Chapter 26 Nineteen years old
Nineteen years old
Sam
“Thanks for collecting me,” Kath says as we finish wrestling her suitcase into the boot. “I know you’re busy, and I know you don’t love driving.”
“I’ll always collect you,” I say, before I can stop myself.
She walks automatically towards the driver’s side and then freezes, blinking at the steering wheel. “Oh. Right. Of course.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Shut up,” she mutters, circling round to the passenger side. “My brain’s still in Heathrow.”
She gasps as I pull out of the airport.
“You’re too close to that line.”
“I’m not.”
“You definitely are.”
“Kath.”
She exhales dramatically and slumps back into the seat. “I hate not being in control of the pedals.”
I laugh despite myself.
After another twenty minutes of Kath instinctively bracing every time I indicate, we pull into the car park outside my dorm.
The thing is, she’s not entirely wrong. It’s been a year since I finally passed my test, but I still drive like I’m sitting the exam every single time.
Even in AJ’s beast of a car, which feels like it could plough through a brick wall without so much as a scratch, I’m gripping the steering wheel like it might try to bolt.
Maybe it’s the whole driving on the other side of the road thing that still throws me. Or maybe it’s just that I operate at a low-key anxious hum as my baseline. Like an iPhone on 2% battery—technically functioning, but living in constant fear.
“Ugh, you were right; this place is boiling,” she says as we get out of the car.
I let us into the building and we climb the flight of stairs to my floor.
“It’s not even that bad, Kath. It’s only April.”
“OK, Mr ‘I’ve been in Florida for nearly a billion years and that makes me an expert’. Some of us still need tepid temperatures and SPF 1000.”
“It hasn’t been a billion years, it’s been eight months,” I grumble as we make it to my room.
Sometimes it feels a lot longer than eight months.
The moment we get into the room Kath collapses onto my bed, rubbing her eyes.
“Sorry,” she mumbles. “My flight was at an awful hour in the morning. Cheapest one I could find for a reason. I’ve been up since 3 a.m. It almost reminds me of those swimming morning hours again.”
“We can have an early night,” I offer, and she gives me a grateful look.
“I promise I’ll be more fun tomorrow.”
I won’t tell her this in case it makes things awkward, but I always find Kath fun. Even when we just sit in silence, she’s still the person I would choose to spend my time with.
“Why don’t you have a shower and a power nap?” I suggest. “Just two hours, and then you can get up and we can go around the campus a bit before dinner. I’ve got a gym session to get to anyway, so I can wake you up when I’m back.”
“That would be amazing actually.” She yawns. “Where’s the bathroom?”
I point towards the en suite and she scowls. “Of course you have a fancy room with an en suite.”
“Well, I have my own bathroom, but you forget I have to share the actual room.”
As I say that the door swings open and my giant roommate walks in. He does a double take when he sees Kath, even though I’ve told him she’s coming about a hundred times.
“Kath! It’s nice to meet you,” he drawls, emphasising his southern twang. I shoot him a scowl over her head, and he just winks at me.
“Oh hi. You must be Austin.” She jumps up to give him a hug. “It’s nice to actually meet face-to-face rather than over the phone. And I’ve heard so much about you. I kind of feel like we know each other already.”
He laughs. “The feeling’s mutual. I literally wake up every morning to a picture of sixteen-year-old you.”
Kath follows where he gestures and grins when she sees the photo of the two of us at the Paris Olympics.
“I love this photo.” She turns to me. “I hadn’t realised you packed it.”
I shrug at her. It’s my favourite.
“Aww and look at this one of your mum.” Her expression softens. “I miss her smile. You can just feel it, can’t you? I swear it used to light up the whole room.”
I nod and look away. I don’t want to talk about my mum. Kath frowns and opens her mouth to say something, but Austin interrupts.
“You ready, man?” he asks, digging a spare T-shirt from the cupboard before lacing on a different pair of trainers.
“Give me five.” I quickly swap my T-shirt and grab my bag, popping in my water bottle and a change of clothes.
“Have a nap,” I tell Kath. “We’ll wake you up when we’re back.”
“Yep.” She yawns again. “Sorry,” she apologises to Austin. “I’m usually a more coherent person, I promise.”
