Chapter 7 #2
“My point is that love isn't something you either have or don't have. It's something you choose. Every day. Your parents chose not to choose each other. That doesn't mean you'll make the same choice.”
I stared at her, at this girl who somehow always knew exactly what to say, who saw through my bullshit to the scared kid underneath.
“I don't know how to do this,” I admitted. “The whole... caring about someone thing. I'm probably going to fuck it up.”
“Good thing I don't know how to do it either.” She smiled. “We can fuck it up together.”
“That's the worst pep talk I've ever heard.”
“I'm a dancer, not a motivational speaker.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “But I mean it. I'd rather fuck this up with you than do it perfectly with someone else.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathing in her vanilla scent. “Same, Rosebud. Same.”
“Shall we try the other length?” Rosie motioned from goal to goal, steering the conversation away from the heavy subject. “I can time you or be your cheerleader. Go Dex, go Dex, go go go Dex!” she chanted as she did a couple of cheerleading moves, making me laugh.
The panic that was squeezing my heart eased, and all I could think about was how amazing she was.
Of course, I knew that already. I witnessed her dedication to Pilates and ballet.
I saw how she took on Daisy as her best friend and helped her heal after her toxic relationship.
She was a ray of sunshine in everyone's life, but her own.
When it came to herself, she walked around with a storm cloud brewing over her, waiting to pour down any moment.
“Let's do it together,” I offered instead of selfishly focusing on my own fear and trying to get over it; it all became a fun way to pass the time.
If you were a masochist, at least.
“Okay,” she shrugged as we walked towards one of the goals. The damp grass squeaked under our shoes, but I wasn't scared of slipping and twisting my knee this time. “But you need to give me a bit of a head start.”
“To teeeen?” I teased her. “Maybe three.”
“Five,” she bargained.
“Done,” I nodded with a wide grin as we made it to the goal. “I'll count to five.”
“Okay,” Rosie nodded, and instead of running towards the other side, she grabbed my shoulders and placed a kiss on my cheek. Her hot breath tickled me, and I flushed like a teenager as I blinked in confusion.
By the time I returned to reality, where her soft lips were no longer pressed to my skin, I realized what she's done as I caught her running across the field.
Guess that was one way to gain some time instead of making me count. My feet once again moved, before my brain had time to register what I was doing, and by the time it caught up, I was running against the cool wind chasing after Rosie.
I caught her just as easily as the first time, wrapping my arms once again around her slender waist and pulling her all the way against me.
Her tight little ass rubbed over my crotch as she wiggled against me, trying to escape my hold.
Her laughter echoed in the empty stadium, and my foot slipped on the dampness as I tried to maintain my balance.
Unsuccessfully, I fell on my back, and Rosie landed on top of me, her head missing my face by an inch.
“Foul,” she laughed at me as she rolled off to look at me. “You okay?”
“I'll take it back,” I muttered as I gasped for air. “Dancers are athletes.”
Rose laughed. “Athletes, with balance.”
“Touché,” I groaned, staring at her beautiful face. Her cheeks were all rosy from the wind and the running, and she looked so comfortable lying against me. We both did despite our intimate position. “Nice trick.”
“What trick?” she grinned innocently, and as I glared at her, another giggle escaped her. “Didn't think a little kiss on the cheeks would get you so flustered. Maybe you're the one who needs more practice.”
“Oh, so are we flirting now?” I asked with wiggling eyebrows and enjoyed it as she blushed. I was definitely off my game, but unlike the other girls I flirted with, I cared about Rosie. We had a deeper connection; we were friends. And this was us playing off-side.
“I was just joking,” she dropped her eyes and shook her head as she moved to stand.
My arms wrapped around her tighter, and I pulled her even closer before I reached up to tug a loose piece of hair behind her ears. “Remember what I told you... Confidence is key. And eye contact.” My fingers reached under her chin, and I nudged her to look at me.
