Chapter 32 – RHETT
RHETT
Aflash outside the window jars me from sleep.
It’s quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder that starts my heart even though I expected it.
I’ve never lived in New England, but thunderstorms in the fall seem strange to me.
Quinn is sound asleep beside me but stirs ever so slightly when hard rain begins pelting the windows.
I guess we’re not running this morning as discussed last night.
I’ve spent all week with her like this. Either at her place or mine. Today I get to see her at work, and it’s both a blessing and a curse.
I stare down at her, watching her closed eyes flutter as if she’s dreaming, and I have the softest feeling in my chest. Like this is where I was always meant to be. Holding her in the middle of a storm. That’s what it feels like we’re in. So many things are coming at us, and yet all I want is her.
It’s so simple and so complex.
We all do things we shouldn’t. It’s not even a matter of getting caught or right versus wrong. It’s the calculated risks we take in life. Or maybe I’m rationalizing something that shouldn’t be rationalized.
I kiss her temple and tuck her in tighter against me. The sound on her windows changes from a tap to a peck. Ice. Fuck. We’ll be practicing inside today.
Lightning flashes again, but this time the thunder lingers by an additional second.
I used to love storms, and Florida had some wild ones.
I remember being a kid and counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder by Mississippis.
I bet if I questioned her about that, she’d have no clue what I was talking about.
But yet, I don’t feel old when I’m with her. I feel young.
Alive.
Like I’m ready to start all the chapters I skipped over.
Suddenly, I’m Peter Pan. A Lost Boy so in love with the girl he’d do anything to stop time.
“Quinn?” I whisper in her ear.
She groans and rolls over onto my chest, her breasts squashed against me. I run my finger along the side of one, and it’s easily the sexiest thing ever. Like her. God, she’s so sexy.
“Go on a date with me tonight.”
“What time is it?”
“Frozen and early. Back to my date…”
“Date? How?”
“I had a thought.”
“I’m half-listening.”
Damn, this woman makes me smile.
“I want to take you to the movies. I’ll text you your ticket, and you can meet me in the theater. We’ll make out like teenagers. I’ve never done that, believe it or not, and it’s something I’ve always wished I could do.”
“Are we enacting your bucket list, old man?”
I tickle her side, and she wiggles on me.
“Maybe. That’s actually a great idea, minus the old man comment. After the film, I’ll meet you at a restaurant. I’ll sit down first, and then you’ll walk in. I’ll stand and greet you and act shocked that you’re there. But I know you from work, so it’s normal for me to invite you to dine with me.”
“You’ve got this all planned out.”
“I’ll walk you home because I’m a gentleman, and wow, how shocking is it that we live so close to each other and had no clue? Except I won’t go home.”
She moves ever so slightly at the way I say that. At my tone and how it lowers.
“I’ll follow you inside.” I leave it at that. It’s a promise, and I want her to feel it. I was scared out of my mind by squeezing her throat the way I did the other night, but it also sparked something within me.
Something primal.
A dark beast that was perhaps always lingering or maybe she brought it to life. I don’t know. I just know I want to try everything I’ve never done but always wanted to or been curious about.
So…
“What do you say? Will you go on a date with me?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now go back to sleep. I’m going to sneak out and go home.”
“Boo.”
I kiss the top of her head and take a deep inhale. I could die with how good she smells. It’s not shampoo or body wash or anything else. It’s Quinn.
“Tonight,” I promise her and climb out of bed before I climb inside of her. But that’s too easy. This girl is fantasy material. You don’t simply wake up and fuck your fantasy without anything else.
She deserves dates.
She deserves to be wooed, as she said.
I want her to know she’s more than a secret or some fun. I could tell her, but if I don’t show her, sooner or later she’ll start to doubt me.
I’m risking too much not to give this my all.
I jog up the block through sharp stabs of ice, and by the time I climb into my shower, I’m practically frozen through. Denver had its weather. But New England seems to be its own monster.
I wish I could drive in with her, but that’s not how this works.
I take it slow, but by the time I leave my house, the sleet has turned back to rain.
I checked the weather report for Sunday, and it looks like it’ll be rainy as well, so perhaps outside practice, at least for some of today, is in our future.
I work out in the gym for an hour, then run on the treadmill for an additional forty-five.
The team is in here too, completing their second upper-body weightlifting session of the week.
I like to work out with the team. It lets them see that I’m focused and putting my all in the way they are.
After I shower in my office bathroom, I meet with my coaches and staff about our plans for practice today, then join the team for film, where we study and break down the opponent’s habits and things we should watch out for.
Then it’s lunch, and by the time I make it down to the field, the rain is letting up.
The players are already here waiting, but that doesn’t stop me from searching around for her.
I find her in the back talking on the phone.
Sensing she’s being watched, her eyes lift and connect with mine.
I get a wry smile I can’t help but return.
She looks adorable in a Rebels baseball hat, jacket, and thermal-looking leggings.
Forcing myself away, I get back to the team.
Thursdays before a Sunday game are our heaviest and most intense of the week.
I get the team moving with situational drills, particularly third-down conversions, red-zone plays, and goal-line scenarios, since that’s where we’ve struggled through the first few games of the season.
I also have our special teams coach work on kickoff returns.
By the time we reach the end of practice, the players are spent. It was a long, grueling day, but I’m happy with our progress and feel relatively confident heading into Sunday. Right now, we’re number one in our regional division, and I’d like to keep it that way.
