with
the team, Marc was hardly a poster boy for camaraderie and team spirit. He was
good enough that it wasn’t really obvious from their scrimmages in the water,
at least to her eye, but Allie had come to appreciate how athletes who were
competing at the international level measured their success and losses in
fractions of seconds and millimeters. She stayed silent with the excuse of
guiding her car into its parking spot.
“I like Everett,” was a positive truth that Allie
dug up as quiet seeped in over the shutdown engine.
Marc shifted his chin in a fractional nod. “He’s
the reason I got onto a university team. My high school coach used to play with
him back in the eighties. Everett was really top notch.”
Allie could finally indulge in a curious search of
his face. “I didn’t know that. You two must be close?” Not that she had seen
any evidence of it.
Marc shrugged. “He’s less of an asshole than …”
Her phone buzzed, interrupting them when the lock
screen lit up. For a moment neither of them looked away from each other’s eyes.
Allie blinked first, towards where the screen peeked out from where she’d
instinctively dropped it in her cup holder. Marc reached for it before she
could.
“I guess I interrupted your plans,” Marc noted
coolly as he passed it over.
Hey where are u + Blake
Can u pick up food?
Ivan is
hungry
Allie curled her fingers to cover over the text as
soon as she’d read it. As if it weren’t already too late. She looked up and
Marc was watching her. Something was a little further away about his
expression.
“Thanks for the ride,” Marc said before she could
think of anything to say. He shoved his door open and Allie had to scramble to
get out so she wasn’t left behind.
“Marc …” Allie didn’t know what she was doing.
She rushed so fast around the front of the car that she nearly ran into him
again. He caught her, just as before, and everything went out of her head as
the huff of her breath in the cold pressed their chests together. There was so
much fabric, but all she could see was how the water sheeted off his skin when
he climbed out of the pool.
Allie shook her head and pressed her eyes closed
for a second while she tried to remember what seemed so important. “It’s not
like that.” Like whatever had made him get out of the car so fast. She wanted
him to understand, and she looked up into those fathomless dark eyes to try and
see if he did. “I’m not … seeing anyone.” Color rose in her cheeks. Now
she just sounded desperate. “I’m just here to work.”
“Right.” Marc let go of her. “You’re a
professional.”
Allie bit her lip. Her hands were still clutched
onto the puffy sleeves of his jacket.
“Do you ever do what you want, Allie?” His voice
was a low rumble that set goosebumps prickling along her spine.
Her answer should have come easily. Allie had had
the same dream for years. She wanted to go to medical school. It was everything
she had ever worked towards. In that way, she wasn’t so different from the
athletes here. It took a kind of blind devotion, a dedication of your life, to
achieve such things. And that didn’t really leave time for much else.
So why couldn’t she make her voice work?
Maybe it was because she wanted to reach for him.
Allie wanted to rock up on her toes, all that way since she wasn’t wearing
heels like Violet, and taste those lips she’d only touched through gloves. She
wanted him to wrap her in his arms and drown her in that scent of his—the
stubborn tinge of chlorine lingering beneath the clean musk of his soap. She
wanted …
Allie searched her brain for the right thing to say
to him, and then berated herself for trying to fix … what? Marc would be
gone in a few days, and on top of that, he was her patient.
“I’m doing exactly what I want.” Allie forced
herself to smile and to let go of him. She couldn’t quite walk away. “I’m glad
you didn’t choose something
the team, Marc was hardly a poster boy for camaraderie and team spirit. He was
good enough that it wasn’t really obvious from their scrimmages in the water,
at least to her eye, but Allie had come to appreciate how athletes who were
competing at the international level measured their success and losses in
fractions of seconds and millimeters. She stayed silent with the excuse of
guiding her car into its parking spot.
“I like Everett,” was a positive truth that Allie
dug up as quiet seeped in over the shutdown engine.
Marc shifted his chin in a fractional nod. “He’s
the reason I got onto a university team. My high school coach used to play with
him back in the eighties. Everett was really top notch.”
Allie could finally indulge in a curious search of
his face. “I didn’t know that. You two must be close?” Not that she had seen
any evidence of it.
Marc shrugged. “He’s less of an asshole than …”
Her phone buzzed, interrupting them when the lock
screen lit up. For a moment neither of them looked away from each other’s eyes.
Allie blinked first, towards where the screen peeked out from where she’d
instinctively dropped it in her cup holder. Marc reached for it before she
could.
“I guess I interrupted your plans,” Marc noted
coolly as he passed it over.
Hey where are u + Blake
Can u pick up food?
Ivan is
hungry
Allie curled her fingers to cover over the text as
soon as she’d read it. As if it weren’t already too late. She looked up and
Marc was watching her. Something was a little further away about his
expression.
“Thanks for the ride,” Marc said before she could
think of anything to say. He shoved his door open and Allie had to scramble to
get out so she wasn’t left behind.
“Marc …” Allie didn’t know what she was doing.
She rushed so fast around the front of the car that she nearly ran into him
again. He caught her, just as before, and everything went out of her head as
the huff of her breath in the cold pressed their chests together. There was so
much fabric, but all she could see was how the water sheeted off his skin when
he climbed out of the pool.
Allie shook her head and pressed her eyes closed
for a second while she tried to remember what seemed so important. “It’s not
like that.” Like whatever had made him get out of the car so fast. She wanted
him to understand, and she looked up into those fathomless dark eyes to try and
see if he did. “I’m not … seeing anyone.” Color rose in her cheeks. Now
she just sounded desperate. “I’m just here to work.”
“Right.” Marc let go of her. “You’re a
professional.”
Allie bit her lip. Her hands were still clutched
onto the puffy sleeves of his jacket.
“Do you ever do what you want, Allie?” His voice
was a low rumble that set goosebumps prickling along her spine.
Her answer should have come easily. Allie had had
the same dream for years. She wanted to go to medical school. It was everything
she had ever worked towards. In that way, she wasn’t so different from the
athletes here. It took a kind of blind devotion, a dedication of your life, to
achieve such things. And that didn’t really leave time for much else.
So why couldn’t she make her voice work?
Maybe it was because she wanted to reach for him.
Allie wanted to rock up on her toes, all that way since she wasn’t wearing
heels like Violet, and taste those lips she’d only touched through gloves. She
wanted him to wrap her in his arms and drown her in that scent of his—the
stubborn tinge of chlorine lingering beneath the clean musk of his soap. She
wanted …
Allie searched her brain for the right thing to say
to him, and then berated herself for trying to fix … what? Marc would be
gone in a few days, and on top of that, he was her patient.
“I’m doing exactly what I want.” Allie forced
herself to smile and to let go of him. She couldn’t quite walk away. “I’m glad
you didn’t choose something
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