“Not at all,” I say.
“Although you might want to go to a different court to seesome real tennis,” Michael says to him. “I’ll be lucky to return this ball across the net.”
“Not to worry,” he says with a chuckle. “I’m just having a quick meal.” He opens his water bottle and takes a sip before biting into a slice of pizza.
Michael serves the ball successfully over to me. I return it to him softly.
He returns it again, and it sails over the net and past me.
“See, you did that perfectly!” I say to Michael. “You won the point.”
“Might be my last one,” Michael jokes.
Ben calls out a tip to Michael and then gives us the thumbs-up.
We play for a while with me winning most of the points. I’m not keeping score, but Michael keeps announcing each point. I’m enjoying playing with him so much, and the score is irrelevant to me. It’s just fun to have a partner to do things like this with. I’ve never been genuinely friends with a guy I’ve dated before. This is a first for me, and I’m loving hanging out together.
Michael and I get a good volley going before he misses. I run over to the fence to get the ball.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” Ben asks me.
“Lovely weather,” I agree.
Michael appears at my side. He kisses my cheek. “You’re really good, babe.”
“Thank you.” I smile at Ben. “He’s a good one, don’t you think?”
Ben gives the thumbs-up again. “Hold onto him,” he says.
Hold onto him.
I’m trying.
But maybe not hard enough.
Spending time with Michael is something I’ve started to take for granted.
Days like this where we go to the fair, play tennis, and then go home and make love…these days are numbered, and I’m not sure how to hold onto them.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Michael
Dylan is true to his word.
Before I know it, Emery and I are flying to Maine—just the two of us in a posh private plane.
“This is amazing!” Emery spends the first fifteen minutes walking up and down the aisle, checking out the bedroom in the back of the plane, and ordering a snack of French fries and water from the flight attendant.
“You look like you’re enjoying this,” I say to her as she leans back on the seat across from me.
“Of course I am! I’ve never been on a private plane before. I never even dreamed of being on one. It’s so cool.”
“You know what’s the best part?”
“What?”
“That we’re alone. We can do whatever we want for the next six hours.”
