Chapter 20 #2
Nelson’s shoulders relaxed. “Of course. Of course you’re my boyfriend.” He slid his hand onto the back of Ramón’s neck and leaned over to kiss him.
Jess grinned.
Nelson saw her grin and rolled his eyes. “All right, take your damn dog. We have other things to do right now.”
“It was really so nice to meet you, Ramón,” Jess said as Nelson put Fleming in her arms and herded her out the door.
“I’ll have to have the two of you over sometime for—” Nelson, with a playful glower, closed the door in her face before she could finish.
She chuckled and scratched Fleming’s head.
“Ah, young love. It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it, Fleming? ”
Fleming licked her chin in agreement.
She took Fleming for a walk, dumped out her duffel bag, did some laundry, and went for a short jog to shake the car ride out of her legs.
After her shower, she got dressed and made herself a tuna melt.
Most of the crew would be meeting at the pavilion that evening where Vivienne and Lee were playing the bottom-ranked team from Horny Beach … which happened to be Skye’s.
It was funny to think how the last time she had watched these teams play, she had been cheering for Skye. This time she’d be rooting for Vivienne with her whole heart.
Do I like Vivienne?
Jess wondered how many times her brain would ask that question without answering it.
When she arrived at the pavilion, Jess took a seat next to Chrissy in the stands as the warm-up was finishing.
“Hey, congrats on your win!” Chrissy said, pulling her in for a hug.
“Thanks. I’m sorry you guys didn’t make it.”
“Ah, it’s okay.” Chrissy shrugged and tossed her red hair back. “There’s always next season!”
Jess’s attention was drawn by Vivienne bending over to brush sand off her ankle. Jess admired the view, then flushed, thinking about the last time she had seen Vivienne, dancing at Maggie’s in a sexy white dress, and the thoughts that had accompanied her into her dreams that night.…
“Let’s go, Viv and Lee!” Chrissy hollered as the ref prepared to blow his whistle.
Jess applauded and joined the cheers, hoping no one noticed her red face.
Jess sent a text after the game. Way to go. You guys make it look so easy.
Vivienne replied right away. Thanks. I quite enjoyed kicking Skye’s ass.
Jess chortled. Lol, I’ll bet. I enjoyed it, too.
Good luck against Sonja and Jonesy on Wednesday! I know you can beat them.
Thanks. I hope so.
Vivienne was right again. They won their quarterfinal in four sets. Jess saw the court with a clarity she never had before. The game slowed down around her. When she jumped for a hit, she had all the time in the world to look around and decide where to put the ball. It was easy, and so much fun.
Fantastic game! Vivienne texted her after. Through to the semis!
Jess smiled at her phone. She kicked off her slippers and climbed into her bed, letting Fleming and his stuffed crab snuggle with her. Yeah, I can’t really believe it.
You can’t believe it? Why not?
Jess looked at the “loss” jar on her shelf, remembering how full it got so early in the season. It’s been a long road.
Well, you’re almost at the end. Only two matches to go.
It was funny that, if they won their semi, Vivienne would be waiting for her at the end of that road in the finals.
Vivienne.
Was Tania right? Was it really possible Vivienne liked Jess?
Sure, they’d been texting a lot, but Vivienne had made no effort to see her or hang out since playoffs had started.
Tania had said Vivienne had been giving off a vibe, but that was probably just Vivienne being Vivienne—used to moving through the world with smooth confidence, everything always going her way.
Nothing at all like Jess. Besides, now wasn’t the time to be asking these questions.
They should both be focused on volleyball this week.
Her semifinal against Billi and Raya was next.
“Winner buys the shots?” Billi said, instead of “good luck,” when they shook hands under the net.
“Yeah, we’d love to get you wasted tonight,” Tania replied, grinning.
Billi shot finger guns at them with a wink, smacked Raya’s butt, and the game was underway.
Billi and Raya were a solid team, and still with a sense of humor, even in the semis. Billi gave Raya good-natured shit for a missed hit, and tried to make Jess laugh before her serve. But nothing could throw Jess off her game.
They won the first set, lost the second in a close one, then won three and, for the match, number four. The sweat poured from her brow, her abs were sore, and she had sand wedged in every crevice of her body. But she was so fucking happy.
And now … they’d face Vivienne and Lee, again, in the final of the SoCal Beach Volleyball League.
You did it! Vivienne texted her that night. Congratulations. You guys have had such an incredible run. Win or lose on Thursday, I hope you’re so proud of yourself.
Yeah, I am. I hope you’re proud, too.
