The Deep End

October

Chapter Song: Comethru- Jeremy Zucker, Bea Miller.

The morning after what seemed like a hundred laps, I hopped out of the warm water and onto the damp pool deck. Luckily our pool was indoors. We used it during the school season and the year-round club team I swam for practice here once the school season ended.

I basically lived at this pool. I didn't mind though. This place used to be my escape from the world. Over the summer our coach gave me my own key to the facility to come and use whenever I wanted. The property was across the street from our school so it technically wasn't apart of school grounds.

During the summers I would usually come and teach swim lessons with a few other girls from the team. It was a fun start to our mornings and helped me get close to a few of the girls on my team. Kylie was one of them. We would usually go grab lunch after or hang around a swim some laps if we didn't feel we worked hard enough during our 5 a.m. practice.

Once I had grabbed my towel I wrapped myself into a cocoon trying to warm up. No matter how warm the water was, and humid the outside was I still found myself shivering. At least the pool was heated. I was thankful for that. 

Last season the heater broke. It took about two and a half weeks to get a new heater installed. We still had to practice. I think we all got the flu after that one. We all counted it as a team bonding experience. 

I was supposed to meet Cal today and work on our English essays that were due at the end of the term. I was still a little hurt by Liam from the past weekend so I didn't ask him to join. Riley had to work at the ballet studio she used so she was out. Tyler and Mason were going to a paintball thing, so they were out too.

I wasn't sure how I felt about it being just the two of us after the other night. I had to keep reminding myself that it was just Cal. The goofy guy next door that  I've known since I was a kid. He was still the same guy that cringes at people who say "libary" instead of "library".

I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text back to Cal before going to the locker rooms to change. I planned to shower at home so, I just needed to throw on some warmer clothes. Even though our locker room showers were state of the art and always clean, I tried to use them only when I had to.

Did you just want to come over to my house or do you wanna go somewhere?

Either one, it doesn't matter.

My house? 12 sharp

I smiled like an idiot at my phone as I walked out of the locker room. I didn't know why I was so excited to go to his house I had been there plenty of times. This time it felt different. Maybe because it was just him and I. I walked to my Jeep a little quicker than usual, slightly because of the dropping temperature, but also because of my excitement.

It was October but with the weather, you think it'd be December. I cranked the heat on full blast and blew warm air into my hands. I had to bite my cheek to try not to get my teeth to chatter.

I decided to drive to my favorite coffee shop before going home since it was only 10. I had two hours before my study date. 

Was it a date? 

He called it one, but surely he couldn't mean it. Could he? We had asked everyone else to come, so maybe it wasn't a date.

As I opened the door to the Corner Cafe the aroma of freshly brewed coffee teased me. This coffee shop was my favorite by far. It was locally owned and the walls were lined with books of every kind. It was actually the idea behind the wall in my room. The room was filled with dark wood tables and comfy plush love seats.