Chapter 1
The salty breeze wrapped around Aria as she leaned over the side of the boat, the scent of the sea filling her lungs. Waves rhythmically move gently. Sunlight shimmered on the water, and the sky was a bright, endless expanse of blue. It felt peaceful. “Huh, So this is the feeling of enjoying your vacation”, she says letting out a deep breath. It made her feel free.
Behind her, her friends laughed and joked, their carefree energy pulsing in the air. Clara and Lily were snapping selfies, giggling at each other’s exaggerated poses, while Mitch and Sam debated over who was best at swimming. Aria smiles looking at her friends enjoying at its fullest.
“Hey, Aria!” Sam called. “Come help us settle this. Who do you think swims better?”
She managed a laugh, turning just enough to give them a playful eye roll. “Neither of you,” she teased, earning mock-offended gasps from both of them. But even as she joked, her gaze drifted back to the water. Something about the way the ocean stretched out, vast and calm, made her feel... watched.
The surface was still. Aria was just about to brush off her discomfort when she noticed something—a wave, subtle yet intentional, disturbing the calm. She leaned forward, squinting, and that’s when she saw him.
He emerged from the water slowly, smoothly, as if he were part of the ocean itself. Dark hair clung to his face and neck, and beads of water sparkled like tiny gems on his skin. His eyes were the colour of the sea, ocean blue that seemed to pierce right through her. He wasn’t just handsome; he was striking, in a way that made Aria’s heart stumble uncomfortably.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he called out, his voice floating effortlessly over the waves. It was rich and warm, with a hint of something Aria couldn’t place.
For a second, she couldn’t find her voice. Who swims out this far, this confidently? He didn’t look like a stranded swimmer or a fisherman. He looked… worldly. Finally, she managed to speak. “Yeah,” she said, her voice coming out a little shaky. “It is.”
The stranger moved closer, gliding through the water with ease. “I’m Ace,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. There was something too perfect about that smile like he had practised it. “Care to tell a name?”
Aria hesitated, her grip tightening on the boat’s railing. “Aria,” she replied, and the way he repeated it—like tasting each syllable—sent another shiver down her spine. She cleared her throat. “Are you... out here alone?”
He tilted his head slightly, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “I like the ocean,” he said, his voice smooth and melodic. “It feels like home.”
Aria raised an eyebrow. “You swim out here for fun?”
Ace’s smile widened. “Something like that.”
She wanted to laugh, to brush off the strange feeling he gave her, but the way he was looking at her made it hard to breathe. His gaze never moved from her, like he was studying her, memorizing every detail. It was disheartening. She took a step back. “Well, that’s... interesting,” she said, glancing back at her friends. They were still busy, lost in their world of jokes and laughter, completely unaware of the encounter. “I should probably get back.”
Ace’s smile didn’t falter. “Maybe I’ll see you again.”
Before she could respond, he sank back into the water, disappearing with barely a ripple. Aria stood frozen, staring at the spot where he had been, her pulse pounding in her ears. It felt like a dream—or a nightmare—one that left her shaken and uncertain.
“Aria!” Clara called, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Come on, you’re missing all the fun!”
Aria forced herself to smile and turned back to her friends. “Coming!” she called, her voice steadier now. She tried to shake off the encounter, to tell herself it was nothing more than a weird meeting with a confident swimmer. But as she joined her friends, laughter rang around her.
And the feeling didn’t leave. Because the next day, when she returned to the beach, Ace was there again—waiting, watching, with that same charming yet unsettling smile.
