Vagabonds

'Careful you, you're getting into deep water.' She tried to make her expression serious, but he could see the ghost of a smile underneath.

'Yeah? Well at least if I do get in deep water I can swim in it.'

'I can swim, I was just working the cute, helpless angle. Natasha told me you were a psychology student and you're always playing mind games. Well, so am I so I thought I'd test you.'

'Is that so?' Adam stood up and held out his hand. 'Come on then, lets see if you really were bluffing.' Diana obliged and took his hand, moving awkwardly to a standing position from the swinging bench. Once she found her feet, he lifted her over his shoulder.

'What are you doing?' She protested. 'You could at least carry me like a princess.'

Adam stopped at the head of the pool and set her down.

'Go on then,' he gestured to the water. The perimeter of the pool was lit now by tall lawn candles and strings of outside lights. The pool was completely empty now and the area around it was deserted as well. It seemed everyone was either inside of over at the marquee.

'I can't swim in the dark.'

'Bullshit, get in.'

'But it's cold.'

'I'll find you a blanket after you swim to the other end. Go on.' He nudged her in the back and she yelped and stepped backwards.

'Alright, I can't swim. Well I can, but not well.'

'How do I know this isn't another mind game?'

'Trust me?' She asked with a smile.

'Nope.' And to punctuate his refusal, Adam shoved her into the pool. Her scream was cut off by a splash that sounded much louder in the quiet of the night. Adam waited for her to surface, which she eventually did with a splutter. She gasped for air and fixed him with a stare that made a chill run down his spine.

'You bastard!' She shouted. 'I could've drowned!'

'You could've,' he said lowering himself to sit on the edge of the pool. 'But it turns out you can swim, so I'd say you're safe.'

'You didn't trust me.'

'You lied to me.' He splashed at her and smiled. 'Don't take it personally though, I hate mind games.'

'Tell me something,' She said sweeping wet hair from her forehead. 'Would you pull me?'

'Pull you? Like have-' 'Because I'd pull you.' With that, she moved forward, grabbed his arm and dragged him in. He emerged moments later and picked up the nearest float, which happened to be Flipper, and hit her across the head with it. The inflatable dolphin made a satisfying squeaking noise as it impacted, the pair of them laughed. Diana reached for another float, a crocodile and began hitting Adam back. He found himself thinking that they must've looked ridiculous, laughing uncontrollably, assaulting each other with squeaking pool toys and he didn't much care if they did.

'So how much of that cute and innocent thing is genuine?' He asked after they'd agreed to call the impromptu float-duel a draw.

'Most of it, I suppose. I don't do it intentionally so that much mean it's genuine, right?'

'I'd say so, yeah.'

'And how much of your pseudo-intellectual with a superiority complex act is genuine?' She asked with a wry smile.

'Superiority complex?'

'That's what I said.'

Adam floated over the the side of the pool, levered himself out and sat on the edge. Diana climbed up the short metal ladder next to him.

'Not a lot,' he admitted, looking across to the marquee where the throng of people shifted and pulsed to the music. 'It's mostly a defence mechanism. I immediately dislike people when I first meet them. Keeps them at arm's length.'

'Did you dislike me?' She asked, shifting closer to him.

'No, and that's the weird thing. Seriously, I don't give anyone a fair chance. I look at them, I judge them and I'm usually right. They're usually vapid, party-going girls who wear kitsch, retro shit ironically, or floppyhaired douchebags in tight jeans.'

'And what did you peg me as?' Irritation edged her tone now, but Adam pressed on.

'I pegged you,' he turned to her. 'As a little bit of a hippy, possibly guitar playing, artsy type.'

'I play bass,' she said with a smile, the irritation evaporating. 'And my parents were huge hippies, and I love