Chapter 16 #2
“Sutton, U Conn, Maine, Boston U,” Felix announces.
We did it. We came in first.
“We fucking did it!” Hudson yells behind me.
I use whatever lung capacity I have left to shout, “Sutton U Crew! Sutton U Crew!” And the rest of my teammates join in.
We float for a bit, reveling in the victory, then gently steer to the meetup point where Lin and the other crew coaches, along with the spectators, are waiting. Ethan and the Cougars are the rowdiest of the bunch, not surprisingly.
“Way to go, Sugar!” Ethan shouts.
For once, I don’t mind his teasing. I wave at him and then lean forward on my knees, ready to collapse.
Before we hit land, all four teams take a celebratory dunk in the lake, and there is no better feeling in the world. Well, winning tops it. The water is bracingly cold, and the shock of it has my remaining nerves floating away.
Then it’s time to hit the dock and shake our opponents’ hands. We collect our medals, and take pictures with the officials.
“Everyone’s invited to Boots ’n’ Burgers for a post-race celebration!” Lin announces.
U Conn’s coxswain, Reese, ambles over, and when he unexpectedly tugs me in for a bro hug, I slap his back and quickly pull away.
We’ve met a few times over the past year at various regattas, and there’s no doubt the guy leads a tight team.
Their record speaks for itself. He knows his shit, and he seems friendly too, so I can see why his team respects him so much.
“Great race, Jett.”
“Thanks, Reese. It felt amazing. First drink is on me.”
“It’s still morning, but I’ll hold you to it,” he replies with a wink and walks off to join his colleagues.
I run a hand through my damp hair and soak in the moment. The sun is bright, and a good thing too, because it’s warming me up in no time.
“All the drinks are on me, champ.”
I turn to find Ethan standing behind me, but it’s hard to parse out his expression with his sunglasses on. His grin says he’s happy for me, but his body language is tense. Strange.
“It’s going to be one hell of a bar bill.”
“I can manage,” Ethan replies with a nod. “You guys killed it out there.”
“Thanks. For being here. For cheering us on.”
I don’t want to admit it, but I think he gave me a boost today.
“Could you hear me screaming?”
I nod.
“Clear as day. Thanks for the hype. It’s always welcome.”
Ethan steps forward, and without hesitation, we’re reaching for each other. He slides his arms around my waist and pulls me into a hug, but it’s not like the casual, friendly one I shared with Reese.
Ethan squeezes me tight, and I hold on to him a little bit longer than I should.
It’s different than any interaction I’ve had with him.
I realize that I’m trembling, and I’m not sure it’s because my muscles are worn out.
With my nose notched into his neck, I breathe in his scent—clean and spicy with that hint of cinnamon.
I want to kiss and lick his skin, but the longer we stay locked together, the more I’m aware that we’re drawing a crowd.
Reluctantly, I ease back.
“After Boots, why don’t you come watch my hockey practice?”
For once I don’t fight my feelings or my curiosity when it comes to Ethan.
“Okay.”
I spot Dane coming towards us, hand in hand with Jackson, and I offer a wave. Kayden, Finn, Silas, and the rest of the Cougars join in too and offer their congratulations. There’s more hugs and group selfies. Thank fuck it’s sunny and warm today and my uniform is dry before I know it.
After pictures, everyone on my team dons our Crew T-shirts and we make our way into town with our friends.
Ethan sticks by my side, and every time our arms brush, electricity shoots down my spine.
I want to reach for him again, and when I glance over, he’s looking at me like he wants to do the same.
Archie’s advice reverberates in my head, and I’ve decided that if Ethan wants me again, I’m gonna go for it.
Might as well take my pleasure where I can get it.
We arrive at Boots and the U Conn Crew, as well as Maine State and Boston, are all gathered on the back patio. I don’t know if it’s the win or what, but I reach for Ethan’s hand, and he lets me pull him outside.
“Come on, I want you to meet the other crews.”
I do the intros, and observe Ethan being Ethan. He’s got everyone’s attention and charms the crowd, even Lin, who never misses an opportunity to launch a sarcastic comment. A server stops by with a tray of drinks, and Ethan grabs two glasses and passes one to me.
When Reese sidles up to me, Ethan comes up tight on my other side.
“Our hockey team never comes to our regattas,” Reese comments. “Clearly there’s a close friendship between your groups.”
Ethan nods.
“Dane’s our captain and he’s dating Jackson, so it started there. We’ve also attended school events together and now we’re all friends. And on occasion, rivals.”
“Rivals?” I scoff. “Please, there’s no competition. We creamed your ass at soccer.”
Ethan blows a raspberry, and I shake my head at his ridiculousness.
“Once. I still say we deserve a rematch.”
“Want to get another buzz cut?”
“Fuck no,” Ethan exclaims as he runs a hand over his head.
“What’s a soccer game got to do with your hair?” Reese asks.
“The bet was that the losing team had to shave their heads. Jett took way too much pleasure in cutting mine.”
“You still look hot, so stop complaining.”
Ethan gives me a heated stare, and I’ve never wanted to have a party over and done with so badly before.
“Are you guys looking forward to hosting the national competition?” Reese asks.
I startle, and shit, I almost forget Reese was standing there.
“Yeah, I’ll be the student ambassador for rowing, and Ethan for hockey. We’ll be leading the Welcome Day event.”
“Cool. We should hang out,” Reese says as he taps my arm. “We could get together one-on-one? Maybe have dinner? I’d love to take you out.”
I don’t miss the flirty tone or the implication. A few weeks ago, I might have taken Reese up on his offer. But now I have a preoccupation with a mouthy, infuriatingly hot hockey player.
“Sure. I mean, hanging out is great, but—”
“Jett’s got a boyfriend.”
I glare at Ethan. The fuck is he playing at? Boyfriend? How did we go from fooling around to that?
“Oh, where is he?” Reese asks. “Didn’t he come to watch you today?”
Ethan slides his hand up my back to cup my neck.
“He certainly did.”