Page 23 of Another Love, Another Time
“I won’t, but if I do, I’ll just tell him I already have a date.”
“I’ll be your date, but on one condition.”
“Okay,” I reply, dragging it out.
“You have to go to my prom with me, too. If you agree, then we have a deal.”
I repeat his question back to him, “What if you have a girlfriend by then?
He smirks. “I won’t, but if I do, I’ll just tell her I can’t go with her because I already have a date.”
I push his shoulder back and say, “Deal.”
“You’ll want to practice that kiss again; I know what a perfectionist you are.”
I answer him by pressing my lips against his.
~~
We just got back to the house from another long day at the ball fields. Everyone is exhausted, including me. I just got off the phone with my dad, letting him know that we all won our games. He congratulated us.
After I hang up, I jump in the shower to wash all the dirt off me. Man, showers are one of my favorite things. My quads are really tight from squatting all day long. I may need to take some Aleve and rub some Tiger Balm into them.
I rinse the soap off my body, turn the water off, and grab my towel. I pull on one of Auggie’s old shirts and a pair of pajama shorts. In my bag, I find the bottle of Aleve, shake a couple of pills into my hand, and swallow them with some water. I throw the bottle back in my bag and start digging through my bag again to find my jar of Tiger Balm. Then, I carry the jar back into the room and sit down on the bed.
Selena went home today with someone from our team. She is going to stay the night with one of her friends. Logan fell asleep in the living room as soon as we got back, leaving Auggie and me in the room.
Auggie walks in. He had taken a shower in his mom’s bathroom. He looks down and sees the jar of Tiger Balm in my hand. “I’ll do you if you do me,” he says.
“Sure. It’s mainly my quads, but I wouldn’t mind some on my back.”
“Lie down on your stomach, and pull your shirt up.”
I lie on my stomach and lift my shirt up high on my back. He straddles my back. I can hear him open the jar, and then I can smell the Tiger Balm. Then, I feel his fingers start rubbing up and down my sore muscles.
I groan, “That feels so good.”
I feel him go still.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
Auggie shifts off me. “Uh, yeah. I’m just going to do your legs now.” Then, he starts rubbing the Tiger Balm on my legs.
We have done this before, but this feels different. Maybe it was the kiss that we exchanged yesterday. I have been thinking about it all day. I’m hoping we can kiss some more today, especially since we don’t have to worry about Logan or Selena waking up.
He finishes my second leg and taps my butt, letting me know it’s his turn. I get up, and we change places. He pulls his shirt off over his head. I see him adjust himself before he lies down on his stomach. Then, I straddle him like he did me. I grab the jar of Tiger Balm and scoop some with my fingers. I rub my palmsaround so it’s evenly coating my hands, and then I start to rub them up and down Auggie’s back. I use my fingers to press into his skin.
He mimics the sounds that I was making just a few minutes before. I start at the top and slowly rub all the way down his back. I repeat that three more times. He has more muscles than other kids his age, with all the workouts he does to stay in shape for baseball.
Once I get done with his back, I move farther down his lower back. I pick up the balm again and rub in some more. I spread the balm out evenly on my hands again. I rub up and down the muscles of his thighs, especially since he has been squatting all day. Once I have it rubbed in, I use both hands on one thigh, massaging up and down, and then I switch to the other leg. I move on to his calves. Once I’m done, I go into the bathroom and wash my hands.
Auggie follows me and washes his hands, too. By the time he’s done, I’m already back in my bed and lying on my side. He lies down next to me, and we stay in a comfortable silence until he breaks it.
“Riv?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve noticed that your boobs have gotten bigger.” I see him smile, and for a second, I’m embarrassed. But then I remember how he looked at me earlier when I was just in my sports bra.
