Something Like Rain (Something Like... Book 8) (25 page)

“You got the drinks,” Jason said. “I’ve got the food.”

“Oh great! Thanks!”

Jason eyed their surroundings, not seeming impressed. “So should we…”

“I usually eat outside,” William said. “Escape the chaos for a little bit.”

“Okay.”

The mall wanted people indoors and shopping, not out enjoying the weather. Still, as a courtesy to customers, a few benches, some potted shrubbery, and a trash can had been placed outside each exit. William chose the bench furthest away from the trash can, straddling it so they could also use it as a table. Jason mimicked his posture, a small feast laid out between them.

“I hope Canadian bacon is okay,” Jason said.

“It’s my favorite!” William replied, pretending to be stunned. “How’d you know?”

Jason’s response was cool. “I’ve been stalking you for weeks.”

Hunger poked at his stomach again, so William gratefully grabbed one of the over-sized slices and took a bite. “Good choice,” he said while chewing. “I
love
Canadian bacon.”

“It’s delicious,” Jason agreed. Then he looked puzzled. “I do wonder how they get the Canadian pigs all the way down here. Think there’s a passenger train they all ride together?”

“Yeah.” William resisted laughing lest he spit food out on his companion. “I bet the really fat pigs get to sit in the first-class wagon.”

“And the poor skinny pigs have to ride with all the luggage.”

William shook his head ruefully as he continued to eat. An eavesdropper might think they were old friends. That’s how it felt. He was excited to hang out with Jason, more than he had any right to be. “So what are you up to today? Out doing some shopping?”

“Just stretching my legs,” Jason said casually. “I actually work across the street at the pet store. I’m off today, but I always come here for lunch. I guess it’s a habit.”

William managed a few more bites before responding, searching his memory. “Then I’m surprised I’ve never seen you before.”

Jason lifted the Styrofoam cup he’d been holding. “This is my first smoothie. I’ll be honest with you. I’m terrified.”

“Don’t be. I made it myself. You’re perfectly safe.”

Jason pretended to work up his courage, as if facing a deadly viper. Then he took a sip. “So is this your secret?” he asked, nodding at William’s torso.

“What do you mean?”

“Uh…” Jason’s cheeks turned a little red. “You’re in really good shape.”

“Oh!” William’s face became the same hue. “Thanks. I actually just like how the protein powder tastes. Is it gross?”

“No! I was just hoping I’d get great boobies like yours.”

William laughed. “In that case, all you have to do is go swimming every day.”

Jason seemed impressed. “Every day?”

William nodded. “Every morning, actually. Before school. And sometimes after work if I’m not too tired.”

Jason sipped the smoothie, still considering him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look like a swimmer.”

“Because I’m pale? Irish skin. Can’t be helped. I’ll get a little tanner in the summer, but not before burning a few times. Luckily, the YMCA has an indoor pool.”

“That explains it.” Jason’s attention returned to an area above his shoulders, the intense gaze difficult to hold.

William grasped for a change of topic. “So what did you think of the youth group?”

Jason shrugged. “It was okay, I guess. I think I’d like it better if everyone just showed up to hang out.”

William shook his head while he finished scarfing his pizza. “That’s happened before when we were between group leaders. Everyone formed their little cliques and stopped talking to each other. The lesbians were on one side, the gay guys on another, and even those two camps split into smaller groups. Keith gets everyone interacting. I know his lectures can be tedious at times, but without him we’re a mess. Are you coming to the next meeting?”

“I’ll give it another try.”

“Good.”

He noticed that the other piece of pizza hadn’t been touched yet. When Jason saw him looking, he offered it. William normally consumed two slices at a time, so he gratefully accepted. This seemed to make Jason happy. He watched as William ate, eyes twinkling as he sucked on his smoothie. William wasn’t an idiot. The vibe here was more than just a little friendly. The attraction was mutual, which seemed silly because he knew next to nothing about the person before him. That was easily remedied.

“Are you still in school?” William asked.

“No.” Jason said. “I’m done with high school, and I’m not sure about college. Right now I’m working full-time to save up some cash. What about you?”

“High school senior,” William replied. “After I graduate—” He thought of the time and checked his watch. “Well, it’s too complicated to explain now. I have to get back to work soon.”

“Oh.” Jason seemed crestfallen, which again was flattering. A light breeze toyed with his messy hair, the sky behind him perfectly blue. The sort of weather that made anything seem possible. “Do you give swimming lessons?”

The question caught William off guard. He shook his head while drinking his smoothie.

“It’s just that I never learned,” Jason continued hurriedly. “I’ve been meaning to take a class for years, but the idea of being with a group of little kids is embarrassing.”

“You really don’t know how?”

