Hunting Sunsets

Sixteen

My days with Smith were over, I was officially a taken woman. Jade was my girlfriend and there was no going back, not that I would want to. I had to admit that I was scared for be in my first relationship in over a year, but it felt good. I had a beautiful, intelligent, and creative woman by my side and I couldn't wait to see where it goes.

The sun was shining down on the perfectly groomed green, the distant hum cicadas in the trees. The sky was cloudless, California's notoriously dry air surrounding me. I stood, my right leg bearing the brunt of my weight with my right palm resting on my seven iron.

"I'm no Tiger Woods but that shot absolutely sucked ass, Chang!" I called out as Troy botched his shot onto the fairway, ending up in the rough. My friend glared at me, his bright white hat keeping the sun off of his face.

"I wouldn't talk about accuracy you're second worse, Svensson."

"At least she's on the fairway, Palmer," Jade laughed from beside me.

"Jeez she's been here for a day and she's already beating on Troy," my blonde brother laughed, holding out his gloved hand for a fist bump which Jade gladly returned with a snort.

"A week," Smit corrected his best friend effortlessly, not taking his eyes off the shot he was about to make.

"Close enough," Jake rolled his eyes. "Point is Jade's got attitude and I like it," he laughed whole heartedly.

"I'm not," Troy muttered, coming to stand next to me while watching Smit plan his shot.

"Sore loser?" Jade asked with a smirk.

"Nah I just think some people need to be humbled. Clearly I am not doing any humbling just yet."

"And who exactly needs humbling?" Smit asked without breaking the swift motion of his shot, the white ball flying through the air. Smit and Jake spent too much time on the green to the point that their form looked PGA worthy and their scores were significantly better than the rest of us, even considering I'm there practicing half the time. Gold just wasn't wasn't my sport and it apparently wasn't Troy's either. Jade on the other hand seemed to a natural moderate, no where near looking like a fool but not pushing for the win either. I'd take that any day.

And I that shot land in the distance in the middle of the fairway, seemingly exactly where Jake's had landed. I couldn't tell from where we stood, but they were probably within feet of each other. Like I said, they had too much time. Smit turned around to face Troy with a raised eyebrow, crossing his arms knowingly.

"You," his hitter responded easily. "You and your Swedish twins need to take the ego down a few."

"I think my ego is rightfully inflated," Smit retorted. "I'm kind of as good as it gets."

"I would also agree with that," I chimed in. "I think I am also as good as it gets."

"Uhuh, you're just trying to hit on my boy in front of your girlfriend," Jake laughed, putting his arm over his best friend.

"Really?" Jade raised a dark, arched eyebrow turning to me questioningly.

"Sure, babe. We'll go with that one."

"I'd rather deal with Smit as a threat than May's ego, just putting it out there," Troy laughed.

"If that's a general consensus then by all means, Smith, shoot your shot," Jade smirked but I knew better than to fall for that bait and it seems Smith did too. We made eye contact and I could just tell what he was thinking. If it was a competition, Jade would get absolutely murdered. Smith was....confident in his own ability. And deep down I think he knew something I would never admit to him; that if given a fair chance I would worship the ground he walked on before even thinking about someone else. With that being said, this wasn't a fair world. Smith and I would never be anything more than sexual partners from time to time and there was nothing either time of us could do to change that. If that's even what he wanted.

I wasn't going to walk into the bear trap. I too was an insecure girl and I knew what a jealous girlfriend looked like. Jade night he joking now but if I were her, I would remember this moment in the back of my head. Perhaps I just have trust issues.

"I'd eat my own dick before that happens." Judging by the way Jake snorted at that, Smit had said it for my brother's own sanity. Lord knows that Korean would do a lot of things to me before it ever got to that.

"Good," my older brother echoed. That poor boy would keel over if he knew the truth about Smith and I's past. I hoped more than anything that never came to light because that would mean certain death for both Smith and I, no matter how serious Jade and I were. Smith and I would find early graves and Jake would never forgive us. The ending would be catastrophic at best.

The past is in the past, and I pray it stays that way.

It wasn't until after Troy and I had been absolutely decimated at golf and subsequently had to buy everyone lunch, and then dropped Jade off, that I finally got to talk to Smith alone for the first time since the day we hooked up almost two weeks ago. Jake had ditched us at the apartment to go to Jess' dorm leaving Smith and I in the living room playing Super Smash Bros.

"She's suspicious of me," Smit stated like a fact, not taking his eyes off the screen. His was sitting up in the couch, his elbows resting on his knees as he sat on the edge. I was leaning back, my legs folded over themselves as I sat cris-cross.

"You're just paranoid."

"That's just what you're telling yourself. No secure person kisses their girlfriend that much in public."

"You're just jealous." I liked Jade's show of affection. It made me feel secure.

"You're just an idiot," he echoed my dismissive tone. "She was going to kill me with her eyes today especially after Troy's joke. Did you tell her about us?"

"No. I'm not going to doom something before it even gets legs. She has nothing to be suspicious about I haven't talked to you without her in two weeks. Unless someone said something to her but I'm pretty sure we've been very discrete."

"Yeah..." Smit exhaled. "Maybe I am just paranoid."

"You and I both...I need this one to work after him. I need a fresh start."

"And I truly hope you get it, Maeve."

If only.