Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
As we rounded the final few feet, the finish line loomed ahead of us. The leading shells were within reach. Their crew pushed themselves to the brink in a desperate bid for victory.
But the FU crew refused to be left behind. With every ounce of strength remaining, we poured ourselves into each stroke. We drove ourselves forward. Grunts and shouts and struggle.
And then, in a blur of motion, we crossed the finish line first, the roar of the crowd erupting around us.
We did it. We fucking won first place.
“We won!” my crewmates all shouted, echoing the cheers in my head. We beat out Yale, Princeton, UCLA, Syracuse, and Washington, all to claim our top spot and earn our position in the championship races. My heart beat at about a hundred miles per minute, my shoulders were burning, my back was already sore, and all I wanted to do was dive into the water and swim out to the crowd so I could kiss my man.
I can’t believe he’s here.
We rowed back to the dock. The crew jumped off the shell and onto dry land, immediately turning the celebration into a big bear hug. Our coach joined in, the announcer narrating the moment, same excitement as ours.
I drank it up. I enjoyed playing sports because of my competitive nature and the obvious health benefits that came with it. But if I were being honest, it was moments like these that gave me the real rush. Winning a race, soaking in the cheers, congratulating the crew, it all added up to an almost addictive kind of experience.
A hand landed on my lower back. I thought it was another crewmate.
It was Jay. His grin stretched from ear to ear. And he wasn’t empty-handed, either. He had a bucket full of my favorite candies and treats, with a tiny rowing shell and paddles sitting on the light blue confetti paper.
“I wasn’t sure if there was a customary gift for rowing races, so I made one.” He held the gift out, the bright sunlight shining down on his face, making him glow like the first place trophy we were about to get.
“This is beyond perfect.” I grabbed the bucket. The adrenaline and thrill of the win mixed with the absolute bliss of seeing Jay here. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I swallowed down a lump of emotion. Normally, if my family weren’t busy (or my dad didn’t currently hate me), they’d also be in the audience, cheering me on. My mom had already said she was sad she missed it because of a work trip, while my dad only texted me a simple “Good luck today” message.
But none of that really mattered to me. “I didn’t think you’d be here,” I said, one of those tears slipping over and down my cheek to the corner of my mouth. I could taste the slight hint of salt.
“I…” Jay took in a deep breath. He looked over my shoulder, out at the lake behind me. “I didn’t think I’d be here, either.”
I reached for his hand, still holding the bucket in my other arm.
“I was nervous. All day. And yesterday night, too. I could barely sleep.”
“That’s why you were rolling around so much? I thought you were having nightmares.”
“I was,” Jay said. “They just happen when I’m awake sometimes.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, squeezing his hand.
“You don’t have to be. At all. I decided I was going to come that day you met us at the coffee shop after practice. It felt… right. Since then, I’ve been feeling nerves, but every time I looked at you, those nerves would instantly disappear. So I knew that seeing you out there, cheering you on, it would help with any fear or panic I would have felt.”
“How are you feeling now?” I could see the tension in his forehead, the way his shoulders were practically up to his earlobes. He wasn’t completely comfortable being here, but he had fought through that to help support me.
How’d I ever get so lucky?
“I’m feeling okay.” Jay’s eyes settled on mine. I didn’t even care about a first-place prize. Looking into Jay’s soft gaze was the best prize I could have ever received. “I’m going to feel even better when I show you the surprise I’ve got planned.”
My eyebrows jerked up my forehead, my smile curling. “Surprise?”
“And this one isn’t composed of hairy bull balls,” Jay said with a wink. “Congratulations again, baby.” Jay gave me another kiss that tasted as sweet as that win.
If not better.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jay
Today had been difficult.
But not for the reasons I had expected.
I made up my mind about going to Ryan’s big race before today. I knew it was something I had to do—not just for Ryan but for myself. It was time I conquered one of my biggest fears, and what better reason to do it than to cheer on my boyfriend? It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve had to do, by a long shot, but it also certainly wasn’t the hardest. I had woken up feeling certain that I’d made the right decision, and seeing Ryan’s face beam the second he spotted me in the crowd only proved that.