Chapter 22
Come on, superstar, let’s get you wet
On Monday morning, I woke up before my alarm.
My entire weekend hadn’t been restful, and it wasn’t because of that virus or the meet but because I was worried sick about Mason.
Not that I would tell him, though. I had placed twice at the previous day’s meet, and our team was leading with three points, which offered me very little comfort in the storm affecting him.
I still had a hard time coming to terms with the fact he had chosen to dope himself instead of asking for medical help.
I understood why he had done it, but that didn’t make it okay.
I dressed in sweatpants and the hoodie Mason had given me last year, grabbed my duffel bag, and tiptoed out of the room. It was one of the few mornings Cassidy wasn’t up working at the crack of dawn, and she’d earned her sleep since her first class wasn’t until ten.
I joined Mason by the pool’s locker room at five fifteen sharp. He had offered to pick me up, but I preferred to walk and clear my head instead, not feeling too chatty at this early hour.
I spotted him the moment I entered the athletic building. He was sitting on the tiled floor with his eyes closed, legs outstretched, and head pressed against the wall behind him.
“Hey you. How long have you been here?” I sat next to him with my legs crossed and placed my bag beside me.
I was well aware the Phoenix had lost their game on Saturday and that Mason blamed himself for the interception that had cost them the victory.
Two days later, he still looked defeated by it.
When he had come home after the loss, I was still there, about to leave.
Without a word, he took my hand, and I followed him to his bedroom.
We spent the rest of the afternoon napping in each other’s arms, saying little more than a few words.
I left just before dinner because the guys were having some of their teammates over, and I didn’t have a reason to be there anymore.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Nah. I’m ready to get in the pool now. If you are.”
“I am.” I moved to my feet and held out my hand for him to grab. “Come on, superstar, let’s get you wet.”
His mouth popped open, and I covered mine with my hand.
“Huh…I didn’t mean it like that.”
He stood next to me and winked, but it missed his usual cockiness. “I know. Doesn’t mean I would refuse, though. Just so we’re clear.”
I bumped his side with mine. “I thought we agreed it was all forgotten?”
A lazy curl traced his lips. “I thought I’d made it clear it would never happen.”
I shook my head, happy we could laugh about it. It wasn’t my finest moment, blurring so many lines in our relationship, but in the heat of the moment, it felt like it was the only way to relieve him and make him feel better about himself.
“It’s not me. I’m not that girl. The one who gives blow jobs to guys she’s not dating to make them feel better. I’m sorry if I confused you. It was not my intention. I confused myself too. Can you forgive me?”
“Mel. Stop. You’re rambling. There’s nothing to forgive, okay? It’s all good. We’re great. Forget about it.”
“You sure?”
“Totally. Just for the record, though, it will forever be the most amazing blow job of my life.”
I slapped his chest. “Stop. You are making me blush, and I won’t ever be able to look you in the eye for the rest of my life.”
“You can’t blame me for loving you when you’re all red and bothered.”
I slapped his chest again, and he raised his hands in surrender. “Fine. I’m shutting up now.”
Once I changed into a black one-piece swimsuit, I tied my hair at the top of my head in a messy updo and gathered my towel before joining Mason by the side of the pool. The blue expanse of water shone under the recessed lights, its surface a perfect glass we would soon disturb.
I loved the pool. Just the sight of it always filled me with bubbling excitement. I would miss it once I graduated in a few years.
Mason was standing with his fists resting on his hips, his back firm and his expression unreadable. He looked so out of his element, bare-chested, wearing only red swim trunks and white flip-flops.
I neared him, and he enveloped his right shoulder with his left hand. I couldn’t tell if it was a reflex or because it hurt.
“Ready?”
He nodded. “Sure.”
“Let’s stretch first, okay?”
He nodded again. “Lead the way, Shepard. As you once said, this is your pool and your sport.”
We dedicated twenty-five minutes to exercises, like swing pendulums, kickboard press-downs, and wall slides, that should help him loosen his shoulder joint and improve his range of motion and strengthen his right rotator cuff without adding weights, while increasing his mobility.
The physical therapist I had consulted told me to start with short fifteen-minute sessions at first and build up from there.
Knowing Mason, he wanted to do more, so we agreed on ten extra minutes.
