‘Yep. All good,’ I say, but Hugh’s already walking towards the break in the railing. In one swift motion, he sits on the bench and leans backwards, catapulting head first into the calm water in a perfectly executed backflip. I follow, feet first, like Miguel taught me. Hugh’s presence is driving me insane. Different attitudes? What does that even mean? I take a giant step into the ocean thinking: Focus, Andi, you cannot let Millie down. Hugh is playing games with you, and you promised yourself no distractions.

But all I can think about when I pop up in the water is how badly I want to continue our conversation. And how impossibly good Hugh’s hair looks when it’s slicked back with seawater.

Chapter 10

Our group hits the mooring line in unison. We’re faster and more efficient than before, largely due to Derek having his camera assembled ahead of time. We descend. Andrew can’t control his buoyancy, again, and Vanessa does the same thumbs-down motion, prompting both Hugh and I to laugh. We watch the bubbles escape out of each other’s masks. I like the way his cheeks scrunch up when he smiles. But then Hugh’s voice echoes in my head, telling me I’ll never find the wrasse, and my smile vanishes.

I push the thought out of my head as we kick towards the reef, making our way into shallower water. I find comfort in the wheezing breath in and out of my regulator. There’s something about being underwater that feels completely meditative. There’s a sensory blockage. You can’t smell. You can’t taste. You can’t feel anything but the water slowly seeping through the stinger suit. You can only hear your own breathing. You are just taking in what’s around you, totally immersed.

Hugh stays right next to me, always within arm’s reach. His closeness is stifling, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being observed, even though every time I glance at Hugh his gaze is trained in front of him. I worry he’s looking for proof of why we’re ‘different’. It’s hard to focus on the reef with Hugh at my elbow, I think, I wish I had Miguel back.

Hugh and I are second in line after Derek and Natalie. Andrew and Pippa are behind us. Our dive follows a similar trajectory to the one before, even though we descended at a different point. Soon, we come up to a looming coral wall.