by Aimi Myles
“One of these days,” I said. “But until then, it was nice seeing you again, and you got to go. I’ll take that coffee.” I reached out my hand.
“No,” he said and took another sip.
“You think I’m afraid of your germs?”
“Oh, now I’m OK to drink after.”
“Hand it over.”
“I knew you were working too hard,” Kaz said and tilted his hat up a little. A bit of the light caught his eyes, which made them begin glistening again. This dude and his tricks. I was going to have to get rid of him before I slipped up and kissed him like I wanted to in that moment. My arm was suddenly weak and dropped to the table.
“I figured you need to relax and get some sleep,” Kaz continued, reminding me to listen to what he was saying. I couldn’t give him a whole host of jokes about the coffee shop. “So wait until you get home then take a sip. You have all day Wednesday to study. That is if you’re not distracted by your boyfriend.” He took another sip of the coffee, torturing me as usual. Kaz hadn’t changed that much. “Where is he by the way?”
“So that’s how it works?” I said. “You come back out of the blue and already are up in my business? And won’t give me the coffee I deserve.”
“I’m making sure you’re alright. That’s all. And the warning about the drink is for your own safety.”
“Well, he’s respecting my wishes, leaving me to study.” I raised my eyebrows.
“Oh, so we’re back to subliminal messages aren’t we?”
“We’re not back to anything at this point.”
“Ouch. Again. You’re a prickly one now aren’t you? I have to be the boyfriend to experience the softer side.”
“Don’t say literally.”
“I wasn’t going to. But you wanted me to.”
“Bye Kaz.”
My phone buzzed.
“That’s the same guy isn’t it?” Kaz said. “Your boyfriend. He has impeccable timing.”
“He’s making sure I’m alright,” I said, picking up my phone. “Excuse me. Hey, sweetie.”
“Sweetie?” Kaz mouthed and narrowed his eyes.
“Who is this?” Hometown said. “You’ve never called me that. Want me to come over?”
“No, I’m alright,” I said. “I’m just about done, and I need to get some sleep.”
“Right, the reason you didn’t want me to come by,” he said. “Sleep. You can sleep tomorrow.”
“I can sleep tonight,” I said in the lowest voice possible, acting like Kaz still couldn’t hear me although he was a couple of feet away. “I have to go. I’ll see you later.”
“You want me to pick you up? I want you to be safe,” Brayden said. There was no way he didn’t wear a wide grin on the other end of the line. He thought he could use safety as an excuse to sleep over.
“I have a ride,” I said. “One of my friends—”
“Sam,” Brayden said. “Alright. As long as he doesn’t try anything. Goodnight.”
“Bye,” I said and hung up.
“So you’re ready to go,” Kaz said.
“Yeah, I guess,” I said and peeked outside.
“It’s too late to walk,” he said. “I’ll drive you.”
“Alright.”
---
Kaz
I reached out, offering to take Mauri’s bag as she threw it onto her back. Not letting her carry the entire load, I grabbed the textbooks and my coffee before she could.
“Thanks,” Mauri said as we strolled back to my car.
“No need to do the thanking. These are pretty heavy. Forget lifting weights. I can lift your books and get into shape.”
“That’s the only reason I’ve kind of kept my figure so far. And when I said thanks, I meant for carrying my coffee.”
“You said you swum from time to time,” I said.
“Yeah…”
“You loved swimming.”
“Loved. Past tense,” she said.
“I doubt that.” As we walked, I got the directions to Mauri’s house, how to drive up the street a couple of blocks. “Wait, I’ll get the door.”
“You don’t have to open everything. I got it,” she said. To beat me, Mauri jogged up to the door and flung it open. “After you sir.”
The chill air had dropped several degrees and whipped around, frosting my cheeks and nose. Mauri clung to the warm tea. Yep, she’s thanking me. If Mauri had to walk home, in her state of exhaustion, she might have stopped to take a break and fallen asleep. She’d be frozen when she woke up.
