Reed said he didn’t want to waste his first real date with me on a typical dinner and a movie, so he had instructed me to pack clothes that were casual, comfortable and “very Nolan.” He also insisted I throw the Nikes in my bag. “Lots of walking,” he said.
I must have tried on 15 different combinations of clothes that just days ago all seemed fine. I finally settled on my hip-slung cut-off shorts, double tank tops and plain white socks with my tennies. I had a clip in my bag that I could use to keep my hair up and makeup was always minimal, though I was eager to look more adult lately.
I scarfed down a peanut butter sandwich with some milk, locked up the house and skipped to my car, tossing my bag in the back seat. The engine roared right up for me, a sound I was sure would make my smile beam for months, and I backed out onto our main road.
Driving alone on the stretch of desert highway was finally how I pictured it would be, before my first solo trip was cut short by my car’s former insides. I sang out loud all the way into town, rolling my window up as I pulled into the aquatics center, not wanting to draw the attention of the dozens of barely dressed teenagers that were parking around me. I knew I was a staff member and the same age as many of the girls that hung out at the center during the summer, but somehow I still felt inadequate. So many of them looked like, were built like and talked like Tatum. It was going to take me a while to stop trying to measure up to something that I still couldn’t believe Reed no longer wanted.
Reed was sitting on the counter talking to Penny when I walked in.
“Uh, I believe she’s two minutes late, Penny. Make sure you take note of that,” he winked, snapping his towel at me as I walked by and rolled my eyes at Penny.
Penny was clearly always on the woman’s side, as she piped up right away, tapping on her watch. “According to my watch, she still has three minutes, sport,” she winked right back at him.
I walked through the women’s locker room where I stashed my bag for later and met Reed on the pool deck side. He wasn’t so subtle as he came over and planted the softest kiss on my right cheek. “I missed you,” he whispered. I melted.
Our intimate moment wouldn’t last long as Todd called out stations and we all headed out to them. The hours flew by again, and I seemed to always be taking my breaks with Tyler. I was more comfortable with him now as during our first break he asked me how long Reed and I had been going out. He must have witnessed our kiss in the pool yesterday. I told him we hadn’t been dating long, though I really wasn’t sure what to call us or how to answer that question. Either way, I thought Reed would be fine with my response. I got the feeling he wasn’t too keen on Tyler.
I saw Reed head for the locker room at about 2:30 and then come back out dressed in his varsity practice shirt and long sports shorts. He had his secret ASU hat on and slid along the deck in his flip flops over to the chair I was stationed at before he left.
“Hey, you better hurry or you’re going to be late,” I chided him.
“Well, good thing for me they can’t really run receiving drills without someone to throw to them,” he smiled. “So, you wanna just meet me at my place? We can leave your car at my house and I’ll drive.”
He had a devilish grin, bewitching me. “Sure… that seems the best way to go for this… wait, where are we going again?” I tried to bait him but he was having none of it.
“Ohhhh, you will just have to wait and see,” he said. “You keep this up and I’m apt to drive you around blindfolded for an hour first just to punish you.”
“Oh god please don’t do that, or else I’ll be apt to throw up all over your Jeep,” I wasn’t even kidding.
Not wanting to put on a show or get me in any trouble in front of the patrons, Reed just brushed his hands on my shoulder and tipped on his sunglasses before leaving. I watched him pull away from beyond the fence and in my mind started counting down until I saw him next for our official first couple outing.
While the first part of the day raced, the last hour of my shift seemed to tick by so slowly. At one point, I started counting people that went off the high dive, adding decimals for every bounce they took from the board just to make it interesting.
The center was staying open late tonight for lessons, so I didn’t have to wind up the ropes and spray the decks like I normally would. When my hours were up, I raced through the locker room, hopped in a shower and did my best to make myself presentable. He likes you just like this, I reminded myself as I turned from side to side in the distorted bathroom mirror.