Free Substitute Boyfriend by Jade C. Jamison Page B

streaming in.  Bummer we couldn’t enjoy it.  “Damn,” I said, unable to hide my disappointment.
    “What?”
    “Too bad it’s locked up.”
    “Yeah, they lock it at nine.”  So, at this point , I was wondering why he was toying with me, but he was pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.  I couldn’t figure out what he was doing, but he took a credit card out and slid the wallet back in his pocket.  “Hold this,” he said, handing me his towel.  He wedged the card in between the door and the jamb, sliding it down slowly, and I couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing, but he grabbed the handle with his left hand.  After several seconds, he pulled the door open.  “After you,” he said.
    Ah, so he’d forced the lock open.  “Roman, we’re not supposed to be in here, right?”
    “Yeah.   So?”
    “So?  Isn’t that breaking and entering?”  I was walking inside, despite my protests.
    “Technically, but if it makes you feel any better, my rent pays for use of the facilities.  I’m just being creative because the hours they have it unlocked are not conducive to my schedule.  I still realize that I am personally responsible for any injury that occurs to my person while I’m here.”  I rolled my eyes, but I doubted he could see it.  Even though some ambient light spilled in through the windows, it was difficult to make out details.  “And that is no different than if I’d been here at three in the afternoon.  So relax.”
    He walked closer to the pool area.  It appeared to be, for the most part, a pretty open area, and I could at least make out the pool and the surroundings.  There were a few chaise lounges and one table with three chairs and some shelves.  That was where Roman was heading.  I followed.  When I reached him, he took the towels from me and set them on one of the shelves and then slipped his shoes off.  “Hot tub or pool first?”
    Ugh.  I felt sticky and miserable from the relentless heat.  “Hot tub?  You won’t get me in there till fall.”
    “Then pool it is.   That’s probably good, ‘cause I don’t know if I could figure out how to turn it on.”  He was peeling off his shorts to reveal what appeared to be swimming trunks underneath.  He also placed the shorts on the shelf next to the towels.  Then he pointed toward the pool.  “Shallow end is on this side.  Last one in is a rotten egg.”  He sprinted off toward the water.
    I still had my flip flops on and hadn’t planned on running, so I could be the rotten egg.  I was looking forward to cooling off in the water, though.   I kicked off my shoes while I watched his shadow run towards the middle of the pool and then he took a shallow dive.  I planned to be a little more dignified about it, instead walking toward the pool.  By the time I got to the edge, Roman’s head was back above water and he shouted, “It’s great.”  I was nervous about the volume of his voice, because if people could hear him outside the walls, we’d be caught and get in huge trouble.  I’d tell him that, but no way was I going to yell it back.  I could make out concrete steps on the shallow end that descended into the water, and more than half of the steps were buried underneath it.  I’d be able to ease myself in rather than jumping like my friend had.  And I was glad, because the water was cooler than I’d expected.  Maybe instead I had been hotter than I’d thought.  Either way, the temperature was a little shocking, and I wanted to adjust.
    Roman started swimming toward the shallow end until he stood and started walking up to where I was.  My feet finally touched the floor of the pool, and my lower body was getting used to the coolness of the water.  I certainly couldn’t complain about the heat anymore, though.   I stayed close to the edge, planning to stretch my arms out while the rest of my body floated, but I had to ease my way into the deeper end first.
    Roman got close to me before I