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It was supposed to be the most magical day, Bajcetic thought to himself. Thiago and Tsimikas, his friends slash older brothers, had agreed to take him to the beach five days before Liverpool's next game. It wasn't your ordinary beach day, though. The three came with a mission: to relieve Bajcetic of his hydrophobia.
Bajcetic had initially loved the water, being a very talented swimmer as a child. But one day when he was seven, a tidal wave swept him into the water. A dogshark had chased him around and ever since then, he'd been terrified of deep water. Thiago was determined to fix that, though. When Thiago heard how Firmino and Fabinho helped Alisson overcome his own fear of water, he'd packed up Tsimikas and Bajcetic and drove them down to the beach.
During the whole trip, Bajcetic thought this was an excellent idea. Now, though, he wasn't so sure. He was only up to his calves in the water, but he stood frozen to the ground as if immobilized in a whirlpool.
"I...I can't do this!!!" Bajcetic yelled.
"Sure you can, little man!" Tsimikas called out. "You said so yourself."
Thiago took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. He and Thiago were up to their chests in the water—deep enough so Bajcetic could see that they were perfectly fine in the ocean, but shallow enough so they could still stand up. “The whole team believes you can do it Stefan. Just start walking into the water.”
“But I can't move my legs!”
“It's fear. He's terrified,” Thiago explained to Tsimikas. He waded closer to Bajcetic, holding out his hand. “I'll help you chico , just hang on!”
Bajcetic stared into space, unable to see Thiago. He couldn't even see the calm, sunny beach in front of him; his mind was riddled with old memories.
Water. So much water everywhere. He was trapped, and the tide rose fast.
Water got into his mouth. Salty and raw. He spit it out, only for the waves to overwhelm him with another mouthful.
He tried to propel himself higher. His hurt leg was deadweight. Water filled his mouth and ears, and it was only a matter of time until his nose was trapped, too.
For a moment, he debated whether to breathe or not. Breathe, and more torture would come; don't breathe, and he'd black out.
In the end, there was no choice. A wave washed over him, and he instinctively gasped for air before the waves pulled him into the monstrous deep ocean.
“Stefan! Stefanito! Dios mio , wake up!”
Bajcetic gasped, patting the ground under him. He was no longer standing on the shore; rather, he was lying on the sand with his head propped up by a rock. “Tio?”
Thiago gently helped Bajcetic to a sitting position, brushing the sand out of his hair. “You passed out. Kostas had to help me bring you to shore.”
“I’m sorry, Tio. I flashed back. I was drowning and it all turned black.” Bajcetic took a deep breath, trying to ignore the squeezing feeling in his lungs. His eyes were still wide with fear.
Thiago put his arm around Bajcetic's shoulders. “It's OK. You're safe now.”
“Man, that sounds like scary stuff,” said Tsimikas. “But you're not alone in the ocean anymore. You're at the beach with Thiago and I.”
"M-maybe I shouldn't do this. What about my injury? What if I make it worse by swimming?”
"He's got a point," Tsimikas admitted.
"Let me handle this, Kosty." Thiago turned to Bajcetic with a gentle nod. "That won't happen. You'll dive into that water and conquer it like a demigod."
Tsimikas nodded in agreement. "And we'll help you."
Bajcetic took a deep breath, preparing for what was to come. " Si , let's do this."
*
Thiago held Bajcetic's hand while Bajcetic stood on the shore. Bajcetic wore a life jacket, water wings and a snorkeling mask, as well as a rope tied around his waist. The rope was also tied around Thiago's wrist. Meanwhile, Kostas stood some way out in the water, holding out his hands.
Thiago finally finished checking that everything was triple-secure. "Alright chico , are you ready?"
"Tan listo."
Thiago squeezed Bajcetic's hand tightly, reassuring the youngster that he was still there. "If you freeze up, tap my shoulder and we'll pause, bueno ?
"Si, entendido. Yo... estoy un poquito nervioso. But I'll be fine. Estás listo, Kostas ?” he called out to the Greek in the water.
"Yeah, I've used Listerine for years!"
Thiago chuckled at Tsimikas' misunderstanding, while Bajcetic facepalmed. "No, Tio Kostas, listo ! It means ready."
