Chapter 11
Elena
Alex: I'm going to the basketball field. You coming?
Elena: Why not ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌
I threw on a pair of grey jogger pants, a white sports top, and red Supra Skytops.
What can I say? I just love sports. And now that I was finally allowed to move, I certainly wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Basketball wouldn’t give me the same feeling of well-being as when I'd put on my pointe shoes, but I couldn't complain.
Without wasting any time, I grabbed my keys and headed for the field.
The weather was strangely warm and sunny for an autumn day.
After a twenty-minute walk, I spotted the basketball field.
Several guys had already arrived. Mid-stretch, Alex waved and smiled at me.
Not knowing his friends well, I positioned myself next to him, slightly behind.
I wasn't as good at socializing as he was.
I recognized Lucas and Yves. They were on the same soccer team as Alex.
They smiled at me, although they were wondering why I was there.
“Where's Tiago? We haven't seen him in a while,” Lucas asked.
“At Kelsey's,” Alex replied, lacing up his shoes.
“Is our Wonder Boy finally getting serious?”
“Don't be ridiculous,” Yves said. “He'll get bored, he always does. Especially when it's the girl who's chasing him.”
I felt a little sick. Should I tell Kelsey? After all, she had been my friend for years. Then I remembered that I didn't owe her anything. She was a big girl. She'd do fine without me.
Yves shrugged. “Same for Alex. We all wonder how long he'll play before he tires of Elena.”
Well, damn. Lucas gave me a panicked look, and Yves remembered that I was among them. He looked down. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright. I wonder the same thing.”
Alex glared at me. I raised my hands in question. I'd been wondering for weeks when he'd get enough of me. I wasn't an interesting person.
“What?”
“Don't put yourself down like that.”
Two other guys named John and Gauthier joined the group.
If Gauthier was more or less ignoring me, John kept watching me with a mischievous gaze.
His eyes lingered a little too long on my bare stomach and breasts before raising his head and smiling.
He was quite handsome with his tanned skin and short, curly hair, but the way he looked at me as if I were nothing but a piece of meat was unsettling.
Yves created the teams: Yves, Gauthier, and I versus Alex, John, and Lucas. John stood next to me and put his hand on my lower back, where my skin was bare. Just great. The voice inside my head was screaming for him to let go. Not wanting to make a scene, I smiled.
“Do you want me to explain how to play?” he whispered in my ear.
“Don't get the wrong idea, I know how to play,” I replied, stepping back slightly.
As soon as the game started, I pounced on the ball. God, it felt good to be moving again. My knee was still a little sore, but nothing crazy. Alex and John were leading the game, scoring the most goals. After several missed throws from my team, the winning team gave us a break that wasn't deserved.
Alex jogged over to me and patted my back with a smile. I hate to lose, but I didn't stand a chance against two guys who were nearly a hundred ninety centimetres. One of them grinned at me from across the field.
“I don't like the way John looks at me,” I whispered.
He'd been giving me hungry eyes for a while. Was it because I was the only girl on the field or because he liked me? I couldn’t tell. Either way, it made me feel uneasy. I couldn't help wishing he'd look away.
Alex glanced in his friend's direction and sighed. “I don't like it either.”
I turned back to Alex, flashing my teeth. “Want to give me a hickey? Maybe he'll stop.”
Alex rolled his eyes, exasperated. “Where do you get your crazy ideas?”
“I'm just saying, it could work.”
My friend ruffled my hair before handing me a bottle of water, which I accepted gladly. “Don't tempt me.”
My cheeks turned crimson. He was joking, right? Alex moved closer to me, and his breath tickled the skin of my neck. Oh dear, was he really going to do it? Seeing that I was speechless, Alex pinched my cheek, laughing.
“Adorable.”
We started another game of basketball, and this time Alex and I were on the same team. Throughout the game, it was as if we were on the same wavelength. All it took was one look or nod to get our defence and offense on track. One score followed another.
“Alex and Lena are a power duo.” Lucas laughed.
I couldn't argue with him. Alex and I were pretty strong together.
John stuck to me to try and get the ball back.
For a little while, I tried to get away from him so I could pass the ball to Alex.
Until I felt a hand graze my butt. I dropped the ball and faced him.
This time, I'd had enough. The hand on the small of my back wasn’t great, but the hand grazing lower? No.
“Touch me one more time and I'll punch you.”
The scumbag had the nerve to laugh, too. “Don't be so uptight.”
My blood ran cold. I took the ball back and threw it against his face as hard as I could. John grunted in pain.
“It's called sexual touching,” I said, crossing my arms. “When a woman says no, it's no, you dick.”
“Come on, just look at you! Here you are playing all haughty, but you're just a tease.”
Alex walked over. Now I understood why so many people were afraid of him. Not only was he taller than most people, but his gaze was also chilling. In this moment, it was clear that Alex would not hesitate to go for his throat. Although it wasn't me he was sizing up, I felt like running away.
“Let's rephrase that. Next time you touch her, I will punch you. That clearer?”
“Whatever. She's not worth it.”
Without warning, John left the field. Yves, Lucas, and Gauthier gave us questioning looks, but didn't dare get any closer to Alex than necessary.
