Page 104 of Making It Count

“Both, but mostly being out.”

“And?”

“And I didn’t want it. I want to play, and I want to win the whole thing, but I remember thinking that I was more worried that I might have given it to you. We’d been talking in the open doorways, and it felt like we were far enough apart, and we had our masks on, but I worried that I could have given it to you again.”

“You’ve never given it to me, Shay.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I know. But we’re good. You don’t have it. I don’t, either. And we’re not doing that anymore; we’re in our beds right now and on our phones.”

“I know,” Shay said. “But before, when I was thinking about you more than anything else, it scared me into ending things. This time, it didn’t. The only thing that scared me was the thought of you getting sick again, and I knew I’d be in your room this time.”

“Uh… No, you wouldn’t,” Layne replied.

“Uh… Yeah, I would,” Shay argued.

“Shay, it’s a hotel room. The door is locked, and you don’t have the key. I wouldn’t let you risk it.”

“I’d talk to the people at the front desk and convince them to give me a key.”

“How would you do that?” Layne laughed.

“Tell them I’m your girlfriend.”

“And they were just going to believe you?”

“It’s true.”

“Yes, but I don’t think they just go around handing room keys to people claiming to be dating someone.”

“Maybe not. I’ll get Coach to get it, then.”

“Coach is not going to get you a key to my room if I’m sick at this point in the season,” Layne said with another laugh. “She’d walk around everyone on the team with a thing of Lysol, spraying every surface and making you all wear hazmat suits or something.”

Shay chuckled then and sobered.

“You get it, though, don’t you?”

“Get what?”

“That I would. I’d put you over basketball.”

Layne stopped laughing and said, “I get it. And I know that’s big for you.”

“Yes, it is.” Shay nodded and then added, “Layne, I can’t keep doing just video chats with you. It’s been a year of texts, and calls, and video. I want to be alone with you; really alone, baby.”

“I know. Me too. We have, at most, three games left.”

“It feels like forever… And I know we need to be careful even after the season, but I want to lock myself in your dorm room and not leave until we’re both moving out. I want… I want to be with you over and over and only stop to eat or sleep.”

Layne swallowed and felt Shay’s words everywhere.

“When we are done with this tournament, I’m coming into your room and we are finally going to do that, babe.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. If we lose tomorrow night, I’m in your room. I don’t care.”

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