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ALDO: Are you okay?

LANE: I’m so proud of you. I wish I could come over

I’m tempted to tell him to, but I know it’s not worth the rumors it would start. I could drive to his place, but honestly, I’m exhausted.

ALDO: I’ll give her enough cuddles for both of us. On my way

I don’t bother responding. The only thing I have the energy for right now is curling up on my bed with Splashy the shark and pretending I haven’t just broken my parents.

Barely ten minutes later, Aldo knocks softly on my door before opening it. His skin is flushed and his breathing a little labored in a way that tells me he sprinted over from Ezekiel Halls.

He doesn’t say anything. Just closes the door behind him and toes off his sneakers before crawling onto the bed and wrapping his arms around me. After a minute, I ditch Splashy and turn to face him, snuggling under his chin as he rubs his hands up and down my back.

“Dad was heartbroken,” I mumble against his sweatshirt. “Mom is furious. I think he’ll accept it but she’s going to fight me on it.”

Aldo sighs, his breath warm against my hair. “She can be furious, but what can she do about it? She can’t make you swim.”

“I know.” I shift back so I can look up at him. “The worst she can do is convince Dad to cut me off.”

Aldo huffs, his nose wrinkling. “Well, that’s no big deal. If they do that, you can come stay with me in the City. My parents are buying me an apartment as a graduation present.”

I press my lips together to hold back my smile. “Aldo? Did you just ask me to move in with you?”

His brown eyes widen, his mouth falling open, but I just laugh and lean up to press a kiss to his bottom lip.

“I’m joking,” I say. “And thank you. I appreciate it.”

He presses a kiss to my forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly? I’m exhausted. I didn’t realize how much this has been weighing on me. I feel a hundred pounds lighter.”

Aldo holds me closer. “Good. And your folks will come around. Once they realize how happy music makes you, they’ll understand.”

I nod against his chest, tangling our limbs until I’m comfortable. He’s right. To my parents, this will be a huge shock. They have no idea that I’ve been in love with music since high school. I only ever let them see my love for swimming. It’ll take time for them to understand that this isn’t some whim. It’s my life. My passion. And it’s not going away. Not ever.

LANE

The last practice before the big San Francisco meet was a long one and the team has all but crawled to the locker rooms. I smirk to myself as I tidy up poolside, casting glances at where Doug is hunched over in the stands looking at the team’s stats.

With a pen between his lips and a frown on his face, I can tell he’s stressing out about this meet. We haven’t talked much about anything other than swimming since he made his big dramatic exit from my apartment and I want to push him about what he said, but I also know it’ll do no good. He’s stubborn as fuck and pressuring him is only going to make him dig his heels in further. Joy’s a little like that, too.

“You almost done?”

I smile and turn at the sound of Aldo’s voice. His kit bag slung over his shoulder and his dark hair still damp from his shower, he looks delicious. “Almost. Are you leaving?”

“Yeah. Joy’s giving me a ride to the airport in a couple hours.”

I don’t miss the way his eyes dart to where Doug is still in the stands. Stepping a bit closer, I let my knuckles brush his as I lower my voice. “Are you sure your sister is okay with us coming?”

“More than okay.” His eyes light up as he smiles. “She can’t wait to meet you.”

When Aldo invited me to his sister’s wedding, I agreed without really thinking it through. Especially because Joy is going, too. But as the date creeps closer, I’m starting to feel more and more nervous. This isn’t just a party. We’ll be meeting Aldo’s parents—his entire family. And not just as friends. He’s told his sister, and therefore everyone else, that we’re his dates. I’ve never met someone I’m seeing’s parents before. Unless you count Joy’s. And I really don’t want to think about them.

“Are you sure you still want to come?” he asks, sensing my hesitation. “You don’t have to.”

It’s so hard not to pull him against me, but you never know who could walk in at any moment. “Of course, I want to come. I’m just nervous as hell.”

Aldo grins. “You’ll be fine. I’ll look after you, I promise.”

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