Chapter 28
From my perch in the rooftop hot tub, I track Nox as he swims back and forth across the pool lane, kicking, pulling, breathing, twisting.
He’s like poetry in motion, every inch of his body utilized for maximum force, every muscle working together.
From the bend of his fingers to the flex of his toes, there isn’t a single joint that isn’t fully engaged.
Meanwhile, I’m submerged up to my shoulders, embracing my laziness as the bubbling heat melts any lingering soreness away.
I’ve got a mocktail on my left and my phone on my right, but I haven’t touched either.
It’s winter here in Sydney, and while yes, that still means a perfectly comfortable sixty-two degrees and not the snowy tundra of Swiftmore in January, the air is just crisp enough against my wet limbs to make moving feel impossible.
The warmth just feels so good. It’s going to take all my meager strength to lift my arms out of the water when the guilt of not texting Nova and Willa back eventually becomes too much to bear.
My phone dings again.
I sigh.
I’m not ignoring them on purpose. The rest of the world just fades when I’m with Nox, especially now, when there’s a timer ticking in the back of my mind, whispering, You’ve only got one day left.
We spent the entire day yesterday in the room, ordering room service again for dinner, eating at the little table by the window, watching as the sun sank and night descended, casting the city in glowing lights.
Turns out the champagne on ice was nonalcoholic, picked out by Nox himself.
We split half of it over dessert, then the other half in the tub.
I’m not sure how late we stayed up talking.
I only know we didn’t wake up until noon today.
I’m sure he missed a training session, but I don’t even care.
He doesn’t either. He would’ve skipped this one, too, if I hadn’t insisted.
It’ll be short anyway. He’s starting his pre-Olympics taper.
I’m not entirely sure how bedroom activities play into his need for rest, but he’ll have a month in LA without me to catch up.
For once, I’m not going to let that concern me.
I jump up and dry my hands on a towel before grabbing my phone, then sink back into the blissful heat, leaving only my neck, head, and hands above the water as I read through my texts.
Nova
I knew you’d be pissed about the hotel, lol!
Did your surprise arrive? Are you still pissed, Little Miss Double Standard?! HMMMM???
I bet those Egyptian cotton sheets are feeling pretty good right about now…
Hellooooo, earth to Clara! Come in, Clara! Are you alive? It’s been hours!
Willa
Ignore her! Enjoy yourself!
Nova
Hey! Ignore her. We were your best friends first, you know!
Okay, it’s been twenty-four hours. You’re either in the middle of a hostage situation or a sex fest, and I’m honestly not entirely sure which is more disturbing.
Text 1 for ‘save me.’ Text 2 for ‘leave me the fuck alone.’
WE MISS YOUUUU
Willa
We do miss you! But we’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t worry about us. Nova just needs food. I’ve got this.
I bite back my grin as I finally text them back.
2
Nova
Okay, I know those were my instructions, but damn. That was cold-blooded. You’ve clearly spent too much time with my brother.
Willa
Get it, girl!
Nova
EWWWWW
I’m kidding!! Love you both and miss you so much!
Nova
Can Nox share you for an hour tonight? We’re going to this club to meet up with the guys we met last night. You gotta come!
Willa
No, you don’t.
Nova
You should know Willa is trying to steal my phone, but I refuse to be silenced!
Willa
She’s oddly scrappy for someone so small.
Send me the address and a time! We’ll be there!
“What are you grinning about?” Nox calls across the pool.
I glance up from my phone. “We’re being summoned.”
He groans and rolls his eyes, falling dramatically back into the water. A few seconds later, he emerges right next to the hot tub and pulls himself onto the ledge. With a satisfied sigh, he drops down next to me in the burning heat.
“Any chance you want to ignore them?” he asks, sliding his hands up my thighs and dragging me onto his lap.
“You make a tempting offer…” I drape my arms around his shoulders as his palms settle on my hips, then lean teasingly into his chest, offering a conciliatory kiss. “But no. They did fly for a solid twenty-four hours straight to come see me.”
“So did I. And I’m leaving tomorrow.” He nuzzles into my neck and peppers kisses along my throat. “You’ll see them then.”
“One hour at a club. It won’t kill you.”
“You don’t know that.”
I laugh. “Nox.”
“Fine,” he mutters, tone shifting, growing distracted as he keeps exploring my skin with his mouth. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do this?”
