Status: Just a prize!
Straw Shoe
four.
“You got her fired?” Tyler nearly spit his coffee out across the counter. “Shit, dude.”
“I didn’t get her fired,” I groaned. I was trying to stay positive. Maybe-if I was lucky-she wouldn’t totally hate me.
“She gave you the choice of going or not,” he reminded me. “You chose to go.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. “We were making progress.”
My teammate patted my shoulder and before he could say anything, my phone buzzed with an unknown number’s text.
“Oh,” Tyler said. “That’s Lee. I gave her your number the other day since you were too much of a chicken shit to do it yourself.”
I silently thanked him before opening the message.
Meet me on the rocks.
I assumed she meant where we’d sat early yesterday night and without a word to Tyler, I grabbed shoes, foregoing a shirt, and headed out to the beach in my trunks.
*~*~*~*~*~*
She stood there, back to me, looking out on the morning waters. The beach was still nearly empty, much like it had been the night before. Lee wore spandex running shorts, a sports bra, and just bare feet.
“I was trying to clear my head,” she explained, hearing me behind her this time. “It didn’t work.”
“What happened?” I asked as our hands brushed. She didn’t grab it.
“What do you think?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s my fault.”
“Don’t even start,” she said. “I had it coming.” Lee sighed. “No choice but to go home now.”
“You know,” I teased. “You don’t sound as upset as you could be.”
“I’m not,” she consented. “I thought about it and I could have gone back to Detroit with Samantha at the end of the summer. But there was something about Boston that sounded better.”
“And what might that be?” I asked.
Lee turned and looked at me, arching an eyebrow. She opened her mouth, paused, let the suspense settle in. She took a deep breath.
“What is it?” I insisted, nudging her shoulder.
She laughed, tossing her head back. Grabbing my hand finally, she gave it a squeeze.
“You’re there.”
“I didn’t get her fired,” I groaned. I was trying to stay positive. Maybe-if I was lucky-she wouldn’t totally hate me.
“She gave you the choice of going or not,” he reminded me. “You chose to go.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. “We were making progress.”
My teammate patted my shoulder and before he could say anything, my phone buzzed with an unknown number’s text.
“Oh,” Tyler said. “That’s Lee. I gave her your number the other day since you were too much of a chicken shit to do it yourself.”
I silently thanked him before opening the message.
Meet me on the rocks.
I assumed she meant where we’d sat early yesterday night and without a word to Tyler, I grabbed shoes, foregoing a shirt, and headed out to the beach in my trunks.
*~*~*~*~*~*
She stood there, back to me, looking out on the morning waters. The beach was still nearly empty, much like it had been the night before. Lee wore spandex running shorts, a sports bra, and just bare feet.
“I was trying to clear my head,” she explained, hearing me behind her this time. “It didn’t work.”
“What happened?” I asked as our hands brushed. She didn’t grab it.
“What do you think?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s my fault.”
“Don’t even start,” she said. “I had it coming.” Lee sighed. “No choice but to go home now.”
“You know,” I teased. “You don’t sound as upset as you could be.”
“I’m not,” she consented. “I thought about it and I could have gone back to Detroit with Samantha at the end of the summer. But there was something about Boston that sounded better.”
“And what might that be?” I asked.
Lee turned and looked at me, arching an eyebrow. She opened her mouth, paused, let the suspense settle in. She took a deep breath.
“What is it?” I insisted, nudging her shoulder.
She laughed, tossing her head back. Grabbing my hand finally, she gave it a squeeze.
“You’re there.”
♠ ♠ ♠
4/5Please forgive the length of this one. It's just to transition into the finale.