Princess in Training (Prince Harry #3)

Chapter Sixty-Two

Meredith watched him swim away, gliding through the water. His feet kicked, splashing everywhere on purpose, and Meredith looked away to protect her face. Water sprayed through her hair and across her skin. Harry could swim, but here he did it badly on purpose. Meredith laughed too. When he finally went under water, Meredith watched him go, staying where she was.

Harry popped up, now some feet away. He wiped off his eyebrows and placed his hand over his eyes to take away some of the sun. The reflective water almost blinded him still. He watched Meredith, not saying anything. A grin across his face, ear to ear.

With her lips pursed, Meredith watched him, looking over his body, and she reminded herself that he was all hers. His swim trunks hung low, showing off the natural V of his body. Meredith knew what was below. The rest of his wet body sparkled under the sunlight. His orange hair laid flat against his head, but some spikes came about.

"Mere, come on!" he yelled.

Sinking into the water, Meredith swam out. Soon enough, she wasn't able to touch, and she dove below, gliding under the water where there was barely any resistance. She felt like she stayed down forever. Her lungs burned, and her head began to feel drowsy. Her whole body felt heavy. Letting her eyes open for a second, dark water twisted around her with black dots filling her vision. Suddenly the water threatened to snap her in two. Yet Meredith tried to push forward.

When Meredith came up for air, gasping for air, she waited a moment for the black dots to clear. Her body was a buzz, and her lungs didn't get enough oxygen. She took another deep breath, coughing up water. Closing her eyes, Meredith tread water for a second.

Water lapped gently against her body. Other little splashes came from the small waves hitting each other in the pool next to the ocean. Meredith tasted the salt water on her lips since the little pool was only blocked by a few rocks. Opening her eyes, the light hit her, and she swam back. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, and then Meredith looked toward where Harry was-- or should've been.

"Harry?" She tread water as she spun, glancing right and left. Swimming a few feet forward, Meredith glanced around. "Harry, this isn't funny."

He didn't hear her if he was under water.

Meredith glanced around, still not seeing him. Even as she glanced through the light blue water, she looked for him, but the reflecting sunlight blinded her. She looked away, tears springing into her eyes. As she continued to turn, she saw nothing of him.

There still wasn't any movement in the water. Meredith was the movement. The ocean pushed into the pool was the movement. Harry didn't move within the water.

It dawned on Meredith: she had asked him, "Scared you might drown?" Harry had laughed.

"Harry!" she screamed, splashing around, turning quickly in circles just trying to find him. "Harry!" Salt water burned her eyes. "Harry!" Her voice echoed off the waves, hitting her again. "Harry!" She wasn't able to scream his name any louder. "Harry!"

Something wrapped around her foot, yanking her down. Meredith let out a screech as she was pulled under water. Blue water was at every turn as her eyes remained open. Water rushed into her lungs. Her eyes focused on the thing in front of her, only to find it was bright orange hair that swayed in the water's movement.

She kicked away from him, landing a blow to her foot, and Meredith pushed to the surface. Taking a deep breath, water vomited from Meredith's mouth. Harry bobbed to the surface, laughing. Meredith shook her head and booked it toward shore.

"Mere?" Harry asked. "Mere, where were you going?"

Meredith continued to swim toward shore.

"Mere, come on. It was a joke." He began to swim after her quickly.

When she was finally able to touch, Meredith stomped toward shore, feeling the push against her legs. Her heavy footsteps fell into the sand, which she kicked up.

Harry came up behind her and gripped her hand. "Mere--"

She whipped around. "Don't ever do that again."

His blue eyes shone, and Meredith thought he might back away. His knees trembled, but his grip stayed firm. He refused to look away from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mere. I'm sorry." There wasn't an excuse, and Meredith preferred it that way. "I'm sorry."

She watched him carefully, deciding if he was telling the truth; of course, he was.

Meredith lurched forward, kissing him harshly, tasting salt water on his lips. Her arms wrapped around him, holding him close. Confusion first took Harry, but then he fell into her too. Her heart pounded, and he felt it in his. Her fingers curled into his hair, holding him place. Eventually, Meredith lost her footing, and they fell onto the sand.

Resting her head on Harry's chest, Meredith heard his heart, and she wrapped her arms around him. Absentmindedly, her pointer finger drew circles on his chest over his heart. "It sounds like you're about to explode."

"Let's hope not." Harry chuckled. His fingers ran over her wet hair on his chest. There were a few tangles along the way, and he was careful around them. Their feet were tangled together.

"I thought you were dead," she admitted.

Harry sniffled. "I'm sorry, Mere. I'm sorry. I didn't mean-- I'm sorry." With his fingers, gently he tilted her head back to look into her green eyes, where there was yet fear. "Mere, I'm sorry. I'm here. Everything's okay." He squeezed her.

"I thought it was the food. You got a cramp and drowned."

Chuckling, he tried to control it, but it made his stomach bubble, up and down. Meredith's head shifted as well. He desperately tried to keep the smile off his face, but then it exploded. He let out a snort. Harry threw his head back into the hand and laughed. "Really?"

"This is serious, Harry."

"But, Mere--" His eyes came back to her, and he started to laugh again.

Shaking her head, Meredith tried to stay angry at him, to hold her ground a little longer, and then she erupted in laughter. It filled the beach air. The wind blew their laughs into the house.