7. Cole
7
COLE
W ith each dribble of the basketball, I felt more alive than ever before. Juan's eyes on me, burning with intensity, fueled my every move. I could feel the sweat trickling down my brow as we continued our heated game of one-on-one. The sun beat down relentlessly, but I didn't care. All that mattered was the ball in my hands and the audience of one who couldn't seem to tear her gaze away from me.
Rose sat on the bench watching, and I felt her eyes on me the entire time. The random chance that we’d bump into each other again made it one hundred percent obvious to me that something was brewing between us. I didn't think for a second that she had tracked me down. I believed in fate, however, and the stars were aligning between us.
I spun around him, feinting a layup before pulling back and sinking a three-pointer. "Game point," I panted, chest heaving with exertion but adrenaline coursing through my veins. Juan's jaw set in determination as he took the ball, dribbling it up the court. I knew I had to bring my A-game if I wanted to walk away with the win.
I readied myself on defense, mirroring his every move as he weaved his way down the court. With only a few seconds left on the imaginary clock, Juan double-pumped, trying to fake me out. I didn't bite, staying grounded and reaching up to swat the ball away at the last second. The ball sailed through the air and landed in Rose's lap, who deftly caught it with a grin.
"Well, looks like I win," I said, wiping the sweat from my brow as I strolled over to claim my prize, a punch to Juan’s shoulder. "Rematch?" Juan asked, extending a hand for a good-natured handshake.
"Maybe next time," I replied before turning my attention back to Rose. She was still there, still staring, and now she held my ball in her hands as if she was waiting for me to come retrieve it. I pulled my eyes off Rose as I followed Juan to the bench where our gym bags and water bottles were stashed. He was heaving for air and I was pretending I wasn't winded.
"So, you gonna ask her out or what?" he panted, shoving a water bottle into my chest. I caught it and took a long swig of the cold, refreshing liquid before responding.
"I don't know, man," I said, feigning indifference even though my heart was racing. "It's been a while since I've done this whole dating thing." I didn't mention that Rose was the first person to catch my attention in quite some time, not since before the accident that had changed my life forever.
Juan gave me a knowing look as he pulled a towel from his bag and wiped the sweat from his brow. "You're stalling, man. Just go talk to her already. Worst-case scenario, she shoots you down and you're no worse off than you are now."
I glanced over at Rose, who was still watching us intently, a coy smile on her lips as she bounced the basketball between her legs. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Juan was right. I had nothing to lose—except my heart. That was still an irrational fear I had, that any woman I allowed to get close to me in the future would be ripped away from me the way Kate was. Then I thought of the obvious age difference and why a woman Rose’s age would ever want to date a man my age seriously when she could have someone closer to her age who would be around much longer than me.
"Yeah, I just don't know," I told him, but I couldn't shake the idea that fate had sent Rose to me, or maybe Kate had.
"I can't keep up with the silver fox, I guess. I gotta bolt, man. I'll catch ya Monday." Juan gave me one of his odd hand-slap, fist-bump handshakes, and I nodded at him.
"Later," I called as he shouldered his bag and walked off. Then I chuckled at his nickname for me and ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. I picked up my own bag and hung it from my shoulder, then started walking over toward where Rose sat. She held my ball under her arm and stood up, smirking at me as I stopped in front of her.
"Good game," she said, tossing me the ball a little more accurately this time. I caught it and tucked it between my elbow and hip and grinned at her.
"I have a fan?" I noticed her eyes sweep down over my sweaty skin and then back up to my face. She couldn't hide the attraction. I saw it in her eyes.
"You're no Michael Jordan, but you kept me entertained." Rose tucked her phone into an arm band strapped to her right bicep, and I took the moment to admire that she, too, was a bit sweaty. I'd seen her run up and start stretching, though I hadn’t known it was her until Jordan lost control of the ball and I had to chase it over here the first time.
"Out for a run?" I asked, noticing her sneakers. She was in great shape, and those Spandex looked amazing on her. It was so different seeing her curves in something form fitting instead of loose scrubs.
"Uh, yeah… I'm training to run a half-marathon in the fall." She tucked a stray wisp of hair around her ear and smiled at me. "You're pretty good at basketball. Did you play in college?" She batted her eyelashes at me and her eyes moved downward again. It was like she couldn't stop admiring my body. I took care of myself and made sure to keep in good shape.
"No, actually. I played a little in high school, but my passion in college was just medicine." And Kate… but I wasn’t going to bring that up now. Not when we were finally forming a real rapport. "Hey, would you like to go across the street to that new smoothie shop and get a protein shake?" I raised my eyebrows and her smile brightened.
"I'd love to." She shrugged both shoulders slightly and fell into step next to me.
We walked across the street, and I pulled my wallet out and paid for two banana protein shakes, and we sat on a bench in the shade watching cars pass between us and the park. I watched her lips wrap around the straw and the shake ascend into her mouth, and she smiled.
"It's so good." Her face lit up, and I grinned.
"I knew you'd love it. I come here almost every Saturday from April to September. Juan and I play basketball or go for a run. Sometimes, we do a little cross fit too." I slurped my own smoothie as she nodded and swallowed a huge gulp.
"I've only been around a short time, but this park is my favorite. I have to commute all the way across town, but it's worth it. None of the other parks have trails like these for running." She sighed happily. "How long have you lived in Denver?"
"Oh, gosh, I grew up here. I'm ancient," I joked, and she snickered.
"Is that why Juan called you the silver fox?" A smirk played on her lips and she continued. "Or was that nickname given to you by other women for your good looks?" Rose was a natural at this, and it made me feel a little inadequate. I was so far out of this dating game, I didn't even know how people today flirted with each other. She was clearly dominating this conversation too, which I didn't mind.
"I suppose it could be either." I sucked on my straw and realized my obvious failure to drop a hint. So while she enjoyed a sip of her smoothie, I continued. "I mean, Juan calls me that because I told him I found you attractive, so he thinks something's going on."
A noticeable blush crept across her cheeks and she looked down at her cup. The pink tinted drink swirled around inside it as she tipped it back and forth, and I enjoyed the bit of embarrassment that hedged her in. Then she looked up and met my gaze with a serious expression so bold I felt taken off guard.
"You find me attractive?" Her tongue drew along her bottom lip, and I watched it. I wondered what the smoothie would taste like right off her lip.
"I thought that was obvious, and I’m sorry if it wasn't… Uh, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"
I really put myself out there shooting my shot like this. I didn't know if she was even that interested in me. Watching me play basketball without my shirt on and joining me for a smoothie didn't mean she wanted to date me.
"Uh, well, we work together…" Her words lingered between us, and I remembered her saying something about relationships with coworkers getting messy, which I understood. But we weren't exactly working side by side.
"This is because of your not wanting to associate with coworkers off the clock?" If it never worked out, it wouldn’t be that hard to avoid each other at the hospital.
"Actually, no. I thought there was a no-fraternization policy at work?" She narrowed her eyes at me and sucked on her straw, and I bobbed one shoulder.
"I don't think it matters that much if we're not in the same department, but I get it. I'm not worried, but I understand if you're too uncomfortable." The wind was slowly fading from my sails, but her head shaking put a pause in that deflation.
"Alright, well, no. If you're not worried, I'm not worried. Just tell me when and where. I'd love to have dinner."
Rose beamed at me again, and finally, after weeks of back and forth, I had scored a date with her. I was interested to see where this went, even if it went nowhere. It'd been so long since I'd been on a date that I forgot what it felt like. It was a good feeling, and I hoped it lasted a while.