AROUND THE HEART IN 80 DAYS

Twenty Five

It was here! The Saturday was finally here! In followed the regular monthly feeling every year for the past years of her life working in Nirvana. The Volleyball days.

Jacqueline eagerly looked forward to the twelve Saturdays in a year when her group would gather to play ball. Definitely, there were the sad days when reality hit some in the group making it impossible to make it to the court but it didn't mean the others couldn't go. And rarely were there times when almost all had busy schedules, which were the only times when they called it off. Last month, it was her who couldn't make it, due to all the helter skelter of her business plans. And how she ached to suffer the bittersweet pain in the bones of her inner wrists that came with digging a very stuffed ball.

She ran out of the Community center after a session with a full room and dragged Edrei out with her so she could hit the showers early. A shower she sped through. She even sang all bath long to different songs from her phone, being extra with a crazy dance in the bathroom mirror as she smothered her armpits with deodorant. Yes, she was bathing pre-game. One reason, she knew it would get sweaty and she could not stand the odour. Another reason, she certainly did not want Edrei to think of her as smelly.
She had begun to care.

Ever since he hugged her when she was drowned in her thoughts of the future, she had been sneaking at every opportunity to hug the man. When he kept the vegetables on her own plate fresh, she opened her arms; when he helped her fix the light bulb in the hall leading to her room that she knew she could very well do, she gave him a quick one; when they'd go for the stupid early runs all the way to the ends of the estate to the community center as per his suggestion, she purposely slumped against him in pure complaint that she was exhausted.

Oh yes, she had been very subtle with that.

She put on her volleyball wear, a red basketball get-up.

Aaannnnd... for the main event-- to get the Guest of Honour. Honestly speaking, he was the other half of her huge excitement and one of the reasons for her eagerness. Introducing him to workout and coming to where she worked was one thing, introducing him to her friends though, and while she played ball too?

In the week that just passed, she prided herself in the amazing transformation of Edrei. It was visible in his glow, in his mood, in his mode of communication, in his surrounding energy. Between both of them, neither could remember the last time they didn't feel natural in each other's company. Some days, she would cook, other days he would. Some nights, she would use whatever energy she had left to clean the house, other mornings he would. They might not have been besties for life or anything but they were mature in the least and knew better to work hand-in-hand. And she was growing to like it. The norm. It felt absolutely normal and the atmosphere between them was settling fast. She liked waking up and seeing him, liked it also when his car drove past hers into the garage on days he returned later than she, liked it when he dressed smart with varying shades of those boots she liked.

Edrei assessed her when she stepped out of her room and into the living room. He really was a catch, all dressed up in a navy blue T-shirt and black shorts and, as expected, trainers of excellent quality. She had to meet his shoe dealer.
Her eyes quickly averted from his as she thought he would catch her checking him out, scared that he might think she liked him or something crazy.

"I don't get it. Didn't you say it was a volleyball game?" He asked her.

"Yeah?"

"That," he pointed, "is not the attire."

"It's what I got. And I feel very cosy in this."

"Sure." The arms folded in front of him came undone and he looked away, to the large window. "Anyway, I think I'm honestly getting cold feet about this. And I find it hard to believe that you talked me into this."