Toby's POV:

As I walked to the entrance of the outdoor pool area, I glanced up at the sky and took in a deep breath. It had gone completely dark outside, and the lights around and inside the pool had been turned on. There weren't many people swimming at that time and I sat on one of the empty beach chairs, resting my arms on my knees and clasping my hands tightly together. I watched the water create ripples and dance with the light, creating beautiful reflections on the walls around the pool. 

My mind went quiet. The only thing that I could hear was the sound of the water and the laughter of people playing inside it. Laughter... I blinked, looking away from the pool and leaning back into the seat. Staring up at the night sky, I sighed. Was getting older supposed to look like this? Why was there so much pain in life? Why couldn't we just understand one another for once? 

I shook my head, sitting up in the seat and turning back to the pool. No... This wasn't what I'd come outside for. I wasn't going to let these thoughts get the best of me... I closed my eyes and focused on the sound of the water, letting it wash away all thoughts in my head. 

Lindsey's POV: 

I took in a deep breath to calm my nerves down but nothing was working for me. I was fast walking through the entire hotel in random directions. West Wing to the East Wing to the kitchens to the ballrooms to the dining area to the front lawn, I'd covered them all within two hours. 

Why did I have to get a designer's block now of all times? I tried to act cool in front of Haley but the truth was, I was very worried about the final conference. We had around fifteen days to come up with a theme and collection of 5 pieces, with each piece telling a specific story in relation to the theme we'd selected. Along with the collection, we had to submit a mini dissertation of the entire process. This amount of work was normal for us Fashion Design students but my only problem was that it had been three days and I still hadn't thought of a theme. Hence, my sudden panic attack. 

Saying that I had no theme was a bit of an exaggeration. I had  thought of a few themes but I wanted to try something different this time. That's what got me stuck all of a sudden. 

Laughter coming from outside snapped me back to reality. I hadn't even realised where I was until that moment. Looking around, I saw that I was near the outdoor pool. Well, might as well get some air while I'm at it... 

Stepping outside, I shuddered slightly at the cool breeze hitting my bare arms. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to wear a thin t-shirt outdoors. Rubbing my arms, I turned to head back inside when a sight caught my eye that made me stop short in my tracks. I gulped as my brain went completely blank, making me forget all about the collection and the cold air. 

A male figure sat on one of the beach chairs not far from the entrance. I couldn't tell what he looked like, only that he was staring intently at the water in the pool. His brown hair blew over his eyes but he made no attempt to brush it away. He wore a faded grey t-shirt with black jogging pants. His black jacket lay next to him on the chair. The reflections of the water bounced off of his skin, making him glow ethereally. He clasped his hands tightly together, veins on his arms bulging from the pressure. He hung his for a moment and clenched his jaw, facial muscles tightening in the process.  

He sighed suddenly, straightening and leaning back into the chair. Putting one hand behind his head, he looked up at the sky, eyes glowing from the moonlight. The wind flattened his t-shirt against his skin, revealing his toned body from underneath. I gasped, looking away suddenly as I felt my entire body heat up. I blinked a few times and took in a deep breath to regain my composure before looking back at him.

He sat up again, folding one leg underneath him and turned back to the pool. The wind blew his hair onto his eyes again and I felt butterflies erupting in my stomach. He sat there for a while and I just stood there staring at him, unable to look away. I wasn't the type to fall for a guy that easily but this... This seemed different. I couldn't even see him from afar but something about him... His aura was what kept me frozen in my spot. When I looked at him, I felt a sudden wave of peace wash over me. 

I felt a smile creep on my lips. My heart was beating so fast that I could guarantee those around me could hear it beating but I couldn't care less. I just wanted to enjoy this moment, for I knew it wouldn't come very often. I may not even experience it ever again.  

"Lindsey?" I jumped in surprise, letting out a yelp. I spun around, colliding into the person who'd called my name, stumbling backwards in the process. Haley, who stood behind me, immediately rushed forward and caught my arm. 

"I'm so sorry for startling you like that! Are you okay?" she cried out, eyes round and wide with concern. I let out a chuckle and brushed a finger over Haley's nose. 

"I'm fine! Stop giving me those doe eyes, will you?" I let out a laugh, causing Haley to smile in relief. She suddenly remembered something and her expression immediately changed from relief to anger. She punched me lightly on the arm. 

"HEY!" I yelled out in surprise and pain, rubbing my arm. Only then did I realise how cold my body had gone from the wind. 

"I've been looking for you all over the hotel! You even powered your phone off! And it's cold outside! Why are you only wearing a thin t-shirt? You're gonna catch a cold! What are you even doing standing at the entrance like this?" Haley rambled on, her voice getting squeakier with every sentence. I couldn't help but laugh and hugged her tightly. She swung her arm around my shoulders and squeezed me back. I closed my eyes briefly. So nice and warm... 

