Bonus
SIERRA
It's late in the afternoon, and I reach my hands up to fix the white cap on my head. The tennis court is quiet and sunlit, and I can feel sweat bead down my skin as Elias and I take a short break.
It's a new thing that we've picked out randomly and I have a feeling that it might stick around for a long time.
We've been playing for the past hour, and both of us are so unbelievably competitive that one round was nowhere near enough. A truce also didn't come into play. It's a possibility that we might get thrown out from not being able to stop until closing time.
Right now, he's a point ahead of me, and I won't stop until I beat his ass.
"Giving up?" he grins at me from across the net after a few sips of water and comes back to the court.
You wish.
I bounce the ball, smirking. "Last chance to back out. I won't judge you if you fake an injury," I call back.
"Please. I came here to win, not listen to your bragging—"
I serve hard, taking him a little off guard, but Elias quickly composes himself and returns with just enough spin to make it land teasingly near the line. I chase the ball down.
"That was cheap." My eyes glance at him across the net.
Elias simply grins and swings the racket over his shoulder. "Strategic."
His smug demeanor and his glistening eyes only fire me up even more to take him down.
We rally a bit, and it's fast and intense.
Both of us have extreme focus, clearly trying to win but grinning the whole time.
The sound of rackets hitting balls, and sneakers skidding on the court is the only sound echoing around.
"Fuck!" Elias exclaims after a while, missing the ball.
"It's a tie!" I cheer, arms in the air as I jump on the spot, feeling adrenaline pump me up to continue the game.
"Still feeling cocky?" I tease, serving again, and the ball jumps back and forth between us like a pendulum caught in a frenzy.
"Only when I'm ahead." He returns a blistering shot, making me curse when I miss it. I click my tongue, walking a few steps backwards and breathing deep. I can still beat him.
The game continues, and we're keeping up with each other. When my serve comes around again, I lift my skirt just a little so my cheeks show at the bottom. His eyes heat at my teasing as I walk along like nothing happened, then hit the ball across the net, earning another point.
"Ha! You're not ahead anymore."
"Okay, now I'm impressed. And a little turned on," he says, out of breath. He chases the ball, laughing. "But that was cheating!"
I walk to the net during the pause between sets, breathing a little harder and brushing my sweaty hair back into a tighter ponytail. "Was not."
"Yeah it was. You're trying to distract me," he says, meeting me at the net and leaning in to plant a kiss on my lips. "But you're still going down."
"Not if you do first," I murmur back, and he cups my chin before kissing me again.
"We'll see," he grins, and we're once again back in our positions.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The dull sound of our heavy hits continues along with my heart beating against my ribcage. Suddenly, my focus buzzes when I look over at Elias. He lifts his shirt, showing me his muscles with a smug grin and it results in me missing a shot.
Fucker.
He laughs, throwing his head back, and I can't even be mad at it. I just shake my head, going to retrieve the ball.
"Yeah, what was that about you crushing me?" he tuts and sticks his tongue out, confident with his win.
Damn it.
He meets me at the net yet again. "I thought you'd let me. Isn't that what you're supposed to do on a date?" I cross my arms.
"You want a rematch?"
"How about a cold drink?" I say instead, and he grins, bumping his fist with mine.
"Deal. But for the record, you're still one win ahead of me," he says, reminding me of the past few times that we had played.
"That's true. Next time you're really going down. This was just a warm-up," I chuckle, lightly jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow.
"Bold of you to assume you'll be the winner."
"I'm not assuming. I'm planning."
"Alright, alright," he teasingly rolls his eyes, then wraps his arm around my waist as we walk away from the court and towards the parking lot. We place our gear in the back seat.
"Loser kisses the winner?" Elias wiggles his brows, and I wrap my arm around his neck, giving into a deep kiss.
"Satisfied?"
"Very," he hums, licking his lips while looking down at mine. "How about a relaxing evening, dinner on the couch and no clothes on?"
"Mhm," I stand on my tippy toes and kiss him again, then add, "Shower together."
"Perfect." He grins. "I'm planning to tire you out even more."