Page 50 of The Offside Rule
He laughed, and I heard them leave the room. A few seconds later, Dad called from the hallway, “We’ll text you when we’re on our way back.”
I lifted one hand in acknowledgment even though no one could see me.
Mom popped her head back in. “And eat something when you wake up.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
She smiled softly. “Proud of you, CC.”
That got me. Even half-asleep, it got me.
“Thanks, Mom.”
She left, and I was asleep again before I heard the front door close. When I woke up the second time, the room was too bright, my mouth was dry, and my phone said it was 1:04 p.m. I stared at the screen.
“Crap.” I had slept half the day.
Apparently, I needed it because my body felt less like it had been dragged behind a bus. I checked my messages and saw a picture from Dad of Jaden holding a giant basketball prize with the caption,No dolphin yet. He says this is practice.
I smiled.
Then I lay there for another ten minutes wondering what normal people did on Saturdays when their entire family abandoned them for roller coasters. Apparently, normal people ate. I dragged myself out of bed, made coffee, ate yogurt with granola, and wandered around the condo in an oversized T-shirt feeling restless. The place was too quiet. No Jaden yelling at a video game. No Mom on the phone. No Dad pretending not to be loud while making lunch. I should have worked on my project. I opened my laptop. Stared at the spreadsheet. Dad was right, burning myself out wouldn’t be productive. I closed the laptop. The rooftop pool sounded better. Something easy. I put on a purple bikini, threw a loose white cover-up over it, grabbed sunglasses, sunscreen, earbuds, and a romance book, then headed upstairs.
The elevator doors opened to the roof, and I immediately realized my mistake. The pool wasn’t quiet. There were half a dozen Blaze players scattered around the rooftop. Nate was sitting on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water. Luca was floating on his back like he had no responsibilities. Dax was stretched out in a chair, sunglasses on, one arm over his forehead. And Hunter was there. He stood near the deep end in turquoise-blue swim trunks, talking to Nate with a water bottle in one hand. Shirtless. Bare chest. Broad shoulders. Tattoos. Abscut in a way that should’ve been illegal. I considered turning around. Too late.
Nate spotted me and lifted a hand. “Dr. Davis.”
I groaned. “Catherine. Please.”
He grinned. “Right. Catherine.”
Dax pushed his sunglasses up. “Doc.”
“Also not that.”
“Future Doc?” Luca called from the water.
I pointed at him. “Closer, but still annoying.”
Nate laughed. “You here to spy on us?”
“No, I just want quiet, sun, and relaxation,” I assured him.
Dax sat up and grabbed the bottle beside him. “We can manage that.”
Hunter still hadn’t said anything. I looked at him because apparently, I enjoyed making my own life harder. His eyes moved over me once. I felt it everywhere.
Then he lifted his water bottle slightly. “Catherine.”
“Hunter.”
I kept my tone flat and even and not very why are you shirtless and built like a Greek statue? I put my stuff on a chair a safe distance from the guys and pulled off my cover-up. The second the fabric slid down my arms, I felt Hunter’s gaze again, but I didn’t look his way… at least not at first. I walked to the pool steps and eased into the water. It was warm from the Texas sun but still cool enough to feel good against my skin. I pushed off and started swimming laps because if I had to be around Hunter in swim trunks, I needed a task. I swam until my arms got tired and my lungs burned. Some of the guys joined in for laps, turning it into an unofficial competition because athletes could not simply exist in water without making it about winning. Luca tried to race Nate. Nate accused him of cheating. Dax said they both looked slow. Someone splashed him. Hunter stayed near the deep end for a while, then lowered himself intothe water and started swimming too. I shouldn’t have watched how he moved through the water, smooth and controlled, his shoulders flexing with each stroke. When he reached the end, he pushed up out of the pool, water rolling down his chest and over his abs.
My throat went dry. I ducked under the water needing to cool my face. When I finally finished my laps, I climbed out and wrapped myself in a towel. My body felt loose in the best way, heavy and warm from the sun and the swim. I stretched out on a lounge chair, put in my earbuds, and turned on music low enough that I could still hear if someone said my name. I tried to read. Mostly, I watched the sky through my sunglasses and pretended I wasn’t hyperaware of Hunter on the other side of the pool.
The afternoon blurred in the lazy way summer days were supposed to. The guys swam, ordered food, argued about their college hockey days, and debated whether golf counted as a sport. Nate left first, claiming he had plans. Luca followed. Dax stayed longer, fell asleep for twenty minutes, then woke up with a towel mark on his face and announced he was going to find tacos.
Eventually, the rooftop got quiet. I pulled out one earbud and looked around. It was just me and Hunter. He was stretched out on a lounge chair a few chairs away, sunglasses on, one arm bent behind his head. His skin was still damp, his body relaxed in a way I rarely saw. Without the arena, the gym, the elevator, or my parents between us, he looked younger. Then he sat up. I quickly looked away like I hadn’t been staring. He stood and walked toward me. I kept my eyes on my book even though the words were upside down because I had been holding it wrong.
