The pool’s always empty when Hallie gets there – it’s one of the advantages of coming to train at the very earliest or very latest time slots. She doesn’t mind other people, sure, but screaming kids or splashing seniors don’t really make great background noise when she needs to focus hard on her speed and technique. She’s lucky her building has a pool; few in the area do, but it was one of the most important factors when she picked her apartment. It’s not the fanciest facility, but she doesn’t need it to be, not really. She just needs the water and some space.
She’s been at it for an hour when she notices. It’s so easy to get lost in the rhythm of swimming laps that she usually spaces out or becomes entirely unaware of anything that isn’t her muscles and breath. But as soon as it registers that there’s someone sitting on the side of the pool, it nags at the edges of her awareness even as she tries to ignore it.