. The only thing she knew about the stunning blonde was that she had moved to Boston only recently and that she was a good swimmer.
At this moment, Jane decided that she couldn't wait to meet the woman again, wanting to know everything about her. And it was with these last thoughts of the mysterious stranger that Jane finally fell asleep, not knowing that this fateful meeting would change her life forever.
Thanks for taking your time and reading this.
Any thoughts? Should I continue?
A.
