The coach removes him from the game to rest, but the opposing team pulls ahead quickly without his defense, so he’s back in after a few minutes. Both teams exchange the lead until the last few seconds. We’re all on our feet cheering for the guys. E gets fouled going up for a shot with 8 seconds left. He makes both shots to win the game. We’re all hollering and clapping for E as he smiles up at us and gives a wave.
We settle down after both teams leave the court. Gabby arrives first, saying hi and asking Troy to spend the night at a friend’s house. He agrees, so she’s off again quickly. Seb and E head this way, with Seb sporting an ice pack on his shoulder. “Are you okay? Is your shoulder worse?” I ask.
“It’s swelled up, so I’ve got to ice it for a few hours. The guy hit me just right. It’ll probably bruise, but I’ve only got to last for one more game. I am hungry, though. Where are we eating tonight, guys?” He asks the group.
“Let’s return to my place,” Alex offers. “We can pick up dinner on the way.”
Everyone agrees, so we head out. We all say goodbye to Troy as we get to the vehicles. The guys debate what food to get but ultimately decide on a pub. I ask E to choose something for me since I haven’t eaten there yet. E offers to pick up the food, so I hop in with Alex, Nick, and Bay and call Zander to check in as we drive back to Alex’s house.
Dinner turns out to be amazing. E ordered me a steak, garlic mash, and green beans. He knows the chef, and he makes all the food from scratch.
The guys want to go for a swim after we eat, so Seb takes me into his room to change. “Sunshine, did you bring a bathing suit with you?”
“Yeah, I did.”
“You can use our bathroom to change. Same deal as before. Wear clothes over the top if that makes you comfortable. No pressure here,” he smiles at me.
I take my backpack into the bathroom and put on my new swimsuit. When I gaze into the mirror, I notice my scars. My stomach is hardly visible between the two pieces, but you can see the one on my thigh and my upper arm. Realistically, people are going to notice my scars when I’m running track. Between the tank top and the shorter shorts, I won’t be able to hide them forever. Maybe it’s best to let the guys see them first. I’m comfortable with them, and they won’t judge me. Deciding, I pick up my clothes from the floor and shove them back into my bag, but leave out a t-shirt to cover up with until we get downstairs. Taking a deep breath, I walk back out to the bedroom to find Seb waiting for me on the bed.
I gaze up to watch him devouring me with his eyes, starting at my calves and moving slowly upwards to my face. He blinks twice, then breaks out into a big smile. “Damn, Sunshine, you are hot!”
“Um, are the scars too much?” I feel more self-conscious than I ever have in my life standing here in front of him.
Seb stands up and comes over to me, grabbing my hands. “Sunshine, you’re beautiful. I didn’t notice the pale traces of your scars at first. It was your curves and the strength of your body that caught my attention. Yes, I can see them, but they don’t diminish you. They’re a testament to your strength, a story of resilience etched into your soul.”
Wow, so poetic. I nod at him, taking another deep breath. “Thank you, Seb.” I drop his hands and pull my t-shirt over my head.
“Give me a second and we’ll head out,” he says, grabbing his board shorts and going into the bathroom. He quicklyreturns with all his muscles on display. I can see discoloration on his shoulder now, although Seb doesn’t mention it. We walk out to the living area to find all the guys waiting in swim trunks and tees. “Let’s go,” Seb waves his arm, gesturing for us to follow.
We head down to the main floor and to the right end of the house. Down a few stairs, there’s a glass-covered hallway to a pool house. It’s a massive structure with a large in-ground pool and two different diving boards on the far end. The left side has loungers, a towel shelf, and a small kitchen. The changing rooms appear to be behind the diving boards, and a hot tub sits off to the back right side of the room. Nick, Bay, and E quickly strip off their shirts and dive into the water.
“I’m going to float in the shallow end, Sunshine. I don’t want to aggravate my arm by swimming tonight,” Seb says. I nod, take off my t-shirt and follow him into the shallow water. The pool is cool but not cold, so it must be heated. Alex joins us.
“Grab anything you want from the kitchen, Summer. There are washrooms and changing areas in the back.”
“Thanks, Alex,” I smile at him. Alex takes off, swimming towards the deep end where the rest of the guys are.
“Are you a good swimmer, Sunshine?” Seb asks, lying on his back, to float around.
“I think so? There was a pool in town, so I went every summer with Jake and Lily bee.” I tread water close to Seb. My legs protest after a few quick minutes, so I stand and swish my arms through the water.
“Good. We usually end up doing races, or volleyball, or diving competitions when we all get together.”
I nod, swimming slowly around Seb, using my arms mostly, as he floats in a circle. “Hey Summer,” Bay calls, “have you ever dived before?”
“No,” I yell back.
“Come try it,” he says as the guys get out of the deep end.
“Gotry it, Sunshine. It’s fun,” Seb encourages.
I step out of the shallow end and walk down to the diving boards, noticing Nick is walking out onto the lower board. He does a bounce and then executes a front flip into the water, entering feet first. “Would you like to try diving, Summer?” Alex asks, coming to stand on my left.
“Um, sure.”
“Jump off the lower board or do a straight dive until you are comfortable,” he smiles at me, not looking at my body or scars, which I appreciate.
“Okay.” I walk over to climb the ladder up to the first level. It’s actually not too far up. I step onto the diving board, bouncing to gauge its feel. I lean forward and do a regular dive into the water. As I’m swimming to the edge, I get splashed from behind. Glancing back, I see E surfacing with a big smile on his face. He swims over, and we both get out.
