Lars gispet etter pusten.

Lars gasped for breath.

Vannet i fisketorget i Oslo var iskaldt.

The water in the fish market in Oslo was freezing cold.

Han stirret på Ingrid.

He stared at Ingrid.

Hun stod med hendene for munnen, forskrekket.

She stood with her hands over her mouth, shocked.

Lars hadde forsøkt å imponere henne.

Lars had tried to impress her.

Ingrid elsket å dykke.

Ingrid loved diving.

Men nå, han kunne ikke tro hva som nettopp hadde skjedd.

But now, he couldn't believe what had just happened.

Han hadde falt i vannet med klærne på.

He had fallen into the water fully clothed.

Forsamlingen rundt torget latterliggjorde ham.

The crowd around the market ridiculed him.

Men hans eneste bekymring var Ingrid.

But his only concern was Ingrid.

Ingrid, med solbleket hår, blå øyne som Oslofjorden, og et smil som alltid fikk Lars' hjerte til å dunke litt hurtigere.

Ingrid, with sun-bleached hair, blue eyes like the Oslo Fjord, and a smile that always made Lars' heart beat a little faster.

Han hadde ønsket å imponere henne.

He had wanted to impress her.

Ikke gjøre henne bekymret.

Not make her worry.

Men her han var, dryppende våt og frossen.

But here he was, dripping wet and frozen.

Ingrid løp mot ham.

Ingrid ran towards him.

Hun reiste ham opp og hjalp ham ut av vannet.

She lifted him up and helped him out of the water.

Hun så på ham med store øyne.

She looked at him with big eyes.

Lars kunne ikke tolke hennes uttrykk.

Lars couldn't interpret her expression.

"Nå er du jo helt våt, Lars!

"Now you're completely wet, Lars!"

" utbrøt hun, og prøvde å ikke le.

she exclaimed, trying not to laugh.

Lars rødmet, samtidig som han ristet av kulde.

Lars blushed, while shivering from the cold.

"Hvorfor i all verden hoppet du uti med klærne på, Lars?

"Why on earth did you jump in with your clothes on, Lars?"

" spurte Ingrid, nesten gråtende av latter nå.

asked Ingrid, almost crying from laughter now.

"Jeg - jeg skulle -," han stotret.

"I-I was trying to--" he stammered.

"Jeg ville bare vise deg.

"I just wanted to show you."

" Han klarte ikke se henne i øynene.

He couldn't look her in the eyes.

"Vise meg hva da?

"Show me what?"

" Ingrid var nå fullstendig forvirret.

Ingrid was now completely confused.

Lars rødmet igjen, og skrapet med foten på bryggekanten.

Lars blushed again and scraped his foot on the edge of the dock.

Dette var ikke helt som han hadde planlagt.

This wasn't exactly how he had planned it.

Han hadde villet vise Ingrid at han også kunne dykke.

He had wanted to show Ingrid that he could dive too.

Han hadde villet imponere henne, få henne til å se ham, ikke bare som en venn, men som noe mer.

He had wanted to impress her, to make her see him, not just as a friend, but as something more.

Men nå hadde han bare gjort seg til latter.

But now he had only made a fool of himself.

Ingrid strakte ut hånden og løftet ansiktet hans opp til hennes.

Ingrid reached out her hand and lifted his face up to hers.

Hun så på ham, virkelig så på ham, for første gang.

She looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time.

"Lars," sa hun med en myk stemme, "du trenger ikke å imponere meg.

"Lars," she said in a soft voice, "you don't need to impress me.

Du er allerede imponerende nok som du er.

You're already impressive just the way you are."

"Og med det smeltet isen rundt Lars' hjerte.

And with that, the ice around Lars' heart melted.

Nå stod de der, midt i humoren og kaoset, og alt føltes riktig.

Now they stood there, in the midst of humor and chaos, and everything felt right.

Han hadde ikke imponert Ingrid med dykkeferdighetene hans, men han hadde fått noe bedre - en ærlig samtale og et øyeblikk av inderlighet mellom dem.

He hadn't impressed Ingrid with his diving skills, but he had gained something better - an honest conversation and a moment of sincerity between them.

Historien endte ikke med en fantastisk dykketur, men med en uventet dukkert, en god latter, og en enda større forståelse mellom to gode venner.

The story didn't end with a fantastic diving adventure, but with an unexpected dip, a good laugh, and an even greater understanding between two good friends.

Kanskje var ikke alt håp tapt for Lars.

Maybe all hope was not lost for Lars.

Han hadde kanskje falt i vannet i dag, men han hadde fått noe annet, en mulighet, et håp.

He had fallen into the water today, but he had gained something else, an opportunity, a hope.