CHAPTER 9

“Hey,” Aspen said when she walked into her hotel room.

“Hey,” DJ replied.

“How’s the foot?” she asked and sat down at the end of DJ’s bed.

“Fine. Like I told you four times already, there was no blood; just some skin gone, but no infection worries. They cleaned it and everything.”

“I’m more concerned about your ability to, you know, run, jump on it, and land on the sand without being in any pain. You know how it feels to get a paper cut or have a toothache – it’s the smallest thing, but it hurts so much.”

“I put ice on the bottom of my foot earlier, and I’ll do it again before bed to help with any potential swelling, which isn’t likely. I’m being careful, and I’ve also ordered room service for dinner, so I’ll stay off it until I need to be ready tomorrow. Satisfied?”

“DJ, you know there are no substitutes in this sport. It’s just you and me out there.”

“I know. But I’m good, Aspen. Really. I’m fine, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I sort of ended up with a dinner hangout thing tonight. I thought I’d bring you something back.”

“You can bring me dessert, if they have something with chocolate in it, but I’m too hungry to wait. My food is on the way. I would’ve ordered you something, but I wasn’t sure when you’d be back.”

“I got caught up at that autograph booth thing they asked me to do. A lot of people wanted pictures.”

“You can’t ever say no to that, can you?” DJ teased.

Aspen stood and said, “They’re little girls who want to play one day, so no. And there was one at the end, who was just so nervous to be around the players. I had to sit and talk to her for a few minutes. She wants to play beach and indoor professionally and make the Olympics in both in the same Olympic Games.”

DJ chuckled and said, “Did you tell her that that’s not likely?”

“God, no. Why would I stomp on her big dreams like that? Maybe she’ll be the one to do it. Never say never.”

“Maybe,” DJ agreed.

“I’m going to shower and change for dinner.”

“Okay.”

Aspen headed into the bathroom with the clothes she planned to wear that night and turned on the water. She waited until it got hot and climbed in under the spray. While washing the sand, sunscreen, and sweat off her body, she thought about how she had taken a chance today, and that chance had backfired. She’d had a great time painting the room with Kendra the other night, thinking they’d had a chance at becoming friends, and Aspen didn’t have that many friends. Other players on the tour? Yes. But at home, the only people she spent time with were DJ, her parents, and their coach when he’d been around. Outside of that, she’d lost many of her friends to life. Traveling so much meant that whenever people got together without her, they’d come up with new inside jokes, so by the time Aspen got home and was able to join them, she felt behind and left out. Eventually, she’d gotten discouraged and stopped going altogether. So, the idea of having a new friend who also traveled but wasn’t a player on the tour sounded good.

Hearing that Kendra had dated Monica in college, though, had Aspen taking another step she hadn’t planned on: asking Kendra out. Well, not out on a date, specifically, but out for dinner, thinking that if she got a good vibe from Kendra, maybe she could ask her out for real. And if not, that would be okay; they’d still have this new friendship that could be nice, too. Instead, Kendra had invited her ex-girlfriend and that ex-girlfriend’s new girlfriend to join the two of them. Aspen knew them both, but not all that well, so while she liked what she knew, she’d only hung out with them a few times in large groups, not solo. Tonight would be interesting.

“You’re bringing back dessert, right? This chicken is rubber. And I don’t mean it just tastes like rubber – I’m pretty sure it is rubber.” DJ poked at the piece of chicken on the tray she had resting on the bed.

“I’ll bring you back a chocolate dessert, yes,” Aspen said with a laugh and threw on her black blazer.

“Why are you so dressed up?”

“We’re going to a steak house. It’s a nice place.”

“Who’s we?”

“Monica and Selena. Oh, did you know they’re dating now?”

“About time,” DJ replied and took a drink of her iced water. “Monica’s had it bad for her for years.”

“I know.”

“So, you’re third-wheeling it?”

Aspen picked up her wallet, phone, and room key off the desk before she said, “No, not exactly. Kendra Bowie is going, too. She and Monica are friends. They go way back, I guess. I invited her, and she invited them.”

“Wait. You invited Kendra?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Oh, come on, Aspen.”

“What?” She tucked her stuff into the pockets of her jeans.

“Don’t be like Monica and wait two years.”

“She’s just a friend, DJ.”

“For now,” DJ suggested.

“I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late. Ice that foot.” Aspen pointed at her.