Vivienne didn’t reply—See? She doesn’t like me—so Jess went back to texting with Tania as they made a plan for the next few days.
They did all the right things that week—light cardio, foam rolling, yoga—and Tania sent Jess podcasts on mindfulness and performing under pressure.
Vivienne didn’t text her at all, so Jess didn’t text Vivienne. It was better that way, of course. She had important things to focus on.
The night before the final, Jess covered a shift until eight, then she walked home eyes up, hoping to catch some magic from the Orionids meteor shower.
It was a perfect night for viewing—cloudless, and no moon.
She spotted two shooting stars, faint streaks of light, and thought about taking her telescope up to the roof when she got home, but by the time she ate and took Fleming for a walk, it was too late. She had a big game tomorrow.
Except once she got into bed, she couldn’t sleep.
Too many thoughts crowded her head, each one demanding attention, then flitting away before it could take hold.
Could they beat Vivienne again? Did Vivienne really like her?
Did she like Vivienne? Could they actually work together as a couple?
Jess tossed and turned and drank some more water. Covers off, covers back on.
Finally, she sat up, collected her keys, slipped on a sweater and flip-flops, and eased out of her front door quietly, not wanting to wake up Fleming.
She had considered heading up to the roof to watch the meteor shower, but her feet needed to move.
They took her down to the beach. The pavilion was dark, save for the security lights around the perimeter.
She walked past it and went down to the boardwalk, the noise from the surf changing from a whisper into a rumble.
There were a few people here and there …
a wandering couple holding hands, teenagers hooting from a park just down the way.
But it was mostly dark and quiet—the perfect spot to lie down and take in the light—light that was billions of years old, combined with bright, transitory flashes of fire as meteors burned in the atmosphere.
Then she realized she wasn’t the only one with this idea.… There was another person on the sand—a shadowed figure just above the high-water mark lying back on a blanket, dark hair spread out.… Jess’s heart jumped.
It was Vivienne.
Vivienne. Here, like she was waiting for her.
Jess hesitated at the edge of the boardwalk. She didn’t want to intrude … but she must have made a noise, because suddenly Vivienne sat up and turned to look at her.
“Jess?” she said, squinting in the dark. “Is that you?”
Jess took off her flip-flops and made her way over, the sand cool against her feet, embarrassed that she had barged in. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Vivienne scooted over and patted the blanket next to her. “Sit.”
“Sorry for interrupting.”
“You are not interrupting. There’s enough stars for the both of us.” She lay down again.
Jess copied her, their bodies not touching, but only inches apart. She scanned the sky, waiting for a distant streak. “What are you doing here?”
Vivienne’s shrug brushed her shoulder. “Same as you, I imagine. Couldn’t sleep, wanted to stargaze for a bit.… I’m a bit of a space nerd.”
Jess almost sat up again. Instead, she turned her head to look at Vivienne’s profile. “What? You are?”
Vivienne looked back at her. “You are too, right?”
Jess frowned. “How did you know?”
“When I drove you to Horny Beach … you said you were up late because of Mars and Venus.”
“Oh, right.”
“Plus, your tattoo. It’s a crescent moon volleyball. And … Fleming? Is he named after Williamina Fleming?”
Jess’s jaw dropped.
Vivienne’s eyes sparkled. “Ha, I fucking knew it! I love it. The woman who discovered the Horsehead Nebula.…”
Jess shook her head, processing this revelation. Her love of astronomy was such a big part of who she was.… “I can’t believe you’ve heard of Williamina Fleming—Oooh!” Vivienne’s gasp echoed Jess’s as a brilliant silvery-white streak flashed above them.
“How many have you seen so far?” Jess asked in a whisper.
“Three.”
“Four!” Jess pointed at another.
“So beautiful,” Vivienne murmured.
The heat from Vivienne’s body was like static, lifting the hairs on her arm. “Yeah.” It was so strange to think that they would be facing each other across the net in just a few hours in the biggest game of Jess’s life. Could they really beat Vivienne and Lee again?
Had they even beat them the first time?
It was a silly insecurity. Of course Vivienne wouldn’t lose on purpose. But the question that had been niggling at the back of her brain burst out of Jess’s mouth. “Did you let us win?”
Vivienne turned sharply to look at her. “What?”
“The last game of the season … We won when you didn’t get to that ball. Did you let us win?”
Vivienne’s face curdled like she’d bit into a lemon. “Did I let you win?”
“I’m sorry. I have to ask.” Jess shrugged, palms sweating.