I jumped from one foot to the other. So.
.. Alex had defended me, which was kind of nice.
Not many people did, so I was grateful for that.
But he still seemed so upset, I didn't know what to do.
After a few seconds, Alex turned to me. All traces of danger had disappeared.
“I'll take you home.”
“All right, then. To the Batmobile!”
Alex sniffed. He was so judging me.
“What?”
“Oh... you prefer the Alexmobile?” I asked. “My bad.”
“You are a strange one, aren’t you?”
“Yep!”
He patted me on the head and headed for the parking lot.
I followed him and climbed into the Polo.
How was it possible that, even though I hardly knew him, I'd never felt more myself than when Alex was with me?
I watched his profile as he drove. His skin was glowy, and a strange desire to stroke his cheek went through my mind.
No wonder all the girls were falling for him.
I felt like my hormones were boiling over when he was near.
“Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For standing up for me, even though he's your friend.”
“Hardly a friend. He's a jerk.”
“Thank you anyway.”
“You're welcome. It’s my pleasure to help pretty damsels in distress.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled. Damsel in distress. My ass. “Don't exaggerate. I was doing fine. I'm a ninja!”
Alex laughed. The atmosphere between us was so light, like nothing had happened. It was a nice change to have a friend who had my back and participated in my stupid jokes. I hadn't had someone like that in my life for ages.
“Remind me never to make you angry.”
Sugar by Maroon 5 was playing on the radio. Instinctively, I raised my hand to turn it up, then changed my mind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex smile. He turned the volume up.
“I didn't know you were a fan.”
They'd been my favourite band for years. I knew the song by heart, but I kept from singing in front of Alex. We weren’t that close yet.
“What can I say? I'm full of surprises.”
“I can see that. A real Kinder Surprise.”
I turned back to him, one hand on my heart, falsely offended. “Are you mocking me?”
“I don't know. You tell me.”
I huffed. “Just to be clear: I'm smarter than you think.”
“And pretty, and talented, and badass. I know you are. You're perfect.”
Surprisingly, his voice wasn't dripping with sarcasm. He was good at talking shit.
“Again, I don't know if you're mocking me or not.”
“Well, if you're as smart as you say you are, you'll figure it out for yourself.
I loved bickering with him. A carefree feeling came over me when we acted like children. With Alex, I rediscovered a version of myself I thought I'd lost for good.
“If I can interpret this the way I want to, I'd say you're completely under my spell. It's better for my ego.”
Instead of dropping me off in front of my house, Alex drove towards the Botanical Gardens.
“Where are we going?”
My friend flashed me a cheeky smile before pulling over. “To the Partea. I think we deserve a treat.”
Was that little coffee shop becoming our place? Passing through the park's water jets, I ran my hand through the water, splashing Alex in the face.
“Are you serious?”
I did it again. Alex imitated my gesture, sending lots of water into my face. Without giving me time to retaliate, Alex lifted me up and went through the jets. In less than two seconds, we were soaked from head to toe. He set me down on the ground and winked. I pouted.
“That's not fair!”
I looked up at him. This was the first time we were standing so close, and now that Alex was within arm's length of me, I found myself unable to look away.
Droplets glistened in his long eyelashes, and the late afternoon sun made the green of his irises warmer.
His white T-shirt clung to his skin, leaving little imagination of what lay beneath that thin layer of fabric.
Of course, I knew Alex was muscular. When he wasn't playing soccer or sparring in a boxing ring, he spent his time on a basketball court.
Still, having him so close made me dizzy.
I thought it was just me who felt this strange energy, but when I looked at Alex's eyes, I knew I wasn't the only one.
His pupils were dilated, and his breathing was faster than usual.
I put my hand on his cheek, and Alex intertwined his fingers with mine.
We stood there for a moment, soaking up each other's presence.
Was it normal to want to kiss your friend so badly?
His gaze dropped to my chest, and he looked away.
“Let's go home.”
“All right.”
I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. The attraction between us had seemed almost palpable, so why was he pulling away so suddenly? Alex pulled a black sweater from his trunk and handed it to me.
“I'm not cold,” I said.
“Please, put it on.”
“But why?”
He still didn't look my way. What was he thinking? I thought we'd had a moment. Maybe I’d been the only one who felt it.
“Your top has become see-through.”
Oh...
“Don't look then.”
Alex fixed his eyes on mine, avoiding at all costs looking any lower. His intense gaze made me feel vulnerable and desired at the same time. I swallowed. Alex was my friend. I had to keep that in mind.
“Princess, I'm still a guy.”
“You find me attractive?”
Alex nodded, which was surprising. I thought that since I was in the friendzone, my appearance would have no impact on him.
“Every guy with eyes is attracted to you.”
“I thought I wasn't your type?”
A small smirk appeared on his lips. “That was a lie, of course.”
“So you are under my spell.”
I liked to annoy him. That was why his next words caught me off guard.
“Obviously.”
This revelation made me feel strangely euphoric. I'd never really cared what boys thought of me. Still, it mattered to me what Alex thought. A lot. I grabbed his sweater. There was no way I was admitting this to him. I lifted my head. “Glad we got that straight.
“Shut up.”