“Shit.” We adjust our goggles and dive back in. But when we pop back up at the other end, our conversation continues despite the fact that we’re both breathless.
“Barbeque?” Adriana asks, “Those are usually family affairs. You know, just the guys.” I don’t miss the longing in her voice as she says it, and I remind myself she used to be a part of their friend group back in high school.
“They’re doing a team thing,” I tell her. “So there will be a lot of people there. I already cleared it with Gabriel the other day. He said you could come.”
Her eyebrows shoot up, excitement flashing in her eyes before she frowns. “Really? He didn’t seem put out by it?”
“Nope. He said I could invite whoever I want, so … will you come? I don’t know if any of the other players are bringing girlfriends, and I don’t want to be the only girl there. Please.”
She fidgets with her swim cap, chewing on the inside of her cheek—typical Adriana. Always in her head, overthinking everything. “Okay, okay. I’ll come. But if it’s lame, I’m blaming you.”
I splash her. “Fair enough.”
“What would you do without me?” she jests.
“Probably drown and wallow in boredom,” I confess.
“Mmm. So true,” she says with a grin, finally letting go of her worry. She splashes me back before pushing off the wall again for another lap, and I race to catch up with her.
The water rushes past, muffling everything but the sound of my breath and the occasional splash of Adriana’s strokes beside me.
As we finish our set, she treads water beside me and we wait for the rest of our team to wrap up their drills. “You seem excited about this BBQ,” she notes, as we hoist ourselves onto the pool’s ledge.
I shrug, trying to play it cool. “It’s just … I feel like I barely see him.” I trail off, biting the inside of my cheek.
“Because of his practices?”
“Yeah, and swim, and coursework, and Austin crap,” I say, my tone sharpening at the end. “It’s like we’re both just ... busy. And I don’t know. I miss him, I guess.”
“That’s disgustingly adorable,” she says, her gaze drifting to the pool deck for a moment. “You two don’t get a lot of quality time, huh?”
“Not lately,” I admit. “I can’t wait for the semester to end, honestly. Online classes while living at home is driving me insane. I miss being on campus. I miss having an excuse to see him every day.” God, I sound so needy.
Adriana stands up, her wet feet slapping against the pool deck as we retrieve our towels. “Ugh, I can’t even imagine. I mean, I love my parents but living with them again,” she shivers. “No thanks.”
“Exactly.” I grab my towel and wipe the water from my face. “I shouldn’t have switched to online. And … I think it’s time I consider moving out, again.”
“Really?”
I nod. “I need my own space. And my own routine, and … normalcy. Maybe when all the Austin stuff is finally over,” I sigh. I’m just so ready to have control over my own life again.
We walk toward the locker room, our teammates already heading in that direction, their laughter and chatter filling the space. Adriana slings her towel over her shoulder, eyeing me curiously.
“You thinking about the dorms again? Or are you looking off campus?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t really given it a lot of thought but—” I shrug. “I think it’s time to.”
Adriana’s expression softens, and for a second, she looks like she’s about to say something, but instead, she just pats my arm. “You still have time to figure it out.
“Yeah,” I agree softly. “I guess I do.”
“And hey, if you need to talk about any of the Austin stuff, you know I’m here, right?”
I nod, grateful for her offer even if I don’t feel like diving into that mess right now. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
She smiles, nudging me with her shoulder as we push through the locker room doors. The scent of chlorine is even stronger in here, mixing with the smell of damp towels and soap.
“So,” Adriana says as we step inside the locker room, her voice light again, “what are you going to wear to this BBQ? Please tell me you’re going to rock something that’ll make Gabriel lose his mind.”
