Chapter 9 #2
There are no more than ten people on the team who know about my autism diagnosis, and I’d like to keep it that way.
Maddox found out accidentally, but has been so supportive and instrumental in ensuring I’m always in a good situation.
“I should be fine. I’ll have a script to work with, and I’ve been paired with a local veterinarian who will assist me while the auction goes on. ”
“Oh? What’s his name? Could be my vet for all I know.”
“Audrey.”
Maddox’s eyes bug out of his head. “You got paired with a female vet? Is she hot? You like her. I can tell. You have to be smart to be a vet, right? They, like, have their own medical school. And she loves animals. This may be your perfect woman.”
I can feel embarrassment creeping up my neck, and I turn slightly away from Maddox.
He’s been my best friend for over a decade, and he’ll see right through me if I lie.
“She seems very intelligent, yes. And she definitely loves animals. Someone dropped off a box of guinea pigs at her clinic, and she’s fallen in love with them. ”
Maddox snorts. “Does Jax know?”
I nod. “I had him give her advice. It turns out she’s a big fan of his wife.”
He chortles. “Fucking love that for him. The pretty boy of the NHL getting knocked down a notch because of his hot and nerdy wife.”
“Nerdy?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. I happen to know that Maddox is a closet nerd, even playing in a World of Warcraft group online when he has time. He’s one of the few who actually enjoyed college, choosing to stay all four years to complete his bachelor’s in electrical engineering.
He smiles. “You know I think being a nerd is a plus. Just so happens she’s pretty damn hot too.”
Becca is definitely attractive by society’s standards, but she’s not my type. Mine just so happens to be a foot shorter than me with curves for days.
“So,” Maddox says as we walk onto the field to stretch, “you put the moves on this Audrey chick yet?”
“What? No!” I yell, making everyone turn to me. Maddox waves his hand nonchalantly.
“He’s fine. I just dropped a Grey’s Anatomy spoiler he wasn’t ready for,” he lies. When I look at him questionably, he shrugs. “I know you watch that show.”
“I’m a few seasons behind,” I admit with a laugh.
“But I’m not putting any moves on Audrey.
First of all, I don’t even know if she’s interested.
And secondly, we have to work together for the next couple of months to plan this event.
If I put the moves on her now, and it goes badly, it’s going to make for a horrendous time for me. ”
“Or, you could be having fun sex with a woman you’re attracted to, and then you’ll be done with the auction, and you can date her for real,” he says casually.
I shake my head. “I don’t think she’s interested. She hasn’t given any vibes that she’s attracted to me.”
“With all due respect, Jamie, your ability to decipher vibes is nonexistent. She could have a neon sign pointing straight to her pussy that says, ‘get it here’ and I still don’t think you’d recognize the invitation.”
He’s not exactly wrong. “I hate that I don’t see these social cues, and that I’m way too used to women basically throwing themselves at me. I don’t know how to pinpoint a valid interest.”
“If she looks at your lips, bites her own lips, or her nipples get hard enough they poke through her shirt, she’s interested.”
“Seriously? It’s just that easy?”
“Yep. You wanna know the surefire way to determine interest?”
“Obviously,” I answer, on pins and needles waiting for Maddox to school me.
“Casually look at her lips, then tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.”
“Her hair is almost always in a bun.”
“Act like there’s a piece out anyway.” He looks at me smugly. “Just do it as an excuse to touch her. I bet she looks at your lips right after. Or she sighs all romantically.”
I’m in my head. “Tuck a piece of hair. How far behind her ear? What if she knows there isn’t even one strand of hair loose from her bun? What do I do if she doesn’t react at all?”
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters, coming to stand in front of me. He’s only an inch or two shorter than me, with dark brown hair and green eyes. Reaching up, he pretends to push a piece of hair behind my ear, his finger dragging across my skin.
Like some fucked up version of Pavlov’s dog, my gaze immediately drops to his mouth. “What the actual fuck? How did you do that?”
“Honestly, it’s a gift.”
“You ladies about done?” Coach shouts from the sideline, and I realize Maddox’s hand is still against the side of my face. He doesn’t look thrilled.
“Just teaching QB about the ‘hair behind the ear’ trick,” Maddox answers. “You know, to tell if a woman is interested. You wanna learn, Coach? I can give you some pointers.”
“I don’t need pointers from you, Lawson. Now get back to stretching,” Coach growls.
Maddox lowers his voice so only I can hear him. “Sure would be nice if he got laid sometime soon. Then maybe he wouldn’t be such a jackass.”
“I heard that,” Coach shouts. “Don’t worry, I got laid last night.”
“Oh yeah?” Maddox asks.
Coach nods. “And your mom made me breakfast this morning too.”
As the team howls with laughter, Maddox chuckles. “Guess I had that coming.”