The water, the beautiful clear blue of it, was pulling at Clara much like it was at Emma. The ripples seemed to be beckoning to her, inviting her to just let go and jump in like she really wanted to, reminding her that she loved swimming and the one solace she found in moving was that her new home was on the coast. She wanted to jump in, despite her reserved words. They did have time to kill, after all. A whole hour to work on the charts before the shower. Clara wanted to say yes when Emma asked if she was up for a midnight swim, but she remained silent, biting her lip uncertainly.

She watched as Emma stripped down to her bra and panties, and was surprisingly fine. It happened all the time in the locker room at school, and if she could do it in front of a bunch of girls in there then she could do it in front of one girl out here. It was basically just like wearing a bikini, like Emma said. The other girl jumped in, making a splash as she hit the water and submerged. A few moments later she broke the surface and was laughing. The plashing and the laughter seemed to strengthen water's own call on Clara and she swallowed as she could feel herself caving in to her desire. Chicago Clara certainly would have done it. Why shouldn't Waverly Clara?

She made a face when Emma called her "new girl," and crossed her arms over her chest. "Clara. My name is Clara, alright? Jeeze..." For a few seconds she stared back at Emma and then back at the rippling surface of the blue water. And then she wasn't able to contain herself any more. Clara let out an exasperated sigh as she pulled her sweater off and let it fall to the floor. "Fine. Fine, you win." Was she talking to Emma or the pool? Clara pulled the white t-shirt over her head and dropped it before peeling herself out of her jeans. For a few seconds she shivered as she moved to the edge of the pool, wearing nothing but the purple bra and panties, then she dove in with a couple of minutes to spare before midnight.

It was...warm. She had been so sure it would be as cool as the air outside, but the water felt comforting on her skin and seemed to fill her with warmth all the way to her core. She broke the surface, a smile on her face as she looked at the other girl. "Wow," she breathed, spinning in a circle as she laughed herself. "Okay, you were right. This feels amazing..." All of her previous reservations forgotten, Clara let out a contented sigh as she floated on her back and stared up at the sky. The stars were bright while the moon was full and was inching across the sky. Soon it would be shining down right over them. "Maybe we should watch the shower like this," she suggested to Emma, turning her head slightly to look and smile at the girl beside her.