“Just never got around to it.”

“I guess I could try. You willing to get up early?”

“Yeah.” Jason sounded thrilled by the idea, which isn’t how most people reacted. “Let’s trade numbers. That way we can talk and set up a date.”

William grabbed his own phone, then decided to clear the air. “I hope I don’t sound like a jerk for asking this, but you know I have a boyfriend, right?”

“Yeah,” Jason said easily. “You and Kelly are together. That’s totally cool. I have a boyfriend too.”

“You do? What’s his name?”

“Tim.”

“Oh, okay.” William laughed, feeling presumptuous. “I didn’t want there to be any mixed signals. Well, not mixed signals… I just don’t want Kelly to get hurt.”

“Of course not.” Jason focused on his phone, face growing red again.

Great, now William had made him feel awkward. No surprise considering what he had just implied. “Here’s my number,” he said, sliding his phone across the bench like an apology.

“Thanks.” Jason ignored it to poke at his own phone, eyes darting up from the screen a few times. He looked insecure.

“Want me to read the number to you?” William offered.

“Actually, this is my first phone,” Jason said. “I don’t know how to add a new number.”

That was a little strange, but okay. “Let me take a look. I think Kelly has a phone like yours.”

William easily found his way to the list of contacts, and wow, was it minimal! Tim’s name was there, to his mixed relief. Not an imaginary boyfriend then. Emma was also listed there. Just two more names remained, Ben and Michelle. That was all. Not that William could judge. He had a bigger list of contacts, but he had all but lost touch with most of his friends. He still saw Lily and the others at school occasionally, but because of Kelly… William had a hard enough time handling Kelly’s mood swings, and he loved the guy. His friends found it impossible.

“There you go,” William said, handing back the phone.

“Townson,” Jason said, reading from the display. “Too bad it’s not Townshend.”

“Huh?”

“Pete Townshend?” Jason tried. “Lead guitarist of The Who? I’m a big classic rock fan.”

“Oh. What’s your last name?”

“Grant.”

“Like Amy Grant,” William said.

“No! Definitely not! Please tell me you don’t listen to that kind of music!”

William shrugged. “I’m okay with whatever’s on the radio.”

“You shouldn’t be,” Jason said. “There’s so much good stuff that doesn’t get played.”

So his new friend was a music lover. Interesting. “What’s your number?”

Jason needed help finding this too, not having it memorized. He acted a little awkward when William returned the phone to him, shooting to his feet.

“I should probably go.”

“Okay.” William stood, wiping his hands on his jeans, surprised to find his palms sweaty. “You’ll call, right? To make plans?”

“Yup,” Jason said, flashing him a smile. “I promise.”

Then he waved, turned, and walked away into a day full of potential. For him, anyway. William’s life was settled, but he allowed himself to wonder, briefly, where it might have led otherwise.

Chapter Eleven

William had once taught himself how to swim, so he figured teaching someone else shouldn’t be that hard. Regardless, he threw himself into this new enterprise with enthusiasm, turning to the all-knowing Internet for tips and tricks. He grew more excited as the chosen day drew near. Jason called him, the short conversation focusing on when and where to show up and what to bring along. William was reminded of the summer after his freshman year when he’d offered to teach CPR at the YMCA. That had been fulfilling and was mentioned in his application to the Coast Guard. Maybe he could include this as well.

He was eager to get started as he biked to the YMCA, enjoying the cool calm of the morning as he always did. Jason didn’t seem quite as chipper when he stumbled out of his car and into the building. After William showed his membership card to the woman at the front desk and got Jason set up with a free trial pass, they reported to the locker room. Jason opted for one in a different aisle than his. If he was feeling shy about his body, then he had chosen the wrong sport!

William finished changing into his Speedo and went to collect Jason, rounding the aisle and catching a glimpse of his butt just before it was covered by swim trunks. Nice ass, but bad choice in swimming gear. Not that Jason would be swimming laps today, so for now it was fine. Jason noticed him and straightened up. William quickly checked out the rest of his body. Purely for assessment purposes and to identify what sort of muscle training his new student might need.

Right.

Jason’s shoulders were broad, his narrow hips boney. He didn’t have much in the way of muscle or fat, both potentially useful in the water. A real swimmer would shave the light chest hair, but William liked how it looked. He found it masculine, especially since he and Kelly were both so smooth. Jason wasn’t as hopelessly pale as he was, and that was nice too. Not that it mattered.

“Ready for your first lesson?”

“I think so,” Jason replied.

“Let’s go!”

William normally ignored the nearest end of the indoor pool, choosing instead to use the lanes farther down, but today’s lesson would mostly be about getting Jason comfortable in the water.

