Page 56 of The Player Penalty
21-Lily
The other half of the bed is empty. I sink further under the covers, listening to clinking glass and running water from the kitchen.
For all of Julian’s worry, I’m sated rather than sore. After a bath and making love a second time, we fell asleep in each other’s arms. Can a girl be blamed for never wanting to leave her bed again?
“You’re awake.” Julian clears his throat, chasing the morning roughness awake. “A pot of coffee is brewing if you want some. Yogurt and fresh fruit, too.”
He even prepared my favorite breakfast. A glass of water with my medication sits on the bedside table.
I turn over and peel the comforter’s edges back. “You’re naked.”
Julian peers down at himself with mock surprise. “I haven’t worn clothes to bed in years. You’ll develop the same habit after hanging out with me. How do you feel?”
“Physically, I’m fine.” It isn’t the answer he’s looking for, but I’m afraid to go first.
He climbs in next to me and wiggles an arm under my neck. “Let’s try this again. I’m fantastic. How about you?”
“Equally fantastic.”
Julian strokes my lips with his thumb before replacing it with a soft kiss. It’s gentle, more of a morning greeting than anything else. “Is that all?”
“Are you worried about regrets? If so, the only regret is not summoning the courage to ask you earlier.” Maybe it’s for the best. We gave ourselves time to grow our trust and my comfort with the idea of asking. Julian pretends very well, but he struggles with intimacy as much as I do.
We both move, so we face each other. Julian lifts the comforter and peeks in to confirm I’m still naked. A pale pink flush spreads across his cheeks, and a self-satisfied grin appears. “I would have agreed, no matter when you asked. It’s strange, in a way. You’d appear, and once or twice, I wondered if you dressed up for me.”
“I found a different wardrobe, and it built my confidence. It’s a complete Hollywood cliche, isn’t it? Get the makeover, and suddenly, everything works out. There is some truth to it, at least for me.”
“It built up my lust,” Julian says, with no hint of shame. He tilts his head, amused at his own honesty. “You want to know what I think?”
“Always.”
“All you did was push up the timeframe because we’d have ended up here no matter what. We’re going to do this some more. A lot more, all the way until you tell me to stop. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Lily, you’ve been in charge from the moment you kicked my ass at Mario Kart. I’m following wherever you lead.”
∞∞∞
“This is wonderful, Liam. The colors blend incredibly well.” I squat down beside the eight-year-old’s desk to get on his level. “The little cats are adorable.”
It’s a simple watercolor showing a rainy day with a family of cats, each wearing rain boots and hiding under an umbrella. Today’s art project was supposed to use cotton balls and dried rice to depict the rain, while Liam chose to paint it all on his own.
Liam doesn’t respond, but I don’t expect him to. “We’ll let it dry overnight, and then you can take it home to your parents. Did you enjoy making it?”
He hands over a card that displays an illustrated boy with shining eyes and a toothy grin.
“That’s great. You should be proud of yourself. Can I give you a fist bump before you return to class?”
Liam forms a fist, so I do the same. We stop just before touching, which is also expected.
I watch him leave, noting how similar his hair color is to Julian’s.
“You ready for the next class?” Ms. Terry asks as she comes up beside me. “They’ll be here in five minutes.”
I busy myself pulling out more supplies and wiping down the art desks, finishing right before another group of kids come in.
The routine continues until the school day ends. Unlike most schools, Horizons Academy doesn’t use loud bells to signal school start and stop times.
“My feet hurt.” Ms. Terry sits at one of the kid-sized desks, causing her knees to nearly hit her chest.
After starting my internship, she insisted I use her first name, but I couldn’t. Once you meet your teacher, using anything but their last name sounds wrong. It’s the same way some children experience shock after learning their teacher doesn’t always live at the school.
