With a heavy heart, he averted his gaze once more, his inner turmoil too much to endure.
"Th-then, I'm taking my leave now," he stammered, his voice shaky with emotion. "Thank you for inviting me."
With those words, he turned his back on Hugo, thinking his steps would take him away from the poolside.
However, distress had clouded his senses, and he failed to realize that he was heading in the wrong direction, away from the exit.
Before he could wander any further, Hugo's voice cut through the tension-filled atmosphere. "Watch out...!"
His urgent warning rang out, a sharp note of concern breaking through the silence.
Skylar hadn't even had the chance to fully grasp what was happening when, in the blink of an eye, his arm was seized, and he found himself enveloped within the protective cocoon of Hugo's embrace.