Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEREK
That kiss was incredible.
And that's coming from someone who has kissed many girls. Way too many to even count. But none of them compared to kissing Rosie.
The physical pain I felt these past weeks was all worth it when our lips locked for that first time. It was worth every torturous second I lay in bed thinking of her. And definitely worth the trip I'll be taking to hell for kissing my teammate’s sister.
I was breaking rule number one of the soccer team codex. Okay, maybe it was number two. It's not like I would have read it if there were such a codex.
The best part was that despite my deep desire to make the kiss last forever and potentially be the owner of Rosie's V-card, this really wasn't about sex.
I cared about her on a deeper level. Somewhere along the way, she became my go-to person, and that scared the shit out of me.
I was always up for a fun time, but I was never in it for the long run. As I held this precious girl in my arms, I realised I would have taken her any way I could.
Teammate's sister.
Friend.
Lover.
Mine.
No matter what, as long as she was in my life, I was content.
"I think we should get going," I muttered into Rosie's hair. She lay in my lap, her eyes still glued to the starry sky, searching for something.
"Two more minutes," she muttered, playing with our linked hands.
I didn't tell her, but I would have stayed here forever. If I could freeze time, I would, and I would never move. But cold was creeping into my bones, and the last thing I wanted was to get her sick.
Gently wrapping my arms around her, I rolled her on top of me as I sat up, having her straddle me.
"As much as I'd love to stay, you need a good night's sleep. Don't you have an exam tomorrow morning?" I reminded her. "And I'll be back here in less than five hours for morning training."
Rosie grimaced, and her eyes fell on my lips.
I closed the distance and locked my lips with hers, devouring her whole.
Our tongues danced together in a choreography only they knew, and the heat radiating from Rosie warmed me up instantly.
My arms roped tighter around her slim body as I held her against me.
Rosalie hummed with her eyes closed, her forehead pressed to mine. And I knew whatever she was going to say next, I was going to say yes to.
When it came to this girl, it was impossible for me to deny her anything.
"We should go," she muttered over my lips, her hips unintentionally wiggling in my lap. I've gotten hard-ons just by being near her, so this was a new kind of torture.
"Stop," I groaned, grabbing her hips and keeping her in place.
Realization dawned on her, and a small giggle escaped her lips. "Sorry."
"Let's go, I'll walk you back," I offered, standing us both up and my fingers intertwined with hers.
Rosalie stared up at the sky one more time before grinning down at me. “It’s raining.”
“No?” I said, but it came out more like a question as something wet landed on my face. “Oh, shit, it is raining.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck. “I always wanted to dance in the rain.”
The sky above us opened, and the raindrops fell quicker and quicker. I was sure we were going to be soaking wet within minutes, but with her body pressed to me, I didn't care.
“Then we dance.”
I wrapped my arms around her and started moving side to side in an awkward kind of dance you only do at prom.
The only music was the rhythmic falling of the rain, pounding on the bleachers around us, making the grass clammy and slippery under my already two left feet.
Rosie’s chest shook from the silent laughter before she took my hand and twirled herself out. Growing bolder, I twirled her a couple more times, making her smile and laugh as my vision grew blurrier from the rain dripping from my hair.
I pulled her back, her chest flushed against me, and kissed her.
My hands found their way in her wet hair, and she kissed me back more boldly, our tongues doing a much better job at staying coordinated and dancing together than we ever did.
Her arms tightened around my neck, and Rosie urged me to kiss her deeper, more passionately, and I obliged, telling her without words how much she meant to me.
This kiss held everything I couldn’t say out loud because it was way too early.
The smile she gave me when we parted had my insides all twisted up, and I realised I was in huge trouble. This girl had a power over me that no one else did.
I was certain I would have done anything for her, and I just proved that by taking this whole thing off-side.
Watching your teammate's face after you spent the night kissing his little sister was a special kind of torture. Every time I looked at Aaron, I thought of Rosie. Not because they looked alike, but because I remembered way too well how soft Rosie's lips were and how she tasted of cinnamon.
