Sink or Swim

Levi drops me off at King’s Royal Engagements after weight lifting one afternoon.

I wave hi to the receptionist and head back toward Mom’s office, but I don’t make it there because I hear laughing and arguing coming from the dining room where my parents do tastings for prospective clients.

I poke my head in to see what’s happening and find Coach Woods sitting there with Dad and five other people.

“Hi,” I say. “What’s going on?”

“Jordan and Sam dropped by for a tasting,” Dad says, beaming. When I told him Coach Woods was interested in having him plan her wedding, he went nuts. Not only does he love having the business, her dad was a famous quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Dad’s favorite football team. I’m not sure how much Mr. Woods cares about design elements and feng shui, but Dad sure is happy to tell him all about it.

Dad introduces Coach Woods’ parents, her fiancé, Sam, and his mom and dad. Their parents start asking me tons of questions about swimming—they seem really into sports. Meanwhile, Coach Woods and Sam are hovering over a platter of Chef’s chocolate truffles, popping them in their mouths like M&M’s and groaning about how good they are.

Mr. Woods throws his head back and stares at the ceiling. “Do either of you ever stop eating?”

“Dad, these truffles are so good!” Coach Woods exclaims.

“Jordan, we have to get a truffle display,” her fiancé says.

“Can we try some?” Mrs. Woods asks, but by that point, her daughter and future son-in-law have eaten them all.

Coach Woods turns to Dad, still chewing her final chocolate. “Can the truffles be shaped like footballs?”

“Of course.” Dad makes a note on his iPad, and the parents start shaking their heads, exasperated.

“How about we talk color themes?” Mrs. Woods asks. “And let’s look beyond the Titans colors.”

“But I had my heart set on the groomsmen wearing football uniforms,” Coach Woods jokes.

“And the bridesmaids will be in cheerleading skirts,” Sam replies.

Coach Woods punches his shoulder, which makes him laugh and kiss her.

“Let’s compromise,” Sam says to his fiancé. “You can wear the cheerleading outfit on our honeymoon.”

The parents roll their eyes.

I leave them to their planning and go back to Mom’s office. She’s busy playing with one of her Pinterest boards online. She posts a picture of the baby shower she catered a couple weeks ago, specifically the yellow place mats and the individual tiny white flower arrangements at each place setting.

I sit down across from her.

“Hey, Tadpole.” The sweatshirt I’m wearing with Levi’s name on it catches her attention. “Is that Levi’s?”

I feel myself blushing. “He gave it to me for my birthday.”

“You guys made up?”

“Not specifically,” I say. “But we’re back to normal.”

Mom clicks the mouse on her laptop. “That’s how it is with good friends. Actually, that’s how it is between your dad and me.”

“Really?”

“You know we argue all the time,” Mom says with a fond smile.

“Yeah, but it’s about little stuff. Like what to name your aioli sauce.”

“I think we get along so well because we fight about the things that bother us, rather than stewing about them.”

“Levi and I had a big fight,” I say. “We’d never really had a little one.”

Mom turns away from her laptop to concentrate on me. “The good news is that you’ve made it through a bad fight. Your friendship is solid, and if you have another one—though I hope you don’t—you both will be okay.”

“I hope so too.”

“But why are you wearing his sweatshirt? That seems like an awfully couple-y gift.”

I blush. “I’ve wanted this for years. He probably got sick of me trying to steal it.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Like I said, it seems very couple-y. It reminds me of how your dad gave me his college ring.”

“It’s just a sweatshirt.”

She smiles knowingly. “Whatever you say, Tadpole.”

After mooching dinner from the sample Americana food Dad is proposing for the Woods-Henry wedding, I walk down the street to my house. It’s finally that time of year when the sun doesn’t go down before I get home. As I walk, I stare at the pink and purple cotton candy sunset, and bring Levi’s sweatshirt to my nose. It still smells like him. At some point I will have to wash it, but I’m not ready to yet.

Later that night, Levi texts me when I’m already in bed. It’s only eight o’clock, but I’m exhausted from lifting weights today. Coach Josh is so evil I often discover muscles I didn’t know I had. Like, why is my left inner thigh on fire?

Levi’s message reads: Can you come over? Need to show you something.

I climb out of bed, wincing at my sore hamstrings. A month ago I would’ve fixed my hair, put on cute underwear and a lacy bra, and slathered lotion on my body. Maybe I would’ve even worn a little lip gloss. Tonight I pull on his sweatshirt and ripped jeans over my cotton underwear and sports bra.