“No problem, sweet pea,” he tells her, his blue eyes twinkling. I elbow him out of the door, waving at Kath, who gives another wide yawn as the door swings shut.
“Sweet pea? Really?” I grumble, and he just chuckles in response.
“Has Kath arrived? Is Fletcher pining after her?” AJ asks as we meet him at the end of the corridor, and I let out a groan. This is not how I’d envisioned today going.
“Maybe.” Austin gives me a sideways look.
AJ turns to me. “I can’t wait to meet her. You’re always texting her.”
“I’m not always texting her.”
“She was your screensaver,” AJ deadpans. “I literally thought she was your girlfriend until, like, two weeks ago.”
Austin just smirks at me. So much for my friend bailing me out then; I’ll fend AJ off alone.
“You guys know full well she’s not my girlfriend. We’ve had this conversation before. She’s my best friend, that’s it.” I narrow my eyes. “But she’s still off limits. So just remember that, and there won’t be any problems.”
“You’re being very defensive over your friend.” Austin smiles. “Way more defensive than I am over AJ, that’s for sure.”
I roll my eyes, reaching for my buzzing phone in my pocket. I open it to see that AJ has posted in our swimming group chat.
AJ: Fletcher’s home friend Kath has arrived and he’s already freaking out. You know the hot one who was his screensaver.
Seb: The brunette girl?
Don: Are you bringing her to the party on Saturday?
“Tell them off limits, you dick,” I tell AJ.
AJ: Fletch says she’s off limits
“Happy?” He waves the phone at me.
“Not really, no.”
Don: Killjoy
Austin: Respect the rules team.
“Thank you,” I tell Austin. Maybe he isn’t as bad as I thought. Though Kath would hate us talking about her like this.
Austin: He’s basically having an aneurysm just thinking about her hanging out with us
Me: You’re all idiots and none of you will get to meet my friend now
“Fuck off,” I tell them as we walk into the gym.
“Language, Fletcher,” AJ tuts. “Coach will make you do an extra set if you keep talking like that.”
I scowl at him as I drop my bag in the corner.
Coach does, in fact, make us do an extra set. But because of ‘stamina’ not because of language.
Two hours later, with my arms trembling, I head back to the dorm, their laughter finally replaced by blessed silence.
When we get back to our room, Kath’s curled up on the left hand side of the bed. She’s wearing one of my old county swimming T-shirts and is absolutely dead to the world. I crouch down and gently shake her shoulder.
“Time to get up, KitKat,” I tell her, and Austin snickers at the nickname under his breath as she opens sleepy brown eyes.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, “I think I drooled on your pillow.”
“Nothing that hasn’t happened before,” I say with a soft smile.
“Do I have time for a shower before we head to dinner?”
I nod and she gives me a grateful smile before climbing out of bed. Her legs are bare under my shirt and I have to look away as she grabs some clothes and pads across to the bathroom. When the water turns on, Austin lets out a low whistle.
“KitKat?” he says. “Man, you have it bad. I didn’t realise. I don’t blame you though.”
“Please just drop it,” I tell him tiredly. He takes one look at my face and the teasing grin drops from his expression.
“Sorry. Anything I can do to help?”
“Nah, it’s OK. I’ll tell you another time.
” I rifle through my drawers for some better socks.
I probably won’t tell him, but at least it gets him off my back for now.
I studiously ignore him until I hear the water switch off.
A few minutes later Kath emerges, brushing her hair and pulling it into a braid whilst still wet.
She looks just as beautiful as I remember.
Tall and long-limbed, freckles lining her cheeks and across her nose.
She still has the patches of freckles on her shoulders that I love so much.
She grabs her make-up bag and leans towards the mirror, adding a quick flick of eyeliner and a slick of lip gloss like it’s second nature.
“Ready?” She slips on some trainers and grabs her sunglasses.
“Yep,” I nod. “Austin, are you coming?”
“Yeah,” he says, pocketing his keys too. “Get ready to be overwhelmed,” he warns Kath. “Everyone’s been dying to meet you for months. Fletcher keeps his cards close to his chest. We want to know all the childhood stories.”
I sigh. This is going to be a long dinner.