Rona and I shared a quick look, but not an awkward one.
We opened more bottles of wine and stayed there chatting all afternoon without a care in the world as the day slipped into evening. I loved these guys and hoped to continue being friends when we got home. It also made me miss my teammates and my friends, Nikki and Sophie. Team sports as a professional athlete was a special thing. You bonded with people over a shared goal. You worked hard for them. Nikki and Sophie and I had each other’s backs in a way that made me feel safer in this world. Like I belonged. I was getting a similar feeling with this group, which I couldn’t have been happier about. Why couldn’t life always be about spending time with friends and doing things we truly loved?
Later that evening, after a day of delicious food, wine, and endless talking and laughing with everyone, I glanced over at Rona, the candles on the table flickering a soft light onto her lovely face. I’d been on a high all day after overhearing Rona’s conversation with Bouchra. If it wasn’t about me, I would be very disappointed, and that alone told me that there was something between us I had to explore. I had butterflies in my stomach when I thought about the prospect of something happening between us. Above all else, she was the one person I couldn’t wait to spend more time with when we got home. It was the only real thing that made me want to go back.
~ 8 ~
Rona
Perhaps I should make a move, like for real. Lusting after Lily all day at the beach was scrambling my sense of timing and perspective, that and the steady stream of homemade pina coladas being handed to me. I wasn’t drunk. It was more like a constant buzz, made possible through a week of over-indulging. Next week I’d get back to normal and that meant little to no alcohol or processed foods. I’d feel better for it.
But for now, I would enjoy the feeling of doing whatever I wanted. And that meant lying watching a bikini-clad Lily play football tennis on the beach like it was volleyball, sipping my cocktails, enjoying holiday life. I had my book with me that I was giving the impression I was reading but any actual concentration on it wasn’t happening. I was okay with that as my focus lay elsewhere. I only cared about or wanted to stare at one person from behind my sunglasses.
We all had a go at football tennis. When it was one of our turns to go head-to-head with the international football star we marched to our defeat. Sometimes we paired up to try and beat her, but as of yet no one had. Lily moved like a beautiful gazelle with fit, strong, muscles on show. It felt like I was watching a real-life advertisement for Nike, which I had recently learned was named after a Greek goddess, or the opening credits to a World Cup set in Brazil, except I was able to zoom in on the visible abs and thigh muscles of the star of the show, at any point.
“Rona, you’re next!” Nell called out, jogging over to where I lay on my towel, along with the rest of the gang.
“Is it? I thought I just went?”
“That was an hour ago. We’ve all had a go since. Lily only wants one more game and she asked for you.”
Lily was playing keepy-uppy with the ball herself now, awaiting her next victim. Did the woman never get tired?
“Okay.” I sat up.
“You’ve got this,” Nell roused. “I believe in you.”
I looked at Nell. She was taking this too seriously. I thought we had all long since given up on getting any points off Lily, let alone beating her.
I stood, grateful for my bikini shorts, feeling a little self-conscious after a week of indulging. “I’ll be happy as long as I don’t twist my ankle or something.”
“Yeah, what’s the stress, Nell?” Kaira said, shielding her eyes from the sun while looking up at her.
“I hate losing and I mean, like, I think she’s even trying to let us win sometimes. It’s like the ball sticks to her and then she tosses it back in the perfect spot.”
“What do you expect, dude? That was her job,” Kaira asked, a quizzical look on her face.
“You’re right, you’re right.” Nell sat down on the sand and sighed. “I got too caught up. I thought I was okay at football but apparently not.” She managed a laugh while looking over at Lily playing tricks with the ball for fun. “She is really amazing.”
I joined Lily by the net. The tops of Lily’s bare feet were red from kicking the ball. I wanted to stroke her red feet and make them feel better. What the fuck?
“Ah, so you’ve come to be my final conquest?”
“I come in peace. Just go easy on me, all right?”
“I’ve been going easy.”
“I know. That’s what scares me.”
“I meant to ask, and I’m sorry I haven’t already, but have you played football before? You must have, with your control of the ball.”
“I’ve played a little over the years, just for fun. Sometimes Nell organises five-a-sides and I join in. I’m rubbish though.”
“Nah, you’re a natural.”
“Thanks.”
“Have you ever played this game before?”