When I get to his place, I expect to find him out front waiting on me, but he’s not there. His mom is on the front porch, though, drinking a glass of red wine while flipping through a file folder. Country music softly pours out of a speaker. Pepper is lying on the stoop secured to her leash. I’m surprised the dog’s not with Levi, wherever he is.

“Maggie, hi,” Ms. Lucassen says, setting down her glass and standing to give me a hug. “Levi’s out back by the lake,” she says. Pepper lumbers to her feet and barks and wags her tail, itching to tag along with me.

“No, baby,” Ms. Lucassen tells the dog. “You have to stay with me tonight.”

Okay, that’s weird.

I edge around the side of the house and make my way across the green grass toward the water. I try not to think about the first time we kissed out here. If I had a time machine, I would go back to warn myself not to start something that wouldn’t end well. Our kisses—our hookups—they felt like winning races, but they weren’t worth almost losing my best friend.

They weren’t worth my heart feeling this broken.

I find Levi down by the lake. He’s wearing a ball cap turned backward, a gray, long-sleeved tee, athletic shorts, and sneakers. It’s warm enough he doesn’t need the tights anymore.

“Mags,” he calls. “Watch where you step.”

Huh?

He points at the sand, where I see tiny shadows shuffling in the moonlight.

Turtles!

“Martha’s babies!” I squeal.

They emerge covered with sand, poking up their little heads. They are so tiny! Like the size of a sand dollar. They make their way down to the water, crawling over pebbles.

We watch as they continue to emerge one by one from the sand, entering the great big unknown that will either carry you or let you sink, unless you learn to swim and master it.

“Thanks for inviting me to come watch,” I say, and we settle into a nice silence with the brand new turtles. It’s funny to imagine one of these little guys becoming a resident terror turtle like Martha one day.

“Maggie,” he says quietly, turning toward me. “Can we talk?”

“Of course.”

He takes off his cap and drags a hand through his hair. “I realized something in Atlanta.”

“Yeah?”

“I wasn’t as happy as I thought I’d be after I got my cuts in 100.”

“What’s wrong?” I rush to say. “You’ve been working toward this your whole life!” After winning first place at Junior Nationals and qualifying for a second event at the Olympic trials, his name was splashed all over the Tennessee papers, and the major swimming websites mentioned his name as a serious swimmer to watch in the NCAA when he goes to college. Even USA Swimming tweeted about him qualifying in a second event. Everything is coming together for him. Is he starting to feel pressured like Jason?

But what comes out of my best friend’s mouth is not about feeling pressured. It’s not what I expect at all.

“I miss you.”

I touch his arm. “I’m right here, Leaves.”

“I made a serious mistake. I shouldn’t have tried to push you away… I was scared. I’ve never had a girlfriend before and wasn’t ready to deal with the idea of fitting that into my schedule. But the truth is, I want…I want you more than anything.”

I gasp.

“I know I was an ass,” he goes on, stepping closer to gently touch the frayed hem of my sweatshirt. My body begins to tremble all over. I can’t breathe.

“Do you like Noah?” he asks.

I shrug a little. I do like the idea of going out with a guy and just having fun. Where there’s not much risk involved. But is love without risk really love at all? Or is it a shortcut to nowhere?

My heart hurt so much after Levi broke it. To be honest, it’s still cracked, and it’s been hard work piecing it back together. I’m glad our friendship survived, but I am not sure I want to risk it again.

Plus, I don’t have my cuts yet. I need to stay focused. Now is not the time for more emotional ups and downs. I only have bandwidth to focus on one thing—swimming or this thing with Levi—and right now, swimming comes first.

“I want to see how my date with Noah goes, I guess,” I say quietly.

He grasps my hands. “Before the state championship,” he starts, “you said we should talk after the race. I wasn’t ready then, but I am now.”

A tear drips down my cheek. “Levi, I love you.”

His eyes flare. “I love you t—”

I interrupt him before I start bawling. “You’re my best friend, but what you did to me sucked so much. It was the most important race of my life, and you hurt me so you wouldn’t have to deal with your feelings.”

“And I told you. I know I was a dick that day. I’m asking for another chance.” His eyes are bright blue and shiny like the sparkling stars above.

I stare out at the beach. Another baby turtle pokes his head out of the ground. He emerges from the hole, gangly and dirty with sand. He walks purposefully down to the water, where little waves lap over his shell and clean him up.

