“Yes, and no.” He paused when our server set down our plates. We were warned of the hot temperature before our server refilled our drinks and hurried off to the next table.
“You won nationals,” I reminded him as if it was something one could easily forget.
“So they keep telling me.” There was a smile on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I don’t get it. You love swimming and you’re good. Do you know how lucky you are? Few people get to…” I trailed off when I realized he was staring down at his bowl, stirring the contents like he was on autopilot.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “Anytime I hear about someone who is good at something and also likes that something, I get jealous.”
“I get it. I used to bust my ass trying to keep up with everyone. Hearing them complain sucked.” He shrugged. “I’ve never been a natural, but last year it looked like I was. I gave swimming every spare moment, and it paid off.”
“Which was great.” I studied the crease in his forehead.
“Paid off.” He gave me a small smile. “Means there was a price.”
“What was yours?”
“Pushed my body to the breaking point. Tore my rotator cuff after nationals. And… well, my neck’s not in the best shape either.” He scratched his jaw as he spoke. “My coaches warned me to slow down, but I was finally ahead so I wanted to keep going.”
“Wait, so you’ve been swimming with injuries this entire time?”
“They’re not as bad as they were before.”
I gave him a look. “Seriously? You purposely didn’t tell me this. You knew I wouldn’t agree to push you, otherwise.”
He opened his mouth to deny my statement, but there were no excuses. I sighed and reached across the table to grab his hand. He took my fingers in his and guided them up to his lips.
“Give me those puppy eyes all you want.” I did my best to keep my smile at bay. “I’m disappointed.”
“But not really disappointed, right?” he asked between hand kisses. “Just a mild kind. The kind I can make up to you with a few strokes.”
I scoffed. “You’re something else, you know that? I’m trying to be serious.”
“And I’m just trying to match your energy from before.” He grinned.
“No, you want to steer the conversation once we’ve finally gotten on a topic with some depth…” I trailed off when he playfully bit my thumb and then licked the area. The warmth of his mouth on my skin made me forget what I was saying.
“We can keep talking about it if you want,” he offered as he placed my hand on his cheek. “Or, we can eat, and then, I can teach you a few more things.”
“On the dance floor,” I finished for him.
He pressed a kiss on the inside of my wrist and nodded. “Of course. On the dance floor.”
