14. McKenzie
FOURTEEN
MCKENZIE
I feel like I’ve overstayed my welcome at the Danvers’ house. Besides Tuesday, when I had a shift at Alessandro’s, I stayed here Monday, Wednesday, and now tonight. I tried to tell Kylie that I should stay somewhere else tonight but she wouldn’t hear it.
Tyler has been working late almost every night, and Kylie doesn’t want to be by herself, which is the only reason I didn’t push back too hard when she asked me to come over.
I insisted on making dinner, though, enough for all three of us, even though I knew Tyler would be home late. I wanted him to have leftovers if he wanted them.
After dinner, we worked on our homework until Kylie went to sleep.
After an hour of tossing and turning in the guest room, I finally decided to get up and grab some water and maybe a snack. I’ve had so much on my mind lately that it’s keeping me up at night. I know I need a good night’s rest when I have a bed available to me, though. Unfortunately, I can’t turn my mind off sometimes.
When I get to the kitchen, I hear the TV and realize Tyler is still up and sitting on the couch.
I grab a cup from the cabinet and say, “Hey,” to let him know I’m here.
He turns to look at me. “Hey. You’re up late.”
“Couldn’t sleep. Thought some water might help.” I fill my glass and turn to leave. We haven’t had any more late-night chats since the first one, so I assumed he didn’t want to do that again. I certainly don’t want to make him feel like I’m forcing him to hang out with me.
So, I’m surprised when he stops me before I leave the kitchen. “You wanna sit? I could use the company.”
I shouldn’t. Not when I’m feeling this attracted to him. But that doesn’t stop me. “Sure.”
I sit down but leave one full couch cushion between us. The more time I spend around Tyler, the more my crush grows. I know it’s silly and nothing will ever come of it, but sometimes. . . sometimes I catch him looking at me, and I think maybe.
It’s wrong on all counts. He’s almost seventeen years older than me and a coach at the school I attend. Worst of all, he’s my friend’s dad. I really like Kylie and wouldn’t want to ruin our newfound friendship.
But I can’t help my attraction. I’m just doing my best to ignore it.
“How’s practice been this week?” I ask, trying to find neutral ground.
“Good.” His lips tilt up in the hint of a smile. “Really good. We’re still in this.”
“I knew you would be.”
“How are things going for you?” he asks, and he’s looking at me like he genuinely wants to know.
So, I decide to not give him my generic response and tell him how I truly feel. “I’m tired. If I’m not working, I’m studying. And I’ve been having a hard time sleeping, which makes it extra tough. I just keep telling myself that it’s not forever and I can get through this.”
“College is tough. There were plenty of times when I thought I’d never finish.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah. Somehow, I thought I could take a full course load of really tough classes one semester on top of playing football. I was pulling all-nighters, working with tutors, doing early morning workouts and afternoon practices. It was insane. I get what you’re going through, and I promise it does get better.”
I lean my head on the couch and face him. “I hope so.”
“When I was in college, so many people kept telling me that my degree didn’t matter. Some people even suggested I enter the NFL draft early since that was always my goal, but I never did it. I wanted that degree so I worked hard and struggled and lost some friends along the way, but I knew it’d be worth it one day.”
“What did you get your degree in?” I expect him to say something sports-related because that’s the obvious answer. But I should’ve known he’d do something different.
“Finance.”
“Really?”
He chuckles. “Don’t sound so surprised. I’m not just a dumb jock with a pretty face.”
“I never thought you were just a dumb jock.” He raises an eyebrow like he’s waiting for me to deny the pretty face part, but I don’t. Because that would be a lie, and I am a terrible liar. “Finance just sounds very involved.”
“It was. But math was always one of the easier subjects for me.”
“Well, I know who I’ll be coming to when I have to set up my 401k in the future.”
He laughs. “Happy to help.” He pauses briefly before asking, “Have you always had trouble sleeping?”
I shake my head and sigh. “No, this is new. I think just the stress from everything is starting to be too much. My mind can’t slow down. I’m always thinking of what else I need to do.” Or how much money I need to make.
He nods. “I wish I could give you advice, but I can’t. I often find myself in the same position. Especially during the season. Hence why I’m still up right now.”
“I wish I could be like Kylie. She falls asleep within seconds of hitting the pillow.”
He chuckles. “She’s always been like that. Even as a baby. She was such a good napper, too.”
“I believe it.”
He grabs the deck of cards from the side table. “Wanna play again?”
I smile, thinking about all the time I spent playing with my brothers at home. We didn’t have money for a lot of fancy toys, but cards were something we definitely had. When all our friends were getting new video game consoles, our parents bought us board games. It was something we could do as a family. “Let’s do it.”
“You know how to play gin rummy?”
I act like I’m offended by the question. “Of course I do.”
He laughs and then shuffles the deck. “My apologies for underestimating you.”
We play for the next hour, talking while we play. I learn a lot about his childhood. How he was kind of a loner until high school, when he became a star player. He attributes that to his big ego. I laugh, but I haven’t noticed any ego at all. It’s the opposite, actually. He seems to not realize how much of a big deal he is. I like that about him a lot.
I tell him about the time I tried out to be a cheerleader and ended up kicking another girl on accident. She got a huge bruise and never spoke to me again. I also didn’t make the team and never tried out again.
It’s easy to talk to Tyler. He listens and asks questions, something guys my own age seem to have forgotten to do. I haven’t dated much in college, but the times I have, I felt like I was talking to a wall. It was like I was there to be an attractive accessory and that’s all.
Eventually, we put the cards away and turn our attention to the TV. He’s got ESPN on, which just so happens to be one of my favorite channels, thanks to my dad and brothers. Mom would always try to get us to watch something else, but sports was something we agreed on.
I don’t know when or how it happened, but when I wake up, my head is on Tyler’s lap. His head is tilted back on the couch pillow, and he’s clearly asleep. His hand is on the top of my head almost as if he fell asleep stroking my hair.
I don’t want to move.
But this is not a position we want Kylie to find us in, no matter how innocent it actually is.
I try to sit up without waking him, but I’m unsuccessful. His eyes crack open as soon as I’m off his lap.
“Sorry,” I whisper. “I think I fell asleep.”
His dark eyes roam over my face, and he reaches out and lets his fingers trail down my cheek. It’s a flutter of a touch, but it feels so good that I can’t help but lean into it.
I hate it when he pulls away.
“I should go to bed,” I say. I wish he’d say no. Tell me to stay with him. But he doesn’t. He only nods in agreement.
“Yeah. Me too.”
We both stand from the couch, he turns the TV off, and we walk upstairs together. His fingers brush mine once we get to the top of the stairs. It was likely an accident, but it sends a spark through me.
I stop in front of the guest room I’ve been staying in. “Goodnight, Tyler.”
“Goodnight, McKenzie.”
I walk quickly into the room before I can do something stupid like ask him to stay with me.