Dive

Thirty-six

I ask Jen if she wants to come to the meet in Cleveland too. Knowing that there'll be a lot of waiting around for me, I could use the company, and I figure Davis wouldn't be opposed to her tagging along either.

Also, I know embarrassingly little about swimming, while Jen has picked up a lot from religiously watching the Olympics every four years.

She agrees, so a little week later, we pile into Jayden's truck. It's about a three-hour drive to Cleveland. The rest of the team share a bus, but the guys opted to drive. Davis, Jen, Jayden, and me in one car, and Mitch and Saltz in another.

I sit beside Jayden in the passenger seat, happily taking over the role of DJ for the duration of the drive. He shifts the car into gear and leaves the parking lot. In the rearview mirror, I can see Mitch do the same behind us.

It doesn't take long before Jen's eyes start to droop. I watch her inconspicuously through the mirror, and while her eyes close more and more, her head also moves closer to Davis' shoulder. Thirty minutes into the drive, she's fast asleep, leaning on him, their hands intertwined between them.

I watch Davis watch Jen, his gaze curious and warm, a small smile playing on his lips. It makes me feel oddly happy to see so much affection on his face as he cuddles closer to her.

I know from Jayden that Davis is having a tough time balancing all the different things on his plate, and he's constantly tired, so I'm not surprised that he soon follows Jen into unconsciousness, leaning his cheek on top of her head.

"They look disgustingly cute," I say to Jayden, throwing a look at him in the driver's seat. He glances at them and then over at me.

"Yeah." He smiles. "I think they're good together."

"I think maybe you're right."

"I'm always right," Jayden says smugly.

I lift an eyebrow, a smirk playing on my lips. "Really? Should we review another one of your old history assignments?"

He scowls at me, but he can't hide the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"What did you call Hitler again?" I ask, tapping a finger against my lip. "That power tripping German, was it? Or-"

The rest of my words are muffled as Jayden claps a hand over my mouth. "Fine, you're always right, is that what you want to hear?" He laughs, removing his hand again and grasping mine in my lap.

I shrug. "It's always nice to hear."

Jayden is grinning, throwing looks at me every so often. There's a softness to his eyes and a happy aura around him. He looks beautiful in the dying sunlight.

"Thank you for coming," he says, lifting our interlocked hands so that he can press a kiss to the back of my hand.

"Well, I need to see what all the fuss is about," I say, squeezing his fingers as he rests our hands down on the center console. "Besides, I really like looking at swimmer's butts, and I'm thinking this is a prime place for that."