I turn and reach for Levi. He swallows me in a hug. His body fits perfectly against mine. It would be so easy to tilt my chin so he can kiss along my jaw. But I’m trembling worse than I did at my driver’s test.

I’ve lost races in my life. Quite a few actually, and every single one hurt. Not one race—not even losing that state championship race to Roxy—hurt as much as Levi deliberately trying to push me away. How bad would it hurt if I let him back in and he left me again?

What happens when we leave for college?

“I need some time to think,” I say, pulling away. “And some sleep.”

His face is sad as he nods. “I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

I squeeze his hands. “Good night.”

After one last look at the tiny turtles, I head home.

• • •

“Maggie! Why don’t you own anything cute?”

“They’re pajamas,” I reply. “Not a prom dress.”

Georgia came over to help me plan for my date next weekend, and digging through my pajama drawer frustrates her to no end.

“You need something sexy!”

“No, I don’t. These red pajamas are fine.”

She gives my plaid pj’s a horrified look. “My granddad wears those.”

At first I was excited about having a date to the pajama party. Then Levi told me how he feels. Part of me wonders if I should cancel on Noah, but that seems rude. And probably premature, because I have no idea what to do about Levi.

Georgia opens my laptop and types “sexy pajamas” into the search engine. “Oooh, what about this leopard print?”

“Georgia. No.”

“C’mon! How about these policewoman pajamas? You can carry handcuffs.”

“No! What are you going to wear?” I ask her.

“Hello Kitty.”

That gives me an idea. I type into the search box. Pictures pop up and Georgia’s eyes balloon. “That’s definitely sexy.”

I click on the pajamas and order them because they remind me of Levi.

“Are you going with David?”

She nods. “Get this. My mother loves him.”

“Really?” That’s surprising. Georgia’s mom sticks her nose up at pretty much everybody, even the preacher at church.

“I was shocked,” Georgia says. “At first it made me wonder whether Hunter is right, that I could do better, because who wants to date a guy their totally strict mother approves of? But then David kissed me, and it was pretty good.”

I smile. “So you’re sticking with him?”

“For now. We’re having fun.”

“Is it serious?”

She looks down at her twined fingers. “I don’t know. I’m not sure if I’m ready for serious yet. I like what you said about experimenting, because I’m getting used to dating again…and part of me wants to be single when I get to college.”

Based on the magazines in Mom’s office at King’s Royal Engagements, it seems like society doesn’t interpret being single as a positive. We spend a lot of time dressing up, putting on makeup, removing unwanted hair, going on dates, all in the hope of finding someone to spend our lives with.

Before Levi, nothing—not even finding a soul mate—was as important as swimming. Now? I want someone to talk to at night, to tell about how practice went that day. I want to cuddle with a guy who finishes my sentences…and works out the annoying knots in my shoulders.

But it’s okay to be single too. I’m glad Georgia’s figuring out what she wants, or in this case, simply going with the flow. She’s okay with being with a guy who might be great for now, but maybe not forever.

The next day at lunch, the sophomore who lives in Levi’s neighborhood appears at our table. She scoots a chair between Levi and me. I raise my eyebrows at him, only to find he’s focused on her.

“Patches had such a good time playing with Pepper yesterday,” she says. “My mom was pissed the dog came home all wet and muddy, but Patches was happy.”

Levi grins. “My dog is totally going to corrupt your dog.”

“Can they play again soon?”

“I have practice every day this week, but maybe Friday after school? By the way, do you know my friends?” He introduces us all to Rebecca.

She looks at me for a sec, then turns back to Levi. “There’s going to be a puppy bowl at the pajama party this year. Do you and Pepper want to come with me and Patches?”

Levi looks at me over Rebecca’s shoulder. “If I’m not too tired that night, then sure. Pepper always likes getting out of the house.”

My heart deflates. Levi told me he wants another chance, and I said I needed time to consider it. How much time do I get? I hope he’s not interested in Rebecca—but even if he isn’t, there will eventually be another girl.

It’s something I don’t want to think about.

• • •

The day before the pajama party, I’m lounging on the back deck in my bikini, trying to tan. And by trying to tan, I mean burn. The thing about my skin is it will eventually bronze, but it has to burn a little first. Then I turn from a lobster into a giant freckle.

Tanning is the perfect excuse to relax and figure out my life. Try to, anyway. A flock of geese fly across blue skies in a perfect V. If only my relationship with Levi was that clear.