I scurried, shifting the coffee to free up my other hand to open the truck door. I couldn’t let her beat me again. Obviously, Brayden hadn’t learned to be a gentleman. No surprise there. If he thought he could get away with being ridiculous, he’d insist on her opening his door and chauffeuring him home.
Instead of moving out of the way, I leaned into the truck to set my drink in the holder and put Mauri’s books in the back. I reached back to make Mauri pass me her things, and then I went to the other side.
“Kaz,” Mauri whined, practicing her sarcasm. “No help?”
“Funny,” I said. Yeah, she misses the little nice gesture or else she wouldn’t have said anything. “This is coming from you; a woman who doesn’t need any help anytime from anybody. I figured I’d be a gentleman at least once, last weekend, so you got the experience. Don’t want you to get too spoiled.”
“Whatever,” she said and clung onto the bar she used to help jump up into the seat. She closed the door. “Getting into your car is a workout.”
A perfect transition. “Speaking of workouts,” I said, and turned the ignition. “Care to start them again?”
“Start as in swim?” Mauri acted as though she said a sacred word that never should be spoken. What happened to her?
“Yes,” I said. “You’re an amazing swimmer.”
“That’s how I know you’re a nice guy because ‘amazing’ isn’t the word I’d use.”
“Well, it’s the truth.” I peeped over to see her staring out of the window. “You were always good at finding my flaws and letting me know. I’d really appreciate it if you could come by the pool for a little bit.”
“What happened to Mark? You’re still with him?”
“I am and he does help, but you were always good at pointing out the details.”
“I’d just be repeating what Mark says. Park right here.”
“Even if you are, it’s good to have a second opinion.” I turned my attention to Marui.
“You two still record yourself though. You watch your tapes.” It was good to see her look at me again.
“Mauri, you know me better than anyone else. You know it’s easy for me to ignore or make excuses for my mistakes. You call me out on it.”
She sighed. “The last time I swam was when you were here. I promised myself to not go back.”
“Why?” I said.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry Mauri. Forget about it.”
“No, it’s…”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll get your stuff.” We climbed the narrow cement stairs to the third floor.
“This is—” I said, stepping into her apartment.
“Small,” she said. “I know but it’s cheaper and close.”
With the knowledge that Mauri was dating Brayden, it surprised me for a moment to see that she had a little studio apartment. Overall, it was cozy. Her full size bed was in one corner. A couple of steps over her small couch sat across from a TV.
“What?” she said when I didn’t say something back. “You’re thinking about something. Go ahead and say it.”
Ask her what was she thinking when she began dating Brayden. Tell her every story of his bragging that I had to endure. Say how I would have thought that he made sure she had a larger apartment. Tell her to come stay with me. No.
“Well,” she said.
“I have to go,” I said. “I’ll be at the pool early in the morning.”
&nbs
p; “Right,” she said.
I made my way back to the door and stopped. “Mauri,” I said and turned around.
“Yeah,” she said, seeming to wait for me to say something profound.
“I’ll see you around.”
“Wait,” she said and grabbed my hand, blocking me from reaching the door knob. “Kaz, I hope you weren’t waiting for me to say that you can call me. I miss you. As a friend.”
“Good because I didn’t have permission to call.”
“Like that has stopped you before. You really did change. The last time I told you not to call me ever again you used my mom against me. And you were sitting in my room when I got back home.”
Kaz chuckled. “I remember that. I was sitting on your good sheets.”
“I had finished washing them that morning. I was so mad.”
“But not for long.” I smirked.
Mauri patted me on my shoulder. “See you later Kaz.”
“I’ll be at the aquatic center on Friday in Pinewood. If you want, come by after your test for a few minutes.”
“Don’t expect me. I’m meeting with my boyfriend Friday. I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“Will he be that mad if you’re a little late?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you notice how you say ‘my boyfriend’ every time as if he doesn’t have a name?”
