Page 89 of You Float My Boat

‘Everyone out and packed up,’ boomed Coach over the megaphone. ‘Shells away.’

‘Why does he repeat it every morning like we don’tknow what we’re doing?’ snapped Oz, pushing his oar out to one of the junior crew members waiting on the dry dock ready to pull us in.

It sounded like a rhetorical question to me, and Brooks’ single raise of one eyebrow was all the response I needed, especially when Oz stormed into the changing rooms after we’d safely placed the boat back on the pipes. Marshy wasn’t far behind him, slipping through the swing door Oz had flung open.

‘Has Marshy been dumped too?’ mumbled Brooks, standing far too close to me. ‘I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone.’

I stepped back and shrugged. ‘No clue.’

‘Well, thank fuck we’re single.’

I jerked forward slightly as he slapped me on the back with a guffaw, and ignored my eye roll. Not a day had passed that Brooks hadn’t failed to make some kind of little jab about Violet and me, or the daily query into how much longer was left of our ‘arrangement’. I could almost believe that he thought he needed to mention it just so I wouldn’t forget.

As a result, I was yet to break it to him that Violet and I were no longer fake dating.

I knew I had to do it, I just hadn’t found the right moment. It was hard when Brooks was being more of a pain in the arse than usual.

Plus the kissing with Violet was taking up all my spare time, and any precious minutes left over were dedicated to training, studying, training and more training. Then sleep.

Not that I was complaining in the slightest. In fact, ifall I could do for the rest of my life was sleep and kiss Violet I’d die happy.

Something that might come sooner than expected the way our training sessions were going.

Brooks was also on a diet of training, studying and sleeping, so really it had been virtually impossible to speak to him. But that wasn’t a good enough excuse either.

We didn’t just stand around doing nothing, like we were just now.

Shit. I pulled on the red and white cupcake band I still wore around my wrist, and it snapped back with enough of a sting to kick me into gear.

‘Mate … have you got a second to talk?’ I started, right as the doors from the changing room were flung open and Oz stormed out.

‘Are you two ready to leave or are you standing around gossiping?’

‘We’re ready,’ replied Brooks, who definitely wasn’t ready given he was in the same state of rowing undress as I was, and I wasn’t ready. ‘Two minutes, let me grab our things. Charlie, I’ll get yours.’

‘Thanks,’ I called after him, glancing at Oz. ‘You okay? Hard session today.’

‘We have a race to win,’ he grumbled, and I didn’t fail to notice he wouldn’t meet my eye.

‘Yeah, we do. Let’s try and make sure we’re still alive come race day though. Eh?’

‘Don’t be stupid, Charlie. Of course, we will be.’

I didn’t bother to argue or point out that there was a high possibility if he pushed every session as hard as he had this morning, he would exhaust himself before theend of March. Luckily he didn’t seem to be waiting for a response and that was the moment Brooks reappeared carrying bags, while also trying to pull his hoodie on.

‘Good, let’s go home,’ Oz said, marching off towards the car so fast we were jogging to keep up with him.

‘I’ll take that, thanks.’ I saved my backpack before Brooks dropped it.

‘I’m absolutely famished. What’s for second breakfast?’

‘You need to fend for yourself, I have to go to the library. But there are fresh breakfast muffins in the pantry that I made last night.’

‘Ooh, my favourite.’ He clapped a big hand on my shoulder and opened the car door for me to hop in – the back door. ‘You’re a good boy, Charles, especially as you’re letting me ride shotgun.’

I’d agreed to no such thing. But it was an argument I never won. I also had a feeling Oz may have banned me from the passenger seat for some stupid reason, like he didn’t care for my music selection, but I couldn’t quite remember. Normally I’d have put up a fight, but right now I was more than content to stay in the back seat for the journey home, because it meant I could sneak in a twenty-minute power nap.

The wheels spun on the gravel with a loud crunch, as Oz reversed and sped out of the car park without a word.

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