Page 60 of Rookie Move
“I’m fine,” she said quickly.
“Yeah? Then was it a good kind of groan?”
She laughed. “No! Mind out of the gutter, Mr. Trevi.”
“Mmm,” he said, his voice roughened. “That’s too bad, because I’m laying here naked, groaning your name.”
The hair stood up on Georgia’s arms, and she suddenly felt warm all the way to the center. “Leo!” she scolded.
“Kidding!” He chuckled. “I’m watching sports highlights on TV, actually.”
“Geez!” she squealed, embarrassed.
He laughed. “I’m sorry! I could make it happen for real. Come over here.”
“No way.” She gave a little shiver at the idea.
“Gigi, I’m awake because I’m too hyper to sleep. I justsaw a clip ofmyselfon the fucking television. It was entirely surreal. I need someone to talk to me, because I’m bouncing off the ceiling here. Please? Just come and watch TV with me. We’ll watch whatever you want. Here...” There was a pause and she thought she heard movement on the other side of the wall. Then she heard the sound of a lock sliding open. “I opened my door. Come visit.”
She hesitated. “You make it sound so simple,” she whispered.
“It is. I miss you. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just get over here and I’ll raid the mini bar. I think I saw Combos. Hang on...” There was the sound of rustling chip bags. “Got ’em!”
Georgia was on her feet before her brain could really weigh in. “Cheese or peanut butter?”
“Uh, Sweet and Salty Caramel?”
Rawr. She ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed.I’m just doing this for the Combos,she told herself as she opened the door to his room and went inside.
He was sitting on the bed, mirroring her former position exactly, phone still to his ear. Lowering it slowly, he gave her a shy smile. “Midnight snack?” He tossed the phone aside and picked up the bag, tugging it open.
Again Georgia hesitated. Should she just climb up on the bed with him?
He patted the spot next to him. Then he picked up the remote and nudged the TV volume up. The announcer was talking about college basketball now.
Georgia sat down and swung her feet up. Leo handed her the open bag. They sat there crunching together for a couple of minutes, listening to the talking heads argue about who had the best chance to do well during March Madness. They finished the Combos quickly.
“Carolina looks good this year,” Leo said, balling up the bag.
“They look good every year. And yet it’s been a while.” She took the bottle of water he passed her and cracked itopen. They watched several clips of unbelievably tall men flying toward the basket like gazelles.
That’s when déjà vu set in. This used to be them on any given weekend. Snacks and commentary. Sports and snark and easy conversation.
On the television, the presenter launched into the week’s sports bloopers. Leo drained his own bottle of water and tossed the empty onto the distant nightstand. He leaned back, his big body comfortable against the cushions. One of his hands fell onto her knee and gave a casual squeeze, then relaxed. He let out a chuckle at something funny on the screen. His big body wasright therebeside her. Close enough that she took in the scent of laundry soap and warm skin.
Georgia closed her eyes and just absorbed the moment. Itwassimple. Georgia and Leo, parked beside each other after a long day. A moment of late night peace. How many times had they sat like this together? A thousand?
The scene was so familiar, with one big exception. She wasn’t the same girl she’d been when they’d first watched the sports recaps together. That had been a different Georgia. Teenage Georgia thought that life would always be that easy. That her boyfriend would always love her. Weirdly, even though her mother had passed away when she was little, Georgia hadn’t really understood the power of loss until she was eighteen. She and Leo had probably watched this same television program the week before she’d been raped. Maybe they’d snacked on chips or passed a bottle of water back and forth. Maybe it was even the same brand.
Struck by a pang of dread for her younger self, Georgia felt a ripple of despair. That teenager sitting on the couch had had an easy laugh and a generous spirit. She thought everything would always be easy.
But it wasn’t. Not at all. She hadn’t known how everything could blow up so completely. That two people who’d always been so close could suddenly have a wall of fear and discomfort between them.
Her eyes began to sting, and the TV went into soft focus.
Damn it.
Georgia slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom—Leo’s bathroom. So it wouldn’t look like she was sprinting away. She closed the door and flicked on the light, catching herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and her face was flushed. Ugh. She sat down on the edge of the tub, annoyed at the older Georgia. This one fled into bathrooms and got teary.