“If you must know, his name is Brayden.”
“Aka Hometown,” I said.
“How’d you know?”
“Saw you with him.”
“And you’re not upset. I know you two don’t get along.”
“For one, I wasn’t here to advise you.”
Mauri chuckled.
“And you know all about Dakota,” I said. “You remember what I told you? How she would lean in, slither around, make things uncomfortable when her husband wasn’t around.”
“She’s not like that anymore.”
“How do you know?”
“I know.”
“I still train with her husband, Mauri. He tells me almost everything. The incident brought us closer.”
“OK, so did he tell you Brayden slept with her in the past few months?”
“You know what you’re doing,” I said. “All I can say is I don’t like it at all. I don’t make decisions for you, so good luck. And don’t be afraid to come cry on my shoulder.” I pulled out a copy of my keys. “For you. I’ll text the address.”
“You’re standing in my place remember?”
“It’s for the times when you don’t want to go out but don’t want to be at home. I have a huge kitchen area. I use the microwave. You can come by and use the extra space.”
“Oh, so now you reveal your true motive,” Mauri said. “You want home cooked meals.”
I smiled, and looked into Mauri’s eyes. She cleared her throat and shuffled around. “You need to study,” I said. “I’ll see you Friday.”
“He really wants me to be there on time Kaz.”
“And I know you’re not one to take orders from anyone but me.”
“I would strangle you right now.”
“Put me in a chokehold like you used to? I’m going to let you know my little secret. I allowed you to do that. Every time, I volunteered. I would have been out of it in two seconds, and would have flipped you on the ground if I didn’t like you.” I raised my eyebrows. “Or the position that I was in.”
Mauri gasped. “Kaz, that’s it. Out.”
“Yes ma’am.” I exchanged places with Mauri. “Say hi to Dakota for me. It’ll make her loosen the hold she’s putting on Brayden. I still am her favorite.”
“Kaz.”
I wrapped my arms around Mauri and squeezed her against my chest. She smelled amazing. Felt amazing. Let her go. “Good luck again this week.”
“Bye.” She opened the door and I stepped backwards into the hall outside.
“Friday,” I reminded her.
“No.”
“Just think about it.”
Chapter 5
Mauri
At 1 pm my exams were over! I wanted to dance my way up to the front of the class, turn in my test, and continue dancing out of the room. I was so happy. All I needed to do was pass my exams, which I had a good feeling I did, and my college career would be over. Now, I could enjoy the holiday season—holiday decorations, sales, treats, sweets, and plan what to give to my mom. Usually, she was upset when I got her a present. She told me I better save my money, but I could get something less expensive by putting a bow on Kaz’s head if he was around.
Wandering back to the parking lot I felt so free that I didn’t know what to do. Brayden and Kaz wanted me to visit them at their practices, but I didn’t feel like it. My stomach growled at me. I moved swinging by the mall at some point to the bottom of my list. Nothing was in my refrigerator at home. I’d be visiting the grocery store first.
On the way down my first aisle, I ran into a familiar face, Brayden’s dad, Vincent or Mr. Reed to me. I didn’t need him to turn around because I could recognize him anywhere— tall, fit, in a black or dark athletic track suit, short spiked salt and pepper hair. “Happening” to see Mr. Reed at different stores became an inside joke to me. Half of the time I went out I saw him. Yes, it was a smaller town that we lived in, but it wasn’t that small. Mr. Reed and his wife, Abby, lived the farthest distance one could get without leaving town.
Often, I pretended not to see Mr. Reed because he liked to talk. Oddly enough, that day he was putting the same cereal that I preferred into his basket. Interesting. I guessed they were planning on me visiting soon. As long as it wasn’t a weekend getaway.
