Chapter 23 #3
People who don’t come out unless there’s something worth seeing.
Everyone feels the pressure.
But.
When I glance over to the sideline and catch Frankie watching, it makes the pressure feel lighter.
I should’ve known they were up to something.
They wait until I’m distracted with lacing my boots, half-listening to Amin talk about stamina drills before it happens. Someone whistles and I turn to see Frankie walks by a few yards away, chin lifted, wearing Sol’s jersey.
The number hangs low on her thighs.
I stare at her.
She grins. “What?”
I walk straight up to her and grab the hem of the jersey.
“Take off this nonsense.”
She squeals as I tug it over her head, laughter and before the team can get another word out, I’ve got her wrist in my hand.
“Locker room,” I mutter. “Now.”
The shouting gets worse as I pull her away.
“Prank successful!” Sol calls after us. “She’s one of us now!”
Frankie’s still laughing when the locker room door shuts behind us.
“Aww, are you mad—”
I cut her off. “Against the wall.”
Her eyes grow, “Huh?”
“Against. The. Wall.”
“Don’t be sensitive, Jabari. It was a joke.”
“I ain’t repeating myself.”
Her eyebrow cocks. “Who’s it you feel you talking to? Catch your head and—”
My hand goes around her neck, squeezing as I back her into the wall myself. “Catch my head and what?”
She just stares up at me.
“Exactly. I don’t play like that so let it be the first and last time I catch you in another man’s shirt.”
“He’s your friend, Bari.”
“I don’t care who he is. It’s a no go for me. Now nod if you understand me.”
A light nod, followed by lip biting.
With that, I let her go, grab a towel and toss it at her, before turning toward the showers. “We’re washing the scent off you.”
I catch her staring at me through the mirror as the steam builds quickly. Water echoes against tile. The noise softens everything.
“Was I too harsh, Jelly?”
“No, no. I just need a moment to let my panties dry.”
Oh my days.
“You’re a real sadist. You know that?”
“Oh come off it. Don’t you try to psychoanalysis me. I’ve been called worse by better.”
“I seriously doubt that, Jelly.”
“You really don’t think people say cruel things to me?”
“No, I just don’t think there is anyone better than me.”
She looks off into the distance, probably looking for an invisible camera and walks past me, getting in the shower. I follow.
After a moment of me watching her scrub that jackarse’s scent off of her, I speak again. “I get it now.”
She looks over. “Get what?”
“Why playing with you today felt familiar.” I scrub my own hands together. “When we were kids. We used to play like that. I remember landing on top of you back then too.”
She nods. “Yeah.”
“Clumsy as fuck,” I add.
“You weren’t,” she says.
“I know I wasn’t, Jelly. I was talking about you.”
There’s a pause.
“I was a kid!”
“Yeah a very clumsy, uncoordinated child.”
She flips me off.
“I miss that,” she continues quietly. “I miss childhood innocence. I still remember how you used to wash your kit yourself. Didn’t trust your mum to get the stains out.”
I blink. “You remember that?”
“You used way too much soap powder,” she says. “But I liked the smell.”
I glance at her. “Oh?”
She shrugs, embarrassed now. “You were sweet back then. Always wanted to look your best. Especially when you played the older kids.”
“You remember a lot,” I say.
She hesitates. Then: “You were the only one who was nice to me. Besides Za. Then you started training seriously and got mean. But I was convinced that under all that prepubescent nervous system was still the sweet kid who scrubbed his kit on Sundays.”
A quiet laugh slips out of me. “Is that why you used to smell my clothes?”
Her face heats. “It was stupid.”
“No,” I say gently. “It’s… sweet.”
“Shut up, Jabari.”
I turn toward her fully now. The joking edge is gone.
“I’m serious,” I say. “I’m sorry I turned something innocent into something else.”
She studies my face, water running between us, steam rising.
For a long moment, neither of us speaks.
Then she steps closer and rests her forehead against my stomach.
I don’t move. I don’t pull her closer either.
I let her decide.
“You okay?”
She nods, then looks up at me. “I’m just happy, I think. Today was fun.”
“Good,” I lean down. “I like making you happy, Jelly.”
I pop a light kiss on her nose and start to pull away but she wraps her arms around my neck. She initiates the kiss this time. I did not expect that.
“You might wanna grow a few inches, Jelly-bean,” I mutter against her lips. “Bending like this is really fucking with my back.”
She snorts, still pulling me in for more. “Aww. Big strong footballer like you? Maybe it’d be much easier if you lift—”
I don’t let her finish. I scoop her up, one arm under her thighs, the other around her back, straightening easily before pressing her up against the wall.
“You’re right,” I leaning against her again. “Much better.”
She laughs, breath warm against my neck. “Show-off.”
I glance down at her. “Did that kick really start your period?”
“No.”
I hum. “Hm. Doesn’t matter anyway. I run red lights.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh! A toe sucker and a blood fucker. I can’t wait to tell! Your team is gonna have a field day.”
I chuckle and lift her chin. “I think this is my favorite part of today.”
Her lips brush mine, “I bet it is.”
The kiss is slow at first, then deep. My hands tangle in her hair and hers drag along my back. We didn’t move to have sex, it just happened naturally. When she slides down on me, she hisses out and I swallow it.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” I cooed.
“I’m not.”
The scratches along my back beg to differ. I hold her weight up so the force doesn’t do damage. Her hips work so good against me, taking what I give her with pride. I can hear the gushing through the shower.
And it feels good. It feels comfortable.
It’s like our bodies no longer belong to us. A total out of body experience.
We are creating our own steam, separate from the one that surrounds us. My face goes to her neck because if I’m allowed to speak, I’ll say something I can’t take back.
“Jabari,” she moans aloud, not caring if the team could hear. “Jabari…”
My nails dig into the flesh of her rare and I bury deeper and deeper in. “I’m here. I’m right here.”
“I… I…” she arches into me as the orgasm rips through her, pressing all her piercings into my wet skin.
“I know,” I groan, pressing kisses all over her face to fight off my own release. “I know. Me too.”
As the excitement calms, we hold each others eyes, knowing what we both want to say, but refusing to say it.
Yet.