William stood on the first step, ankles and feet submerged, and waited until his student did the same. “Let go of your fear,” William said. “Any concerns you have, set them aside because I’m here for you. I’m a certified lifeguard—”

“Really?” Jason said, looking impressed.

“Yup! So if anything were to go wrong—and it won’t—I’ll be there for you. Put your trust in me.”

“Do you know CPR?” Jason asked.

“Yes.” William waited for an obvious joke or a lewd expression, almost disappointed when neither came. He walked down the rest of the steps, wading through water that was only waist high. Then he turned. “Okay. The first thing you should learn is how to tread water. Do you think you can handle that? We’ll go a little deeper, but your head will still be above the surface. Once there, you’ll kick both your legs, sort of like you’re running in place.”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “I can handle that.”

William led them toward the five-foot depth, the water lapping at his pits. Then he led by example, lifting his legs and moving his arms to tread water. Jason did the same without difficulty.

“That was easy,” William said. “Uh, let’s see. I guess next it would helpful if you learned to float. If you start to panic, try to remain calm. Allow yourself to go perfectly still, let your legs drift upward as you recline, and you’ll end up on your back. You won’t need to kick or anything. You’ll be safe.”

“Okay,” Jason said with a nod. “Let’s try it.”

“I’ll support you.” William moved closer, placing an arm around Jason’s shoulders. “Let your legs float to the surface. That’s right. Just pretend you’re settling into the most comfortable bed imaginable. A water bed! Ha.”

Jason was horizontal now, but he still seemed tense and needed to relax. He turned to look at William as if seeking reassurance.

“You’re doing great!” William said.

Jason’s brow knotted up. “Listen, I have to confess something. I know how to swim.”

William’s stomach sank. “What?”

“I can swim. I’m not great, but—”

“You’re serious?” William interrupted. “You can swim?”

“Yeah.”

“In that case…” William pulled away and in a burst of irritation, pushed Jason under the water. Then he turned, wanting to get away. Luckily he was in his element. He took off, swimming toward the deep end. So much for his honest and humble guy! William felt foolish. All that effort he had spent coming up with a calendar of lessons! Time wasted, along with the stupid excitement he had felt. And for what? Just so some guy could get him alone and nearly naked in a swimming pool? Pathetic. He stopped and turned around to make sure Jason had recovered. He was fine. Refusing to waste more time and wanting to burn off some of the anger he felt, William fell into his usual routine, swimming laps. He was just finding his rhythm when he hit an obstacle. Jason. “What are you doing?” William demanded, wiping his eyes clear and wishing for his goggles.

Jason’s hair was plastered to his forehead, expression pleading. “Just let me explain!”

“Fine.”

“Uh.” Jason seemed to struggle with himself. Then he rolled his eyes and spoke. “There’s something about you. When I saw you at the meeting the other day, it’s not like I was all ‘Oh he’s hot! I think I’ll go after him!’ I mean, you are, but that’s not why I’m here exactly. It’s hard to explain. When I saw you, something inside of me felt… drawn to you.”

William had to give the guy credit for admitting the truth. And it wasn’t like he didn’t understand. They both might have boyfriends, but that hadn’t stopped William from feeling the same or entertaining fantasies, not all of them sexual. He had imagined teaching Jason to swim, slowly growing closer in the process, both of them harboring secret feelings they could never act on. The notion had seemed romantic. And yes, as predictable as it was, he had fantasized about needing to teach Jason CPR, complete with many,
many
demonstrations. So what? William didn’t blame himself for having wandering thoughts or Jason for wanting to get closer, but one indisputable fact still remained. “I have a boyfriend.”

“I know,” Jason said hurriedly. “You and Kelly make a gorgeous couple, and I’m not deluded enough to see myself replacing him. I didn’t come here to try to hook up with you, I swear. But I do want to get to know you. That’s all. Nothing creepy. At least, nothing beyond what I’ve already done. Asking for swimming lessons seemed like a convenient excuse.”

William snorted. “You should have just said you want to hang out.”

“I know.” Jason appeared sheepish. “I’m not very good at making friends. I never have been.”

Hard to imagine, because aside from the deception, William had found him likeable. “So now what?”

“Well, I
can
swim, but I don’t really know any techniques. I just sort of kick while underwater, but aside from that and dog-paddling, I’m not real good. I can’t swim across the surface like you do.”

“So you
do
want lessons?”

Jason smiled. “That’s what we’re here for.”

Better than letting all his effort go to waste. William could salvage some of the plans he had made. “Okay. Time for the advanced course.”

Most people knew how to move through the water, but that wasn’t the same as swimming. Not in William’s mind. He soon realized that Jason was being honest about not having learned basic techniques. Any fleeting interest they had for each other went out the window as he tried to teach the front crawl. Jason swallowed his fair share of water, but after struggling for an hour or so, he achieved something that at least resembled the stroke. All he needed from this point on was repetition, not guidance.

