Page 21 of Dahlias, Sapphires, and Cool Autumn Dusk
Maggie’s eyes widened, possibly startled by Sarah’s nudity. Regardless, she ran, and I blew out a relieved breath. A lot of traumas had marked my life so far, but assaulted in the shower was a new one.
Sarah frowned at me as I stood there still shaking with a combo of fear and fury. “You take a lot of shit, don’t you? Between the uncle thing and now the Lents…I don’t know your story, Al, but no one fucks with my friends or my players. Maybe you will eventually be both since you’re already one.”
I’d never know what I would have said in response, because she stormed away as boldly as she did everything else.
With my heart racing, I sank to the floor, since it felt like the strength went entirely out of my legs. I only needed a fewseconds to catch my breath, but I determined that Sarah would be my friend.
I almost giggled.I certainly don’t want her to be my enemy.
With my hair still soaked,I exited the locker room carrying a bag with four Pullman swimsuits.
“Hey…” Julian offered his hand, and I was too exhausted and overwhelmed to concern myself with whether or not I should take it. I entwined our fingers and he drew me against him.
“Lents,” Sarah said as she approached. “Your friend just got assaulted in the shower because Maggie Benty thinks that you’re hers, Jeremy. You might want to do something about that, but for now, I stopped it.”
She stopped to punch my shoulder on her way past. “Good job today, Al. See you.”
I didn’t have time to soak up her positive attention since Jeremy whirled me around, his hands on my shoulders. “What? Are you okay?”
Julian didn’t release me, even when I tried to shake off his grasp. “Are you?” He shook his head, before shooting a glare at his brother. “You should have known better than to dip your dick in crazy. Seriously, dude.”
I took my hand back to cover my ears. “Don’t want to hear that.”
Jeremy shoved his brother. “Don’t talk like that around her.”
“It’s the truth. Handle it. Tell us what happened.” He tucked me against him protectively, and I took advantage of the position to inhale his scent. “But let’s do it over dinner since you’ve had a very long day. You require some Chinese food and maybe a drink.”
Jeremy turned his back on us for a second, his shoulders looking tense. “Tell us, please, what exactly happened, Princess.”
I would take the food and pass on the drink. I didn’t think I would ever feel safe enough to risk drinking after I saw what it did to others.
I explained, “She was crazy, if I’m honest. I’ve never seen this girl before, then she yanked open the shower curtain and screamed at me. She asked me who I was dating, then explained how Jeremy was hers. Sarah got rid of her for me. She said she would shove her head in the toilet.”
Julian laughed, then caught himself, trying to keep his expression serious. “Sorry. It’s not funny. What happened to you is awful, but Sarah absolutely would shove her head in the toilet. She used to shove Jeremy’s head in the toilet when we were kids. She doesn’t play around or make toilet threats she doesn’t mean.”
I let them lead me out of the school, my jaw popping with a yawn from my day. Jeremy added, “She won’t get near you again, I promise you that.” A muscle ticked in his jaw.
Crisp evening air made me wish for a sweater, the warmth of the day lost as the sun set. Streetlights lit up the night in a way that only existed in Manhattan. As I walked past the elegant brownstones and high-end boutiques, street noise became a familiar chorus, filling the night with honks and screeching tires. The city never slept, or so it seemed, with everyone having someplace they needed to be fast.
As we walked, I asked, “Did you wait for me because you thought something bad would happen?”
I remembered Sarah’s bitterness at the start of practice, and considered their faces carefully.
Jeremy bumped his shoulder into me. “Julian just told you Sarah put my head in the toilet before. She isn’t my favorite person, and she never will be. I don’t love the idea of herspending time with you, but no one will mess with her. Did I think Maggie was going to go nuts on you in the shower? No.”
His brother quickly added, “Maybe you should have, because you should absolutelynever…”
Jeremy held up his hand. “Don’t. Just fucking don’t.”
Julian laughed, his tone bitter. “If I don’t say it, it doesn’t make it any less true.”
“He’s no virgin, despite what he might have you think,” Jeremy said then shook his head.
I really didn’t want to have that conversation. “Can we not? I mean, I know you guys have known lots of people that way or whatever.” I should use the word, but I had to blow out a breath before I could make myself do it in front of them. “Had sex, I mean. The thing is, now you want to be with me, right? So I can’t be thinking about your pasts, or I’ll go through every day wondering if I’m sitting next to one of your former lovers. I think it would drive me crazy.”
Jeremy stopped walking, and we almost ran into him since he was slightly ahead of us. He regarded me seriously. “It hasn’t beenthatmany people, but I understand what you’re saying.”
“I don’t know…” Julian said then chewed on his bottom lip.
