32.

"JASMINE!"

I looked up from my clipboard to find Jace walking towards me from the pool, his towel gripped in his hands as he ran it through his damp hair. He grinned, letting the towel drape over his neck.

"Hey," I said, smiling. "How was class?"

"Great," he replied, smirking. "My teacher was hot."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the warmth that blossomed over my face. "Really? Can't say the same about my students."

I paused, pretending to think, and tapping on my board. "Although, Ryan has been getting pretty spritely lately."

"Really?" Jace whined, tugging on his towel. He pouted up at me, his hair flat and dripping with chlorinated water. "I was working so hard on my high knees for you."

"I wasn't impressed," I teased, glancing back down at my clipboard.

"Except by Ryan," he huffed.

"Except by Ryan," I confirmed.

He lifted a brow at me, and I laughed, finally scribbling my signature on today's form, and discarding the clipboard on the metal bench behind me. I stepped forward, grabbing his towel, and messing up his hair with it.

"You're a mess," I teased.

He lifted a hand to rest over mine, glancing around us quickly before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my lips. He grinned.

"A mess you're stuck with," he said. He paused, his hands trailing down my arms to tangle our fingers together. He swung our arms, smiling coyly. "I have something to tell you."

I narrowed my eyes. "Yes?"

"Remember a while back when I tried out for the track team at school?"

My brows raised. It was so long ago, I'd almost forgotten. I glanced at his ankle. His limp had really improved lately. Even in class, he was way ahead of his senior citizen classmates. A part of me wondered if he'd stop attending soon.

"Yeah," I said finally, blinking and meeting his eyes. His expression was secretive, giving away nothing.

"How did it go?" I asked when he said nothing.

He shrugged. "Coach Sanders was pretty thorough with the trials. Lots of yelling. Maybe I'll refer him to my therapist too."

I rolled my eyes, shoving his bare shoulder, and he laughed. "Come on, Jace. What happened? Did you get in?"

"Maybe."

I cut him a glare.

"Alright, fine," he said through a laugh. He held his hands up in surrender, his wet hair flopping onto his forehead as he smirked up at me beneath his lashes. "I got through to the second round of trials."

"Jace!" I breathed, my smile growing. "That's incredible! That's... that's... what does that mean?"

He chuckled, tilting his head, and rubbing the back of his neck. "It means that if I get through this round, I'm officially on the team."

"Oh, my God! Well, I mean, you'll totally get in."

"You think?"

"Oh, obviously!" I said. "I mean, come on. You got through the first round with a bad leg. You've definitely got this. Plus, your good looks don't hurt your chances."

He quirked a brow. "Oh, so now I'm attractive? What happened to eighty-year-old Ryan?"

"Hey, don't you bring Ryan into this." I poked at his chest and he stepped closer, until my hand was almost flat against his chest. He smirked at me and I felt my face grow hot.

And suddenly all I could think was Oh, my God. He's shirtless. Ever since he'd started training for the track team, his muscles had become more defined, and his skin had started to tan, glowing golden even under the pool's fluorescent lights. I had a suspicion that he trained shirtless.

I swallowed thickly, resisting the urge to trace my fingers lower.

"What happened, Jasmine?" he asked, cocking his head. "Cat got your tongue?"

I met his glistening eyes, realising I'd been staring at his chest.

"No," I said stupidly.

"No?"

He stepped closer until my hand flattened against his chest. Beneath his burning skin, I could feel his heartbeat, slow and steady, thrumming against my fingertips.

"Because it sure seems like you're at a sudden loss for words," he teased.

I blinked. Then blinked again. I stepped back, grabbing my clipboard, and clutching it to my chest like a shield.

"Whatever," I said, though my face warmed, and I avoided his eyes. "Hurry up and get changed before one of the senior citizens see us and you become responsible for a hefty hospital bill."

He laughed, stepping back, and tugging his towel into his hands. "Meet you outside?"

I nodded and he turned on his heel, heading for the changing rooms. I watched his retreating back for a second, thinking about his broad shoulders and the way his muscles flexed as his arms swung, before blushing and walking towards the office to drop off today's form.

By the time I'd grabbed my bag and keys and unlocked my bike out the front, Jace had finished changing. He stepped out of the glass double doors, his hair still damp and pressed against his forehead.

He paused in front of me and I reached up, raking my fingers through his hair. He leaned forward at the same time, kissing me square on the lips. I blinked as he pulled back, a cheesy smile on his face.

"What was that for?"

"Being so cute," he said.

I rolled my eyes, suppressing a smile and wheeling my bike towards the road. He followed suit, swinging his duffel bag over his shoulder.

It was a cold day and I could smell the chlorine sticking to his skin with each breeze that brushed past. The roads were empty, and we stopped at the edge of the parking lot.

"So," Jace began. "The next trial is Friday so I'm starting my training this Monday. Need to prepare, you know?"

I frowned. "Monday? After water aerobics Friday and Saturday, and your regular physio on Sundays? Will your leg be able to handle all that?"

He shrugged. "I've been getting better. My physiotherapist reckons I can handle it. We've been talking about cutting our sessions down soon."

I blinked, glancing at his leg. He'd been putting more weight on it recently. In fact, he hadn't been limping at all today.

"Jace," I started, my brow wrinkling. "When did you stop limping?"

He followed my gaze to his leg and flexed his ankle. "I don't know. A few weeks ago, probably."

"Weeks!" I sputtered, my eyes growing wide. "Why are you still coming to my classes, then? If you can handle running, I'm not sure how much water aerobics will help you at this point."

He laughed and reached forward, tangling our fingers together. His hand was soft yet gritty against mine and he gave my fingers a short squeeze.

"Because I want to see you," he said, like it was obvious.

