I'll never be able to thank Mike enough for the swimming pool he added to our garden. There's nothing better on a hot day than to dive into it and let your body float on the surface. Water is my element, and I could spend hours in the pool. My favorite season is spring, when everything comes to life again after months of darkness, but nothing can beat a hot sunny day sunbathing and soaking in warm water.

The week was excruciatingly long. I had to finalise a few cases, mainly divorces, and I spent almost all my days and evenings in my office. I haven't seen Mike a lot , but we managed to eat one or two breakfasts together before both leaving home. He had a busy week too and either he was already asleep when I came back home, either I was the one passed out when he joined me in bed. Through texts, we decided we needed to enjoy this Saturday individually before reuniting on Sunday. I'm not proud of it, but after a week like this, I'm usually in a foul mood, all stressed and I need to chill until I feel better.

Here I am, on that glorious Saturday afternoon, wearing a black-and-white bikini, sipping an iced tea by the side of the pool.

I rummage through the bag I brought, leaving files on the side and taking my AirPods.

Scrolling quickly through my playlists, I choose some classical music to accompany me on my sunbathing session. Over the sound of piano, I hear people talking and approaching. It can't be Mike, as he decided to have a sports day with his colleagues. What was he supposed to do? Running ? Playing football? Or basketball? I can't remember, I'm sure ho told me but I didn't catch it. But it's still too early for him to be back so it must be our neighbours on the other side of the hedge.

"Damn!" I exclaim as two wet hands shake my shoulders gently. In a split second, I stand up and angrily remove my headphones.

"Are you kidding? You scared me to death!"

"Come on, Darling. I didn't know you had music on. I thought you heard me calling your name," Mike says sheepishly, trying not to laugh.

"I'm sorry for barking at you, but you almost gave me a heart attack." I say, placing my hand over my chest as I try to catch my breath.

"What are you doing here anyway? Weren't you supposed to be somewhere sweating and exercising?" I laugh. He knows how much I despise sports, preferring a good book and just letting my imagination wander. And yet, he doesn't know it hasn't always been the case. I used to love sports. I even played on the women's basketball team in high school. But that was before. Before He entered my life. Now, even the sight of a ball makes me nauseous.

15 years before…

"Hey Angie, what did the coach say about this weekend's match? What time do we have to be there ?" I ask, tying my shoes on the side of the court.

"9am? That's so early! No party for me on Friday, sadly. Hey Bells, did you know the new guy is playing on the men's team?"

I give a quick look at the men's team, still practising and immediately notice him. He's been the "new guy" since he arrived three weeks ago. Apparently his father got transferred here, and he and his family moved in a big house on the outskirts of the town. We don't have classes in common, but Alice, his sister, has a few classes with Angela.

"Do you know his name?" I absently ask her, making sure I don't look too interested.

"I can ask Ben if you want; he plays on the same team."

Angela has had a crush on Ben for years, but she hasn't made the first move yet. I suggested setting them up because it seems obvious that Ben likes her too, but Angela screamed that she would kill me if I did so. For now, I'll let things run their course.

"Oh don't, I don't care. It's just I'm curious."

"Bells, you can't lie to me. The minute you laid eyes on him, I knew…. WATCH OUT!"

Thanks to Angela, I manage to catch the ball flying before it hits me straight into the head. I hear his voice before seeing him.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

His voice is exactly as I have imagined it. Suave, low, a bit husky. His apologetic smile illuminates his gorgeous face and vivid green eyes.

"That was a great catch! Are you playing basketball too?" he asks, taking the ball from my hand.

"Of course I'm playing," I say, laughing loudly. "I'm not wearing shorts just to freeze my ass off out there."

"My bad, princess. I should have noticed those shorts. Especially since they fit your thighs so well." His voice drops lower. My cheeks immediately redden at his comment, and I feel flushed, not sure if I want to cover myself or get rid of those shorts.

"Oh, I see…the captain of the men's team has already introduced himself to the captain of the girls' team! You don't waste any time, Cullen!"

Ben taps on the new guy's back and takes the ball, leaving us again alone.

"Oh you're the captain? Nice. I'm Edward by the way. And you are?" he asks me, smiling.

Giving him my name would be too dangerous. It means letting him invade my personal space and just from that smile on his face, I know he's gonna bring me nothing but trouble. So he'll have to do with just this. "I like Princess, like you said. Just call me that."

He chuckles. "I like that." His eyes flick from my face down to my chest, down to my legs. "Let's play together sometimes Princess. It could be interesting."

"Name the day, I'll be on the court, Cullen."

His lips pull into a dangerous smile. "I didn't mean that kind of sports."