Russel drags a towel over his head, but he’s got eyes all over Quinn. I step in front of him. I wish I didn’t care, and I hate that I do, but I don’t want him looking at her.
“Hey,” I say to him. “I tried to call you yesterday.”
“Yeah,” he replies absently, his gaze skirting mine. “Sorry, I got hung up. What did you want?"
"Time.”
He twists his lips. “I give you time, Dad. I’m here working my ass off.”
“You don’t give me your time. You’re here in Boston, Russel. I’d like to see you outside of the field.”
“I’ve got a lot going on. Maybe next week we’ll grab dinner or something. Excuse me.” He pats my arm and jogs past me over to Quinn. I try to force myself not to turn around. I try not to watch him with her. But I can’t help it.
They’re talking, and he says something that makes her smile, and I feel like shit because my jaw inadvertently locks. I remind myself that she doesn’t want him. She wants me. Maybe they’ll be friends. Maybe he’s taking what she told him to heart and moving on, and all of this can work out.
As I walk to my car, I order the movie tickets. I have no clue what’s playing or what any of these are about, but the one I end up picking says it’s a romantic comedy, and I figure that’s the best one to act like teenagers in the back.
Quinn likes chocolate—she’s sweet over salty, as I learned in our texting—so I grab her a few different kinds of candy I think she’ll like and go into the theater.
I keep the brim of my hat low and sit in the back.
I must look like a creeper, but the theater is sparsely crowded, and no one so much as glances over at me.
Then I wait.
And wait.
The coming attractions begin, and I’m about to text her when I spot her emerge from the walkway that leads in.
She glances around, and I hold up a hand so she’ll see me.
She’s wearing cute jeans and a one-shoulder sweater.
Her hair is down in auburn waves that bounce as she walks, and she has more makeup on than I’m used to seeing on her.
My chest pinches.
It doesn’t seem right to call this a real second date, and I’m not sure if I’d even categorize it as that given what our relationship has been, but I love that she got dressed up for me.
I love that she didn’t blow this off as a nothing even though we’re sneaking around in a movie and I’m half-assing dinner.
She slinks into the seat beside me, and I don’t waste a second before I flip my hat around, cup her face, and kiss her. She smells so good, and I groan into her lips.
“Hi,” I whisper against her. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. You smell really good.”
I grin. “I’m wearing cologne. I don’t typically do that, and it took me a bit to find it, but I’m glad you like it.”
“What movie are we seeing?”
I chuckle lightly. “I don’t know. Something with Jennifer Lopez, I think.”
“You seem really invested in it.”
“Baby girl, I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to sit with you and hold your hand in the dark. Maybe kiss you a lot so we’re both worked up.”
“Is that candy for me?”
“It’s not for me. You already know I’m not a chocolate guy.”
I hand her the two boxes of candy. “Thank god. I’m starving.”
She cracks the box of peanut butter M&Ms and digs in.
Her eyes are on the screen but mine are on her.
She laughs and eats candy and when she puts the box away, I take her hand and hold it.
And kiss her. I kiss her a lot and decide I like the way peanut butter M&Ms taste on her even though I’m not a huge peanut butter fan.
I couldn’t tell you what the movie is about. I couldn’t tell you anything other than Quinn. She’s all I know, and I’m in so much trouble. Because if this week with her has taught me anything, it’s that I lied to her on Monday night.
I’m not falling for her.
I’m seriously in love with her.
I don’t need time to think about it or figure it out. She’s the ocean, and I’m the shore, and I’m simply a victim of her current.
The movie ends and after a lot of touching and kissing, I officially have the worst case of blue balls in the history of the world. But it was worth it because Quinn had fun, and I got to take her on a date.
We walk side by side down the street, and I keep my head low. It’s gotten a bit colder out, and I want to wrap my arm around her and bring her into my side. It’s frustrating as fuck that we have to do this, but I also understand the wisdom behind it.
“You go in first,” I tell her. “It’s cold out. I’ll wait a few minutes.”
“Kay. I’ll be at the bar.” She winks at me and walks into a restaurant I’ve been to plenty of times since I moved to Boston. The food and drinks are good, and the vibe is fun without being over the top.
I wait three minutes and once inside, I spot her on the far side of the bar with an open seat beside her. A guy a few seats over is eying her, and I move in quickly, heading straight for her.
“Quinn? Hi. Funny seeing you here.”
She smirks at me, not much of an actress. “Rhett. Wow. Yeah, hi. Are you meeting anyone here?”
“Just you,” I mouth. “Nope. I’m solo. What about you?”
“Only me.”
“Can I join you then?”
She pans a hand to the empty chair. “All yours, Coach.”
I sit down and lean in ever so subtly. “You sure as hell are.”
The bartender comes over, and we each order a drink as we peruse the menu.
“Do you want to go halfsies with me?”
I fight my grin. “Burger and spicy chicken sandwich?”
“Works for me.”
“I’m game.”
My knee brushes hers under the counter. We order our food and sip on our drinks and chat with each other.
The game is on and we chat hockey, talking about the season that’s just starting.
I give her half of my burger and she gives me half of her sandwich and just as I go to take a bite, a shadow looms over us.
“Quinn?”
She practically chokes on her bite before she hastily swallows, wipes her mouth, tosses me a quick oh shit look, and spins on her stool. “Uncle Callan. Hi!”