I warmed, my mouth opening and closing, starting, and stopping. When I realised, I had no response to that, I settled for clamping my mouth shut and he chuckled at my reaction, pulling our joined hands to his lips. He brushed his lips over my fingers, and I could feel his smile through the kiss.

"I want to spend every spare minute I've got with you, Jasmine," he said. His own face had started to turn pink, which of course only made my face turn hotter.

Before I could respond, the sound of an approaching car interrupted. We both turned to see Jace's mother chugging towards us in her minivan.

"You want a ride?" Jace asked in a mumble. "We can drop you off on the way to therapy."

"No, no. It's fine, I've got my bike with me."

He shrugged as his mom came to a stop in front of us. She rolled down the window, grinning and nodding towards us.

"Come on, Jace. Your appointment's in twenty minutes," she said before her eyes fell to our hands, still clasped together. Her smile faltered and she met my eyes again. "Jasmine."

"Hi, Anna." I smiled timidly. "How are you?"

"Great." Her voice was curt, and I felt my smile slip at her tone. She continued; her eyes sharp as she spoke. "Listen, can I talk to you for a second?"

I frowned. That was never a good sign. I threw Jace a look, as if to say you told her, right?

He sent me a strained smile that clearly said, not yet.

Great.

Releasing a laboured breath, I nodded, quickly releasing Jace's hand and stepping closer to Anna.

"Listen," Anna repeated. She sighed, glancing to the sky as if begging for mercy before turning back to me with sharp eyes. "You're not... dating Jace. Are you? You have to understand, Jace is in a very fragile state right now. He... he doesn't know what's good for him."

I stilled. Was she trying to say that I wasn't good for him? Jace stepped forward, taking my hand again and pulling me from my trance.

"Mom," Jace said, as if speaking required the utmost effort. "Jasmine is my girlfriend. I'm not a fragile piece of porcelain. I've been getting better and Jasmine makes me happy. She's... she's part of the reason I want to recover."

"Jace," his mother breathed. "I just –" she paused to settle her stare on me – "I just don't think he should be in a relationship right now, Jasmine. You understand, right? I'm sure you're a great girl, but let's be honest. You're just going to break his heart."

I shook my head, like clarifying I was hearing right and hadn't somehow slipped into a coma at some point and was simply hallucinating this entire conversation.

"Mrs Wilson – Anna – I don't know what to say. I can assure you. I'm not intending to break his heart."

"That's the thing, isn't it? Nobody intends anything. None of the kids intended to drive Jace to attempting suicide, but they still did, didn't they? Jace didn't intend to survive, but I've still got my son today and I'm not going to risk losing him again."

"Mom," Jace groaned. "Seriously? I'm eighteen. I'm literally an adult. I can make my own decisions."

"I'm just concerned for your mental wellbeing, Jace," Anna scolded.

He rolled his eyes. "I've spoken to Dr Lindsay about it already. I'll be fine, Mom. Seriously. I'm stronger than that."

She lifted an uncertain brow. "Are you sure about that, Jace? Because I thought you were strong in the past and look where we are now."

Jace's grip on my hand weakened and I turned to see his expression waver. That had hit him hard. I could practically see him struggling to control himself, grasping desperately at his emotions so that he wouldn't prove his mother right.

I narrowed my eyes at her, stepping closer.

"Excuse me, Anna, but Jace is a lot stronger than you think," I said, mustering all my courage and praying I wouldn't stumble over my words.

Her attention turned to me and her expression turned cold. "Really? I would think that I know my son better than you."

"Except you don't," I burst. I warmed as her eyes sharpened into a piercing glare, but I forced myself to continue. "Jace is stronger now. Sure, he's had his moments in the past. He's struggled – we all have in different ways – but Jace made it out the other end and he's stronger because of it. You have to admit, Jace's accomplishments since his attempt have been impressive. He's – he's probably the strongest person I know."

She watched me as I spoke, those cold eyes digging into me. When I finished, she stayed silent. I held my breath, waiting for her reaction, waiting for her to speak. Behind me, I knew Jace was doing the same.

Her face darkened.

"I don't appreciate you telling me how to parent," she said.

My jaw fell open.

"Mrs Wilson, I don't mean to–"

"No," she interrupted, her hand slicing through the air and sending me into silence. "No. I'm – I'm done. Truly. Jace, get in the car. You have a therapy session to get to. You're no longer attending these physio sessions. Say goodbye."

"Mrs Wilson –"

"Mom," Jace said at the same time. I turned to find him glaring at his mother, his golden eyes like fire, disgust rippling from him. "You can't just – just decide that."

"I am your –"

"Mother," he cut off. "We got it. Tell Dr Lindsay I'm not coming today."

He took my hand and began to walk away.

I blinked, struggling to grapple my bike with one hand and follow him.

"Jace!" his mother shouted. "Jace Walker, you get back here right now!"

We continued walking, his grip tightening around my hand.

"Jace," I whispered, frowning at his back. "Are you sure this is okay?"

His mother was still screaming.

"It was bound to happen at some point," he muttered. He glanced at me over his shoulder and sent me a bitter smile. "She'll get over it."

Behind us, I could hear her car engine roar to life before the wheels ripped down the street. I shivered, the sound a painful reminder of Amber's wheels spinning the night she died.

"It's fine," Jace said. "I'll talk to her tomorrow."

I paused and he stopped walking to face me. His lips pulled up at the corners in a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and I knew it was a lie.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi all! What a crazy week omg i hope you've all been keeping safe! And I hope you liked this chapter! A lil bit of drama is starting up around Jace this time... Let me know what you think!

I've been working on the last chapter of this story so maybe I'll be able to get y'all faster updates?? Anyway I hope you have a good week and see you soon!