Powering Through: A Sequel to Learning To Swim For Real

Chapter 35: London Calling

Kelsey and Jack sailed through the next two and a half weeks of their lives as if they were on a cloud, the same, happy, puffy cloud. Kelsey went back to work after only three days off, shot the rewritten scenes, and wrapped up shooting a mere ten days over schedule. Jack got his school work back on track, including the two days he'd missed because he'd been at the hospital with Kelsey. He already had qualifying times in a couple of events, but his performance at Championships was questionable because of his spotty attendance and "lack of concentration"; no one was holding it against him, though, even his coach. Everyone knew what he'd been through.

Jack had wondered, that first day, if Kelsey was going to start dropping hints about maybe having him move back in. He thought about how she might phrase it, and wondered if he should maybe start hinting around himself?

He wasn't left wondering very long. He received a text from Kelsey around lunchtime:

"I was hoping you'd think about coming back to live with me. I know we have a lot of things to talk about, but if you're not at that place, I understand. Please think about it, though, okay?"

This was a different Kelsey, Jack reflected. The old Kelsey would have beaten around the bush a little, made oblique references to being lonely or not liking living alone or something. He'd sent back a simple message:

"🐬🐬See you tonight, then, Kelseylove. 🐬🐬"

Since then, he'd begun leaving more and more of his stuff at her house, until now, two weeks later, he was basically all moved back.

Marian had not come back to the set since that night with Jack, and Kelsey had confirmed with Candy that she'd moved out of her apartment, and was spending some time with her family in Northern California before going back to law school in the fall.

The only place things hadn't returned to the way they were before was the bedroom, and this wasn't really anyone's fault. Kelsey had kind of left things up to Jack, and Jack had been reluctant, for lack of a better phrase, to dive back into things. Everything was really good, he reasoned, so why rush into anything? There certainly wasn't any animosity between them. They were very comfortable and affectionate with each other, and frequently slept wrapped up in each other's arms, which Jack loved. He just didn't want to rock the boat. Kelsey seemed to understand this, and didn't push it.

Between wrapping up filming and getting ready to go to London, she had plenty to distract her, anyway. In addition to her own evening gown, she had to pull together a tuxedo for Jack to wear as well, since he didn't own anything like this. This event was even more formal than the function last summer, the one at which Jack had beaten Don Simonsen so badly; there were a few times when Kelsey or her assistant tried to have Jack come to fittings or to look at suits and gowns for her that he wasn't available. Once, Kelsey even had an appointment with Jack at a designer's and he flat out didn't show. She texted him, and got a distracted text back about how he was stuck at school, but later that day she heard him laughing in the dining room with one of the skaniteers, and overheard her say that they'd missed him in class that day, which was really odd.

It didn't matter, though, because she was the new and improved Kelsey, who didn't question things like that any more. She loved Jack, and that was all that mattered to her. She trusted her feelings, and she believed him when he said that he loved her.

The night before they were to leave for London, they were cuddled up in bed, too wired to sleep, talking.

"You know that Phoenix will be there? At the Gala, I mean?" Kelsey said, leaning on Jack's chest in the dark. She felt Jack shrug.

"So?"

"How do you feel towards him?" Kelsey asked. "We've never really talked about him, you know?"