[ WC ] Pax Vobiscum
Jayden can barely hear the splashes of water with every stroke he makes in the frigid water of the outdoor pool with the music blaring in his ears through his earbuds. The chill of winter still lingers into early April, but he prefers it that way. It may seem like a punishment to some, but this helps him keep his mind off of the haunting memories that had began to return to him recently that seemed to had been blocked off as a trauma response after the car accident.
Memories filled with pain, anguish, fatigue... It was too much. Remembering how old he had only been when these things had happened still manages to make him want to lurch and heave up the contents of his stomach. However, when he's racing against his thoughts in the pool, it's easy to keep the memories at bay. Hell, it makes it so much easier to relax.
With or without the memories, swimming had been something he had done to wind down because even while traveling on business trips, it's easy to find a pool in hotels and resorts he'd be staying in apart from the gym.
After a few laps, he lets himself float on the water on his back despite the cold. The weight of his memories and the day seem to just float away from him as he closes his eyes. In the embrace of the water, he finds himself a haven, helping him cleanse out his mind so that he can face the day again later on without overwhelming himself. With the sky turning darker, the shadows begin to wrap him up, which means it's time to get out of the water.
So, he swims over to the edge and climbs over to where his things are to retrieve them. He dries himself up as well as he could before heading back inside the gym to shower the chlorinated water away before he heads back to his apartment.