“Remember what you said to me?” he says, close to my ear. “You’re all shoulder. The power comes from here-” His hand guides the movement. “Turn through it. Don’t force it.”
His chest is solid against my back.
“You with me?”
“Yes,” I say. Impressively steady, all things considered.
“Okay. Try it.”
I try it and the ball goes straight. Not perfectly straight, but it makes it out into the middle of the range.
“Look!” I say, surprised at myself.
“Yeah,” he says. He hasn’t moved. “See?”
“Don’t be smug about it.”
“I’m not being smug.”
“You’re being extremely smug.”
He steps back and I immediately miss the warmth of him.
“You don’t like getting coached, huh?”
He’s got that expression - the grin that changes his whole face - and I think about the first skating session and his total refusal to be helped.
“Like you can talk!”
He laughs. “That’s fair.”
We stay for another half hour. My golf gets marginally better. His gets no better because it was already excellent and there’s nowhere to go from excellent except showing off, which he does with far too much satisfaction at being better than me at something for once. By the time we’re handing back the clubs and walking to the car I’m feeling relaxed and content.
The drive back to campus is quiet in a good way. He has music on low and I lean my head back against the seat.
Everything isn’t solved and wrapped up neatly. But it feels okay.
He pulls up outside my building and leaves the engine running while I gather my things. Then I sit there for a second, not quite ready to end it.
“Thank you. For tonight.”
“You’re thanking me for watching you assault a golf net for ninety minutes?”
“I’m thanking you for the other stuff.”
He gives a small nod.
I open the door and get out, and he gets out too, which I wasn’t expecting. He walks around to my side. We stand on the pavement, and he looks at me for a moment. Then he leans in and presses his lips to my forehead. I close my eyes.
“Goodnight, Elida.”
“Goodnight.”
I go inside.
17
Chapter 17
