Page 70 of Moonstruck at Midnight
WE WERE HALFWAYthrough the summer photography course. I decided not to mention anything to Thomas about the condoms. I wanted to trust him, and something inside me told me he wouldn’t cheat on me. I clung to that thought.
He was acting weird, but I could sense his visit to D.C had stressed him. He kept insisting on how much he missed me. There had to be an explanation for the condoms under his bed.
I didn’t want him to feel like I was accusing or attacking him; that’s why I decided not to bring it up while he was away. I didn’t want to be the insecure, nagging kind of girlfriend.
Once he got back, I would think about a way to bring out the subject. Like right away.
That being said, it didn’t mean the situation wasn’t affecting me. I shoved plenty of feelings to the side, which was totally different from acknowledging them.
With Thomas away, I had more time to see my friends on the weekends. I would usually hang out with CJ and Nina. They, too, were concerned about me, but I just kept denying that there was something wrong and tried to keep a brave face.
My summer course served as an excellent distraction. I was learning a lot and enjoying myself. But apparently, I wasn’t doing a great job in hiding my concerns because Ben and Nolan kept asking me if I was okay all the time.
We would work every day after class, either at school or in my place. We’d gone to Central Park a few times to practice with our analogs, too.
Our final project would focus on vintage style shots, something outdoors. We had the whole concept worked out and approved by Mr. Beckett. But we needed a model for the shoot. I thought of Lily and promised to talk to her to see if she was available that weekend.
“Is she hot?” Nolan asked, moving his eyebrows up and down with a grin. I laughed. I didn’t want to tell themwhomy friend was. Nolan would probably pass out from the excitement.
It could be possible that Lily wouldn’t be able to make it. She was usually either traveling or working most of the time. I needed to check with her first.
“She’s gorgeous, Nolan. But very much taken,” I warned playfully.
“If she can’t make it, we can always ask Heather. I’m sure she’d love to help us out,” Ben said, trying to sound casual. That was a solid plan B. I agreed to let them know as soon as possible if Lily could help us out for the shoot or not.
It was almost seven, and Nolan needed to start heading out since he worked a part-time job at a Greek restaurant. Ben left at the same time Nolan did, and I rushed to the gym afterward.
Grant trained William and Joel every day at eight. I usually left before they arrived for their session. It was best to avoid bumping into William every day.
“How’s it going, Billie?” Grant said as I started stretching.
“Oh, hi! You’re here early.”
“Yeah, we’re now going to train at seven-thirty. William wants to start earlier from now on.”
“Hm. Does he, now? Well, I hope I don’t hinder your training.”
Grant laughed. “Of course not. It’s always nice to have you around.” Grant’s training looked like fun, especially the part where you get to punch things around.
“Grant, I was thinking. Would you have time to train me three days a week at seven?” I asked. I thought boxing might help me channel the storm in my chest aside from all the shit I had going on in my head. “That way, you’re free by seven-thirty to train William and Joel.”
“I’d love to. With boxing, you’ll work with strength and cardio too. Running’s great, but it’s important to mix it up.”
I asked if we could start the following Friday, and he agreed.
“Hey guys,” Joel said, walking in.
“Hey Joel, is Lily home?” I asked. I wanted to talk to her about the shoot and see if she was available.
“Yeah, she just arrived from L.A. a few hours ago.”
I thanked him and climbed on the treadmill.
Grant was getting Joel’s hands ready when William walked in. I wondered why he’d switched his training schedule.
He smiled at me, jerked his chin, and sat on the bench to tie his shoelaces. He opened a water bottle he’d brought with him and poured some kind of powder out of an individual packet, shook it fast, and chugged it down in record time. Probably a pre-training supplement or something of the sort.
He stood up and removed the light hoodie he was wearing, slightly pulling the t-shirt underneath with it. Hisridiculouslychiseled abs and part of his chest were revealed for me to see.
