Nobody's Obligation (Swimming Upstream #2)

by Rebecca Barber

  Looking around at the men sitting with him, Tyler was stunned. He didn’t know what was going on. He’d assumed these men were Ava’s superiors, yet here they were talking to him like they were her fathers and he was a boy showing up on the doorstep ready to take their precious daughter out for the first time. It was unnerving but at the same time it provided Tyler a certain sense of comfort. No matter what happened to Ava, she had people who cared about her. People who would protect her. People who loved her.

  “See, Tyler, Ava hasn’t had the easiest time, and if she decides to tell you more about that, then that’s her call. What I will tell you is that Ava has always been the first to jump to your defence. No matter what it was, she was always there defending you. Going up against others who made jokes at your expense or blindly believed the rumours or the papers or whatever it was. She was worried about you when things weren’t good, and not just in an ‘Oh, that’s sad’ kinda way, but more in a ‘burst into tears and cry openly about it’ way. And if you have the chance to get to know Ava, you’ll quickly see that she doesn’t just cry ’cause she broke a nail or they were out of her favourite shade of lipstick. It takes something big to shake her, but every time…you did.” Michael paused, taking in Tyler’s expression.

  “Tyler, Ava always believed,” Christopher added, rising to his feet, signalling the end of the conversation.

  “What do you mean?”

  Michael and Christopher exchanged confused glances. “An example?” When Tyler nodded, silence ensued. More uneasy glances were exchanged before Michael’s calming voice broke through. “A couple of years ago, I’m sure you’ll remember the gay rumours that went around…”

  “I’m not fucking gay…” Tyler boomed, his anger appearing from nowhere, shocking everyone including himself.

  Ignoring Tyler’s outburst as if it had never happened, Michael continued, “Ava straight away jumped to your defence.”

  “There was nothing to defend. I told you, I’m not gay,” Tyler seethed through clenched teeth as he balled his fists at his sides.

  “Tyler, you’re missing the point.” Michael attempted to calm him.

  “No, you’re missing the point. The point is…I’m. Not. Gay.”

  Christopher, who had remained silent through Tyler’s outburst, leant forward, looking straight up into Tyler’s angry eyes, refusing to be intimidated despite the size difference. “Tyler, the point isn’t whether or not the rumours were true. The point is Ava didn’t actually care either way, although I’m sure she preferred if they weren’t. All she wanted was the papers and the magazines to leave you alone and let you deal with it like everyone else. She just wanted you to have the chance to be okay.”

  Stunned into silence didn’t even begin to explain Tyler’s expression. He was gobsmacked. He had spent all of about two minutes in the same room as Ava and for most of it she’d been unconscious, yet he was overwhelmed with compassion and confusion for her.

  “B-But she doesn’t even know me,” Tyler objected as he cracked his neck.

  And that was it. Christopher rose from the chair and reached for the door handle. He turned, and with a satisfied smirk, he responded simply, “Then why are you so upset?”

  Leaving Tyler’s mind reeling, Christopher and Michael hurried from the room. Tyler took a moment, sucking in deep breaths. He could hear voices just outside and knew that any moment he would once again be face to face with Ava and this time he was going to do better. He had to.

  Chapter 6

  Ava

  “Ava!” Michael snapped, forcing her to focus her attention on him rather than the door in front of her. “Look at me!” Slowly Ava dragged her eyes up to look at Michael, who had a shit-eating grin consuming his face. “Breathe! You’ll be fine. Just go in there and talk to him. And don’t faint. We need to get this conference call started soon.” He laughed heartily.

  “Okay.” Ava exhaled, stepping towards the door. “Here goes nothing.”

  Ava sucked in the deepest breath she could manage and stepped into the room. It was stifling. It was like there was no air. It was hot and the air was thick. Or maybe it was just Tyler’s presence was so overwhelming that she forgot to breathe. Tyler stood up and for the first time Ava saw how truly amazing he really was. He towered above her and she wasn’t exactly short. His penetrating eyes locked with Ava’s and she suddenly felt swept away.

