Page 47

The Right Time

Colt

M ay whips around, her ponytail flying about in the breeze, the orange and white ribbons tied around it fluttering recklessly. Her thick lashes flutter, her lips parting slightly. Her cheeks are stained with tears, flushed red from exhaustion, and her brow, glistening with a sheen of sweat, creases when she jogs away from the circle of her teammates, stopping a couple feet from me. Grass covers her cleats, more dirt caking the bottom as she screws one foot into the ground idly.

‘Hey!’ She shoves her goggles up over her hair like a headband. ‘Couldn’t clear your head?’

‘Not a chance.’

She cracks a smile that disappears as quickly as it manifests, replaced by an unconvinced expression. She draws closer to me, a tentative step here, another one there, and I mirror her. She moves her hands from her goggles, crossing her arms the same way mine are.

‘You made it.’ Her eyes skate across my bright orange Riders T-shirt-jersey. ‘And this particular choice from your wardrobe?’

‘OKC colours are mandatory,’ I reply matter-of-factly. The little roll of her eyes that she responds with sends my stomach into hysterical somersaults.

May uncrosses her arms and drapes them over my shoulders, cocking her head. ‘Still wearing my jersey. My number. Am I supposed to read between some dumbass lines?’

Clever. I can’t help the smirk that crosses my face. ‘What, can a guy wearing his girlfriend’s jersey not make it known that he’s hers?’

‘Oh, girlfriend? Mine?’ She widens her eyes, leaning back in faux surprise. ‘Suddenly you’re mine? I should do this “different destinations” bullshit more often.’ She moves her gaze to our feet, sweeping a curl from her face with a sigh.

‘Clearly, it did its thing.’

May scoffs, but she’s smiling now. ‘And so you came all the way here?’

‘Well, don’t give me too much credit. It’s just under a three-hour drive.’

‘Your coach?’

‘We sort of gaslit him into letting us go for the sake of equal and accessible opportunities in lacrosse. JJ’s very into that sort of thing, actually.’

I recall his address fondly. He’s really quite the eloquent speaker. Came prepared with notecards and everything.

‘JJ,’ laughs May. ‘I knew it. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised y’all are such enormous fans of the Lady Riders, should I?’ She reaches out and pats my cheek gently, her fingers lingering there with her next words. ‘Putting up my poster in your locker is a real creep move, champ.’

‘Wait – how …’ I sputter excuses for words. How on earth would she know what’s in my New Haven locker? That shit is top secret. I swallow so hard I think I might gag on air. ‘It’s not – I’m not—’

‘You’re funny.’ She tilts her head with a smirk. ‘I’m flattered, really.’

The last of the confetti falls around us, and the chaos of the fans disappears, fading into the background, as I drink her in. Every detail I’d memorized so meticulously, right here in front of me.

‘I guess there’s one thing I have to ask you, if you could spare me a minute. Probably busy now that you’re a National Champion, but …’

May beams up at me, her thumb tickling the side of my neck. ‘And what might that be?’

‘I’m done running and hiding.’ I take her face in my hands, lock my eyes with hers, and this time, I refuse to let an ounce of fear control me. ‘I know I fucked up. Irreversibly. This second chance to do things right has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I’m ready to shoot first and ask questions later, if you are. I’m over the whole right person …’

‘… wrong time.’ May clicks her tongue, nodding matter-of-factly. The tingle of anxiety swirls in my chest as I watch her calculate her next words. ‘I mean, I have been told there’s no such thing as the right time, you know.’

Oh, God. That doesn’t sound good. ‘No right time?’ I choke out. This is it. I’m so screwed.

Her stern expression breaks into an enormous, beautiful grin, her eyes tracing the planes of my face. ‘And if there’s no such thing as a right time … what in the hell are we waiting for?’

I thank every force of nature at work out there when our lips collide.

The rush when I feel her touch again is unparalleled. Maybe it’s only been weeks, but it’s as if I’ve waited ages for this. I can still feel her smile against mine, her warm hands pulling me to her through my shirt. Just over ten years in the making, everything that brings us together in that moment, and now, all finally worth it.

She pulls away with a giggle, and she says, ‘Are you over your beef with Dylan Wright yet?’

I almost burst out laughing. That dumb main chambelan battle feels like a thing of the distant, distant past now. ‘I’ll bury the hatchet,’ I give in. ‘But only’ – I press my forehead to hers with a smirk – ‘because he’s not the luckiest guy in the world.’

May blushes the slightest shade of pink, and I only feel luckier when I cover her burgeoning laugh in another kiss. Curls escape her braid and thread themselves between my fingers. Her eyelashes brush my skin with every flutter.

I, for the millionth time, get to fall in love with Manmayi Velasco all over again. Except this time, I’m not going to walk away and run circles around my feelings. This time, I’m not afraid to love her so hard that I’ll need another lifetime to make sure she knows just how much she means to me.