Page 43 of Stops Along the Way
“What?” I ask.
She drops her legs and stands upright beside me. “A triathlon.”
“A triathlon?” I’m almost positive I hadn’t heard correctly. “Don’t you have to, you know, run?”
She scrunches her face. “That part wouldn’t be fun. But my friends have been talking about training for one.”
“Your swimming-class friends?”
She nods but seems to change her mind as quickly as she made it up. “Though I probably won’t have regular access to a pool or bike this summer during the abroad program since we’ll be traveling so much. I should see how they do with the race this fall and then decide if I want to join them next year.”
“If they hate it, then you never have to do it,” I agree.
She laughs. “They won’t hate it.”
“And you think the running part will be fine enough?”
“It’s not like they’re going to load up the course with obstacles. I doubt I’d trip,” she says, unbothered, before pointing toward the door I hadn’t heard or seen open. “I think I can guess who’s here.”
Declan steps inside the pool area wearing athletic shorts. He says something to us as he drops off his stuff on the same table, sliding off his T-shirt and adding it to the pile.
“Lee, what did Declan say?”
Amelia ignores my question and gives me a pointed look instead. “Just so you know, I’m leaving if Grady shows up.”
“I don’t understand your friendship with him,” I say. “Do you like him or hate him?”
She tilts her head back, considering her words, but there’s a trace of a smile creeping onto her face. “No, he’s nice and everything, but I can only listen to someone name-drop members of Congress for so long before it becomes too much.”
“Okay, but what did Declan just say? I couldn’t hear him.” I still need her to repeat whatever he said when he arrived.
She dips beneath the water, popping up a few feet away from me, too far for me to catch what she says, so I have to paddle after her.
More childhood flashbacks, honestly—chasing after my sister just to stay in the know. “What?” I insist.
“That Grady’s upstairs on a call.” She hops around on her toes. “I’ll probably swim a few more laps, then head back upstairs so I can shower first.”
“You assume you get to shower first?” I tease, crossing my arms.
Also feeling childish, she sticks out her tongue, splashes water in my face, and swims away. I try to follow, but she’s actually learned a thing or two in that class, because I can’t catch up to her.
Now shirtless, Declan steps toward the pool but doesn’t get in. I tiptoe over to the edge in strides, like bouncing across the moon, very similar to the void of space because I can’t hear what he’s saying. Why isn’t he getting in the water? But it’s made clear when he points over his shoulder to the hot tub.
“Oh, nice,” I say, nodding.
He continues talking as he walks over and hits the button and the bubbles roar to life. He waves again for me to join as he slinks into the water. Maybe I sort of already agreed to when I nodded?
I dip beneath the water, screaming internally.
This is not how I wanted the night to go. But of course I’m going to join him in the freaking hot tub.
We’re friends, aren’t we? It’s normal for friends to hang out together. You know what, I wanted to go sit in the hot tub anyway, so this is fine.
I self-consciously climb up the pool stairs, holding my arms tight across my chest, shivering as I hurry over to the hot tub, plunking down into the warm water.
Cold to hot.
Though fully anticipated, it still sends a shock through my system.