  “I’m sorry,” Ava blurted out unexpectedly as she wobbled on her feet.

  “No, please. I’m the one that should be sorry. I really don’t know why I’m here,” Tyler mumbled quickly, running his hand across his stubble. Ava gulped loudly as she wished it was her fingertips tracing his jaw. “Please, Ava, have a seat,” he encouraged, offering her his hand to help her. Undecided on whether to accept or not, Ava hesitated, but Tyler didn’t, he just took charge, reaching for her hand and wrapping his around it.

  “Ouch!” she exclaimed louder than she had intended. Instantly Tyler dropped it and stepped back. It didn’t seem like he could do anything right.

  “Ava, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  “It’s fine. Just a bit sore. I’ll live,” she explained as she dropped into the lounge.

  “I really didn’t mean to hurt you,” Tyler tried again, but Ava waved it off. Tyler felt completely out of his comfort zone. Nothing he did was going right.

  Knowing she was in a once in a lifetime situation and that Amanda would want full details the moment she emerged from the meeting room, Ava straightened her back, folded her hands in her lap, and smiled her fake, ‘happy to be there’ smile. “So, Tyler, what can I do for you?”

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the curled copy of Ava’s book. Ava let out an involuntary gasp as her face once again changed to a deathly shade of white.

  “Please don’t pass out,” Tyler begged, dropping the book on the floor and scooting across to sit beside her.

  “Wh-Where’d you get that?” Ava stuttered.

  “Actually my sister sent it to me. She read it and thought I should,” he explained, never once taking his eyes from Ava.

  “But why?”

  “That’s why I’m here, I guess. I was kinda hoping that you could tell me,” Tyler continued. Ava raised a quizzical eyebrow. She didn’t understand what he was asking. “You and I have never met before today, have we?”

  “No,” Ava answered quickly. Ava felt her heart race at a million beats per minute. She had no idea where this conversation was headed or what was going on. And the truth was she was terrified. Had she done something wrong?

  “So, Ava Jacobs, tell me… How the hell do you know so much about my life?” he asked, his voice filled with curiosity. Ava quivered.

  “Ummmm…” Ava didn’t have an answer. Sure she had written a book about a swimmer and it had done okay. Nothing spectacular, but that wasn’t what it was about for her. She wrote because it was an escape from her humdrum life. An escape from the mindless and petty bullshit she dealt with day to day. The truth was she thought only her friends had read it out of obligation. But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that it would find its way to the object of her teenage crush and adult fantasies. And then for him to not only find out about it, but then to read it and confront her about it? This sort of stuff just didn’t happen to real people…and never to Ava.

  “I read it last night…”

  “All of it?” Ava scoffed.

  “Yeah!” Tyler admitted, running his hands through his hair. “I started late yesterday afternoon and finished early this morning. It was good.” Tyler blushed.

  “Did you even stop to eat?” She grinned.

  Ava watched as Tyler visibly relaxed. His shoulders slumped as he fell heavier into the couch. “Yeah.”

  “So, sorry, I must still be missing something. You read my book yesterday. Finished it early this morning. And now here you are. Sitting in my office. Why?”

  Ava watched as Tyler fidgeted. It was intriguing. She had watched him over the years on t
elevision as he prepared for races and he looked unflappable. Going head to head with the world’s best with the weight of a nation on his shoulders, the media betting against him, and he hadn’t batted an eyelid. Yet there he was, standing before her, his face was completely blank. He licked his dry lips and Ava’s stomach clenched.

  “Just say whatever it is you came to say, Tyler. I’m tough. I can handle it. Even if the last few minutes are evidence to the contrary,” Ava told him bluntly. She was getting twitchy and not knowing what was coming was more unnerving than she could handle.

  Tyler gulped and leapt to his feet. “I came here to demand that you explain yourself. I want to know why you thought it was okay to expose my life. And not just my life, but my personal life the way you did. You don’t even have all the facts. You don’t even know me,” Tyler gushed out all in one breath. Stepping backwards, Tyler folded his long arms across his wide chest.

