Page 94 of Running
Soon I can see our cars in the distance as we approach the campus athletic complex. The area is a little fuller than when we started, but still fairly sparse.
500 meters left, 200 meters left, 100 meters, and then we’re done.
We bring down the speed and begin jogging. Neither of us need words to explain why, as we’re following the norm for cool downs.
After a couple of minutes, I’m fully present and able to have a real conversation again.
“Loved that, Jasmine. I needed to know I even had that in me.” There’s joy in my voice she probably didn’t expect. She flips her head to me with a little surprise in her eyes.
“Oh, yay! It’s so nice to have someone to run with,” she says.
“We’ll do it again if you want?” As much as I’m trying to satisfy Coach Shelley’s request, I’m also motivated by the prospect of a competitive running partner.
“Definitely.” She nods.
“So where are we going?” I ask Johnson when he picks me up at Tolliver later, after I finish all my school obligations. It’s only two-thirty, but he said it would be a bit of a drive, and he wanted to maximize the rest of the day.
Tuesday.Johnson and Grace day. We’ve been texting and chatting daily since last week, but this is the first time we’ve seen each other since we made the Tuesday pact. The Waves win on Sunday came in an away game, so I didn’t even get glimpses of him then.
He flashes a smile at me. “Date number three is…drumroll please.” He goofily taps the dashboard.
I start to giggle. “Who knew you were a secret dork?”
“I have so many secrets.” He winks. “So we’re going to my friend’s beach house. It’s completely private, and he’s gone for a few months, since it’s hurricane season.”
“Oooooh, but I didn’t bring my suit.”
The corner of his mouth turns up. “Well, there’s that one thing on your list…”
I put two and two together. “Skinny dipping.”
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing, though. It’s been too many days since we’ve hung out. I’ve got food being delivered, and we can just chill.”
September in Florida means it’s still plenty hot, and the ocean is warm enough so…
“We should probably sneak in one more dip in the ocean before the fall weather really hits, don’t you think?” I say, smiling at him.
He chuckles back, and grabs my left hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss before he rests our hands on his right leg.
The drive does take a while because Tolliver is so far inland, but when we get to our destination, it’s more than worth it. The house has state of the art everything and a private beach leading out to the ocean. It’s got to be worth millions.
“A friend owns this, huh?” I ask him as we walk up to the front and he punches in a security code.
“Well, not a close friend. He’s a big football fan who has invited me here for a couple of parties over the years. He made his money in energy or something like that? I’m closer to his son, who is our age. That’s who I called to set this up.”
“Well, let’s not waste a minute.”
And it’s anything but a wasted afternoon. Johnson has sushi delivered—a few steps up from my grocery store variety. After we finish eating, we move onto theotheritem on the menu. First, we strip off our clothes and run into the ocean, and then Johnson shows me what those magical quarterback fingers I once fantasized about can do.
The time flies by, and at eight, the sun is fully set, so we reluctantly leave. Johnson has to drive me to Tolliver and then back to his house, so it’s going to be a late night for him just based on the distance. He doesn’t complain, but I feel bad.
“Maybe we can figure out a way that you don’t have to drive so much every Tuesday,” I say as we pull into the Tolliver parking lot so I can switch to my car and go home.
“I don’t mind. It is kind of nice to grab a drive-thru coffee and cruise a bit.”
“I get that. I need that sometimes, only it’s a chai tea for me.”
He parks his car adjacent to mine and turns toward me. “Still, when you’re ready, maybe…maybe you can come to my house after school on Tuesdays and stay overnight?” His eyes search mine, like he’s unsure how I’ll respond.
