Weightless (28 page)

“What’s your first name?”

He kissed me back, his hands resting on my waist. “Rhodes”

“Your name is Rhodes Rhodes?” I smirked, nudging him.

Rhodes’ jaw flexed and he swallowed. It never occurred to me that maybe he hadn’t told anyone before. Why would anyone want to hide their name?

“It’s William.”

I smiled. “William.” He shivered when the syllables left my lips. “I like that name.”

Rhodes and I did eventually make it to the gym that Sunday for my weigh-in, after staying in bed all afternoon and evening. I was officially down thirty pounds, and I’d lost another two inches off my hips and three off my waist since my last measurement three weeks ago. It was a huge milestone, and we celebrated, though Rhodes warned me that it would be more difficult to lose from that point on.

It was surreal to me. In six weeks, I’d lost more weight than I thought I was even capable of. More than that, I’d gained muscle and strength — in more ways than one. At the beginning of the summer, I’d felt like I was floating. I was trying to find a purpose, a drive, a passion, but I kept coming up short. The more my body changed, the more I let myself see the beauty in my life and my choices. Maybe I wasn’t on the traditional path that society had lined up for me. Did that really mean I wouldn’t find my own way?

After our session, I drove straight to Willow’s to spend her last night in town together, though it was extremely difficult to say goodbye to Rhodes. I knew he had made the decision to not fight whatever we had anymore, but still, something inside me knew what we had was fleeting. When we were apart, he had the chance to think — and when he had time to think, he thought about all the reasons we couldn’t be together. I had a constant ache in my chest that told me not to hold on too tight, but it only made me squeeze my fists harder.

Willow was completely packed and ready to go when I showed up, so I took a quick shower and we fell onto her couch to watch a string of movies we’d seen a thousand times before. We hadn’t even made it through the credits of
10 Things I Hate About You
when Willow turned to me, popping a sour gummy worm in her mouth.

“Okay, now that we have background noise, I need to know every detail of your night after you left last night.”

I chuckled. “I already told you. Rhodes and I talked, then we went back to my place.”

“And?” She dragged the word out, spinning the worm in her hand. I laughed.

“And,” I exaggerated. “None of your business.”

“Boo!” Willow tossed her half-eaten worm at me, the sugar crystals flying all over my sweatpants. “You’re the worst. You can’t bone the bad boy of Poxton High and not tell your best friend how big his wang is.”

“His
wang
, Lo? Really?”

“Yes, really!”

I laughed, retrieving the airborne worm and biting off its tail. “Fine. Let’s just say I’m still sore… and not from the squats today.”

“SHUT UP.”

“Okay, stop.” I blushed, sitting up straighter. “That’s all you get. Did people freak out when I left?”

I could tell Willow wanted to ask more, but she conceded. “Oh, of course.”

“I’m sure they’re still talking,” I groaned.

“Whatever. People are always going to talk, might as well give them something to yap about. And believe me, you and Rhodes are
definitely
gossip-worthy.”

“I just feel like we’re already so complicated, the last thing we need is everyone else in our business. But I know that’s how it’ll be.” I could feel how fragile our relationship was, and I wondered if Rhodes felt the same. He was always more confident than I was, but I wasn’t sure if that applied to us or just my training. “And what if they’re right? I mean, what do you think? Did I make a mistake choosing Rhodes? Am I just too naïve to see the signs of something that’s going to end up crushing me? I mean, look at him.” I gestured toward the door and then back to my own body. “And look at me.”

Willow popped up from the couch and skipped over to a large shopping bag leaning against the fireplace. Falling back down into the cushions, she shoved it toward me. “Forget what they think. Or what they say. You walked out that door because you knew in your heart it was the right thing to do, right?”

I nodded. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my entire life.”

She shook her head, her dark eyes sincere, a small smile reaching her lips. “We only have so much time to
be
, Natalie. So be wild, be crazy, be spontaneous, and be passionate. Never be sorry. And when someone tells you you’ll regret your choice later, be confident in the fact that you won’t.”

I pulled a smooth, red scrap of fabric from the bag. It was the top to a swim suit. Which meant there was a bottom. Which meant it was two pieces, not one.

Willow smiled wider, pointing at the string dangling from my fingers. “And this weekend, when you’re celebrating the Fourth of July with Rhodes, be sexy as fuck.”

I choked out a laugh. “I can’t wear this. It’s a two-piece.”

“And you’re a fox. I mean it,” she said, lowering her head to meet my gaze. “Just promise me you’ll try it on. Please?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

Even though the thought terrified me, maybe it was time to start finding comfort in my new skin. Willow’s words played over and over in my head, growing in volume each time. I didn’t know if what I had with Rhodes would last. I could end up in a blissful heaven or I could fall to the floor and break into a million tiny pieces. Either way, I wasn’t going to waste any of the moments I did have with him.

Pulling Willow in for a long hug, I let my eyes brim with tears knowing she was leaving in just twelve short hours. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’ll do without you here.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she said, squeezing me in return. “And something tells me Rhodes and his wang will keep you busy.”