  Ava didn’t know what to say or how to react. She knew he was waiting for an answer but she had nothing. “Tyler, I-I don’t know what you want me to say,” she spluttered in the most unladylike fashion possible.

  “Just tell me how you knew,” he pleaded, all the anger fading from his voice.

  Completely beleaguered, Ava had no idea. Her usually active mind faltered and blanked. How did she explain so he would understand, when the truth was she couldn’t even understand it herself? It was just too unbelievable. She had written straight from her imagination. She had never been part of a national team nor had she been subjected to media scrutiny and speculation. She had never had anyone expect anything from her, except for maybe disappointment and failure.

  “Tyler, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise. I mean how could I? It was just make-believe! Just bullshit! I made it all up,” Ava confessed.

  “But it’s my life. It’s right here in black and white,” Tyler growled, picking up the book and rolling it in his hands.

  “Look, I’ll be the first to admit that the main character—James—he’s based on you. He’s got your looks. And yes, he is a world champion swimmer and an Australian, but that’s just the generic information. When it comes to the important details—the family, the feelings, the situations—that’s all made up. It’s complete crap. I mean, there is no way I could possibly know if any of that was even remotely accurate. And frankly, I hope that it isn’t. Because I would like to believe that your life isn’t that dramatic. Other than the fact you get up extremely early and swim kilometres each day, I’d pray you lead a boring life. One filled with the same monotonous tasks the rest of us do. The washing and ironing, grocery shopping, and scrubbing the bathroom,” Ava stated matter-of-factly.

  Secretly Tyler was relieved. He’d been terrified that if he rattled her she would cave, but she had proven him wrong and he’d never felt so satisfied. “I wish it was that boring.” He sighed, settling himself back on the lounge beside her.

  Surprised, Ava couldn’t help but to pry. Not for her next book, but more to satisfy her own morbid curiosity. “You mean it actually is that dramatic? I didn’t think anyone’s life could be that full of bullshit.”

  “Yep, I think that’s why I let it get to me the way it did. You hit too close to home,” Tyler admitted as a strange sadness crept into his eyes.

  “Tyler. I’m really sorry. Like I said, that was never my intention. I really didn’t think that you would ever see it, and even if you did, that it would resemble anything close to reality. I guess the truth is I just didn’t think,” Ava apologised. She found that she really meant it. She was beyond humiliated that she had hurt the one man in the world who she admired more than any other. The one person she knew she would give up the world for.

  “Ava,” Tyler sighed in his huskiest voice as he squatted down in front of her, wrapping both her hands in his. Ava looked straight into his eyes. Even squatting down he was dominating. He was the same height as she was and they were face to face, their lips barely inches apart. “Please don’t feel bad. I get it now. Yes, I’ll admit that when I came in here this morning I was hoping to make your life hell. The truth is I wanted you to hurt as much as I did, but now I know. It was a complete and utter coincidence. You wrote a great book. It was intriguing and compelling, and like you said, dramatic. It just happened that I took it to heart. But you’re right. That was a reality you had no possible way of knowing about, and I should be the one apologising to you. I judged you without having all the facts. You didn’t deserve that. So, Ava Jacobs, please accept my apology.” Tyler glanced up at her, his steely gaze never leaving Ava’s.

  Her heart was almost beating out of her chest. Tyler Andrews was on his knees in front of her begging for her forgiveness. This had to either be some kind of sick, perverted prank or the best dream ever. And right now Ava didn’t care either way. It didn’t matter. The truth was, she was there with Tyler Andrews. That fact alone was a dream come true.

  “How about we just both agree to be sorry and move on?” Ava offered.

  “You’re a very smart woman, Ms. Jacobs,” Tyler agreed cheerily.

  Tyler sprang to his feet with the grace and agility of a gazelle. Ava was besotted. Her hands were still dwarfed by Tyler’s as he pulled her to her feet. At first she swayed slightly, but he held her firm. “You okay there?” he asked, moving his hands to rest on her curvy hips.

