Page 13 of Beach B!tch
As if that was in question. Of course, I would go to her.
Her partner ran off to get ice, leaving Brinley seated on a cement half wall next to the strand. Her shoulders were drooping and I saw she was still breathing hard, though my guess was it was more to control her emotions than the physical exertion at this point.
"Do you have an Ace bandage in that bag of yours?" I asked in a no-nonsense voice as I approached her.
Her head whipped up, and she straightened her back as she realized it was me.
"They say compression and ice is the best thing for sprains. The sooner you get both, the better time you'll have of it," I continued. I crouched down and put my hands on her bag, eyebrows raised in question.
She paused for just a moment, searching my face, then nodded.
I rifled through her bag and found a wrap. I straightened back up and took a look at her ankle. It was already swelling, the ankle bone all but indiscernible from her leg. I slowly wrapped the bandage around her foot, reassuring her as I went. "This will feel tight right now, but we have to do that to keep the swelling from getting out of control. Let me know if I hurt you, okay?"
She nodded again, and I wondered if I'd get an actual word from her anytime soon. All thoughts of having a conversation with her about us, or the lack of an 'us', were out the window now that she was hurt. I'd have to wait until she was back on her feet. I knew she wouldn't be able to focus on anything but her injury and how soon she could get back out on the court.
I finished wrapping her ankle right when her partner came back with a bag of ice.
"Hi, I'm Dean," I introduced myself to her, arm outstretched.
"Hey, I'm Autumn. You a friend of Brinley's?" she responded, reaching over to shake my hand.
"You could say that." I leaned forward and kissed Brinley's forehead, backing away before she could protest. "I hope this is a quick injury and you're back on the court soon. I very much enjoyed watching you play."
I spun around and walked off, savoring the feel of her skin on my lips. I could hear Autumn asking Brinley about me, but was too far away to hear Brinley's answer. I chuckled as I pictured her difficulty answering that. Hell if I even knew what we were...
Brinley
I was on day four of a sprained ankle and everyone around me wished I'd hurry up and heal. I was so miserable to be around, even I couldn't stand myself. I was in my car, on my way to my first physical therapy appointment with a trainer who came highly recommended from all my athlete friends. I was trying to focus on the job ahead of me but failed to stop the thought spiral I'd become all too familiar with the last four days.
My thoughts were all over the place: one minute I was upbeat and optimistic that I'd come back from this injury even stronger. The next, I'd be by myself, my loneliness pressing in closer, thinking I'd never make it back into the top seeding and therefore be a big loser my whole life, like my father said. A sense of panic would take over and I'd have to use all my years of positive self-talk to pull myself back from the brink.
And then there were my thoughts about Dean. Why was he so sweet to me at the tournament? Was he there to watch me? What was up with the kiss? I appreciated the way he wrapped my ankle, but I was mad that he was so confusing. Last time I saw him, he'd punched a guy in the face. And then he was rendering first aid and kissing my forehead, all while managing not to irritate me with his ridiculous comments. Something didn't add up and I couldn't wrap my brain around it.
I couldn't afford to be thinking about Dean's behavior right now, anyway. I had an injury to rehab and a comeback to plan. As much as I reminded myself he was an unwanted distraction, all the self-talk in the world couldn't get him out of my head. Or was it my heart?
I pulled up to the training facility with a few minutes to spare. I limped out of the car, grabbed my bag, and hobbled to the front door. A young receptionist greeted me as I entered the open lobby, a gym facility spread out behind her.
"Welcome! Do you have an appointment today?" she asked with an annoying amount of cheerfulness. She'd make a good Disney princess, all big eyes, blinding smile, and smooth, fake voice.
"Yes, I'm here for my ten o'clock appointment. Under Brinley.” I gave her my information as I scanned the gym equipment. It looked well stocked with the latest and greatest in the fitness world and I couldn't help the bubble of excitement that grew, even as I maintained my glower at Ms. Sunshine.
"Let me go grab your trainer. I'll be right back for you." Another smile that could have lit New York City, and then she was rounding the corner to a row of offices.
I used the break in social interaction to get myself under control. It wasn't her fault I was injured and in a bad mood. I needed to stop taking it out on her and embrace this rehab process. A few more deep breaths and I was back in control.
"Brinley? Here's your trainer," Ms Sunshine interrupted my zen moment. I spun around with a big smile pasted onto my face, only to feel it travel south as I took in my trainer.
"Seriously?"
The moment extended out into an awkward silence. My body was frozen and my thoughts seemed to be following my body's lead.
Dean stood there looking at me, next to little Miss Sunshine, whom I noticed was pressed up against his arm just a little too close for normal personal space standards. He had a small, predatory smile on his face, his eyes laser focused on me, seemingly unaware of Sunshine's existence. Damn it, he looked good. Black polo shirt tight on his biceps, black pants tailored perfectly for his frame.
My whole body heated up ten degrees under his stare. My senses all went into hyper-drive as if they were powered by his presence alone. The room seemed brighter, the throbbing of my ankle faded away, and I could swear I could hear his breathing increase in pace along with mine.
He was the first to break the awkward silence, his voice wrapping around me like a warm blanket. "Brinley. Good to see you. As Ashley said, I'll be your trainer. Why don't we head on back?" He walked over to me, gripping my elbow to help me walk. My skin tingled where he touched me. Sunshine, aka Ashley, dimmed her smile by several degrees as she watched us leave together.
I hobbled over to a bench in the gym area, allowing his strong hand to assist me. I sat down and placed my bag under the bench. Dean sat down right beside me and materialized a clipboard and pen.
