"Rika!" he shouted frantically.

He could see Erica's head above the waves again.

"Matthew! Over here!

Blub..."

Fortunately, he was close enough to hear her. He quickly swam over to where she was, and held her tightly in his arms.

"Don't be afraid,

Rika. I'm here! You're safe now..." The man was so gentle and caring that Erica almost felt guilty.

‘Well... he's certainly being sweet!' He was as gentle as he was when he rushed to the campus to save her the other day. The fact that he was like that made her love him even more.

“You okay?" Matthew asked breathlessly. Erica nodded.

"Stay right there," he said, and with that, he dove under the water, coming up behind her. He hooked his arm around her waist, and swam with his Legs and other arm, making sure to keep her head above water. Together with his wife, he made for shore.

When they were back on the beach, he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

“Everything good? Are you cold-" He realized something, and it overrode any concern he might have had for her.

Erica could swim. She Loved to do Laps in the pool at the villa. She was actually quite good at swimming. That only meant one thing: she tricked him again!

Knowing the jig was up, Erica quickly put her arms around his neck and said fawningly, “Don't be angry, okay?"

What else was she supposed to do? He was ignoring her, so she had to see if she still had a place in his heart.

And as it turned out, she did have a place in his heart. His little freak-out there in the water was proof of that. She felt happy about that.

Matthew said nothing. He grabbed his suit jacket and wrapped it around her tightly.

Erica raised her head and Looked at the man expectantly.

"Matthew, you like me, don't you?" Otherwise, why did he get so anxious when he thought she was drowning?

Her sudden question made the man pause. He not only liked her, but he loved her more than life itself.

However, he couldn't just tell her that. What if she told him she didn't like him at all? He was afraid to hear her answer. His heart would be broken.

And he didn't want to lose face, either.

Finally, he asked in a hoarse voice, “Was it fun?"

How could she joke about being in trouble Like that? He was so angry he really wanted to beat her. Couldn't she see that?

“Matthew, answer me!" Erica insisted.