  Feeling a strange yet familiar warmth flood her body at his touch, Ava only managed to make a mangled mewing sound in response. “Sorry I was an arse,” he apologised again, pulling her into his warm, strong embrace. Ava couldn’t contain her sigh as it escaped over her lips and she breathed in his strong scent—a heady combination of musk, peppermint, and something distinctively Tyler, Ava could only assume. She had never smelt it before and had never been so completely intoxicated and aroused by a scent.

  “Sorry I wrote about your life,” Ava conceded into his shoulder.

  After a brief silence, Tyler stepped back and let go. “I should let you get back to work.”

  “Gee, thanks for that.” Ava groaned sarcastically. The truth was she didn’t want to go anywhere. She would have been quite happy to stay wrapped up in Tyler for the rest of the day. But she couldn’t say that out loud. She didn’t want him to think she was an even bigger freak than he already did.

  Unexpectedly to both of them, Tyler bent down and dropped a chaste kiss on Ava’s cheek before bidding her farewell. “See you around, Ava.”

  “Bye, Tyler.”

  “Oh! And Ava, please don’t tell anyone about this. You know…”

  “Yeah, I know,” she replied as she stumbled out the door.

  Chapter 7

  Tyler

  Tyler watched the sway of her wide hips as she wobbled down the corridor and disappeared behind the doors marked ‘staff only.’ Usually after conversations he’d had in the past that he wanted to remain private, Tyler often found himself wondering how long it would take before it was in a magazine or on Twitter, but with Ava, strangely he had no doubts. Not even the slightest inkling that she would expose him. And that knowledge both disturbed and captivated him in a way he didn’t quite understand.

  Sighing louder than he intended, he grabbed the tattered copy of her book, stuffed it in his back pocket, dug out his car keys, and slipped his sunglasses in place. Now he had done what he had come to do, even if it had gone completely opposite to what he’d envisioned. He knew it was done and now it was time to move on. Now he had to face the next hurdle, and that meant signing on for a job he never wanted in a place he never intended to live. Might as well swallow his pride while he was eating humble pie.

  Tyler almost made it through the busy reception without being recognised or stopped, but that was just too much to ask. The pretty young receptionist caught his arm and flung herself at him unashamedly. Shaking his head sadly, this was something he had seen before. She had nothing else to lose. It was probably the last time she would ever see him, so why not do her worst?

  “Mr. Andrews?” she purred, uncrossing her legs and
stalking towards him.

  Unlike when he had arrived, the reception area seemed strangely deserted and quiet, not making his escape any easier. She strutted towards him, putting all her effort into making her non-existent figure look as enticing as possible. The problem wasn’t that she wasn’t attractive, she was, the problem was she was young. Too young, and definitely not Tyler’s type. Shaking his head and trying to force the image of Ava’s soft curves from his mind, he was surprised and confused by where the comparison had come from. Focusing on the issue at hand, his eyes instantly found the two top buttons on her blouse that were safely fastened earlier had mysteriously come undone. The wafting scent of cheap perfume was too overpowering and too old for her.

  “Yeah,” he replied, not wanting to be rude, but trying not to encourage her either. That was the last thing he needed. Another scandal.

  Gulping, she stepped towards him and stumbled, reaching out and grabbing hold of his bicep to stop herself from falling face first onto the carpet. Tyler’s gaze fell on her talon-like hot pink fingernails and he couldn’t stifle the chuckle. “Sorry about that,” she apologised from under her fluttering eyelids. She was really pulling out the big guns.

  “No worries.” Tyler flaunted the most charming smile he could muster. He knew what she wanted to see. The person she wanted him to be. It was the fake one. The one the cameras loved. The one the public thought they knew. The golden boy. The boy next door that you could bring home to meet your grandmother. The fake. The lie. No one knew the truth. No one except damn Ava, and she wasn’t aware that she actually knew. She just somehow fluked it and came out with a pretty bloody accurate description.

  Her talons were still digging into his arm, no longer for support but now more in an effort to prolong the contact. “Would I be—um…um…be able to—um—g-get your autograph?” she stuttered.