I love him. I want a relationship with him. But we’re going to different colleges, and both of us have full plates. Do we need to add one more stressor? More than anything, I want him to be happy—and for me to be happy too. He said I’m more important to him than swimming. I believe that. And I believe he wants to be with me. A sharp pain fills my chest at the idea of losing him.

Mom pokes her head out the back door. “Tadpole, Hunter’s here. He’s in the den.”

I take off my sunglasses, slip my cover-up over my head, and go inside to find Hunter hunched over on the couch, his eyes puffy and red.

“Are you okay?” I say in a rush.

Looking up at me, he nods slowly. “Can I have something to drink, please?”

In the kitchen I pour him a glass of water, then rejoin him on the couch, where he’s staring at the unlit fireplace.

“What’s up?”

He takes the water from my hand, drinking most of it in one go. “Shelby ended it with me for good.”

“What? I thought you guys were going to stay casual until you leave!”

“We had a big fight about whatever the hell our relationship is. She said things would be different if I were going to college somewhere nearby…so I told her I’d back out of the Air Force Academy if that’s what it took.” My eyes go wide, and he goes on. “I said I’d go to school in Tennessee. And then she got really mad.”

“Why?”

He sets the empty glass on the side table. “She said she wasn’t letting me throw away the Air Force for her. I’m going there because every guy in my family went…and I want to serve my country, but I want her too.”

Hunter leans over and buries his face in his hands. I rub his shoulder.

“Shelby said we need to end this now before we get in any deeper, and I told her I love her…and then she asked me to leave.”

“Oh God,” I mumble. “That sucks.”

“I know she loves me.”

Based on what she said at the baseball game, I think she does too. “Hunter, Shelby really cares about you. That’s why she wants you to go to the Air Force Academy. You’ve been working toward it for so long. You’re going to be their star pitcher!”

He smiles a little. His stomach suddenly rumbles.

“Hungry?”

“Not really.”

It rumbles again.

“Not hungry, my ass.” I fish my cell phone out of the sofa cushions to order takeout. “Pizza?”

Hunter rubs his watery eyes with a thumb and forefinger. “It’s Jiffy Burger night.”

“We don’t have to go. I’ll invite everybody over here.”

“That sounds good. I don’t much feel like going out.”

I message Georgia and Levi to get their butts over to my house. We’re doing something different for dinner.

Georgia arrives ten minutes later, followed closely by Levi. She sees that Hunter is totally wrecked and sits with him on the couch. Levi joins me on the love seat.

We’ve talked since he declared his feelings for me but not about anything important—unless you count his story about Pepper escaping her bath at the groomer’s, darting through the pet store, and shaking soapy water all over a cage full of angry hamsters.

My nose catches a whiff of Levi’s cedar scent, reminding me of the time we got tangled up on these cushions and he worshipped my body.

When Levi sees me looking at him, he clears his throat. “What’s going on? Why aren’t we going to Jiffy Burger?”

Hunter goes through his story again for Georgia and Levi, and she throws herself at Hunter, hugging him tight.

“I’m here for you,” Georgia whispers to him, and he rests his forehead against hers.

Levi and I stare at each other.

I can’t imagine life without him. And even though we’re going to separate colleges, I would figure out how to make it work. I could do long distance. I’d video chat with him every night. I’d take the risk of not seeing my boyfriend every day for us to be together. I would want him any way I can have him.

But I still don’t know whether I could stand the pain of losing him again.

The pizza arrives, and my friends sit in the den to eat. Georgia also raids Dad’s party supply closet, finding fake coconut cups with little umbrellas. We drink our water out of them as if we’re lounging at the beach together.

It’s not Jiffy Burger, but it’s still fun. We’re still together. And even though we’re going to college, maybe things won’t automatically change between us.

Maybe sometimes a little change is good.

• • •

I smile at myself in the mirror.

On the night of the pajama party, I put on my pajamas and some light makeup. I even straighten my hair into a long, brown, shiny curtain. It looks good.

When I go downstairs before my first ever date, Mom gives me a hug. “You look so grown-up.”

Meanwhile, Dad is horrified. “Go change your clothes right now.”

I glance down at my outfit. I’m not even showing cleavage! “Everything is covered up.” I pause to take in what Mom and Dad are wearing—matching onesies that make them look like human-sized sock monkeys. “Besides, your outfits are frightening. You will scare little kids.”

“That’s all part of my plan,” Dad says with a laugh.

The doorbell rings. Before the sock monkeys embarrass me, I rush to answer the front door. It’s Noah.

He scans my outfit. “Wow, you look great.”

