The Houston night was thick and humid, the kind of evening where the air feels like a weight and the glowing blue of the apartment pool acts like a magnet. After a long day of rounds, the quiet of the courtyard was exactly what Jacob needed.
He stood at the very edge of the deep end, still dressed in his dark button-down and indigo jeans. There was one small group of teens, but they didn't seem to mind. Jacob could only notice the distant flicker of streetlights through the palm trees amid their laughter and voices among themselves. He didn't bother with the ladder, and he certainly didn't stop to change.
With a sudden, decisive stride, he stepped right off the ledge.
The silence of the night was shattered by a massive, echoing splash as he went plunging in fully clothed. The pool swallowed him whole, the chlorinated water surging over his head and soaking instantly through every layer of fabric. Under the surface, his heavy denim and leather boots felt like anchors, the dark material of his shirt billowing for a second before plastering itself to his skin.
When he finally broke the surface, gasping and blinking through his wet glasses, the transformation was total. He waded toward the steps, his clothes now a sodden, heavy weight that clung to every movement and dragged against the water. As he emerged, cascading a small waterfall onto the concrete with every step, the night breeze hit his drenched shirt and finally cut through the Texas heat. He slicked his hair back with a dripping hand, a wide, triumphant grin on his face, perfectly satisfied with his midnight plunge.