Page 55 of Lessons in Chemistry

“Holy fuck,” Auggie breathes.

My lungs work again, allowing me to laugh. “There are some very hot swimmers down there.”

“Yeah. Some.”

I follow his gaze. I’m pretty sure he’s staring at Casey. Not that I can blame him. An image from one of my dreams flashes into my head. Me with Auggie and Casey on either side. All of us naked. I’m not sure what sound I make. Nothing sexy, that’s for sure. My cheeks turn into an inferno.

“Now I want to know what you’re thinking about,” Auggie says.

I squeak and shake my head.

“They’re starting.”

I don’t trust myself to speak, so I nod and pin my stare on Casey as he adopts his starting position. The whistle goes. The swimmers dive into the water, some entering much farther ahead than others. My heart is in my mouth as they surge forward towards the other end of the pool. Who am I kidding? I’m only watching Casey. Auggie shouts Casey’s name, reminding me I’m meant to be cheering too. I holler his name as loud as I can, hoping he can hear us. He probably can’t, but I make my throat sore screaming anyway.

They reach the other end and turn.

“He’s in the lead,” Auggie says before chanting Casey’s name again. “This is exciting.”

Auggie is so animated, his eyes shining, his fist pounding against the air in time with his supportive yells. I want to grab his shirt, tug him to me, and kiss him.

Casey turns again. He’s stunning. His arms and legs are powerful, as his body cuts through the water like a dolphin. My heart races. No matter how often I watch him swim, I’m always captivated by his beauty. He belongs in the water.

He turns again, pulling ahead of the other swimmers. His hand smacks against the end of the pool. His time and position flash up on the board. Forty-eight point three-eight seconds. First place.

Auggie and I burst to our feet, screaming and clapping.

“It’s a personal best for him,” I yell above the noise from the spectators.

“It’s a win.”

I laugh. “Yeah, it is.”

Auggie hugs me and whispers in my ear, “I told you he’d do great.”

He straightens, and there’s a moment when we’re staring into each other’s eyes. A moment when everything stands still, and the noise of the pool cuts out as if someone has flicked a switch. A moment when I want nothing more than to kiss him. Then Auggie turns away, and everything rushes back in again.

Casey is being congratulated by his team. I’m relieved when Josh pats him on the back. Casey pulls his goggles off and scans the crowd, his gaze finally finding us. He smiles and nods. Maybe he did hear us. Or maybe knowing we were here was enough.

Later in the morning, Casey comes third in the men’s two-hundred-metre freestyle. Auggie and I duck out to get something to eat and make it back for the men’s medley relay. I thought Casey was meant to swim in it, but the line-up doesn’t include him. Leeds comes second. The women’s medley relay is next, and they place first.

When the team for the mixed medley relay come out, I realise none of them were in the men’s or women’s relays. Josh must have decided to field a fresh team rather than have any swimmers be too tired to do well.

The race starts. I don’t know Casey’s team well enough to know who he’s competing with. I only know he’ll go last. Both teams have a man going first to do the backstroke. Each swimmer has to do two lengths before handing off to the next team member. York sends a man out next, but Leeds put one of their women in second. She struggles to keep up with the York swimmer, who leaves a big wake behind him for her to contend with. The third swimmers for both teams are women. They fly through the water using the butterfly stroke. The swimmer for Leeds narrows the gap but can’t close it, meaning Casey is starting seconds behind his competitor. He’s on the starting block, ready to dive the moment his teammate hits the end wall. The concentration on his face is clear.

I reach for Auggie’s hand and grip it. “Please let him do well. Please let him do well.”

“He will.” Auggie strokes my fingers.

“He might not win.”

“It’s a team effort. They win or lose as a team, not as individuals.”

“True.” I still hold my breath.

Casey dives in. His front crawl is more powerful than the woman he’s swimming against. She has a good lead, but he closes it over the first length until they’re neck and neck by the time they reach the halfway point on the return length. In the last few strokes, he pulls ahead to hit the end of the pool first. His team scream and hug each other. Auggie and I stand in unison, raising our joined hands to the sky.

“That was intense,” Auggie says once the excitement has died down and everyone is taking their seats. “How did Leeds do overall?”