Page 43 of Vipers & Roses

“Yeah, right. He’s fine,” Cormac answers flatly. He’s so serious and in direct contrast to Blake in energy and mannerisms, but I like him, even though I’m certain he lied to me on Friday night about his father.

We come onto the sports field, and the falling sun strikes our eyes. I think of Blake, and that kiss and guilt seep into my pores. Is it officially cheating when I’m not in a relationship with either of them? No, I’m playing the field; that’s what I’m doing.

“So, what happened?” I press to see how far I get with my interrogation.

He shrugs those vast, incredible shoulders. “He had a minor accident, but he’s okay. How was your weekend?”

“I was on the coast for my father’s birthday,” I explain, absolutely sure that I had already told him this unless I imagined it.

“Yeah, I know,” he says. That's good; I didn’t imagine it. “Are you close to your family?”

“Um…I used to be,” I say quietly as the guilt scours my chest. My breath hitches a little until I compose myself again.

He gazes down at me with tired eyes, and I grace him with a smile. His short, typically neatly cut hair is a little disheveled, and his big hands are fitted into his sweatpants pockets, but that sadness is still behind those eyes. Maybe he’s tired of training, and I don’t blame him. It takes an exceptional athlete to train at his level, day after day, week after week. I don’t miss the long hours, sometimes for a win or a placing, and other times for nothing.

“What happened that you’re not close anymore?” he asks as I keep to his long strides across the green where the baseball game is still in session. I bet they won’t wolf whistle with a six-foot-four giant by my side.

“It’s complicated.” I don’t want to talk about it to someone I barely know.

“Gotcha,” he understands, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling bad. I have no reason to.

“Something happened to change the course of my life,” I add, instantly regretting it because he’ll probably ask more questions.

“Is that why you dropped out of the swim team?” he asks, proving why I should’ve kept my mouth shut. It doesn’t take a brainiac to put two and two together, which is what he’s done.

“Yeah, but like I said, it’s complicated,” using a firmer tone, so we drop the topic.

There are several beats of silence as we stroll across the diamond before reaching the gardens, and he breaks the silence. “I’m heading to the Olympic pool for training.”

“With Lyons?” I have to stop laughing because he’s back in the classroom, wetting his wick. Soon to be dead wick and limp forever. Creep.

“Yeah,” he grunts. “Listen, do you want to come to my place tonight after training?”

“Um, I can’t. My bestie is coming over to catch up,’ I tell him.

“Male friend or female friend?” he hits, and I’m a little taken aback.

“Female.”

“Good,” he snaps.

“Is it?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want you hanging with other guys,” he says calmly, as if confessing to someone he barely knows.

“You don’t dictate to me whom I hang out with,” I spit angrily. “You’re not my minder.”

“I’m a jealous guy, and you’re a beautiful girl. On top of that obvious fact, I don’t have much spare time these days, so I want to spend it wisely.”

My feet stop dead beside the bleachers, annoyed by his comment. “That’s coming from a guy who forgot my number for the last three days. I mean…hello,” I wave at him. “Left me in the lurch Friday night and not a single message from you for days. If I hadn’t bumped into you in the courtyard, you would’ve forgotten I existed, and I could’ve gone on my merry way.”

“That wasn’t a coincidence, Rae. I saw your blond hair dazzling in the sun as I walked along the corridor in the building, so I doubled back to ‘bump’” air quotes “into you. There are no coincidences.”

“There are no coincidences in life or this particular excursion?” I ask curiously.

“Both. We create our destiny.”

“Wow, that’s deep,” I hiss sarcastically.

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