“On three?” I asked once we’d backed up five or so feet and taken our marks in the sand.
He reached to zap my waist. “One…”
I pretended to slap his hand away. “Two…”
“Three!” we shouted as we took off, but before my toes could touch the water, Connor scooped me up into his arms.
“Rude!” I protested, but I started giggling when he splashed into the shallow surf. He held me tight, laughing too, until the beach suddenly got the better of us. Neither of us were prepared for the harbor’s steep drop-off. The water went from three feet deep to a sudden seven. All the air left my lungs once it enveloped us.
“Holy crap!” Connor sputtered once we’d broken the surface. One arm was still crooked around my side. “Did you see that coming?”
“Not at all.” I laughed as I started to tread water. “I don’t hate it, though.”
The water was cool, refreshing with the sun still so bright overhead. Connor and I splashed each other a few times before floating on our backs. We talked about this and that, how summer was the best season and winter was the worst, before he casually brought up a not-so-casual topic: the future.
Notourfuture together, but still, our futures. “What’s in the cards for you?”
“Northwestern,” I said, slowly running my fingers through the water. “You know that already.”
“Right,” Connor said. “But I meant beyond college. What do you want to do? Where do you want to live?”
“Oh…” I trailed off. Those questions shouldn’t have sent a shudder up my spine, but they did for some reason. “I haven’t given it much thought yet. I’m just trying to focus on the next four years in Chicago.” I paused. “Have you?”
“Well, I haven’tdecided,” he said. “But I’ve thought about it a fair amount.” His leg brushed against mine. “I’d like to be an accountant.”
“An accountant,” I echoed, trying not to snort. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Is there something wrong with that?”
“Of course not,” I told him. “But you’re just so good with kids. Isn’t that a sign of a good teacher?”
“Eh, I would roll my eyes too much.”
“Connor, when have you ever rolled your eyes in front of Teddy and Finn?”
“All the time, on the inside.”
Now I really snorted, not believing him whatsoever; I moved so that I was treading water again. Connor did the same, his smile bemusedly amused.
“Math is my favorite subject,” he continued. “I like numbers, and the world willalwaysbe in need of CPAs.”
“Good point,” I conceded. “Where are you going to live?”
“East Coast,” he said automatically. “Maybe not in Pennsylvania, but still relatively near…”
“Your family,” I guessed, then gave him a look. “Do you think it’ll be hard at Notre Dame? Being so far away from them?”
“I’ll get used to it.” Connor shrugged, but there was nothing nonchalant about it.
Something twinged in my chest, suspecting that it was hard being away from his familynow. I thought of how he’d waited in the mess hall line to call his family at Camp Skytop, and how often he talked about them and Mads in the here and now.
Might he still be a homebody?
And was there anything wrong with being a homebody?
He cleared his throat. “You really don’t know what you want to be when you grow up?”
“No,” I said, feeling heat at the back of my neck even while swimming. “I really don’t.”
