Page 40 of Courting Clemson

“Do you want me to monitor this while you’re gone?” she asked, sounding hopeful.

“I’ll just look at them when I get back. It’s a short practice today, so if these dudes are that impatient, this will never work with me.”

I hoped she wasn’t offended.

The last profile I answered that morning was a man named Marco. Dark hair, dark skin, and eyes like lasers. His one picture was so intense, I felt myself breaking out in a bit of a sweat.

“Jesus, this guy,” Grace said.

“Right? I think it just got really hot in here.” We both giggled. “He’s super intense looking, isn’t he?”

“I’m a little uncomfortable with that look in his eye,” she said, not taking her eyes off the screen.

“I think he just looks that way because of the dark features. He seems great in his write-up. We actually have a lot in common. Says he’s from Los Angeles originally,” I commented while typing.

Closing my laptop, I stood and stretched. My body felt stiff from sleeping on the sofa all night, but I’d loosen up once I hit the water.

“What are you doing today? Loafing around?” I teased.

“I have a few errands to run, actually,” she snipped back with a grin and then stuck her tongue out for good measure. “I have to go over to campus and deal with some book returns that I’ve been putting off.”

“Smart to do that on the weekend,” I said. “It will be less of a madhouse in that damn bookstore. Why is it always so crowded in there?”

“Because they have so much shit crammed into that small space, there’s no room for humans.”

“I think you may be on to something.” I smiled and went to my room to get ready for practice.

Later, when I got back to the house, the place was quiet and dark except for the sun coming in through the back sliding door. I thought Grace would be waiting for me and pounce the moment I walked in to check if any of the men messaged back.

Intentionally, I set the notifications on the app to silent on my phone. I didn’t want this endeavor to become a distraction or interrupt my daily life. I had to make this work out while maintaining a regular routine.

First, I needed some food. I was always ravenous after a good swim, and I gave it my all today. Really, I tried to every practice, but now, I felt like I had to prove to my coaches that I belonged here. That they didn’t fuck up by not kicking me off the team in addition to taking away my financial support.

I had to keep reminding myself that this would pass. It was one semester. A few months out of my entire life that things would be difficult. But I was here for it. I got myself into this mess, and I’d stick it out while I dug myself out of it.

I was cleaning up my dishes when I heard keys jingling in the front door. It had to be Grace since our third roomie went home for the summer break. There was a strange thought living in the back of my head that she may not return. I wasn’t nearly as close with Avery as I was with Grace, but the fact that she basically just up and left one morning without more than a wave concerned me.

Shit.

If we had to split rent two ways instead of three, that meant I’d have to come up with more money. I had briefly thought of the possibility before, but denial was a comfy couch sometimes. I’d curl up there and pull the blanket over my head and pretend whatever was going on right in front of me wasn’t really happening. There were days it was my only hope of coping.

“Clemson? You home?” Grace called through our one-story house.

“Yeah. In the kitchen!” I shouted back.

When she walked into the room and dropped her stuff on the table, I asked, “How was your day?”

“Good.” She smiled. “Productive. Got everything dealt with that I wanted to, so that’s good.”

“That’s great.”

“How was practice?”

“Excellent. I’m beat now, as usual.”

She was quiet but followed me with her gaze as I put my dishes away. I knew she was dying to ask about the messages but was trying to temper her excitement. I could see the emotion in her entire body. She was nearly vibrating with it.

Finally, she shifted from one foot to the other and blurted, “Have you looked?”

---