Page 49 of Marriage is a Shore Thing
“I don’t know what you mean,” he says, flawlessly continuing the rep.
When a growl escapes me, Van smiles at the ground.
I need him to be lacking in this, insomething. Even earlier, when the class had been boxing, I had no notes for him. There needs to be some way I can regain the power balance. I need to have the upper hand in this because last night…last night decimated me.
Not only was the kiss we shared mind-blowing, but his reassurances wiggled their way through microscopic chinks in my well-forged armor. I wanted everything to be true. I wanted to be the version of myself that Van saw. He might’ve needed to pinch himself and check reality because witnessing the island’s magic messed with his mind, but I’d been structurally rearranged by thekiss itself.
Then I awoke disoriented this morning, stumbling downstairs, looking for him and not even remembering he started his volunteer position today. The bereft hollowness ribboning between my ribs when I found Van missing had been disconcerting. Then I’d numbly moved through my day, thinking foolish things.
I wonder what Van had for breakfast. Did his drive to the mainland go okay? Is he replaying the kiss on repeat like I am?
“I get that this is some kind of weird courtship dance for the two of you, but the rest of us need to function tomorrow,” Noah says, not even trying to come up from his weighted burpee. He ditches the dumbbells and sprawls out on the floor.
“Shut it, Noah.”
From across the room where the other half of the class is doing ab-wheel rollouts on their toes, Brynn snorts mid-plank. Vivian seems to have taken a page from Noah’s book. She’s lying on the mat, head turned to the side, giving me the saddest puppy dog eyes I’ve ever seen. I want to mouth an apology to her, but since pre-fever Geneva would never, I settle on a commiserating head tilt. Vivian understands, though, her lips tilting in an exhausted grin.
“Had I known this class was ninety-percent yelling at Noah, I would have come years ago,” Brynn mutters toward the floor, her arms shaking. “So cathartic.”
“And punching things,” Vivian adds, stacking her wrapped hands beneath her head and making herself comfortable. “You forgot how nice it is to punch things.”
“And to beat Noah in a race.” Brynn’s grin is just this side of wicked.
“That was supposed to be a warm-up run,” Vivian corrects. “You two weren’t supposed to take off like cheetahs.”
“It’s not my fault he can’t keep up.”
My lips tip up, listening to their sisterly banter, but I catch myself before the rest of my class can see. Actually, I need to put an end to this altogether. Pre-fever me would never allow this much talking.
“There’s way too much chit chat,” I bark. “Should I make things harder?”
When a collective groan almost overpowers the music, I nod, satisfied.
“Three more reps, then you’re done.” I cross the room to switch to my Evanescence-heavy cool-down playlist.
Most group exercise classes skimp on proper cool-down and stretching, but I take everyone through fifteen minutes of guided movements, allowing for time for foam rolling if preferred.
I’m cleaning the dumbbells with disinfectant wipes when Vivian and Brynn walk over.
“Thanks for the unadulterated torture, as usual,” Vivian quips, her tone light.
A ghost of a smile lifts my mouth as I continue down the rack.
There’s a momentary pause before Brynn clears her throat. The unsteady sound from someone who just crushed one of my hardest workouts draws my attention.
“I was wondering if you’d like to come watch a movie with us on Saturday. We’re inviting Summer and Cade too. Vivian will make her coveted espresso brownies, and we’ll pop popcorn.”
Receiving a simple invitation shouldn’t make my heart race, but all my old doubts rush to the surface. The more time these women spend with me, the easier it’ll be for them to pick out my faults. Then, if they’re anything like the ‘friends’ I’ve had in the past, they’ll use them against me. After that, Wilks Beach won’t be my haven anymore. It’ll become a battleground.
My mouth opens, but Van speaks first. “Girls’ night in? Sounds like fun.”
I turn, finding not only him but Finn behind me.
“It does sound fun.” I give Brynn a small nod. “But we have that thing? Right, poodleface?”
I should know better than to expect Van to help me out. The way his eyes glint tells me I’m already dead in open water.
“Oh, that thing?” His lips lift in a roguish smirk. “Don’t worry, darlin’. We’ve got the rest of the night for that.” Then Van pats my hip and kisses my temple before walking away to refill his water bottle.
