Chapter Twenty-one Rowan
Chapter Twenty-one
Rowan
“You were incredible.” Austin holds his fist up for me.
“Thanks,” I say as a rush of pride fills my chest. We’re walking off the field with the biggest win of the season. And better yet, it felt amazing out there today. I was locked in. Two goals and an assist. We beat Brayson.
This past week, I questioned if I was contributing to the team. Maybe Austin’s worries were legit, and I was slacking off.
So I tried something different. I studied the game video on my own, I focused on every single practice (no matter how tempted I was to let a certain redhead distract me), and last night after the football game, instead of going out like I might have in the past, I went home and got to bed early.
Maybe none of it made the difference. Maybe all of it did.
After we shake hands with the other team, I turn my attention to the stands. The girls’ team traveled with us today. They played just before our game. We’re leaving here with two wins for Frost Lake. It was a damn good day.
And because I’m still me, I’m excited to celebrate tonight.
After Coach gives us a rousing pep talk that goes something like ‘Good job, but don’t get too comfortable because we have a long season ahead of us still,’ we all pile back onto the bus.
On the way here, we were instructed that the boys had to sit in the front and girls in the back because apparently we can’t be trusted to intermingle. Which means Summer is five rows back. So close and yet so fucking far away.
“Coach C,” I say and lean forward over the seat.
“Yes?” he asks, not taking his eyes off his phone. I really wish he were playing Candy Crush or something. Instead, he’s checking sports scores. Predictable.
“I have a big test coming up next week.”
“Then I suggest you study,” he says.
“I’d love to, but you see, my study partner is in the back of the bus.”
He’s quiet, but his mouth pulls up into a skeptical, slightly annoyed line.
“He wants to sit with his girlfriend,” Vaughn calls from the seat across from me.
I shoot him a “What the hell?” glare and then focus back on his dad. “Yes. In this instance my study partner is also—”
“Fine.”
I open my mouth, ready to give him more compelling reasons. “Wait. Really?”
“Yes. You all may sit where you like.” He finally looks over his shoulder at me. “Don’t make me regret it or we’ll run all week.”
“Yes, sir.” I’m out of my seat and heading back to her before he can change his mind. As soon as the guys realize what Coach has allowed, they’re moving around too.
It’s a big game of musical chairs as we all rearrange for the drive back to Frost Lake.
“Do I want to know how you pulled that off?” Summer asks.
“I have no idea,” I tell her truthfully. “He’s in a good mood. I’m not questioning it.”
I scoot closer to her. She has her AirPods in each ear.
“What are you listening to?”
She takes one out and offers it to me. When I put it in, my grin widens.
“Okay, Lindsey. Taking it old school, huh?” I bop my head to the nineties pop song.
“It’s my victory playlist.”
“What else you got on there?” I scooch down in the seat and lean over as she places her phone out for me to see. She scrolls slowly, letting me see all the songs on her playlist.
“Very important question,” I say after she’s shown me all thirty-five songs.
“What?” Her stare drops briefly to my mouth, and she flushes.
We haven’t kissed all day, though I’ve thought about it often enough.
I’m glad to see she’s as obsessed with doing it as I am.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to make out with someone so much.
Don’t get me wrong, making out is always fun. But with Summer I can’t get enough.
“Do you also have a playlist for when you lose?”
“Of course.”
“I figured as much.”
“It’s called Sad Girl Songs.”
“Let’s hear them.”
She switches to that playlist. Most of the songs are more angry than sad, but it gives me a great visual of her sitting on the bus or at home listening to music and seething about the loss.
By the second song, we’ve stopped listening. The playlist is still going but the volume is down and we’re talking about the game instead.
“MJ had a great game,” I say after Summer brags on a particularly crucial save she made today. The girls’ goalie stopped everything that came her way.
“She did,” Summer says with a smile, and then her expression shifts to something a little less happy. “She’s signing a letter of intent with Northern next week.”
“No way. That’s awesome.”
“It is.” She tries to fake another big smile, but she isn’t nailing it.