Sometimes hanging out with them was awkward. I knew I couldn’t mention Kaz’s name without anger bubbling up from both of Brayden’s parents. So I had to creatively reminisce on growing up swimming without him. They were very nice and made me feel as though I was family, but they also talked about Brayden starting a family a lot. Didn’t know if that was part of their subliminal messaging, but it definitely felt like it was. If Brayden and my relationship got to that point, bringing my mom into the mix would add fresh drama to the situation.
“Mauri!” Mr. Reed said, and smiled. He and his wife were known in town for being warm and welcome people, which made my mom and Kaz’s family sick. “Wow, it’s great to see you. We missed you Tuesday. The last time you came over was a few weeks ago. Brayden said you were studying.”
“Yes, it has been a tough week,” I said. “I didn’t have much energy to do anything else.”
“I hope your exams went well.”
“Me too.”
“Are your still trying to figure out what to do now?” Mr. Reed said.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m going to be searching for a job.”
“Well, we’d be happy to have you work at my company if you really want to work, but I think Brayden may want your help.”
“Oh. He didn’t say anything about that. What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll have to discuss that with him. But as you know I’m thinking of Brayden’s career twenty four seven. The games are around the corner. We’re all going to have to get together during the holidays or in the coming weeks. We have to discuss Olympics plans—when we’re going, how long we’re going to be there. I haven’t asked if you’d like to go, but Abby is getting all of the tickets together. I know you’re the first person Brayden would want to be there, cheering him on.”
“Yeah.”
“And your mom,” he said. Oh no. “I didn’t get a chance to visit with her, but let her know we’d love for her to come with us as well. We were all there together last time. It wouldn’t be the same without her.”
“I’ll ask.”
“Great! So have Brayden call us and we’ll be in touch.”
“I will.”
Mr. Reed left me to go ahead and grab another box of cereal.
Maybe I’m weird but all of the Reeds’ attempts to include me made me uncomfortable. They were normal at
the last Olympics, didn’t talk to me after Kaz and Brayden’s coaches split up the group, and now, they can’t wait to be like my second family? I think Mom still knows something’s up.
---
Seeing Mr. Reed in the store not only reminded me about his family but secured my visit to see Brayden practice. Originally, I was going to show up late, but Mr. Reed, being nosey, would somehow let Brayden know that I was finished with exams and skipping around in the grocery store. Squeezing in a little bit of time with Kaz wouldn’t be impossible. I could have been required to go back to school to do something.
I went back and forth, about pros and cons, as I trotted down the stairs from my apartment. Kaz was the main guy on my mind when I got into my car. I decided to drive and let my hands take me where I needed to go. I didn’t leave town. I pulled up to Staden’s new, luxury aquatic center, where Brayden was.
As I opened the door, I realized that if I hadn’t quit, I’d be in there, working on my butterfly and breast stroke, focusing on qualifying for the Olympics. The familiar smell of chlorine hit my nose. It was almost like I was at home. Then I saw Dakota through the second glass door.
Pausing to spy a little bit, I saw Dakota. She could have worn crew neck T-shirt, a loose garment, instead of her signature deep cut V-necks and tanks. The only shirts she seemed to wear. Every time she leaned down to tell him what to do… And she wore all bright colors, no black, no navy. Extra bright and extra tight to show off her amazing body. Maybe Brayden didn’t tell her that we were going out. But she had to have seen me when I picked him up those few times. Or worse, maybe Kaz was right.
I entered the pool area through the women’s locker room door, a side door in the back of the facility, and took a seat in the stands. The experience was exactly what I thought it would be. Not fun. Watching Brayden swim back and forth made me want to find a bathing suit and jump in again, but I couldn’t. Seeing Dakota interact with him made me even more nervous about the two.
I didn’t want to watch too much of Brayden swimming or Dakota anymore. I divided the rest of my time between checking out a few minutes of the practice and surfing the internet on my phone. Kaz had sent me a picture of the aquatic arena where he was practicing, our childhood home, and he sent the street sign.
