Page 87 of Beyond the Stroke

Connor smirks. “Didn’t know you still had it in you, old man.”

“You shouldn’t have come here, kid.” I wipe the water from my mouth, every muscle in my body heated from our fast-paced warmup.

Charlie appears on the deck. “Hey, did you hear—” He stops short when his eyes find Connor.

“Yeah, I did,” I finish for Charlie, whose brows are lifted in shock.

Connor looks from me to Charlie, then back.

There’s a waiver of uncertainty before his self-assured grin returns.

“Why so serious, Shields? I’m just here to swim, man. Let’s not make this more complicated than it has to be.”

Connor wants to make this easy on himself and brush over our past? Well, I’m not going to give him that.

Grasping the backstroke wedge, I pull myself up to tower over Connor.

“You can act like we’re good all you want, but the fact is, I haven’t forgotten what you did. You crossed a line, and just because you’re here doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore that fact.

“You’re here to swim,” I say, keeping my tone calm but firm. “And that’s all I need from you. Keep your head down, and don’t get in my way.”

At my words, Connor’s jaw clenches. I expect him to argue with me, but instead he gives a terse nod.

“Gentlemen, I’d say you’re warm now.” Coach Owens appears at the top of our lane. “Four hundred freestyle at eighty percent effort. We’re going at the top.”

I pull my goggles down and when the clock hits the zero, I push off the wall.

With every stroke, I feel Connor on my heels, but I refuse to let him distract me. Instead, I use his presence to solidify my goals.

Push harder.

Be better.

Win.

twenty-two

. . .

SUMMER

I love my van but having space to move around is something I haven’t had for a long time. Also, Rory’s gigantic shower is beyond luxurious. Dual waterfall shower heads, a steam shower system, and adjustable body jets. I’m not sure how he gets anything done. I could be in here for hours.

After my shower, I towel off and pull on a tank top and underwear. I’m about to pull on shorts but then I glance at the clock. I don’t know exactly what time Rory will be home, but it can’t be for a while, so I take advantage of the alone time and walk around the house in my underwear. That’s something I haven’t done in years.

There’s not enough time to paint before Rory returns, so I decide to explore the house instead.

It feels odd to be in Rory’s house without him but he told me to make myself at home.

In the closet, I browse through Rory’s clothes. There’s a wide array of athletic shorts and t-shirts, polos, and slacks. He’s gota large collection of suits. I sift through them, noting the one he wore to our wedding earlier.

I’ve never lived with a guy before. Tripp and I dated for three years but I lived in on-campus housing with Scarlett while he had his own apartment.

In the dining room, Edgar is living his best life sprawled out in front of the large sliding glass window. When I pull the shades closed so I don’t flash anyone who walks by, he groans at me.

In the refrigerator, I find an insane amount of food. Premade meals, protein shakes, fruits, and vegetables. Pickles.

I stare at the jar of pickles. It’s my favorite kind. Brand new. Unopened.

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