Then it hit me.

I suddenly pushed Haley away, ignoring her surprised state and spun around. The beach chair was empty. I furrowed my brows. Wait a minute... Where did he go? Or more importantly, where did he come from?

I speed walked up to the beach chairs, scanning the area. Was he really gone? Just like that? I turned to glance at that chair and felt a pang of sadness wash over me. I suddenly felt myself being pulled towards it and before I could stop myself, I was standing next to the beach chair. He sat here... My body heated up again at the memory of what happened not too long ago. 

I frowned as I suddenly noticed that he forgot his jacket. Should I return it to him? Or at least hand it over at the reception desk in case he came looking for it later? My fingers itched to touch the jacket and... What did he smell like? 

"LINDSEY!" 

"Huh?" I turned around to see Haley staring at me like I had two heads. Oh... I blinked repeatedly and shook my head vigorously. 

"What are you looking for? Did you lose something by the pool? Lindsey? Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern as she gripped onto my shoulders and looked into my eyes. I sighed, releasing myself from Haley's grip. 

"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now because of next week's conference. Sorry if I-- Nevermind. Let's just head back inside. It really is cold outside," I fumbled to answer and quickly turned to head towards the door. Haley didn't look convinced as her eyes followed me but she just nodded quietly. I gulped, taking in a deep breath to collect myself together. What was wrong with me? 

"Did you decide on a topic yet, Hal?" I asked, trying to distract my mind as we walked back to the entrance. Haley gave me a sideway glance and chuckled. 

"At the moment, your sister here is just as hopeless as you are," she replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. I suddenly stopped in my tracks and turned towards her. 

"I KNOW RIGHT?!? I mean it's not like this is our first assignment so why is it so hard all of a sudden?" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air. And in my exaggerated reply, my arm accidentally hit someone on my right. 

"Ow!" I heard a male voice cry out as I immediately put my arms down and spun around to apologise. Haley let out a laugh as I saw Toby standing behind me, rubbing his chest. 

"Can you control where your arms go, please? They may be skinny but they sure hurt if they hit someone with full force!" he said, looking at me with a frown. I let out a laugh. 

"My apologies, your majesty," I replied sarcastically with a bow, causing Toby to frown even more. Haley let out another laugh and walked up to Toby's side. 

"Hey, don't bully my little brother," she said, causing my eyebrows to shoot up. 

"Bully? Me? Him? Trust me, Haley, he isn't fortunate enough to experience my bullying. I've only saved it for some special people," I replied with a smirk. Haley grinned as Toby rolled his eyes. 

"Anyways... What are you doing out here, Tobes? And why are you only wearing a t-shirt?" Haley turned to Toby with concern. 

"I actually came back to collect my jacket. I forgot it here," he pointed onto a beach chair near us. I nodded without looking and turned back towards the entrance when it suddenly hit me. His jacket... His jacket?!?

I spun back around in shock to see Toby picking up the black jacket that was lying on... That chair... No way... 

"THAT'S YOURS?!?" I blurted out suddenly before I could stop myself and immediately covered my mouth with both hands. Haley and Toby both jumped in surprise and glanced at each other before turning back to me. 

"Uhh... Yeah?" Toby replied hesitantly, glancing from me to Haley and back. My eyes widened as I actually noticed what Toby was wearing. Time stopped around me as I slowly took in his appearance. The grey faded t-shirt, the black jogging pants... His cheeks were tinted with the lightest shade of pink from the cold air. A sudden gush of wind blew his hair in front of his eyes-- a sight that melted my insides-- but only this time, his hand reached up to swipe it away from his face. His jaw clenched ever so slightly and I gulped as my eyes followed the veins on his arms down to his toned--- I blinked rapidly as I looked away suddenly, letting out a shaken breath. 

"Lindsey?" I heard Toby mumble as I met his eyes again. Those eyes... I felt my body heat up as I forced myself to look away but I couldn't.

Why had I never noticed him before? When did he become so mature... So beautiful? 

Toby's POV: 

I felt something stir inside me as I saw Lindsey scan me from head to toe. Normally, her blue eyes held a mischievous spark in them but at that moment, there was a storm raging in them. No one had ever looked at me like that before. 

A smile slowly made its way onto her lips and as soon as it came, it vanished. As if it was only meant for me to see. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as time stopped around us and everyone except the two of us became a blur. What was this feeling?

Don't look away, Lindsey. Keep looking at me...   

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I have to say, I haven't written in this context in a long while, describing people like that, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. :D And I hope you'll enjoy reading it, too!