Making Waves

After her last class of the day, Daisy was determined to track down Ryan Lochte and get her book back. She kept her eyes peeled for his large frame as she crossed campus, first checking outside the dining center where they collided, then stopping by the athlete's gym. With no luck at either place, she decided she should check the training pool. She didn't know much about the sport of swimming, but she knew that all athletes, especially Olympians, spent a ridiculous amount of time training. She figured that her chances of finding him at the pool would be higher than anywhere else on campus.

When she rounded the corner of the locker room building, she could see four long and lean bodies gliding through various lanes in the pool. She hesitantly walked through the gated entrance, unsure if the practice was open to guests and unable to tell if Ryan was one of the four bodies. Waiting would be the best option, she thought, and quietly sat on the small bench near the entrance.

Daisy watched as the men made their fast-pace swimming look effortless. She saw each powerful arm reach out as if grabbing a handful of water, submerge, forcefully pull gallons of the pool water behind them, and repeat with the other arm. She took note of the lead the one in the pink Speedo had gained over his teammates as he rocketed past his current competition, each of them in a black Speedo.

When the swimmers finished their current race, with the Pink Speedo coming in first, they each removed their goggles and caps. Daisy could see that she had been right in coming to the pool, because Ryan was in fact the man in the pink. Impressed, she stood up and headed to where they were still chatting at the edge of the pool.

"I knew you'd come back and agree to dinner with me." Ryan smirked after he spotted Daisy nearing him.

She rolled her eyes. "Actually, you have one of my books. I was completely lost when my professor started discussing the biology of sea cucumbers thanks to you."

"Oops." His smirk widened, leading Daisy to think that he kept her book on purpose. He then pulled himself out of the pool and walked the few feet to his duffel bag and pulled out a white towel and Gatorade bottle.

Daisy watched as the thick bands of muscle on his torso and arms moved, causing the droplets of water covering his golden skin to glisten in the sunlight. She could see how massive his thighs were due to his revealing swimsuit. She could even see how toned his backside was. When her grey eyes finally made their way back to his bright blue ones, she could see that she had been caught ogling.

"Nice outfit," she mumbled as she quickly looked away. She could feel the blush covering her cheeks.

Ryan let out a deep laugh. "I know a lot of people who would agree with you on the statement." He shuffled around in his bag for a few moments before pulling out a pale blue book and turning back to Daisy. "So this is yours?"

"Yes! Thanks for not tossing it." She smiled graciously as she reached out to grab it. But as her hands came close to enclosing the bound pages, Ryan pulled it up and out of her reach. His long arm held it at least two and a half feet above her head.

"You can have it under one condition."

Irritation flooding through her, Daisy looked from the book back to his mischievous eyes. "What?"

"Dinner. With me. Tonight."

She wanted to slap that crooked grin off his handsome face, but she knew she couldn't. Buying a new book was out of the question since the one in Ryan's hand cost an arm and a leg, so she had no other option. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll go out to dinner with you, but it is not a date."

The creases around Ryan's blue eyes became more prominent as he beamed. "We'll see if you still think that later." He winked at her again before lowering the book.

Daisy snatched the textbook out of his strong grasp and held it to her chest. "Well, than-" She was cut off by a burly man with a goatee, which she assumed was his couch, yelling "Lochte, back in the pool!"

"Duty calls," Ryan shrugged. "Meet me by Century Tower at eight," he said before turning away from Daisy and fluidly diving into the pool.

"Thanks," Daisy mumbled as she turned away from the pool and began the long trek back to where she parked. She glanced back toward the water as she exited through the open gate only to see Ryan racing past his teammates again before continuing her walk. Soon, she was lost in thought, mentally going through her entire wardrobe trying to find a suitable outfit for dinner with an Olympic gold medalist.