I check him out too. He’s wearing a dark green bathrobe. Hmm. Very dad-like. Noah’s pajamas do not elicit a “wow” from me, that’s for sure. But then, Levi could pick me up in the rattiest pajamas ever, and I’d still be beaming.

Noah escorts me out to his car and opens the passenger door for me. I slide inside, wondering if I should be going on a date with a guy I don’t have feelings for. I don’t want to hurt him. Even if Levi is going with Rebecca and their dogs, it isn’t fair to Noah to lead him on. I need to tell him. I don’t want to hurt him the way I was hurt before.

Before he starts the engine, I reach over and rest a hand on his forearm. “Noah, I need to tell you something.”

He turns to me. “Yeah?”

“Tonight…can we go as friends?”

His eyebrows furrow. “You mean you don’t want this to be a date?”

“I was really looking forward to this, but I’m not sure I have romantic feelings for you. I’d rather go as friends.”

He lets out a long breath of air. “Sure. Friends. We can do that.”

The pajama party is taking place at the Franklin town square, and it spills over onto the fairgrounds. A Ferris wheel circles through the night sky, and the moon bounce looks supremely bouncy.

It’s so crowded we have to park on the road about half a mile away and walk up to the party. Our first stop is the fire department, where they have two big engines out front for kids to climb all over and explore. Noah is excited to hop up and pretend to drive the wheel. Meanwhile, I’m excited to check out the firefighters, who do elicit a wow from me. And I thought swimmers had muscles.

Once Noah’s done on the fire truck, he hops back to the ground in his bathrobe. “Want to go check out the photo booth?”

“Okay.”

We chat as we walk over to the photo area. Diane Musgrave set up a studio where people could have their picture taken in front of various world landmarks, like the Pyramids at Giza and the Great Wall of China. Dad did the same thing last year with his Kimono themed party: people could have their picture made with a field of cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji, or Japan’s Imperial Palace.

But the line is really long.

“Do you want to do something else?” Noah asks.

“Yes, please,” I reply, and explain about my dad’s rivalry with Musgrave.

“Why doesn’t he sue her for copying his ideas?”

“I don’t think it works like that.”

Noah and I get in line for the bumper cars and then race our little cars around the rink. I discover I’m just as scared of driving these as driving a regular car. Idiots from school keep ramming me head-on, jolting my bones. This better not mess me up for swim practice tomorrow.

When that horror is over, Noah leads me to the dance. Musgrave really missed the mark here. Instead of making this barn look like an elegant ballroom in a German castle or something, she decorated it to look like an Amazon jungle…? Monkey sounds fall from strategically placed speakers.

This will give Dad a coronary.

“Want to dance?” Noah asks.

The last time I slow danced was with Dad at my aunt’s wedding a couple years ago, and I stepped all over his feet, so I hope I can manage dancing with a guy. I mean, I swim a flawless backstroke—I should be able to shuffle my feet back and forth. My hands go to Noah’s shoulders and he holds my waist. We sway slowly during the song. Being in his arms doesn’t feel right though. It’s like listening to an off-pitch singer.

If a bad song comes on the radio, you turn it off. What am I doing here?

I want to go find Levi.

“Noah,” I start. “I need—”

Before I can get out the rest of my speech, he leans forward and kisses me. I break away. I didn’t feel even the slightest spark.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I can’t.”

“Was it that bad?”

“Huh?”

“The kiss?” he mumbles, ruffling and flattening his hair, embarrassed.

“Oh, I liked the kiss. It’s just…”

He puts some distance between us. “You love Levi?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yeah, I kind of figured.” He blows out a heavy breath of air. “But since you’re not with him, I thought I’d see if something’s there between you and me. You’re so nice…”

“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I don’t really know what I’m doing—I haven’t dated anyone before.”

“I get what you mean. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only guy who hasn’t had a girlfriend,” he says quietly.

A few months ago, I thought I was going to be the only college student who’d never had sex or fooled around. But that can’t be true. Everyone moves at their own pace when it comes to this stuff. Georgia is taking things slow with David. It took her a couple weeks to share that he’d asked her out. Meanwhile, Hunter wants Shelby on a serious emotional level while she only wants the physical. Noah’s a super cute basketball player who hasn’t had a girlfriend. And that’s fine.

Why was I trying to force myself to move more quickly than was natural?

I guess Levi was right all along. He told me to wait until I found someone I cared about. And it doesn’t even have to be someone I love, just someone I feel something for. And as nice as Noah is, I don’t feel anything for him. Not like Levi.