“What?”
“Make out with you in the pool.”
I gasp as if shocked. “Were you having naughty thoughts about your student, Mr. Swim Coach?”
“The naughtiest.” He smiles against the underside of my jaw.
“Do you remember that first day I saw you in the pool? You were wearing that flowery bikini? You didn’t notice I’d come in at first, and thank god for that, because I stood in the doorway like an idiot for about three minutes before enough blood returned to my head for me to speak.
One look and I knew you were going to be trouble. ”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I counter. “I’m a delight.”
“Trouble with a capital T,” he whispers back.
We move at the same time, searching for each other’s lips.
It feels different, this kiss. Softer. Not an explosion, but a gradual build stemming from somewhere comfortable, something true.
We stay there, just enjoying each other for a while, until we reach a peak and the tension shifts.
He tightens his grip on my waist and holds me closer.
I slide my hands along his jaw, the one on top and in control as I deepen the kiss.
He drags his thumbs across my ribs, biceps straining.
He’s trying to hold himself back. I can feel it in the way his fingers inch slowly higher, as if he’s trying to stop them, but can’t.
The pads of his thumbs dip beneath my string bikini to brush the undersides of my breasts, the move as searing as it is subtle.
With a frustrated groan, he pulls back. “We should stop. There are probably cameras.”
I nod into his chest, trying to catch my breath. “You’re right.”
“This close to the games, I’m more recognizable than ever.”
“I know.”
Part of his success is his squeaky-clean image.
He’s a role model. He works with youth organizations and children’s charities all the time.
The last thing he needs is a public sex scandal.
And honestly, it’s the last thing I need, too.
I don’t want to be known as that girl who got caught riding Nox Monroe in a leaked security recording that was blasted all over the internet.
How would that look to a PhD admissions committee?
All year, I’ve seen the Australian athletes on billboards all across the country and in advertisements all over the internet.
The past few weeks, especially, I haven’t been able to leave my room or open an app without seeing a collaboration of some kind.
Being so far from home, I forgot Nox would be subjected to the same treatment.
The entire United States is watching him right now, assessing him to see if he’s worthy.
I can’t imagine the pressure. I won’t let us do anything to jeopardize his standing.
I turn my head and drop my cheek to his chest, cuddling up against him as he wraps his arms around me. And it’s just as nice, honestly. Being held by him. Being close to him. Feeling so at ease in the water, in someone else’s arms, with myself.
We stay like that until our skin is so shriveled we look like eighty-year-olds. Sixty more years with him doesn’t sound too bad, but right now, we’re still young and I’ve got other plans in mind.
Hours later, after another meal in our room and much grumbling from Nox, we make our way through a crowded club in search of Willa and Nova.
They’ve got a table in the back, behind the DJ stand.
A bouncer looks our names up on a list before he lets us past the velvet rope.
Nox rolls his eyes as he leads me inside, placing his hand on my lower back to guide me forward.
“Only Nova,” he mutters with a sigh.
“Clara, Nox, over here!”
Speak of the devil. I turn with a grin, my heart doing an excited leap at the sound of that familiar, perky voice.
Nova and Willa are scrambling out of their booth.
I run toward them. We crash together like a three-way pileup, all limbs and hair and laughter as we hug and bounce and speak over each other in our haste to say how much we missed each other.
When I first came to Australia, I was worried things would never be the same between us.
Sure, Nova did her spring semester in Paris, so I wasn’t the only one away, but they still had months together without me.
And we only met freshman year. I was worried I’d just drop out, the replaceable one.
I feel ridiculous even thinking that now.
We’re connected, united, in a way that runs deeper than distance.
We’ll stick together, no matter where life takes us.
Though, I’ll admit, I hope it never takes us quite this far apart again.
“Anybody going to say hi to me after you dragged me all the way here?” Nox quips from behind us.
Nova snorts and pulls back from our hug. “I haven’t seen her in a year. I saw you, like, two days ago, or did you miss me in the crowd at trials with a huge Nox Monroe’s #1 Fan poster?”
“That bedazzled monstrosity? I wish I didn’t see it.” She hip-checks him and he rolls his eyes, but can’t quite hide the smile pulling at his lips. “Hey, Willa.”
“Hi, Nox!” She goes over and gives him a quick hug.
“So how exactly did this happen?” I point to the table behind them.