Page 26 of In a Pickle

“Honestly, it was a little unfair to the other players. I was sponsored by this preppy polo shirt maker during my two years of pro tennis, so I had a bunch of these matching sponsored outfits, mostly white polos. I’m sure the company didn’t intend for me to wear them playing pickleball, but anyway, I figure they’ll never find out. I always wear a hat when I’m playing outdoor sports and I have hats in pretty much every colorto match whatever I’m wearing, which is more than most pickleballers can say. But I think what sealed the deal is the time I wore my all-white former Wimbeldon outfit. It wasn’t even that unique, but the sun was hot and I decided to pop the collar to protect my neck from getting sunburnt. A blog called me ‘the epitome of preppy chic, and then the white popped collar sort of became my signature look.’”

“Where’s your best-dressed trophy?” Liana asked, looking around the living room.

“In the back of my closet,” he responded. “It wasn’t, like, something I was particularly proud of. It’s not really something I look at or think about a lot.”

Liana suddenly couldn’t take a second more of this amazing man putting himself down. Why didn’t he realize how incredible he was?

The only way she could think of to shut him up was to kiss him again. She turned around so she straddled his lap and brought her mouth to his. She hoped he could feel all of the emotions she poured into that kiss. You’re amazing, James, she tried to tell him with her lips, her tongue.

Liana could feel James grow hard beneath her. Her body responded immediately, and she knew she was probably wet through her leggings by now. She didn’t want to stop. James seemed determined to hold back, but could she make him lose control? She wanted that, wanted to see this meticulous man come apart — wanted to do everything with him, she realized. She decided to try rolling her hips a bit, desperate for some friction.

James hissed but then stopped her gently with a hand on her thigh. Immediately, she pulled back and started to climb off of him, but he held her in place.

“Stay here,” he said softly, bringing his forehead to hers. “I just — I was so determined not to do anything but kiss you today. Like I said, I truly had no hidden intentions with bringing you over here. I just wanted to spend time relaxing with you. But you’re making this very difficult, Liana.”

She was eager to soothe. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to start something you don’t want. We can take things slowly. I have no expectations. And God knows I’m not usually one to jump into things quickly, either. Especially with sex. I’ve been the one wanting to go slowly in my past relationships.”

“I really don’t want to go slowly with you, Liana,” he said, the evidence of his statement still pressed hard into her. “I don’t know why I’m holding back. I guess… honestly, I’m a little nervous I won’t be good enough for you. I’ve actually only been with one woman.” She tried to mask her look of surprise.

“Yeah,” he continued, “I’ve never been one for casual flings. I know I’m basically an alien in today’s day and age. I don’t want to bring up my previous relationship while you’re sitting on my lap, but yeah, you know about it already. You know it ended recently. I was with her for nine years. She was my first, and I haven’t been sleeping around since it ended. Casual hookups just never really interest me. Maybe it’s because I was with someone for so long, but it’s hard for me to imagine sex without feelings involved.”

Was he saying he didn’t have feelings for her?Probably because this is literally your second date,she scolded herself.Slow down.

She told James, “I don’t really do the one-night thing either. Thanks for telling me. We go at our own pace. And I couldn’t care less how many people you’ve been with in the past.”

He kissed her again. “I really like you. Just give me a little time to get my thoughts in order, okay?”

“Of course,” she said, turning back around and leaning her back into his hard chest. She intertwined his hand with hers and brought his hand to her mouth for a chaste kiss. She wanted to make sure he knew she wasn’t disappointed. He clearly wasn’t rejecting her; quite the opposite. She would wait as long as he needed, and would like nothing more than to spend every waking second with James in the meantime.

“I want to try this oatmeal,” she said, deciding to sit on the ground in front of the coffee table. She had a feeling James might be a little hesitant to have people eat on his white couch, though she figured he’d also be too polite to tell her so.

She picked up a spoon and scooped a bit of oatmeal. Savoring the first bite, which had just a hint of salt, the way she liked it, she hummed in approval. “How did you make this oatmeal taste so good?”

“Oh, so you admit plain oatmeal is usually bad?”

“I admit no such thing. I just said this is especially good. Plain oatmeal is superior to sweetened oatmeal. I will die on this hill. Just oats and maybe a splash of milk. A pinch of salt. That’s all you need. In fact, even savory oatmeal is superior to sweet. If you haven’t added a runny egg to your scalding hot oatmeal, so it just cooks through and gives the oats a delicious creaminess, you’re missing out.”

“A few weeks ago, I would have said I’m out on that, but with you?” He shrugged. “I’m down to try it. Next time. I’ve already added brown sugar to this deliciousness, and before you try to convince me that I should also add an egg, and maybe an onion or broccoli or some shit, I’m going to eat my sugar porridge in peace.”

“Fair enough. What movie do you want to watch?”

“Lady’s choice. What kind of movies do you like?”

“Action movies always. Anything loud and with big explosions. And/or anything made in the 80s, the true forgotten golden age of cinema.” She scrolled through some options. “How aboutThe Terminator?”

He laughed in disbelief. “That’s one of my top three movie franchises of all time. I think you’re literally my dream girl.”

Chapter 17: James

The next morning, James had a new spring in his step as he walked onto the pickleball courts for practice with two pro-pickleball-circuit friends. James and Liana had the best casual Sunday, watching movies and cuddling. He couldn’t deny his feelings toward her, nor that he was dying to take the next step with her — all of the next steps, if he were honest with himself.

They’d watched a few movies, though “watched” might be too strong of a term, since they’d spent most of the time in casual conversation, talking over the films playing in the background. Liana was particularly interested to learn how the pickleball circuit worked. She was surprised to learn that there were multiple competing national and regional leagues, each of which hosted a tournament nearly every week for the better part of the year.

“How many people play in each tournament?” she had asked.

“It depends. One of the biggest tournaments is the annual open. It’s in a few weeks. I’ll actually be playing. It’s in Naples, a couple hours’ drive from here. That one has around three thousand people, I think. But most have somewhere in the hundreds.”

“That’s awesome! It’s a true open tournament, like anyone can register? Or do you have to have a certain ranking?”

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