"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?"
I sat back and let Kit run with this, since she was feeling so confident now, and I liked seeing her in that light. "Yes," she replied quickly. "At the end of my first practice, my ankle was sore, and she carried me for the rest of that night. She was so strong and gentle that it put me right to sleep. Ever since then, whenever I can get into her lap, that is where I'm going to go. She makes me feel safe and protected."
"And is that a part of your relationship? Or should I ask how you define that?" Erin wondered.
Kit took a deep breath, and then leaned over and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek, her face blooming crimson as she did. I think my heart did a little tap dance as she initiated that, and I was pretty sure I'd be smiling for the rest of the night. "We started out as roommates and friends, but I think that changed to where we are now. We're taking things very slowly, because it is all so new and we're not normally very social, but we both like each other a lot."
"Would you say that you two are girlfriends then?"
Kit gave a little shrug and a shake of her head. "We don't really have a label, but there is nobody I'd rather be with."
"That goes for me too," I said quickly. "Right now, we're just trying to determine what we want, but Kit is amazing, and I have no intention of looking for anyone else. This girl is all I need."
"That is truly wonderful," Erin said with a smile. "You both seem perfect for one another, and I'm glad you shared your story with me tonight. Kit, I will probably want to talk to you again, but Janine here says that has to wait on something that she isn't sharing yet."
Janine smirked at her, and winked, and I wondered if they had something going on.
"If you're a good girl, I'll tell you later," Janine told her, and both my eyes and Kit's flew wide open, while Erin just blushed like a cherry lollipop. I guess that answered my question! I had little doubt that the waiting had something to do with the investigation into Coach McGinty, which would make Kit's story even juicier for a writer.
"Are you two dating?" Kit asked in a rush, since she was just as curious as I was.
"Not exactly," Erin said with a pout.
"We could make it official if you like," Janine told her. "We've been seeing each other for a few months, but I'm ready to be your girlfriend if you want to make it official."
"Yes!" Kit yelped as Erin nodded at Janine. "We can all be girlfriends!"
Janine and Erin left shortly after that, and I didn't speculate on what Erin might try to do to get the information about the investigation from Janine. I was really hoping that would unearth information soon since it was a pretty narrow focus that they were concentrating on. If Kit's grandmother asked her to hurt her, there would hopefully be something in a text or phone records, or maybe even bank records if a payment was made.
"Are you okay with calling ourselves girlfriends?" Kit asked once we had settled into our bed that night. She was cuddled into me with her silvery nightgown hiked up and her legs tangled within mine while her arm draped over my waist and her head was using my bicep as a pillow. It was a good thing I was wearing a tee shirt, or her eyes might get poked out by my nipples in the middle of the night thanks to her positioning.
"Of course, I am." I leaned down, kissing her gently on the forehead. "I like knowing you're mine and I'm yours. And it is just a label, it still doesn't change anything, so we can keep going at our own pace."
She nodded with a soft smile. "I wasn't going to say it, but when we started talking about the race, it made me think that if everyone knew that we were girlfriends, it might keep people like Mark from bothering us."
I looked down at her eyes as they gazed at me and couldn't believe I hadn't thought about that. "You might be right! It might not work on everyone, but I like the idea."
"And I can say I'm dating the best swimmer around."
"Ha, and I have an amazing diver in my arms all day long. If they gave gold medals for snuggling, you'd get one of those too!"
She groaned in annoyance. "That might be the only medal I get. I'm not as good at diving as you are at swimming."
"Kit, that doesn't change a thing about how I feel about you. I will support you all the way through the Olympics and I would be so proud of you if you got a medal. But I would still want you as my girlfriend if you didn't get one."
She sighed happily at that. "I really want a medal. I want to prove my grandmother wrong."
"Then we will work on that. Janine will help you with the dives, and I'll help keep you motivated and we'll both help in the weight room. We'll get you ready, I promise."