Chapter 17
Seventeen
Bentley
My sole focus is on her. It has been since I caught her walking into the gym. Jordan and Derrick should be able to handle things for a minute. They get to see their girls every day. This is the first time I’ve seen Serena in almost two weeks.
As much as I want to run to her and spin her around like in one of those stupid romantic movies, I don’t. I can’t have her knowing she’s the one person I’ve been thinking of more and more lately. At least, not yet. “You made it.”
“Yeah,” she smiles and takes in the group of basketball players on the court. “Is this some sort of game, or something? I’ve never been to any kind of sports game.”
What? That seems crazy to me, but not everyone is into sports the way I am. “Not really.” I wave my hand to the guys. “It’s a mini practice, but also a teaching opportunity.”
“Do you do things like this often?”
“Sometimes. But it’s usually with youth sports programs, not college kids that have lost their mojo.
” I grab her hand and bring her into a hug.
She doesn’t shy away from my sweaty body and I’m relieved.
Most of the women I’ve dated in the past are grossed out by sweat.
They didn’t want to touch me until I cleaned up.
The fact that Serena has zero qualms about it has to mean something, right?
If anything, it shows that she’s willing to accept me, even when I’m disgusting.
“I’m guessing these are the guys from your university. The ones you gave a pep talk to?” Her breath is soft against my neck and the guys on the court are the last thing I’m thinking about.
I slowly pull away to keep myself in check. “Uh yeah, that would be them. I wish you could see more of our practice, though.”
“Sorry,” she winces. “I had to change after we landed, and I thought Hazel was going to interrogate your driver for a minute.” She scrunches her nose, and it’s adorable. “By the way, why do we have a driver?”
“Oh, Derrick,” I point to him standing next to Jordan, “picked me up on the way here. He wanted pointers and to see what I thought about the rest of the season. I didn’t want to have to drive back to my house and force you to deal with his constant questions.
Sam usually only drives for the important people on the team, but he agreed to drive us around, so I’d have more time with you.
And because I’m his favorite player on the team. ”
He’s standing nearby and rolls his eyes at the last comment. “You’re all a pain in my ass.” He shakes his head and moves closer to the team. “Don’t forget, you’ll need to come over for a photo before we leave. The owners aren’t going to miss a good PR moment.”
Crap, I forgot about that. We probably should have done that before we started. “Let me go wrangle these guys together so we can get out of here.”
“Sounds good. I’ll just be right over there,” she points to the bleachers. She probably wants to sit after being on her feet for who knows how long. I know I would if I had to stand nonstop during a flight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her sit while she’s working.
“I’ll make it quick.” Jogging over to the guys, I see Ross shake his head, and I shoot him a glare to not open his mouth.
He obviously doesn’t heed my warning, or thinks I’m playing around. He walks over to me and grins. “I see she’s gotten under your skin. I thought y’all were dating for fun.” He raises an eyebrow in question.
“We are. But it’s difficult to date someone when you live in different states.
” I don’t know why I’m so defensive. Maybe it’s because he’s acknowledging things I’m not ready to accept.
I mean, we aren’t completely serious, even though we aren’t seeing other people.
But it’s not like we’re proclaiming our undying love for each other.
Hell, we haven’t even been intimate yet.
“All I’m saying,” Ross continues, “Is that nobody else brings their girl to practice unless they are married, or ready to take things to the next level.”
“Stop giving Bentley a hard time,” Jordan says from behind me. “He’ll realize for himself, eventually.”
Great, now they are both on my case. “Whatever. Let’s get this over with so I can take Serena on a date before she has to fly off again.
” I immediately wish I would have picked a better phrase.
Let’s be real, that’s how this is going to end.
She’ll constantly be flying off to her next adventure and I’ll be the one waiting for the next phone call, or visit, wondering if she’s going to leave forever.
I shake the thought from my mind. “All right guys, let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got things to do.” A series of whistles sounds around me, and I glance up at Serena. Her cheeks are bright pink, and she knows she’s the reason for the sudden noise. “Shut up and let’s do this thing.”
