Chapter 29 – Trouble in the Water
Evan changed into his bright, ridiculous beach shorts and waited shirtless outside the changing room.
After about ten minutes, the curtain lifted.
Hannah walked out.
She wore a pure black bikini, a delicate sunhat, tinted sunglasses, and flip-flops. Her long legs were completely exposed, pale enough to dazzle the eyes.
The moment she appeared, the men on the beach nearly dropped their eyes into the sand. Even passing women secretly felt sour and admitted her figure was unreal.
Hannah was obviously not used to being stared at like a rare animal.
She rushed over and grabbed Evan's wrist.
"Go, go. Find somewhere with fewer people."
The two walked along the coastline all the way to the far end of the beach.
There were far fewer tourists here. Waves slapped the sand and rolled up white foam.
Evan had grown up in the countryside and was a strong swimmer. The moment he saw water, his whole body itched to jump in.
"Hannah, let's take photos first. After that, I want to swim a few laps."
"Mm."
Hannah answered shyly.
Evan pointed at a large reef nearby.
"Hannah, lean against that rock. Lift your chin slightly and look at the sky. Yes, a little melancholic."
Hannah posed.
Evan raised the DSLR.
Click.
The image froze.
Looking through the viewfinder, Evan licked his dry lips.
Damn.
Perfect.
Every movement Hannah made was painfully beautiful.
At first, Hannah was still restrained. Her poses were stiff, and Evan felt they did not show her explosive curves properly.
"Hannah, change pose. Lower your body a little. Arch your hips. Something sweet and spicy."
Afraid she would not understand, Evan even squatted by the sea and demonstrated by sticking his own backside out.
Hannah burst into laughter.
"Can you not say it so crudely? That's called showing the curve."
"Fine, fine. Show the curve. Hannah, lift the curve a little."
Under Evan's direction, Hannah gradually relaxed.
She changed through several poses. Sexy, hot, charming, playful. Evan captured all of them.
After the photos, Evan could no longer wait to get in the water.
On such a hot day, diving into the sea would feel amazing.
He carefully put the camera into the bag and placed it on a dry rock.
He had just started stretching when Hannah also wanted to swim.
"Since we're here, I'll swim a little too."
As she spoke, she moved her wrists, then stepped through the waves and entered the water first.
There were many thieves on beaches in those years. Evan did not dare be careless. If he chased his own fun and lost a camera worth a fortune, it would be over.
So he could only stand onshore as security, watching Hannah swim back and forth in the shallow area.
To be honest, Hannah swam like a mermaid. It was beautiful to watch.
Just as she turned back toward shore, water suddenly splashed violently.
Hannah thrashed twice in panic, then her body sank sharply and began dropping under the surface.
Evan's heart clenched.
"Hannah! What's wrong?"
Hannah seemed to have swallowed water and could not shout.
Evan saw the situation and dove into the sea without hesitation.
His arms cut through the water like mad as he swam toward where she was sinking.
When he reached her, he had no time to think. He supported her from below, lifted her head above the water, and fought toward the beach.
The water grew shallower. They were nearly ashore.
Suddenly, Evan sucked in a sharp breath and released a miserable cry.
A drilling pain came from the tender inner part of his thigh, so intense his face twisted.
But he gritted his teeth and did not let go. Holding one breath, he dragged Hannah safely onto dry sand.
Then he collapsed on his backside and looked down.
Holy hell.
Some green crab from nowhere had clamped one hard claw onto the soft inner flesh of his thigh.
It had already drawn blood.
Evan's vision nearly sparked with pain. He grabbed the claw and pried it open hard.
The claw loosened.
Evan lifted his arm and threw the crab down onto the sand with everything he had, smashing it apart on the spot.
"Damn your ancestors. That hurt."
Evan rubbed the inside of his thigh with both hands, tears almost coming out.
Nearby, Hannah lay on the sand coughing violently and spat out two mouthfuls of bitter seawater.
Hearing the cough, Evan forced himself through the pain and turned.
"Hannah, what happened? You were swimming fine. Why did you suddenly sink?"
Hannah gasped, her face pale.
"Too long without exercise... I sit in the office every day. My leg cramped. It hurt so much."
"Cramp? Here, I'll rub it."
Without another word, Evan took Hannah's leg and placed it across his own.
"Where?"
Hannah blushed and pointed at the inner thigh.
Evan pressed his hand there and began kneading with moderate strength, loosening the muscle along the tight line.
The pale leg shifted slightly with his movements. His hand moved down along the inner thigh to relax the cramp.
As he worked, Hannah's originally pale face gained two red clouds.
"Better?"
Hannah pulled her leg back and swung it lightly.
"Much better."
She stood. Although the leg was still sore, she could limp over to get the camera bag from the rock.
Evan also stood.
The moment he took one step, he limped even worse than Hannah.
Only then did she react and turn back.
"What's wrong with you?"
Evan's face was dark as he pointed at his inner thigh.
The bitten area had begun bleeding, staining a patch of the beach shorts red.
"A blind crab clamped the soft part of my inner thigh. Hurts like hell."
"You're bleeding."
Hannah's expression changed.
"Come on. Find somewhere and let me check it."
"It's fine. Small problem."
Evan felt embarrassed.
"What do you mean fine? There are bacteria in seawater. It needs cleaning. Don't get infected."
Hannah's attitude was firm.
The two limped to the changing rooms, rinsed with fresh water, then carried their things to the parking lot and put the bags in the trunk.
Hannah insisted on checking Evan's wound immediately.
There were people everywhere. Evan could not bring himself to do it outside, so he opened the rear door and climbed into the back seat.
Hannah followed him inside.
She quickly took out a sunshade and covered the front windshield tightly. The Accord's windows already had dark privacy tint. With the shade in place, the car interior dimmed, and people outside could not see clearly inside.
After doing all this, Hannah turned with worry.
"Where is it? Let me see."
Sitting on the seat, Evan's old face actually reddened.
"It's... here."
He pointed to the soft flesh at the root of his thigh, very close to the inner side.
"Stop delaying. Let me see."
At this moment, Hannah's mind was full of fear that the wound might get infected. She was not thinking in any other direction.
Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, Evan unwillingly hooked his fingers under the waistband and slowly pulled the beach shorts down enough for her to inspect the injury.
Author's Note:
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