Page 55 of Making It Count

“I doubt Coach will allow it. We’re going to start the year with virtual classes to be extra safe, so I can’t imagine her being okay with us sitting out here, even though we’re not close to each other, we’re wearing masks, and we’re outside. And, as much as I’d like to do this, I don’t know that I want to risk it, either. You had it, Layne.”

“I know.”

“You could get it again. And I’m going to be so careful because I don’t want to give it to anyone, let alone you. I don’t want either of us to risk not being able to play, either. If one of us goes down, the team might still have a chance of winning the conference again, but I’m guessing Coach plans on making you a starter. Martin is gone, and you’re better than Lisa, so it’s your spot to lose. I don’t want you to lose it because of this.”

“What if we sat, like, twenty feet away and talked on our phones?” Layne suggested.

“What would even be the point?” Shay laughed a little. “We’d be closer to each other in our rooms with the wall between us.”

“I know. Just thinking out loud here. I like… I like seeing you in person, even though your face is covered up.”

“You could FaceTime me, like before. You could still see my face that way.”

“It’s not the same.” Layne shrugged.

“Trust me, I know. But that’s another reason why I think we should stick to the rules; at least, for now.”

“I don’t get it.”

“I want to touch you, Layne,” Shay replied and put her hand on the grass. “Hold your hand. You know, this summer, I imagined so many things happening differently last year. I pictured us going to the tournament and losing the first game. Sometimes, I pictured us winning it and moving on, but every time I thought about it, the actual game part was so small. It was like I’d picture the last play or something. Then, you’d be there, and you’d either hug me because we had lost, or we’d celebrate because we’d won. We’d go back to a room and tell whoever was rooming with us to get out and go to the other room so that we’d have the whole night to ourselves.”

Layne smiled and asked, “What would we do, exactly?”

“I think you know what we’d do,” Shay said.

“You pictured that?”

“Oh, yeah. Many, many times. I kissed you, Layne. I know how good it feels to do that. Then, I was an idiot who didn’t just talk to you about it that last day. I could’ve kissed you again. And had we admitted that we wanted to pursue something, we could’ve just quarantined together in one of our rooms until it was time to go. I wouldn’t have cared about the rules because you would’ve been there with me instead of down the hall. But I didn’t say anything, and we’re here now.”

“I don’t think we would’ve survived as a couple had we shared a single dorm room for weeks, though, Shay.”

“No?” Shay chuckled.

“Not that early on, no.”

“But we could’ve had a ton of sex.”

Layne swallowed and said, “Yeah.”

“Are you blushing under that mask, Layne Stoll?”

“No,” she lied.

“Have you really never thought about it?”

“No, I’ve thought about it,” Layne admitted.

“You have, huh?” Shay teased.

“Yes.”

“How was it?”

“Very good,” Layne stated.

“I bet it will be,” Shay replied.

“Will?”

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