Derrick stands next to me with a knowing smile. “Don’t say a word,” I warn. He still looks up to me and lifts his hands in surrender.
The rest of the guys gather around us with Coach standing on the end.
Normally, he’d be in the middle with all the players surrounding him, but he doesn’t like being the center of attention.
Sam grabs his phone out of his back pocket and holds it in front of him.
“Okay guys, smile big. I’m going to take a few shots and they can figure out which one they want to use. ”
We do as we’re told and step away from each other as soon as Sam puts his phone down. Derrick claps me on the shoulder, “Good luck on your date. If you need any help in the future, all you have to do is call.”
“Yeah, okay,” I snort. “If you think I’m taking dating advice from you, you’re nuts. How long did it take for you to get things right with Darcy?”
“We aren’t talking about me right now,” he waves the comment away.
“You date and go through women like you change your underwear. They never last long with you, and I know that’s how you prefer it.
” I open my mouth to interrupt, but he plows ahead.
“I see how you’ve been looking at her, and how she was watching you.
She’s not like the others. Not by a long shot.
She’s one of those you take home to your parents and make a real go of it.
It’s scary, but don’t let that fear get in the way of something good. ”
He hit the nail on the head without realizing it.
I’ve never told him any of the fears I have over people leaving.
But I guess he knows how to spot it considering the lengths his roommate went through to get the girl he wants.
“I think you’re spending too much time with Darcy.
She’s turning you into someone who thinks logically. ”
“Blame her if you want, but you know I’m right.”
I’ll never admit that. “Then you need to do the same thing with the team. They need a leader. Someone who will tell them, and guide them through, what they need to do. You may be one of the youngest on the team, but you have what it takes. Getting them here today was the first step. Finish taking that role by leading them toward a championship.” Yes, I feel like a hypocrite even as the words come out of my mouth.
But the advice can be applied with both situations.
The only way we’ll both get what we want is if we take a leap.
It’s time for me to take mine. “Let me know if you want to get together to shoot around.”
“Will do,” he grins. As annoying as Derrick can be, he’s the only genuine friend I have outside of the team. “And remember what I said.”
“Yep.” I head toward the sideline and grab my open gym bag. I pull out my sweats and hoodie, slipping them on before walking to Serena. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Sure.” Her smile brightens up her face, and I know that she’s happy to be here. She doesn’t say anything about the fact I haven’t showered and don’t plan to. It would take away time from her. She wraps an arm around my waist and points toward the door, “Show me what Austin has to offer.”
“This wasn’t what I was expecting.” She slides out of the backseat after me, and stares at the fast-food restaurant in front of us. Sam already told me he’s going to go down the street for tacos and will be back before we’re done. He’s burned out on this place, and I’m not sure how that’s possible.
It’s definitely not the most romantic date, but I warned her.
“You are about to have your taste buds changed forever.” She side-eyes me and I chuckle.
“I told you the first thing we would do when you had a few hours in Texas was get Whataburger.” I stretch out my arms in front of me as if I’m displaying a prize on a TV game show. “I make good on my promises.”
“I guess we’re about to see if it’s as good as you say it is.” I take hold of her hand and we make our way to the automatic doors. As soon as it slides open, Serena takes a big sniff. “It smells amazing. Like camp cookouts and grills.”
I mentally high five myself. She could have been disgusted when we showed up here, but she’s taking it all in stride. I have a feeling Mom and Gabby will love her. Well, when the time comes for her to meet them. Derrick’s words from the gym come back to me. That’s not today, though.
She studies the menu as we wait in line. “Which is better? Onion rings or fries?”
“You really can’t go wrong. Either way, make sure you get the spicy ketchup. It’s a game changer.”
We place our order and find a table in the corner.
I shouldn’t get too much attention here since we’re in my old neighborhood.
Even though I’ve gone pro, they still treat me the same.
It’s kind of jarring to the way other people act around me, but it’s a small way of keeping me humble.
Serena sits down on the bench beside me and bumps her shoulder into mine.
“Doesn’t eating here go against all the healthy eating practices you set for yourself during the season? ”