I feel a lot for Levi.

Noah looks upset as he pulls his car keys out of his bathrobe pocket, and I feel terrible I hurt him. Maybe it was selfish of me to keep this date.

“Can I take you home?” he asks.

“I think I’ll hang out here for a bit.”

“Me too.”

After a good-bye hug, Noah joins a group of guys from the basketball team who are hanging out with some girls from school. I hope one of them likes him and is deserving. He’s a great guy, even if he’s not the one for me.

I take off for the catering tent where I know I’ll find Mom and Dad. I need to test Diane Musgrave’s food they’ve been talking/complaining about for weeks.

In the tent, I find Levi. I thought he was coming with Rebecca and their dogs. But I only see Levi. Mom the sock monkey is pointing at various hors d’oeuvres, and he’s sampling them one by one. Oh. My. God. He’s wearing Superman pajamas! His body really fills them out in all the right places. I swallow hard.

I walk over to them as Levi tries a tiny egg roll.

“It all tastes bland to me,” he says through a mouthful. “It needs some King’s secret sauce.”

“Don’t let my husband hear you say that,” Mom replies. “He’ll be drizzling that stuff on everything.”

“Hi,” I say.

Levi looks up from his egg roll and gapes at my pajamas. He looks me up and down, and starts choking.

Mom slaps his back and asks, “How’s your date going, Tadpole?”

“It’s over already,” I say, and Levi’s eyes dart to mine.

“Is everything okay?” Mom rushes to ask.

“It was fine… It just wasn’t going to work out.” I turn to Levi. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.” He takes one more egg roll for the road, tossing it in his mouth and brushing off his hands.

Mom’s eyebrows pop up as he follows me out of the tent into the warm night.

Once we’re under the stars, I loop my arm around his elbow, leading him toward the rides. His warm hand seals comfortably over mine.

“Where’re Rebecca and Pepper?”

“I had to let Rebecca down gently… She was getting a bit clingy…and I couldn’t think of a bigger disaster than bringing Pepper to town. Remember when I took her to that football game, and she ran onto the field to try and steal the ball? Here, she’d be knocking over toddlers and stealing hot dogs from strangers.”

I laugh. “I bet she’d jump in the moon bounce.”

“No bet.”

“Hey, you want to moon bounce?”

“Of course I want to moon bounce,” he replies. “But we need to talk first. What’s going on? What happened with Noah?”

We sit down on a bench in front of City Hall as a couple in pajamas with a baby stroller passes by. The bell tower gleams brightly in the moonlight.

“Levi,” I start, inhaling sharply, hoping the extra air will fill me with courage. “I like you. I like you so much. And I want something more with you.”

His blue eyes capture mine. “Are you sure?”

“Enough to give us a shot.”

He leans closer, pressing his forehead to mine. “I want to try too. I’ve never felt like this before.”

I settle my cheek against his. It’s smooth and warm, and he smells perfect, like cedar and aftershave. Like him. He squeezes my hand.

“I love your pajamas,” I whisper in his ear.

“I knew you would.” He smirks a little. “I got them for you.”

“You did?”

“I kinda had to. I had nothing to wear. I mean, I generally sleep naked.” He wiggles his eyebrows and I slap his arm, feeling my face flush red at the thought of him in bed in the buff. He goes on, “I like your pajamas too.”

I wore a form-fitting black jumpsuit with little cats on it…and some cat ears on top of my head. Yup, I am Catwoman.

He stretches an arm around the back of our bench, caressing my shoulder. I inch closer to his side. It feels so good to be curled up against him again. His warmth makes me let out a sigh.

Since I started us on this path, I decide to take the next step. Leaning toward him, I press my mouth to his. My fingers draw the letter M on his chest, and I hear his sharp intake of breath. We fit perfectly.

He pulls away to look at my face, a lock of his hair falling into his eyes. I push it to the side.

“So are we together now?” he asks.

I keep drawing my initials—MK MK MK—all over him with my pointer finger, marking him as mine. “Like you’re my boyfriend?”

He answers with another long kiss, his lips devouring me like I’m dessert.

“Will you go to prom with me?” I ask him. “You know, if our race ends in time?”

He takes my hand, brings it to his lips, and kisses two of my knuckles, sending shivers up my spine. “Yes. But only if you dress up as Catwoman again.”

I lean against his side, and we watch the people of our small town walk around together, enjoying life, and I smile, knowing ours is only getting started.