Page 103 of All of You

The restaurant is packed. We have a large team anyway but add in regular patrons and the place looks packed over capacity. It’s loud too. So much chatter and kitchen noise that it buzzes in my ears like white noise. Langdon takes my hand in his, weaving us through tables and patrons until we arrive at the table set up for the team. Someone says Langdon’s name.

“I saved you a seat bro,” Niko says as he turns around. It’s not surprise on Niko’s face to see me, not exactly anyway, but it’s something. A quick miniscule moment of shock seeing us standing hand in hand—clearly a couple.

Langdon doesn’t miss a beat. He grins at Niko and says thanks but thatwe’llsit at the end, where there are two seats. Lyra waves hello and I return the gesture—happy to see a smiling face. She’s sandwiched near the end of the table between two other girls who I sometimes share a lane with during practice. They’re nice. Quiet but friendly. I’d like to get to know them better.

Turning my attention back to Niko, I notice he’s smiling.

“Cool bro. Hey Delia,” he says.

A wave of awkwardness hits me. Not in a bad way, just in a it’s-weird-to-be-acknowledged way.

I grin and lift a hand to him. “Hey.” Langdon beams before tugging me into his side. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and leads us to Lyra’s end of the table and two openseats.

“See—” he says, “Niko can be cool.”

Grinning I nod my head.

***

It’s after nine pm. I’m exhausted and fading fast. Niko slaps my back on his way past me, Mom and Gramps.

“Nice swim tonight, D.”

“Thanks. Same,” I say as he walks away.

Langdon’s at the lobby doors. His parents smiling and congratulating all the swimmers as they leave.

“I can’t believe it. You shaved a whole minute off your time. That’s crazy—a minute off an event time rarely happens. It’s a big deal,” Langdon’s dad says.

Mom beams at me. Her smile so big that the corners of her eyes crinkle. Gramps smirks and tells me I did a good job.

“I’m so proud of you!” She says.

“Thanks. Coach really trains us hard. It’s been brutal, but I guess worth it. I mean I shaved a minute off, but I still came in third. The teams we compete against here arereallygood.”

Gramps squeezes my shoulder. “You’ll get there, still got a couple months to go.”

Mom hooks her arm through my elbow and Gramps takes my swim bag from me. “You look tired kiddo, let’s go home.”

At the doors, my mom and Gramps chat with Anna and John for a second. Langdon wraps his arms around me in a hug. I melt against his body—firm and warm. Resting my head against his chest, I’m so beat I could fall asleep standingup.

I don’t ever want him to let go. He rests his chin on the top of my head. Warm puffs of breath rustle wisps of my hair. A tap on my shoulder. I ignore it, content in Langdon’s embrace. Sleepy. Then Langdon’s breath, hot in the shell of my ear.

“Time to go,” he whispers.

I pull back—groggy and look around. Mom and Gramps suppress grins next to Langdon’s parents.

“Come on. Let’s go home.” I nod before glancing up at Langdon. He cranes his neck bringing his soft, warm lips to mine.

“Night,” he says smiling.

“Night,” I answer.

At home I barely manage to get my pajamas on before slithering into my bed and burying myself under the blankets. I am phlegmy and snotty as the outdoor world systematically dies off in preparation for winter. All of nature nearly stops doing its thing and sometimes I wonder if humans were meant to follow that natural law too. Winter is our time to rest and relax and have our days be fifty percent less than normal. Less work, less school, less everything. Just a rest period. A regrowth time. How lovely would that be?

My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I snake a hand out, feeling around for it before I snag it and pull it under the blankets with me. A text from Langdon.

Sweet dreams, beautiful.