Ulterior Motives

I thought it would be awkward to be around Jack after our fight but it seemed he wanted to forget it as much as I do. He did avoid me all morning though, but when I saw him during lunch, he seemed just as cheerful as ever. Even his father noticed it and assured Jack how proud he was that he got into such a prestigious university. Though, it's not surprising, he added which I have to agree with. He didn't seem like a lazy student to me either. But somehow, I doubt that this is the reason for his sudden change of mood. And as it turned out, I was right.

"Can you play golf?" He asked me out of the blue when we finished eating.

"I believe you already suspect that I can't. So why asking?" I raised my glass to drink and from the corner of my eyes, I saw his father glancing at me.

"I couldn't be sure. But in any case, Lei can't come, so you'll substitute him," he told me matter-of-factly.

"Well, if you are looking for an easy win..." I said and stood up to leave in hopes that his pride wouldn't let him play against a weaker opponent and would go alone.

"It would be no fun beating you. But you can be my caddie," he said smiling at me.

"Your what?" I turned back and saw his father nodding in agreement then continued reading something on his phone.

"You can carry my clubs." I couldn't help but roll my eyes when I heard this.

"You know full well I would be the one carrying your stuff either way, so you could've just told me outright." I started losing my patience again.

"You know how to spoil the mood," he said seriously. "But whatever. Wait at my car, I'll be there in a minute," he ordered and ran up the stairs. His father was still in the dining room and even though he didn't seem to be listening, I decided to do what Jack asked me to in case he was.

                                                                          ******

It really astonishes me how he can do this for so long without stopping. I admit doing it might be more interesting. At least that has the excitement of successfully hitting the ball to land in the hole. But watching it... I can't even be of use to him, since I've no idea what he needs and when. So, I just stand here like a fool watching him hitting ball after ball after ball. At least he looks good while doing so. But it's still boring to just watch.

At this point, Jack hit a ball, which after bouncing off a tree, fell right into a pond in the distance.

"I hope you don't think even for a moment that I'm gonna go after that," I told him and pointed in the direction of the lake.

"Of course not. You would become soaking wet if you were to go after it," he said and put another ball in position and was ready to hit it. "Then we would have to go home to prevent you from falling ill. And I still have a few rounds in me." 

When he hit the ball again, I realized my ears got used to the sound of the ball being hit. And his tall, slender figure looks like it was specifically made for this sport. Every time he swings his arms, it just looks so effortless.

"What is it?" He asked suddenly, without turning back. He must have sensed that I'd been watching him.

"I can't imagine what is so enjoyable in hitting a ball to a hole you can't even see because it's so far away," I told earnestly to his back.

"Well, one does need to have certain skills to be able to do that," he said with a smirk, and I may be just imagining things but it almost felt like he deliberately stressed some of the words he said in order to tease me. Even though I cannot help that I can't play.

He hit the ball again and came back right after for a change of clubs. If I remember correctly how he called them. He put back the one he no longer needed and while searching for the appropriate one for the next hit, he said, still smirking, "Besides, sometimes the hole is close enough to see clearly."

This time his voice was low and velvety and I immediately became embarrassed upon hearing it. He probably didn't mean anything by it but the way he said it is just too alluring. Even if he said "We're out of bread, go and buy some," it could still turn someone on when said in this tone. But he didn't seem to realize what an effect he has on others since he casually went back to the ball right after. I just continued looking at him and thought that these days I need to get a grip more often than I should.

"I can teach you," he said suddenly right after hitting the ball without even checking where it flew off to.

"Hu-uh..." My voice sounded hesitant but actually, I felt more embarrassed than hesitant.

"Golf. I can teach you if you want to," he told me and tilted his head to the side while looking at me.

"No, thank you. I'm not gonna make a fool of myself," Especially not in front of you, I thought.

"You won't," he said and after retrieving the ball, he extended his hand towards me to take the club from him. He waited and didn't seem to change his mind.

"Alright, but don't laugh," I said as I went up to him.

"I would never," he told me and looked straight into my eyes. "You know, even pro golfers don't always manage to get the ball in.

He probably wanted to comfort me. But there's a great difference between a professional making a mistake and someone who doesn't know how to do it. One is just considered to have tough luck, while the other looks miserable. Not my cup of tea.

"See? I told you so." In my defense, the ball at least flew away but to where, I have no idea.

"Not bad. At least you managed to somewhat imitate my posture. I admit I should've let you try something easier first."

He went back to the golf cart and sat back in, so I followed while bringing his equipment with me. He knew the course as his second home, so he was the one to drive again. He took us to another area of the course where his previous comment turned out to be true. After selecting the appropriate club to use, he gave it to me to try and hit it from a less than a meter distance. It seemed easy but it wasn't.

"Change your position a bit, like this," he showed me. "And your grip should be different," he said and adjusted the position of my fingers and eventually, my arms as well. Besides the embarrassment, I also feel uneasiness now which is a really bad combo if someone wants to actually get things done. But somehow I managed to get the ball in this time although, I was probably just lucky.

"Not bad. Now move farther away and try it again from there."

I followed his instructions but I don't know why. Maybe he just wants to ease his boredom that's why he takes the time to instruct me on something he knows I'll probably never do again after going back to my time.

"You didn't pay attention," he called me out. "You should've done it like this," he said and wrapped his arms around me to show me the correct swing. His move was smooth, sudden, and unexpected. He seemed not to realize how aware I became of his closeness all of a sudden which is quite counter-effective in the given situation.

He swung together with me two or three times for practice, then on the fourth attempt we actually hit the ball which this time really did go in. He let me go immediately after it which almost made me exhale loudly as people staying underwater for a long time do after coming back to the surface again.

"Thanks," was all I could say.

"Go and get the ball. I'm kind of hungry now. I need to grab something to eat," he said casually and took the club away from me to put it back into the bag.

I walked up to the hole to retrieve the ball and couldn't help but think that if his father knew what went through my mind just now, my body would be found on this course like in a loose adaptation of Murder on the Links.