Ashton immediately stepped up, wrapping his hands gently around Chloe’s face and placing his thumbs over her mouth to stop her before she made a bigger scene.
“Baby, baby!
Look at me—calm down, okay?” Ashton soothed hurriedly, his voice soft as he held her gaze.
“Shh, it’s okay.
The man is just doing his job.”
Keegan smoothly stepped in beside them, offering the attendant an apologetic, disarming smile.
“It’s all good, man.
Sorry about the stress, thanks for explaining.”
The attendant let out a small breath, nodding appreciatively.
“Appreciate it, boss.” Chloe pouted heavily, stomping her foot with her arms still tightly crossed, looking utterly defeated.
Ashton leaned down, pressing a sweet, reassuring kiss to her forehead before cupping her cheek with his hand.
“Don’t be upset, my love.
It’s just one slide, okay?
I’ll be right behind you the whole way down.”
Chloe looked into Ashton’s eyes, her tense shoulders relaxing as a soft smile finally broke through her pout.
“Okay…
fine.
You two go ahead.
I’ll ride with her.”
“That’s my girl,” Ashton murmured, kissing her cheek one last time before stepping back toward the double raft with Keegan.
As Chloe walked over to pair up with the other girl, Ashton grabbed the front handles of the yellow raft, hopping in and winking over his shoulder at Keegan. Read the latest chapters at novelping(.)com.
“Alright, Blue-line,” Ashton grinned, patting the seat right behind him in the raft.
“Looks like it’s you and me taking the plunge!” Keegan swung his legs into the raft right behind Ashton, settling into the rear seat and gripping the side handles tight as the ride attendant checked their positioning.
“Hold on back there, Blue-line!” Ashton laughed over his shoulder, his eyes sparkling with pure adrenaline.
“We’re taking this curve fast!” Before Keegan could even reply, the attendant released the water gate, and the raft dropped straight into the roaring tunnel of rushing water.
The tube was a dizzying blur of dark twists, flashing neon lights, and slick fiberglass drops.
Water sprayed everywhere, blinding them as the raft banked hard against the steep walls, picking up terrifying speed with every second.
Ashton’s wildly echoing laughter filled the enclosed slide, reverberating off the walls as they plunged through the endless, slippery turns.
Near the very end, the raft hit a massive speed bump that launched them forward.
Keegan lost his grip on the handles, shooting out from the mouth of the slide a fraction of a second before the raft and plunging straight into the deep landing pool below with a heavy SPLASH.
Keegan sank into the cool water before kicking his legs to break through the surface.
Gasping for air, he wiped the water from his eyes and pushed his wet hair back, treading water in the deep end as he looked back up toward the chute.
Above the rushing roar of the pumps, Ashton’s voice came echoing wildly out of the dark tunnel:
“Yo, Keegs!
DON’T LET ME DROWNNNN!”
A second later, Ashton came shooting out of the slide, flying through the air before hitting the water with an explosion of white spray right where Keegan was standing.
Keegan instinctively extended his arms to catch him or pull him up, but the sheer momentum of Ashton’s landing pushed him forward.
Ashton slammed directly into Keegan’s chest, the force sending both of them tumbling backward into the deep blue water, plunging them down beneath the surface.
Bubbles surged around them in a chaotic, shimmering cloud.
Keegan’s arms wrapped tightly around to steady him, holding him close in the weightless blue depths.
Ashton had his eyes squeezed tightly shut against the water, his damp hair fanning out around his face.
Pressing his chest against Ashton’s, Keegan held his breath, staring at his best friend’s face from mere inches away as time seemed to slow down entirely. Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.
In the quiet, muffled silence under the water, an old, distant memory suddenly drifted into Keegan’s mind like an echo from years ago—
A tiny, loud voice was shouting across a sunny backyard pool:
“Mom!
Mom!
Keegan can’t swim!
He says the water is too deep!”
A tall, elegant woman looked down at a eight-year-old Ashton with a gentle, fond smile, resting a hand on his head.
“How about you teach him how to swim, Ash?
Maybe one day he’ll be the one to catch you when you fall.”
The memory dissolved back into the clear, sunlit blue of the hotel pool.
Underwater, Ashton’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
Through the rising bubbles and crystal-clear water, his hazel eyes locked directly onto Keegan’s.
Ashton didn’t pull back.
He didn’t swim up to the surface.
Instead, a quiet, soft smile spread across Ashton’s lips beneath the water.
Holding his breath, Ashton tightened his grip on Keegan’s shoulders…
and slowly began to lean in.
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