But on the flip side, my mind was surprisingly calm and collected. It's like a wave of relaxation washed over me, and I was fully focused on practice. My mind didn't wander, spin, or become preoccupied with other things.
I was fully at peace, and I haven't felt like that in a very long time.
"Great work," Coach praised me as I scored during the play we practiced. It was back to normal with my teammates in terms of proximity and contact, but until they put me in a real situation, we would never know how I would react. "Good to see you're getting back to yourself."
I nodded in agreement as I continued playing, wanting to prove myself now more than ever. There was no way I could change their mind and get me to start. But if there was a sliver of hope, I wanted to try and do it.
I had nothing to lose by trying.
"Dude, you haven't missed once," Maddox clapped me on the shoulder, his grin wide.
I matched his grin, proud of myself. "Yeah, I'm amazing."
"Let's not get carried away," Maddox let out a short laugh. "You have a long way to go."
"Asshole," I punched his arm, still grinning.
Max came up, and my grin faltered. "Good job, Dex! You've been consistently scoring."
He sounded like my teacher giving me praise.
Our relationship was still on rocky terms since that uncalled goal, but I realized my ego and pride were hurt, and Max did what he always used to do.
Win.
I needed to put my pride aside and admit that the win for the team put us in a leading position.
It still sucked that my best friend didn't believe in me, but we were getting there.
"Thanks," I muttered, a bit less enthusiastically than before. "Guess all those late-night practices paid off," I joked to break the strange mood.
Max grinned. "Yeah, you are stronger."
"I bet the Pilates classes helped too," Maddox added, his lip curving into a strange grin.
I arched a brow at him, my voice steady. "They do, my knee feels much more stable."
Therapy also helped, but it wasn't any of their business knowing I had a weekly session. It helped me talk things through and clear my head.
But most of all, Rosie and her kisses helped last night.
Like summoning the devil, my phone rang in the changing room, and my watch displayed the notification from Rosalie.
Rosalie added a new song to your shared playlist: You, Unofficially.
My fingers itched to go and check it, curiosity eating me alive. I loved it when she added a new song; it meant she was thinking of me.
I never knew that having someone think about you, even in the slightest, could feel that good.
I was used to extravagant things, my parents throwing money at me in the name of caring, girls wearing my number and praising me.
But Rosalie's little acts were not only genuine but meant a lot more to me.
"You're looking so much better," Max nodded in agreement.
I stared at him, annoyance still clear on my face, despite my best efforts to smile. "Does that mean I can start?"
My best friend and captain tilted his head, giving it a thought. "I need to talk to Coach. I would love nothing more than to have you start. But Redwood's defense is very aggressive. That's the only thing they're good at."
"Then have the midfielders and attackers make sure they are on the top of their game," I arched a suggestive brow at my midfielder best friends.
"I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
"Yeah, and the next team we're playing is equally aggressive.
And after that, if we progress, we will be playing Westpoint.
And we all know how that turned out..." I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
"There's always an excuse not to let me play.
I missed the first leg of the season because of my recovery.
Now I'm busting my ass here, and all you do is bench me.
And yes, I know that's soccer, and everyone is equally busting their asses, but until you let me back to try, you won't know if I can be the player I used to be.
I don't need you to believe in me, I just need you to let me try.
Otherwise, you'll forever leave me in this weird in-between limbo. "
Max raked his hand through his messy hair and exhaled. "I'm just worried."
"Even if I screw up, you can fix it. It won't cost us the championship."
"No," Max shook his head. "I'm sure it won't. But it might cost you your career."
I scoffed and shook my head. "What career? Let's not pretend like I had a future in my prime, and now I sure as hell don't have one. I just want to fucking start and have some normalcy back in my life."
Max sighed. "It's not about the future, but right now. I've watched you being so lost without soccer. I'm just scared that if you push too soon, you'll quit forever. Have you even figured out who you are without soccer?"