Tim nods. “You protected my rotator cuff. I might even be doing the butterfly by spring semester if I push it in PT.”
Olive’s smile brightens her whole face, and I reach over to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear so I can see her glowing. She should be basking in this happiness. Not sad that some dick-wad on a power trip yelled at her. “You should tell all this shit to Olive’s former boss,” I mutter, squeezing Olive’s leg in support.
Kev whips his head my way. “What do you think we’ve been doing this afternoon?”
Tim nods. “It’s true. First stop I made after I got discharged. I told everyone who would listen—Emily says hey, by the way, Olive.” He takes a swig of water and then struggles to get the cap back on his water bottle one-handed. Kevan reaches for it and closes it for him. “Anyway, Justin was a total jerk to me and I didn’t want to stick around and deal with him today, but I wanted to let you know I’m doing all that I can for you, Olive, to get you back in there.”
Olive’s eyes well up with tears and she grabs for his hand. Gently, I guess. “You have so much on your plate, Tim. You don’t have to worry about me. Tell me what happened with your family?”
Kevin’s jaw tightens while Tim tells us about his dad yelling a bunch of unpleasant, backwards shit, but Tim’s been texting with his mom and sister. “I think it’ll be ok, eventually,” he says. “Honestly, my mom says she sort of knew but it scared her.” Kevan tells us that his mom actually called Tim’s mom, and it sounds like that was helpful since Kev and his family are literal poster children for happiness.
“Anyway,” I say, clearing my throat. “What I was going to say was Finnegan and I might have a solution for you, Olive.”
“Really? Because Justin hates you almost as much as he hates me.”
“Fuck that guy. No, I think I got you another work study gig. Still in the athletic department, even.”
Olive’s eyes widen and I rub a thumb along her knuckles. “I mean, it’s not anything really using your skills like the training room, but Fin’s girl Leslie says the pay is the same. You’d be in the laundry room…”
I watch Olive’s face work through a series of emotions. Tim coughs. “The laundry room?” She nods her head and starts to whisper. “Eye on the prize, right? I can stay in school at least. Right?”
“Right, baby.” I drop a kiss on her forehead and wonder if Kevan can feel me loving on her, if that shit makes him uncomfortable, but I get the strong sense that he doesn’t give a shit because he’s rubbing Tim’s leg.
Tim shakes his head. “No. That’s ridiculous. Olive cannot fold sweat towels. I’m going to fix this, Olive, I promise. This is my fuck up. If I’d just been open about myself years ago, this would never have happened…”
“Hey,” I interrupt. “First of all, nobody in this room can fault you for not being honest and open. Look at me and Olive. She wouldn’t have been at that banquet with you if I’d been honest with her sooner, right?” Tim rolls his eyes. “And second, I appreciate you wanting to help. I do. But I’m going to take care of my girl. There’s no reason she can’t enroll in the graduate program she’s looking at while she folds towels. Right?” Kevan’s eyes go wide. Olive stiffens a bit. “Babe?”
She swallows and shakes her head. “I just don’t see a way, Bax. Without a recommendation from Justin, with getting fired…no references…what program would take me?”
The air is heavy and quiet for a few minutes until Kevan clears his throat and declares it time for him to get Tim home for ice and stim.
“Gross, Kev,” I say, flicking him. He pulls me in for a hug and they take off down the hall.
I eye up the ladder to Olive’s loft bed and I know there’s no way in hell my ass is getting up there. “Come on,” I say to her. “You’re sleeping at my place.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Olive
Bax and I walk to his suite hand in hand, him carrying my overnight bag. This feels so much the same as before, and yet so different. There’s a huge weight lifted, even though my life is crashing down right now. I told Bax I love him. He loves me back. He found me a replacement job…even if it does kind of suck. I can never say that out loud to him.
I sigh and lean my head against his shoulder. I’ll fold towels for a few months if I need to. I can finish my degree. Who knows? Maybe I can get a job in a clinic or something and put off grad school for a year. That will give me more time to figure out where Bax gets drafted anyway. After the game he had this week, it seems pretty certain he will go in the first round. I heard Scotty and Coach talking about it.
“I love that you found me a new job,” I tell him, kissing his shoulder. We get to Bax’s suite and he waves at his roommates, who all sort of grunt without turning away from their video game. Bax tugs me into his room and, shutting the door, pulls me into his arms.
“I’ll do anything to keep you by my side,” he says, kissing my neck.
“That feels really nice.”
“Which part?” He asks, kissing again, dragging his tongue up my throat.
I let my hands explore his shoulders, tickling down his chest. “All of it,” I tell him. “Knowing you care. Feeling your kisses. All of it.”
“I want