“Yeah. Yeah,” DJ replied unenthusiastically.

Aspen hurried down the hall to the elevator, checking her watch as we went. There was only one minute left to make it downstairs by seven, and she hated being late. Mostly, though, she didn’t want to be late for Kendra. She already was younger than the seemingly much more mature Kendra, so being late wouldn’t make her look good. When Aspen got downstairs and outside the hotel, prepared to order them a car, she didn’t see Kendra anywhere, though. She checked her watch again, and she was right on time.

“Hey, sorry,” Kendra said, making her way outside. “I got a call from my producer about tomorrow. I was sitting at the bar and saw you come out.”

“It’s okay,” she replied, looking Kendra up and down without even trying to hide it. “You look nice.”

“I do?” Kendra asked, appearing surprised.

“Yeah, you do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress.”

“Oh,” Kendra let out. “Yeah, I usually bring one with me and have no reason to wear it, but since we’re going to a nice place for dinner and I’m not eating in my pajamas on my bed tonight, I thought I’d put this one on.”

“Well, it’s… a good one.”

“Thanks?”

“Hey, we’re here,” Selena said as she walked out with Monica, holding her hand and leaning into her side. “Want to ride together?”

“Uh… Sure,” Aspen replied, not actually wanting that at all because that sundress in dark-blue covered a little by a white cardigan went really well with Kendra’s blue eyes, and she wouldn’t have minded having a car to themselves to talk and get to know one another more.

Monica then got out her phone, ordered them a car, and the slowest four minutes of watching her and Selena kiss each other and semi-dance as they moved from side to side on the sidewalk went by before the car arrived. When it arrived, though, Aspen realized that it was just a regular sedan and not a larger car meant for all four of them, plus the driver. Monica and Selena got in the back seat without a care in the world.

“Do you want the front seat?” Aspen asked Kendra.

“No, you can take it. I don’t mind being back there with the annoying love birds.”

“I heard that,” Monica said.

Kendra climbed in, so Aspen opened the front door and sat next to their driver. He didn’t say much, which she was grateful for, but sitting in front, with giggling women behind her and Kendra sitting silently next to them, was still awkward. They arrived at the restaurant ten minutes later, and Aspen walked up to the host stand to get them a table. They only had to wait a few minutes before they were sat and she had a menu in her hand.

“So, wine? I’m thinking we can just get a bottle,” Selena suggested. “Red okay?”

“None for me,” Aspen said. “Not a big drinker in season.”

“Okay. No problem,” Selena replied.

“Babe, what are you going to get?” Monica asked Selena.

“I think just a steak. Want to get something different, and we can split it?”

“Yeah,” Monica said. “Appetizer?” she asked the table.

“I’m not very hungry, so I think I’ll just stick to my entrée,” Aspen said.

“Whatever you want is fine with me,” Kendra told Monica. Then, she leaned over toward Aspen and whispered, “Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah. I think I just got tired.”

“Okay,” Kendra replied and returned her attention to her menu.

“So, Aspen, how’s DJ?” Monica asked. “I hope she’s just injured enough to play terribly tomorrow but is able to recover right after,” she joked.

Aspen smiled and said, “Afraid not. She’s all good. She just decided to stay off it tonight to be safe, but she’s fine. So, you’ll get both of us at one-hundred-percent tomorrow.”

“Bummer.”

“She means that’s what we want,” Selena said and ran her hand over Monica’s back. “She wants to win the right way.”

“So, how did you two finally get together, exactly?”

“Finally?” Selena asked Aspen.

“Yeah. Everyone knew that Monica was into you. It was the worst kept secret on the tour.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Selena laughed a little as she turned to her girlfriend. “Babe, really?”

“You know I’ve wanted this,” Monica said, downplaying the whole thing.

“But everyone knew?” Selena asked Aspen.

“Oh, yeah,” Aspen replied with a laugh of her own.

“How didn’t I?”

“It’s hard to see when it’s you, I think,” Aspen said.

She looked over at a very quiet Kendra, who was still staring down at her menu.

“What are you getting?” Aspen asked, trying to draw her into the conversation.

“Oh. I’m thinking about the chicken. You said it was good, right?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Then, I’ll try that with the asparagus.”

“Want to share with me if I get a steak? I’m thinking about the rib eye with the scalloped potatoes.”

“Split?” Kendra asked and looked over at her.

