Aether thought he could predict Hu Tao by now, but this certainly surprised him. He'd been soaking in a hot spring, resting his head on the pool rim, when a shadow fell over him. He opened an eye. Hu Tao wore a red one-piece bathing suit and a silver whistle around her neck. Under her arm, she carried a rescue buoy.
Planting her long leg beside his head, she knelt beside him.
"I see you don't have a lifeguard at your beach."
Aether blinked several times. In total bewilderment, he said, "I'm not at the beach. This is a hot tub."
Hu Tao shook her head as if to say, "Oh, you silly naïve man."
"No body of water is safe without a lifeguard."
"Hu Tao, it's two feet deep. What are you doing here?"
She just smiled. "You can relax. You're safe now. Your lifeguard is here."
"Okay."
He leaned back, resting his head on the tub's rim, and closed his eyes.
Hu Tao suddenly blew her whistle. "Shark! There's a shark! Get out of the water!"
Aether hopped out of the tub in alarm. Then, his common sense kicked in.
"Wait a second, there's no shark in a hot tub."
Hu Tao threw her arms around his neck and grinned.
"Aren't you glad you have a lifeguard?"
"I guess… wait, stop trying to distract me. There's no reason for you to be here. You should go."
Hu Tao grinned. "I think I should stay, and we should have sex."
Aether realized he couldn't win. "Um… okay."
She pounced, wrapping her legs around his waist, and planted a big kiss right on his mouth. He could've complained about her roundabout way of asking for sex. Then again, Hu Tao was really cute in the lifeguard getup.