“Don’t say wang ever again.”

“No promises.”

The first days of July flew by in a heated frenzy. Rhodes trained me harder during the days and loved me longer through the nights. If I thought the heat I felt from him was dangerous before, I was practically jumping into a volcano at this point. But I craved the burn.

Standing in front of my full-length mirror in nothing but a tiny swim suit on the Fourth of July, I felt particularly sweaty. Rubbing my palms against the tops of my thighs, I turned to the left, inspecting my exposed skin. The cherry red top and bright white bottoms blazed against my tan, though my stomach was a few shades lighter. I was far from being able to walk without jiggling, but at the same time, my curves were more defined than before. My waist was smaller, the skin around my hips more taut — I felt like maybe I could pull it off.

Blowing out a long breath, I threw on my navy blue cover up and beach hat before I could talk myself out of it. Just as I was about to walk out the door to meet Rhodes, my phone pinged.

“Hey guys!” I said when the video of Mom and Dale came into focus. They were spending the holiday in the Hamptons with Dale’s friends from New York.

“Oh sweetie!” Mom squealed, her hands flying to her mouth. “You look so great!”

“Mom, you just saw me last week.”

“It feels like longer.”

Dale laughed. “She’s right though, Natalie. How did the weigh-in go?”

I filled them in on Willow’s party and my milestone weigh-in. I left out everything about Rhodes other than our training sessions, of course. I knew they’d find out eventually, but I still wasn’t sure how Mom would take me choosing Rhodes over Mason. That was definitely an in-person conversation.

Dale high-fived me through the screen for standing up to Shay and Mom swatted at him, but she seemed to be proud, too. Dale went into detail about their planned day out on the yacht, too, which made me miss them more than I realized. In a way, I wished they were home, even if I was enjoying the time alone with Rhodes.

Mom nodded along with Dale as he talked, her blonde hair blowing slightly in the breeze from the porch where they were standing. She was smiling, though she looked more tired than usual. I noted the dark skin above her cheeks and the tensed edges of her eyes. I wondered if Dale was still working on his addiction, but I didn’t chance asking. After blowing them each a kiss, I ended the call and sprinted out the door to the Rover.

I was still nervous each time I knew I was about to see Rhodes. When he bounded out of his apartment, his backpack slung over his shoulder and a wide smile on his lips, I faltered, nearly revving the engine. He swung open the door and tossed his bag in the back before grabbing my face between his hands and kissing me like he hadn’t spent the night before in my sheets.

“Nice hat,” he said, flicking it with his finger as he pulled back and fastened his seatbelt. He was dressed in black and gray, simple swim trunks and a white shirt that I knew would eventually be pulled off to reveal his god-like abdomen. Realizing I would be showing my own midriff soon, I swallowed.

“You’re in a good mood.”

“Should I not be?” He quirked a brow just above the rim of his dark aviators, smile still glued to his face. “I have the day off, we’re heading to the beach.” Rhodes leaned over the console, sliding his rough hand up the inside of my thigh. “And I get to spend all day with you.”

“You better scowl or something,” I joked. “People might actually think you like me.”

He smirked, moving my hand to his lips for a swift kiss before leaning back in his seat. “People might actually be right, then.”

The drive to the beach was slow, traffic picking up even though we’d left Rhodes’ apartment just after nine. Poxton Beach was always packed on the Fourth of July. With a mixture of tourists and regulars, it was nearly impossible to find parking or a spot on the beach after eleven.

We didn’t really have to worry about that, though. I parked us in Dale’s reserved spot right by one of the boardwalks leading to the beach and led Rhodes to our cabana in front of the Poxton Inn. There were two chaise lounge chairs, a small couch, a hammock, a coffee table and a small bar complete with mini fridge inside and we were just thirty feet from the water.

Rhodes shook his head, dropping his bag on the couch as I pulled a cold water bottle from the fridge. “So this is how the other half lives. Here I thought we’d have to slum it with towels on the beach like the common folk.”

“Having a dad who owns the town has some perks.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.” Rhodes watched me tip the water bottle to my lips before quickly stripping off his shirt. “Want to get in the water?”

My heartrate accelerated. It was a damn good thing I wasn’t wearing my watch, because I knew it’d be an embarrassing number on that little screen. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

I screwed the lid back on my water slower than necessary and tucked it back into the fridge. Rhodes just watched me, an amused look on his face.

“You wearing your dress in?”

I swallowed, but didn’t respond. Gripping the hem of each side, I slowly peeled off my cover up, dropping it into the lounge chair and pulling my long blonde hair forward to shield whatever skin it could. I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and somehow teleport to the ocean, but I knew I wouldn’t be so lucky. Glancing up at him through my lashes, I bit my lip and attempted to lift my head higher.

“Jesus Christ, Bug,” Rhodes groaned, shaking his head. He crossed the space between us and reached out, his hands just barely grazing my bare hips. I shivered.