“Wanna get out?” I asked when we were done.
Mason reached out to grab the pool noodles we used for his therapy and handed me one. “Let’s just stay here for a little longer, okay? Unless you have places to be.”
“Nah. I’m all yours. I have a training later today, and my first class is at eight thirty.”
“Thanks. I have practice in an hour, but I like it here. It calms me down. It’s quiet. I understand why you like the pool so much.”
“Yeah, it’s my happy place.”
Mason’s contagious smile hadn’t fully returned, but he appeared less distant than when he’d arrived. “Shepard, tell me three things about you that you’ve never told anyone else.”
“Like what?”
He shrugged with his good shoulder. “Anything.”
“Let me think about it for a sec.” I scrambled through my thoughts, trying to figure out what to say. “Someday, I’d like to live close to the beach. Not necessarily by the beach, but close enough that I can go there whenever I feel like it. I want warm weather and blue skies all year long.”
“Noted. If I… No, not if, but when. When I go pro, I’ll remember that. Any state you’d prefer?”
I splashed water at him. “Shut up. Don’t say things like that, Mase. Don’t plan our future.”
“Why not? I’m thinking long-term here.”
“You’ve come a long way since your commitment phobia days.”
“I would never go back.”
“Glad to hear you admit it.”
“And it wasn’t that I didn’t want a serious relationship…
it was that I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.
Big difference. I was just stupid and acting out, and I hated myself back then for not being able to say out loud what I wished inside.
I’m glad I’m not that guy anymore. What’s the second one? ”
“Huh. When I was like five, I wanted to be a boy for a little while. I thought peeing while standing was the coolest thing ever. I tried to do the same, but I stopped trying soon after. My mom was tired of cleaning up the mess and sat me down for a chat. I think it was my first talk about boys’ and girls’ anatomy. ”
“Oh no. I guess our peeing abilities could be considered a superpower. I understand why you’d be envious. For the record, I much prefer you as a girl. Want to hear something funny?”
“Always.”
“When you first moved in, I expected you to be a boy. Mom had told me a kid my age was moving next door, and since Lee, my best friend, who used to live at your place, was a boy, I kinda expected his replacement to be one too. At first, I wasn’t happy you were a girl.
But then we spent the afternoon together, and I never wanted you to be a boy ever again afterward.
I really really liked you as a girl. I still do. ”
“You wanted me to have balls?”
“Sorry.” He lifted his hands in front of him. “In my defense, it didn’t last. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, and it helped you could play basketball. A ton of bonus points for you. I still think you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
I felt my face warming up. “I thought you were so cute, and it intimidated me. You seemed so confident back then. It seemed like nothing could stop you and you were destined to accomplish great things.”
“I wasn’t confident at all. It was just a front. I was scared you wouldn’t ever like me back. My mom told my dad we shared chemistry that night, and it took me years to understand what she meant.”
“I’ve always liked your mom.”
“She’s a big fan of yours too.”
“Remember when she asked if you and I were having sex last year when I got sick? Gosh, that was mortifying.”
“Yeah. She was heartbroken when our relationship crumbled. She explained stuff to me about everything you were going through. It helped me understand and accept the fact I had lost you. She also told me that if back then wasn’t our time, it didn’t mean later wouldn’t be.
It softened the sting, knowing that in life, things are rarely ever truly over—for the most part. ”
“My roommate told me something similar a while back.” I paused.
“The day I came to your house with that letter, your mom hugged me for the longest time. She made me feel like I wasn’t so broken inside.
We really connected.” I closed my eyes for a millisecond, pushing my emotions down to avoid crying at the memory of the girl I had been and how sick I’d really been, even though I had pretended otherwise. “I know what my third thing is.”
Curiosity brightened Mason’s gaze. “What?”
“All this Crestwood U stuff you bought for me, I brought it here with me. I never could have thrown any of it away. It was the sweetest thing someone had ever done for me, and I felt so guilty for dating Jayden that day. Just so you know, I never meant to hurt you or flaunt my relationship in your face. We just spent a lot of time together during the winter break, and he felt like a safer choice…for my heart.”
Mason paddled with his hands until we faced each other. “Was he?”
“Yes, he was the safer choice…but not necessarily the right one.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Are you two still in touch?”