Aspen gave her a soft smile and said, “Yeah, share our food. Are you one of those people who doesn’t do that? Totally okay if you are. Just an idea.”

“She’s the kind of person who will steal from your plate without asking,” Monica replied instead.

“That’s what ‘stealing’ means, Monica,” Kendra returned. “And I don’t do that.”

“You used to steal all of my fries.” Monica laughed.

“You were an asshole and deserved it.” Kendra laughed.

“You can have some of my fries,” Aspen said.

Kendra looked at her in confusion.

“You’re getting scalloped potatoes.”

“I meant it more as a general fact. I don’t care if you steal my fries.”

“Just Kendra, or is that for everyone?” Monica asked.

“Well, it’s not for you. I just found out that you’re an asshole.”

Monica and Selena both laughed. Kendra seemed to find it funny, but her smile looked a little forced, and she looked up when the waiter arrived. They placed their orders, with Monica picking out an appetizer for the table and Aspen getting a sparkling water instead of the wine.

After the waiter left, they listened as Monica told the story of how she and Selena finally got together.

“It’s complicated. Last year, we moved in together to save money and because we wanted a place near the sand. It was a good idea for our beach partnership but not for my heart because I was in love with her, and we work together, you know?”

“I do, yeah,” Aspen replied.

Kendra looked over at her and squinted.

“What?” Aspen asked.

“Nothing.” Kendra shook her head.

“Anyway, after, like, almost a year of that, it was time to either renew our lease or not, and she was thinking about maybe getting a new place on her own that was farther away but cheaper, and I didn’t really know why.”

“She kept pestering me,” Selena added. “Until I finally told her that it was because I didn’t think we should live together anymore because I had feelings for her.”

“And then, I kissed her. I felt like it was better to show her that I felt the same way than to just tell her. Now, here we are. It’s been a few weeks, and we’ve since re-signed that lease, even though things are even more complicated now, but I have no regrets. I’ve loved living with her, and I don’t want to go back to living on my own. There’s just something about having someone to come home to, you know?”

“We’re usually together, so you’re not really coming home to me,” Selena countered.

“Yeah, but it’s the saying. Like, you come home to someone, and it feels nice.”

When neither Aspen nor Kendra said anything, both women sitting across from them seemed to realize it, and they cleared their throats at the same time.

“So, Kendra, how’s the new house?” Selena spoke.

“It’s good.”

“She has a noisy neighbor, though,” Aspen added and took a sip of her water.

“Oh, yeah?” Monica asked. “You have an HOA. Have you complained yet?”

“Um… No.”

“Well, if it keeps up, you should. You just bought that place. You don’t want to have to deal with some asshole for the next decade.”

Aspen laughed.

“She’s not an asshole,” Kendra said. “And she’s not that noisy.”

“Thanks for defending my honor,” Aspen told her, laughing some more.

“Wait… I’m missing something,” Selena said.

“It’s me. I’m the neighbor.” Aspen raised her hand before she instinctively let it fall over the back of Kendra’s chair. “She moved in next door. We found out after she bought the place. And I sometimes train in my backyard, which she’s obviously right next to.”

“You moved into a house next to Aspen?” Monica asked.

“I did. But it’s not that bad. She helped me paint my guest room the other day, and she only practices during the day, so it’s not a big deal.” Kendra then seemed to realize that Aspen’s arm was on her chair, and she made a face that Aspen couldn’t read.

When Kendra returned her focus to Monica and Selena, though, Aspen removed her arm and placed her hand in her own lap. Something was off tonight, and it was probably because she’d been kind of flirting tonight, and Kendra wasn’t into it.

“So, are you going to help her wallpaper the kitchen next?” Monica asked while laughing.

“Probably not,” Aspen said softly.

“I’m not putting wallpaper in my kitchen,” Kendra replied, laughing a little.

For the rest of the dinner, Aspen stayed quiet because, for the first time in a long time, she’d been excited about something unrelated to beach volleyball, and it hadn’t gone well for her at all. When dinner was over, they rode back in a car together, with Aspen taking the front seat again. She said goodnight at the lobby when the other three wanted to sit at the bar for a drink and made it up to her room alone in an elevator.

“Hey,” she greeted DJ.

“Hey, did you–”

“Chocolate cake,” she interjected. “With ice cream on the side that may or may not be melted already.” She held up the bag for DJ to take.