Page 40 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

“True,” Jamie admitted. She missed it—the discipline, the adrenaline, the purpose.

But the cost of it, the physical and emotional toll, had been too much.

Jamie felt exposed in a way she hadn’t allowed herself to be in a long time.

It was uncomfortable, but only for a moment and then that feeling started to fade.

“But more so because why I left made things feel so... unfinished.” She added. There. The truth. She could do this.

Beth only nodded before continuing.

“True or false: you like coaching.” Her blue eyes were curious, and Jamie wondered what she was trying to piece together with these questions.

“Somewhere in between. I like being Lily’s coach,” she said slowly, “but I don’t know if I would say that I like being a coach overall.” Beth nodded again as they continued to walk.

“True or false: you’ve thought about us as more than friends.”

Jamie’s pulse quickened as Beth’s words sank in, each hitting a little too close to the truth. She could feel Beth’s gaze but didn’t dare look up.

More than friends.

The answer was obvious, yet it was the one she had been running from for weeks.

“I think you know the answer to that one,” she whispered.

Beth’s eyes softened before she repeated, “True or false.”

Jamie met her gaze, understanding. She needed to hear Jamie say it so that she could believe it.

The words tangled in the back of her throat, refusing to be spoken. “True,” she managed to choke out.

Beth let Jamie’s confession settle just a moment. “True or false: you like me.”

Jamie closed her eyes, trying to steady herself and control her emotions. There was no running from this one. She had to face it.

“True,” she finally whispered, like it had been trapped inside her for far too long.

Beth let out a sharp gasp. Her lips parting slightly as Jamie’s confession hit her; her fingers twitched at her sides as if holding herself back from reaching out. Those blue eyes softened with something dangerously close to relief.

“True or false.” Beth’s voice was almost a whisper now. “You’d want to be with me if things were different.”

Jamie’s heart stuttered. It felt as though the ground beneath her feet were falling away. If things were different... what would that look like? What would it mean for her, for Beth, for Lily?

But the answer came before she could overthink it.

Her heart was hammering against her ribs, and the words stuck in her throat like they’d been lodged there for days. “True,” Jamie admitted.

It was the only thing she could say, the only thing that was real. The words felt like a surrender, as if Jamie was finally letting go of the armor she had built up around herself.

She was still reeling from that last question when Beth hit her with another. “True or false: you’re scared that if you let me in, you’ll hurt me.”

The words hit Jamie like a punch to the gut. The answer wasn’t just true—it was the truth she had been living with, the truth that had kept her at a distance from the beginning.

“True.”

As soon as it was out, her body buzzed with the aftermath of her admission.

Sure, a small part of her wanted to run, like she had the day at the coffee shop.

But a much larger part felt lighter—like she’d had finally stepped off the ledge she’d been teetering on for weeks only to be pleasantly surprised that that ledge was only a small step.

Beth stopped walking and turned to face her. “I get that,” she said gently. “I know it’s scary, Jamie. But you don’t have to carry that alone.”

“Beth, I-I’m—” Jamie’s breath hitched as Beth’s eyes searched hers. “I’m terrible at this. Saying how I feel.” Her shoulders slumped. God, she was embarrassing herself. She would never be able to look Beth in the eye after this.

“It’s okay if you’re a little clumsy with your words. Give it a try.” Her voice was so reassuring, sweet, and comforting, and Jamie knew she was truly a safe place to let herself be vulnerable. So she would try. She let out a small laugh, which made Beth raise an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Sorry. It’s a little ironic, isn’t it? Me, clumsy?

I have seven Olympic gold medals in a sport that has zero space for clumsiness, but when it comes to putting my feelings into words, I’m an absolute nightmare.

” Her nervous laughter persisted as she looked up at Beth, who wasn’t saying anything but was watching her with compassion and understanding.

Beth had this ability to stay steady and calm despite the storm of emotions swirling between them.

“One last question then?—”

Before Beth could ask her next true-or-false question, Jamie cleared her throat and spoke up. “Wait—can I ask one instead?”

Beth paused, considering her for a moment before smiling. “Alright,” Beth replied. “Go ahead.”

Jamie hesitated, the question she wanted to ask on the tip of her tongue. This was her chance. The rain was a mist now, but it felt like a thick curtain hanging between them, blurring the world’s edges outside this moment.

“True or false,” Jamie began. Could she do this?

Could she really ask, knowing that Beth’s answer might change everything?

She inhaled deeply, breathing in wet pine, her pulse roared in her ears, and let the rain blur the rest of the world until all that mattered was Beth’s presence beside her.

It was now or never. “If I asked you on a date, you’d say yes. ”

For a split second, she was sure she’d ruined everything. Positive she had gone too far. Beth then—Jamie saw a flicker of something—surprise? Relief? Beth’s eyes held hers, and the world seemed to narrow. Beth smiled, and everything inside Jamie stilled.

“True.”

The single word echoed through the air between them.

Jamie blinked, and a small laugh escaped her as she shook her head. “Really?” she asked, her voice a mix of disbelief and relief.

Beth smiled wider, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Really,” she replied. “But only if pineapple pizza is involved, or else I might have to reconsider.”

Jamie laughed, a real laugh, the tension in her chest finally easing. “Pineapple pizza it is,” she promised, feeling the warmth of the moment spread through her like a slow-burning flame.

Beth stepped closer, her shoulder brushing against Jamie’s. “In that case, I’d definitely say yes.”

Jamie felt like she could breathe again.

Sure, the fear was still there, lurking at the edges of her mind, but it felt different now.

Smaller. More manageable. She had opened herself up to the possibility of something new, something real, and it hadn’t broken her.

The weight she’d carried for so long—the fear of not being enough—lessened, and she realized that maybe she was more ready for this than she’d thought.

They walked a while longer, footsteps mixing with the gentle patter of rain on the leaves. Jamie’s heart still raced, but it wasn’t from fear this time. It was from the excitement of the newness of them.

As they continued down the path, Jamie couldn’t help but grin to herself. She had taken the risk—and for the first time, it felt like the right thing to do. And now, she had a date to plan.