Elias walked out of the changing rooms, his hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing Louis' clothes. Louis glanced up when he heard him come out, and couldn't help but stare for a moment, his eyes raking over Elias's body and taking in the scene. The tank top hung loosely over Elias, exposing his collarbone, and the shorts were just a bit too long.
Louis smiled faintly, trying to hide the fact that he was staring. "You look good. It's a little loose, but it'll have to do." As much as his eyes wanted to drink in the sight of the mildly flustered blonde, he looked away. The other was already flustered enough, and he didn't want to make it worse. But his gaze strayed again to the dip of Elias's collarbone, just slightly peeking out from under the tank top. He was only human, after all.
"You ready, then? To learn how to swim?"
"Alright," Elias nodded, still a little excited about learning something new despite all that had happened, in the recent days.
Louis smiled, feeling a slight sense of relief as he saw Elias's genuine excitement to learn. As confident as he was acting, he'd been a bit worried that Elias wouldn't enjoy the activity. He led Elias over to the edge of the pool and pointed toward the water. "Right. You need to first learn how to stay afloat. So, dip your feet in. Test the water. Let's start from there."
Elias looked from Louis to the water, then, slowly, dipped his feet in. The water was cool and refreshing, neither too hot nor too cold. He felt a bit nervous, but there was a flicker of excitement at finally learning something new.
Louis watched Elias carefully dipping his feet in, noting the slight look of excitement and the faint pink tint on his cheeks. The blonde hair, tied messily into a ponytail, added to his charm. Louis couldn't help but think how endearing Elias looked, the sunlight reflecting on his pale blonde hair. He quickly looked away, pushing away the thoughts creeping into his mind, and asked, "How is it? Too cold, or is it fine? I can turn up the pool heater if it's too cold."
Elias waved off his offer. "No, no, it's fine." He sat by the poolside, his ankles dipping in the water, and couldn't resist kicking his feet a little, sending small splashes up against the pool's edge.
Louis hummed, watching him. It made him want to smile, seeing Elias's almost childlike reaction to the water. It was... endearing, really. Oddly soothing to watch, especially after the nerve-racking night he'd had. But as much as he wanted to relax and enjoy the moment, he couldn't allow himself to be lulled into complacency. He still feared the day Elias might walk away again, as he had before, and he couldn't afford to go through that.
Keeping his expression steady, Louis continued, "Right. Now, for the next part, you'll have to step in the water a bit further, about up to your waist. You can hold on to me if you want to. It's not deep at all, I promise."
Elias nodded, carefully stepping down the stairs that led deeper into the pool, taking small, deliberate steps to avoid slipping.
Louis watched him taking it slowly, one cautious step at a time. Part of him wanted to tease him or jokingly toss him into the pool, but he held back. The blonde was already nervous enough. Instead, he smiled and extended his arms, offering support. "That's it. Slowly, yes. Just a little further, and you'll be waist-deep. Don't worry; the tiles are rough enough so you won't slip."
Louis kept his arms out, smiling as Elias eyes remained narrowed and concentrated on the steps, looking so focused and determined. It was endearing, like a baby chick taking its first steps.
When Elias was finally waist-deep, Louis spoke again. "Alright, you're in. Now, let's move on."
Elias nodded, looking at Louis expectantly for further instructions.
Noticing the questioning gaze, Louis continued, "Now, I'll teach you how to float. Just... let me first—"
He carefully wrapped his arms around Elias's waist, pulling him a little closer.
"Now, I want you to lay back and trust me, alright? Put your faith in me for this. Trust that I won't let you drown. Just... lean back, and don't struggle. I'll hold you up. I promise I won't let you drown, so... trust me." He didn't know why, but it felt like this question went beyond swimming.
Elias, too focused on the instructions, missed the slight change in tone in Louis' voice. Trying to shake off the nervousness creeping in, he took a deep breath. "Okay... I'll try."
Louis couldn't help the pang of emotion he felt at Elias's answer. He knew it wasn't that deep for the other, but for him...this meant everything. Elias trusted him.
Elias trusted him.