"Okay then." Tsimikas flashed a goofy thumb-up. "Listerine!"
Bajcetic gingerly inserted his toe into the water and giggled. "It's cold."
Thiago nudged Bajcetic, gesturing towards Tsimikas. "Go on."
Bajcetic stepped into the water fully, letting the water envelope his foot and ankle. He hesitated for a bit before continuing to walk, inching towards Tsimikas. Thiago followed him step by step, holding Bajcetic by the waist in case he stumbled.
"WOO! You can do it little man!" Tsimikas cheered. "Listerine!"
"It's LISTO , Kostas!" Bajcetic yelled in exasperation. Unbeknownst to him, he walked a bit faster. But again, he froze when the water was up to his calves.
"Don't panic." Thiago saw that Bajcetic had stopped again, at the same point as before. "Just keep walking. Look into Kostas' eyes."
"His eyes or his eyebags?" Bajcetic quipped sarcastically. But he did so, making eye contact with Tsimikas. "Should I keep walking?"
"Keep walking!"
Bajcetic gulped, continuing to put one foot after another. Every time the images of the waves that trapped him surfaced, he stared at Tsimikas' eyebags. Their comically hilarious size was just enough to distract Bajcetic and keep him on track.
Thiago watched on with pride as Bajcetic made his way towards Tsimikas. Thiago had stopped walking when the water reached his knees, letting Bajcetic wade in on his own. He was still worried that Bajcetic would panic again, but Thiago knew he had to let Bajcetic accomplish this on his own.
Meanwhile, Bajcetic walked through the water as if in a trance. He could see Tsimikas. He was so close to him. Yet with every step he took, Tsimikas grew farther away. Walking through water was a lot more difficult than running on a turf pitch, and the resistance that the ocean provided didn't help
A seagull flew above Bajcetic, getting his attention with a loud squawk. Bajcetic smirked as the seagull swooped down towards a fisherman's boat, stealing an entire container of french fries. Bajcetic reached towards his right to show Thiago the gull--only to realize Thiago wasn't there.
Just like that, any confidence plummeted to the ground. The ocean grew ten times as large, and his gaze darted everywhere, searching for Tsimikas. "Thiago!"
"Keep walking!" Thiago had seen Bajcetic freeze in panic, and now he swam towards the teenager to get to him quickly. I should've never let him walk alone.
Bajcetic could feel himself start to hyperventilate. The water was above his navel now, and Tsimikas seemed so far away. His heart pounded in his ears, clashing with the sound of the waves. This was not how it was supposed to happen; he was supposed to swim like a demigod, not chicken out at the sight of deep water. Thiago would be so disappointed in him.
"Keep moving," he said to himself, and he struggled through the water, swimming instead of just walking. The thought of potentially disappointing Thiago was enough to keep him moving. The life jacket and water wings made it slightly awkward to move his limbs, but despite not doing it for a long time, Bajcetic was still a competent swimmer.
His arms cut through the water, pushing it away only to be met with more of it. All Bajcetic could feel around him was water--would it ever stop?
Finally, he thought he felt it: an arm. He looked up to see that it was Tsimikas' arm, and that he was floating on top of the water while half-wrapped in Tsimikas' embrace. After all the ocean water, solid flesh felt like heaven.
I did it! I actually did it, it actually happened! I didn't die!
" Lo hiciste! " Thiago popped up out of the water, wrapping Bajcetic in the biggest, tightest hug he could muster. "You did it, I'm so proud of you, chiquito ."
"Even though I froze, like, three times?"
"You're seriously beating yourself up for that?!" Tsimikas laughed, ruffling Bajcetic's soaking-wet hair. "Kiddo, you nearly drowned in the ocean back then. Freezing up is just part of the whole process. It's impressive that you swam the way you did."
"Yes, that was an impeccable butterfly stroke! But you could've floated on your back towards Kostas and I would've been just as proud." Thiago assured him. "Now how about we go get some ice cream? I think you've earned it."
"Helado de chocolate con menta?" Bajcetic asked hopefully, shaking the water out of his hair.
Thiago ruffled Bajcetic's wet hair and smiled. "Of course, helado de chocolate con menta. Let's go!"
The three of them swam towards the shore, laughing and shouting as the sun shone down on them.