Sidelined

She reached up on her toes to kiss me. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

I closed the door behind her and walked back to the bed. It was covered in whipped cream and smelled like us, but I fell on top of it and slept for hours.

That same day I checked out of the suite around noon. My phone had been blowing up. The team was pissed I missed the Dean. I was going to have to come up with some story that didn’t include Natalia.

No one would believe I’d turn down the kind of girls at that party for one of my own. It didn’t work like that. At the very least, I probably should have shown up for a few minutes. But after the game, instead of getting ready for the Dean, I tracked down the Goddesses’ hotel.

And when the elevator doors opened and I saw Natalia, there was no way I was headed to a different party. She was all the party I needed.

I pulled my hoodie over my head and found my car in the garage under the hotel. I had meant every word I said to her in the doorway. I was headed to Austin this week. I would see her and we would figure this out.

I had let her get away once before and I wasn’t going to let it happen again.

Twenty

Natalia

It must have been the post-sex glow, but everyone kept asking me what new skin care products I used for the photo shoot.

I laughed them off. “I’ve been drinking a ton of water,” I explained.

Heather eyed me. She was next to me in the row. We were standing on a bridge over the river. “Really?”

“Really,” I responded.

“Nothing else?”

“Nope.” I smiled at the camera. God, I couldn’t remember being this happy. Every part of me felt light and airy. It was strange and unique. It reminded me of how I used to feel on stage. That feeling of euphoria as the prima ballerina.

The photographer asked us to pose for a few more shots and then he called it a wrap. I jogged down the stairs. Heather was on my heels.

“I didn’t hear you come in last night,” she snickered.

She was already at breakfast when I snuck into the room.

“I stayed out longer than I thought—you know, catching up.” I twisted the cap off a bottle of water. This would help with my water story.

“Catching up with your cousin?”

I nodded. “Yep, with my cousin.”

“Hope you had a good time.”

I grinned. “I did. It was amazing.”

There was no way anyone saw Sam and me together. I wasn’t worried there was evidence, but it didn’t mean Heather wasn’t suspicious. And she would keep poking and prodding until she was satisfied.

The same thing had happened at training camp with another one of the new girls. As the captain, Heather felt compelled to know where we were at all times. One girl was constantly late to practice and her excuses piled up. One morning she blamed a faulty hair dryer. Another day she said she lost her shoes. By the third morning, Heather started tailing her and found out she was sneaking her boyfriend into our squad rooms for the night and seeing him off again in the morning. That girl was released from the team and replaced with someone on the waiting list.

“Sorry I missed movie night with you. But my cousin popped in and it couldn’t be helped.”

“Of course not. We’ll do it another time.” She waved her hand in the air. “It’s fine.”

But there was something gnawing at me that said it wasn’t fine. I didn’t know whether she was upset I blew her off for my imaginary cousin, or if she had a theory my cousin was Sam.

I turned the lights on in my apartment and looked around. I had been gone a day, but it felt different. I felt different. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. Sam’s number was at the top. I hit send and waited for him to answer.