Chapter 31
Thirty-One
JESSE
“I think you saved us from a day of playing tennis, so you might be my new favourite person,” Clara said as she bounded over to where I was leaning against the car, my skin warm under the sun and the idea that I might be her favourite person.
“And yet, you look prepared to drop everything and pick up a racquet,” I said, a smile on my face.
She was wearing a purple dress that had a half zip in the top. She did a spin, causing the skirt to flare out and reveal a pair of black shorts. The dress was a racerback, and my eyes locked in on her shoulders and the muscles there, built by swimming. I was thankful that the sun was making my skin flush, so it masked what seeing the solid strength of her body in that dress was doing to me.
“It was purely coincidental. Although, I could if I wanted to.”
“You are way sportier than I ever thought,” I said as I handed her a travel mug of coffee, star sign not included, and a pastry that I’d picked up for her. She took them gratefully.
“I’m not anymore. It’s just the swimming now. But back in the day, yes, I was one of those kids that usually had somewhere to be after school.”
“How come?” I asked as we slid into the car.
“Becky dragged me into playing tennis when we were eight or something, and I went along with it because I didn’t think it would last all that long. She also made me do tap dancing and gymnastics before that, and both of those fizzled out. The difference with tennis was that we were both very good at it. The kind of good that people assumed we would try our hands at turning pro. Becky would have, but then she messed her shoulder up pretty bad, and her career was over before it even began. She said that she didn’t mind if I still went for it, but I knew she would, and my friendship with her was always more important than a sport that I was good at but didn’t actually like. I didn’t miss it when I stopped, which tells you all you need to know.”
“We can stick around, and you can show everyone up if you want,” I said. I knew what her answer would be, so I turned on the car and started pulling out before she even started answering.
“I don’t want to do that one bit. Is this drive long enough to listen to music?”
“What did you have in mind?”
I could see her smile out of the corner of my eye.
“Answer my question, and you’ll find out.”
I pursed my lips like I was thinking deeply about the answer. “Yes, it’s long enough,” I said slowly.
She clapped her hands together in excitement and turned on a playlist of Disney classics from the 2000s and 2010s.
It was perfect.
* * *
When Clara had shown me the itinerary for the week, she told me that Becky was the kind of organised that she could only ever hope to be.
Clara was doing herself a disservice because, by the time we got to Marseille, she had a whole plan ready to go. And she provided multiple options just in case I didn’t like her original choices. I trusted her judgement and told her to follow her plan.
Before lunch, we walked around the gardens of the Palais Longchamp and then we went and admired the architecture of the Cathedrale de la Major. She floated the idea of also visiting the Notre Dame de la Garde, but I said we didn’t have to go. I didn’t miss the sigh of relief she gave when I told her that. Clara hated steep hills and stairs.
Now, we were sat in a restaurant with a view of Old Port on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. Clara was looking out the window while swirling her old fashioned around in the glass. I took a picture of her because I knew I always wanted to remember what she looked like at that moment, with the afternoon light spilling across her skin and highlighting the utter contentment on her face.
As I put my phone down, she turned her eyes to me, and my heart stuttered in my chest.
“What?” she asked, her voice a little shy.
“Nothing. You looked good, so I took a photo. It lasts longer.”
She laughed softly. “Thanks for today. I didn’t realise how much I needed to be alone and away from them until I got out of there.”
“Am I invisible?” I joked.
“No, you’re just…”
I reached out for her hand and covered it with mine, the silver of her rings cool against my palm.
“It’s fine. I know what you mean. I’m enjoying myself. It’s nice not having to worry about a surprise quiz or deal with an ex running around. Not that I didn’t enjoy the quiz.”
She pulled her hand out from under mine, but before I could mourn the loss, she linked our fingers. My thumb found the space between her thumb and forefinger.
“I don’t think I’ve ever officially thanked you for coming out with me this week. I know I threw you in at the deep end, but I’ve really liked having you around.”
“Why did you ask me?” I’d wondered more than once why I was there. Why Becky had allowed it when I wasn’t on the invite list in the first place.
“Becky said I could have a plus one, and once she said it, I knew I wanted it to be you. I like spending time with you, and I knew this week would be better with you here. I wasn’t wrong.”
“I like spending time with you, too,” I said, squeezing her hand three times.
A smile slowly spread across Clara’s face just as our food arrived.