Chapter 21
Amir
Looking up into those stands day after day and seeing Mal with Remi was an experience that struck a chord in my heart.
At first, they hardly interacted. Well, she didn’t.
He was always talking to her, and from my place on the field, whether at practice or a game, I longed to hear what he said to her.
But I also loved that they had time that was reserved for them, and I knew that Mal was always listening, even if it didn’t seem like it.
Days passed quicker as I grew more tired, and nights were reserved for Mal and Remi. Most of the time, I dozed off on the couch or the balcony, too stubborn to go to bed and miss out on what little time I got with them.
Despite the change in our relationship, Remi and I didn’t rush things.
We’d started off at a full blaze, but now we moved languidly, savoring late-night conversations and the mundane, domestic side of life.
It was like we were living in reverse, becoming accustomed to existing next to each other at all times while we gradually built the rest of our relationship.
I wasn’t sure if that was healthy, nor did I really care.
I went to bed with a smile and woke up with the same one, so that was good enough for me.
We won some games and we lost some. Mal drew while Remi told her bad poetry.
I hadn’t been sure why he reserved the corny stuff for her until I was practicing my throw one day with Jeffrey and heard a laugh come from the stands.
Remi had looked as shocked as I felt, and I was close enough at the time that I’d seen something profound in his eyes—something that awoke when he finally got Mal to laugh.
She did it more after that, though she tried not to for the sake of making him work for it.
And he always did. He went to bed earlier and got up before her, always dragging me with him so we could cook breakfast together.
Uncertainly, he’d run ideas by me while he went over her math worksheets and ask if it would help her understand it.
It didn’t always work, and she often got overwhelmed enough to storm off, but even when it dimmed the light in his eyes, he didn’t give up.
In only a week, he’d changed so much, or maybe it was just the way that I saw him now. He was exactly the same chaotic, nettlesome, hot and cold guy I’d first met, but he was also unyielding, innovative, and more patient than the rest of his personality would imply.
And when Mal asked if she could stay another week, he turned the same pleading eyes on me that she did.
“I’ll ask your mom.” I kept my arms crossed so they both would think I was the one in charge here. In reality, I wouldn’t have been able to say no to either of them if I didn’t have to run it by Avery first.
“Now?” Mal asked.
I laughed. “After the game.”
She grunted her reluctant agreement before she walked away. I watched as she pulled two cars out of her pocket and drove them silently along the wall that connected to the locker room.
Turning to Remi, I lifted a brow. “Who’s the mastermind here?”
He snorted. “You think we conspired? I can still barely get her to speak to me in full sentences.”
“She’s the same with me half the time, so don’t take it personally.”
“I’ll have her writing poetry in no time. Then, we can laugh at your napkin poem together.”
“If you can remember it.”
“I’ve got it in my bag, thank you very much.”
“Oh, great. This feels like it’ll be used against me in the future.”
“Everything can be used against you. If you’re not living your life with that in mind, you aren’t doing it right.”
“I know I’ve said it before, but you live in a bar, so I don’t think I’ll be taking your advice.”
“I’ve also caught a fish with my bare hands and got a judge to legally declare me an adult at sixteen. Maybe I’m better at life than you think.”
“Were those two things related or . . .”
He made a face at me, and I didn’t try to contain my smile.
A clatter made both of us turn at the same time.
One of Mal’s cars rolled across the floor, and the other was upside down at her feet.
She jerked backward, away from the person that had touched her, and covered her ears while she took heavy breaths.
As soon as I saw who was in front of her, I started forward.
Remi rushed ahead of me. “Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
When Clara’s gaze shifted to me, she opened her mouth to respond, but it didn’t seem like she knew what to say. I couldn’t get the words out in time to warn Remi before he crouched and put his hands over Mal’s.
“No!” she screamed. She twisted away from him while she continued to hold her head.
His hands hovered in the air. Mal backed into the wall, then closed her eyes. Her breaths were erratic, and when she began to rock, I swore.
“What the hell are you doing back here?” I asked Clara.
“I just came to—”
“I don’t care. Get out!” I pointed at the doors, refusing to look away from her until she ran through them.
I rushed over to Mal but stopped a few feet away. I crouched where I was, but I didn’t get close enough to touch her.
“Hey, Mal. Can you open your eyes?” She shook her head, continuing to rock, forward and back. “That’s okay. Take your time.”
Remi came up beside me with his arms wrapped around himself. I glanced sidelong at him, noting the way his brow was furrowed and his eyes were locked on Mal.
He turned to me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t . . .”
“It wasn’t you.”
“Whatever I did, I wasn’t trying to freak her out. I . . . Fuck, I’m sorry.”
I took his face and forced him to look at me. “Remi, it wasn’t you. She doesn’t like to be touched when she’s not expecting it.”
“But she screamed.”
“Yeah, I know. It wasn’t because of you. If she wasn’t already overwhelmed, she’d probably be fine. This was Clara’s fault, alright? Not you.”
It didn’t look like he was satisfied, but he nodded. I turned back to Mal and inched closer. Hearing me, she opened her eyes and stared past me.
“I’m sorry I let her touch you,” I said. She already seemed to have calmed herself down quite a bit, so I held out my hand. “She should’ve never gotten close.”
Something rolled across the floor, and she looked down as one of the cars hit her shoe. The other one followed suit, drawing her attention to Remi, who offered her an extremely gentle smile. She looked away from him but bent to pick up the cars.
“Don’t like her,” she murmured.
I breathed a laugh. “Nobody does.”
After another second, she took my hand and let me pull her closer.
When she tucked herself against my shoulder, I sighed and wrapped my arms around her.
I was still incredibly angry about what had happened, but being able to hold her like this eased some of my fears.
It wasn’t as hard as it used to be for her to de-escalate, but this was also a small incident.
I’d been so content this week that I’d barely thought about Clara or her damn articles. It didn’t matter that the touch was meant to be innocent. It was made very clear that my daughter was off limits, so now she’d made a real enemy out of me.
If I had anything to say about it, she wouldn’t get near us again.