Sushi (gxg)

Chapter 15

"So that was quite the video that was taken at the pool today," Erin said as she sat across from us. Like Janine, she was a brunette, and they were both very pretty. She looked at us happily as Kit was curled up in my lap, and I could tell she was at least an ally, so we would hopefully be able to get the word out in a way that we were happy with.

"I didn't realize that people would be making videos until right before the race," I replied with a shrug. "I guess I should have predicted it once the challenge was announced."

The common area of our hotel room had two chairs that we never used, though Erin and Janine used them now, and a couch, which evidently only needed one cushion because Kit was always in my lap. Erin sat directly in front of us, with Janine off to the side for support. I wasn't sure how Janine had picked her, but she had put us at ease with her demeanor at once.

"And then you kicked his butt," added Kit happily. "She was so fast!" Everyone had a laugh at her exuberance before we moved on.

"In the video, Coach McGinty said you swam a 1:44. You know the women's record for that pool configuration is in the 1:52 range, right?" She had notes that she was referring to, and I could tell she was very organized. She was also making an audio recording, so she could transcribe it later, which I didn't mind.

"Yeah, but that was unofficial. It wasn't a sanctioned meet with digital timing or anything." I wasn't going to brag about my swimming. I knew I was fast, but I lived for the water so it came naturally.

"Still, even if you added five seconds, that would be a record. Coach McGinty didn't seem pleased."

"I stopped using her as a coach after she kicked me off the team before the Tokyo games. She didn't seem to think I was a useful member of the team, so it wasn't like I went to her to prove my worth. I like the longer races, they make me happy, so while I'm very good at almost any distance, I wouldn't enjoy doing them as much. Besides, the team has some really good swimmers on it already, so they don't need me."

We spent the next half hour or so going over the past, with the leukemia and the death of my father. It was painful rehashing it all, since I still hated to go into detail about my father's death. I'd talked about it all too much recently, and every time I did, I had to wrestle with how on earth I was going to explain everything about my mom and how I helped kill my father to Kit. It was one thing for her to explain her overbearing grandmother, at least those were considered real, and another entirely to tell her my mom was a Selkie. That was defiantly not normal.

First, she'd probably think I was crazy, and second, she'd probably avoid me. I mean, I couldn't even blame her. But when it came down to it, I had to tell her. I couldn't keep it from her when we were headed towards being in a relationship like a runaway train. Hiding it, and letting her fall in love would be so very wrong, and she deserved better.

Speaking of which, that thought seemed to trigger the time to talk about exactly that.

"Janine mentioned that you might be uncomfortable talking about your relationship with one another," Erin stated. "Would you like to make a simple statement about that, or should I ask questions?"

I knew that Kit was unsure of where we were and where we were going, or so I thought, but she jumped in as soon as I opened my mouth to say we could make a statement. "You can ask questions, it's okay." I looked over at her in shock, and she just smiled at me. "It's okay. I'm ready if you are." I thought my heart might burst at the thought that she might be ready to put a name to what we were feeling. Yes, it made explaining my mother more of a pressing matter, but I could only hope that she would still accept me.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Very ready," I agreed, squeezing her tight.

Erin and Janine both smiled at us in unison, and then Erin got right into it. "Kit, for this entire interview you've been curled up in Nat's lap. Is that something typical for you?"