“Your time is coming,” I assure her.
She shoots me a sheepish smile like she’s embarrassed I figured her out so easily. “I know. Or I hope so.”
“It is.”
“Hopefully I was more convincing when I told her I was happy for her.”
“You can be pumped for her and still worried it won’t all work out for you.
” I bump my shoulder against hers. “But it will. You were fantastic today. A total badass. Coach had to tell me to sit down and rest because I was jumping around and yelling so much that he was worried I was going to wear myself out before the game.”
She giggles and rolls her eyes like she thinks I’m kidding.
“I’m not joking. You were carrying the offense. Amanda and Sophie both seemed off.”
“Amanda wasn’t feeling well,” she says, glancing away.
“I could tell.”
“Have you talked to her?” Summer asks.
“No.” I shake my head. Not in days actually. Huh. I smile at Summer. “I’ve been preoccupied.”
“With soccer?” She bats her lashes playfully.
“And kissing my hot girlfriend.” I press my mouth to hers. I’m likely going to be the reason that Coach makes us run all week, but I can’t help it.
I pull back a lot sooner than I want for the sake of my teammates.
Summer’s cheeks are pink. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I take her hand and interlace our fingers.
“This.” She uses our joined hands to point between us. “We’re kissing and hanging out and…”
“And?”
“Are we still faking it or is this… Are we a thing?”
“I haven’t wrapped my brain around the exact label, but I’m not thinking about kissing you because I’m hoping to prove to anyone that you’re my girlfriend.”
“You’re not?”
“Fuck no. I like kissing you. And I think you like kissing me?”
She nods and she stares at my mouth some more.
“Then we’ll figure out the rest as we go.” A chuckle slips from my lips. “Preferably with your mouth attached to mine.”
She glances around. “Everyone can see us.”
“True.” I hum my disapproval. “What a waste of a bus ride.”
Her laugher fills my chest with warmth. We slouch back in the seat together and use my phone to watch a movie.
About halfway back to Frost Lake, the bus has gone quiet.
There’s a group of people playing cards in the back, but mostly people have on headphones and are watching shit on their phones like us.
I sit up to take off my warm-up jacket.
“Can I use that?” Summer asks.
“You’re cold?” I ask in disbelief. I’m roasting in here, but then again, I’ve been pressed against Summer for an hour straight, and my blood is pumping hard as a million fantasies of kissing her and pulling her into my lap fill my head.
She nods.
“Yeah. Knock yourself out.” I hand it to her.
Instead of putting it on, she drapes it over the front of her like a blanket, then rests her head against my shoulder. It’s nice. All of it. Sitting here with her, watching a movie, holding hands. There aren’t a lot of things I don’t enjoy doing with her.
She pulls my hand farther into her lap. My pinky finger accidentally brushes against her inner thigh and she jolts at the unexpected contact.
“Sorry.” I huff a small, tight laugh as my stomach tightens. Well, fuck, this ride just got a little more torturous.
I manage to concentrate (sort of) on the movie again and not think about where my hand is, but after another few minutes pass, Summer drags my fingers higher.
I still. Every nerve is coiled tight. It’s dark on the bus but I can just make out a shy smile.
“Really?” I ask because this would be a bad time to misunderstand her intent.
She nods and my brain explodes. I did not see this coming. At least not today. Not here. Maybe I should have. Our kisses have become more insistent, and last night when I took her home, we made out in my truck for almost an hour.
The pads of my fingers drag along her center over the slick material of her pants.
My movements are slow and deliberate. When her breathing is shallow, I drop her hand but only to slide mine under the waistband of her pants.
She sucks in a breath as I push my fingers down until I’m doing the same thing only with nothing between us.
“Rowan,” she whispers.
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No. Just…I like you.”
I chuckle. “That’s good. Otherwise I probably shouldn’t have my hand down your pants.”
She shushes me with a playful smack and a giggle, but when I start to move my fingers against her again, she quiets.
My heart is hammering in my chest. Summer clings to my side as I make her feel good. Hopefully half as good as she makes me feel every single day.