“One more lap,” William kept saying, noticing small improvements the more he pushed Jason. Maybe he pushed a little too hard, because his student reached the edge of the pool, climbed out, and rolled onto his butt, mouth open and panting. William hid a smile, then decided to lead by example. He launched into his usual workout, hoping Jason would learn something from watching. And because he yearned for exercise.

“Hop back in,” he said, swimming over to Jason during a break between laps. “Just one more.”

Jason, wide-eyed, shook his head. “If you want to kill me, there are easier ways than this.”

William climbed out of the pool, sitting next to Jason, who had a towel wrapped around his shoulders. He let himself drip dry, still warm from exertion “I suppose I can take it easy today.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. I push myself every single day.” He watched the water’s surface as it settled, deciding to pretend that all his training could still lead somewhere. “I need to if I’m going to become a rescue swimmer.”

“Is that like a lifeguard?” Jason asked.

William laughed. “Yeah, except instead of sitting in a chair by the pool, you get dropped from a helicopter into massive waves. If a plane crashes into the ocean, or if a boat goes down, or if people need rescuing during inland floods, that’s when a rescue swimmer is called in. It’s not easy to become one, but I figure I’ve got a shot if I keep training every day.”

“Where do you go to learn something like that?” Jason asked. “Superhero school?”

“The Coast Guard,” William said, feeling a pang of guilt for not being more honest, but he was enjoying the dream too much. “Or the Navy, but I don’t want to go international. It won’t be easy either way. Most people don’t make it through the AST program, but I’ve been planning this for years. I really think I’ve got what it takes.”

Jason’s eyes searched his. “Not that you need a reason to help people, but what’s your motivation?”

Geez. That was a long story, but Jason seemed willing to listen. William thought back to when he was seven years old and staying with his cousins. He hadn’t liked the water then, not even baths! He loved to play with his cousins though, and in the hot summer weather, they all gathered around the pool at his aunt and uncle’s house. His cousins would hop in and out of the water with ease, unafraid. They splashed him when they realized he didn’t want to get wet, called him a scaredy cat, and more than once tried to push him into the pool. William didn’t have the muscle to defend himself back then, but he was fast, so in a way he did laps, but only by running around the pool rather than swimming through it. The teasing came to a head one day when he was trying to escape them. He had tripped and skinned his knee. His cousins got in trouble when the adults found out, which only made them taunt him more. Late that night while lying sleepless in bed, William had decided he’d had enough. He would learn how to swim. Without hesitating he threw off the sheets, put on swim trunks, and snuck through the silent house. Once at the pool he jumped right into the deep end.

Not the best idea because his lungs had burned as bad as his hurt knee as he struggled to find the surface. But he did. Panic nearly drowned him first, but William forced himself to calm down and float to the surface. Once on his back, he carefully waved his arms to reach the shallow end of the pool where he could stand and cough up water. He had done it! In his mind he had managed to swim, so he got out, went back to the deep end, and repeated what he had learned. When he showed off the next day, his cousins were more patient with him and willing to give him tips. That had been the beginning of his love for the water, his worst enemy becoming his greatest friend. He told Jason all of this, expecting him to yawn or roll his eyes like Kelly had done. Instead Jason leaned closer, their bare shoulders touching briefly, and said, “You’re kind of awesome.”

William felt himself flush and shook his head. “We’ll see about that. AST school is going to kick my ass. If I make it through and become a rescue swimmer, then you can call me awesome. If you still want to.”

“I’m pretty confident I will,” Jason said.

Unlikely, because the Coast Guard wasn’t happening. Still, he felt less depressed about it than usual, probably because he enjoyed Jason’s company. Sadly, after talking a little longer, their time ran out. William had school and Jason had work, but they made plans to meet at the Y again on a different morning. Then they walked to the locker room in silence, a thought occurring to William as they reached it. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing besides work on Saturday.”

“Day shift?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah.”

Perfect. Bonnie, Kelly’s closest friend, had a concert that evening. She wanted lots of people there. If Jason brought his boyfriend, not only would they get to spend more time together, but seeing each other as part of a functioning couple would cool any misguided fantasies. “A friend of mine is having a cello recital. She’s nervous about it, so she wants a big support group there.”

“Really?” Jason seemed skeptical. “I’d want as few people to show up as possible.”

William laughed. “Yeah, me too. Anyway, maybe you could come along.”

“I’d love to.”

“Good. I’ll be with Kelly. Maybe you could bring Tim.”

“Tim?” Jason asked.

“Your boyfriend. That’s his name, right?”