I was met with sparkling blue eyes, wide with desire. Guess we were both affected by our harmless game.
My palm spread over her heated cheeks, and she leaned into my touch, her eyes fluttering closed, her lips parted. It would have been so easy to kiss her. To taste those pink lips that have been teasing me these past weeks.
But before I could decide if I wanted to cross that line, my whole body started vibrating from the phone tucked into Rosie's pocket.
Her eyes snapped open, wide, and she quickly slid off me as she pulled the phone from her waistband.
“Yes?” she picked up, sounding breathless, as I peeled myself off the damp field.
“Yeah, I'm coming. Lost track of time... Dex?” Her eyes found me as I stood.
“No... I mean, yes. He's with me. Oh, yeah, his phone is probably in his bag.
Class policy and all... no, Aaron, you don't know my schedule fully.
Don't be an ass. I still need to shower and lock up. I'll meet you guys there. Yes. Bye.”
I arched a brow as she hung up, and her shoulders slumped. “Apparently, we're late for your team dinner.”
“Fuck me,” I groaned. I totally forgot about it.
I used to love team dinners with all my friends. It was always the highlight of my month. But this time, the team dinner was a reminder of every game I spent sitting on the bench and all the time passing me.
Sour taste filled my mouth, and it must have been written all over my face, as Rosie touched my hand and gave it a light squeeze as she threaded our fingers.
“I'll be there with you.”
And fuck if that didn't melt my heart.
I tugged her closer to me, shielding her from the wind, while enjoying the warmth of her body once again. “And I'll be there for you, Thorn.”
Rose rolled her eyes as she slumped against me and we walked off the pitch holding onto each other. This girl, who went through worse things than I did twice, was the glue that held me together. And I knew at that moment that I wasn't ready to let go of her. In any capacity.
The Italian Restaurant we usually frequented was loud and buzzing with my teammate’s energy.
The smell of pizza mixed with garlic insulted my senses, and all I could think about was how hungry I was.
The table was filled with garlic bread and various pizzas, which we all decided to share.
But all I could do was stare at Rosalie sitting across from me.
She did a quick change in our locker room and emerged in a beautiful baby blue dress.
If I thought I liked pink on her, blue was a very close runner-up.
Especially when she slid into my car, and I drove her to a restaurant.
For a split second, I felt like we were going on a date.
But then we were met with all my teammates, including her brother.
I couldn't pinpoint the moment I started looking at her like a woman, but it happened, and I couldn't stop thinking of how well her body fit against mine and my reaction to her.
It could have been the fact that I haven't been laid in months, or that she was beautiful. Or a mix of both. Whatever it was, I was a total goner.
Aimlessly, I reached for the pizza, not even tasting the melted cheese and the ham as I chewed and swallowed my food. Rosalie threw her head back laughing at something her brother or Oliver said, and she was locked in a deep conversation with both.
Jealousy swirled in my stomach as I wanted her attention back on me, as I had it on the field. Just the two of us.
“So, how are you feeling?” Nova asked, nudging me with her elbow and making me turn to look at her. “You ready for the game?”
“Super ready to sit on the bench,” I replied mockingly and gave her a thumbs up.
She wrapped her hand around my thumb and twisted it. “Dex...”
“Nova...” I mimicked her and forced my face into a casual smile I always flashed around. “All good, really.”
“He's been working very hard in class,” Rosie chimed in, coming to my defense. “His balance is much better, and his muscles around his knee have almost fully regained strength.”
I could have kissed her. I wanted to, but this was a different kind of desire; it was more about the overflowing gratitude I felt in my heart.
“Dad wasn't sure if you could start,” Nova muttered, giving me insider info on what Coach thought.
With a sigh, I shrugged. “It is what it is; there are people who are now better than me.”
“It's still your spot,” Aaron groaned. “You should have it back.”
Considering how close he and Oliver were, who wore the number 10, despite being an attacking midfielder and top goal scorer in my defence. Plus, there were Seb and Marco, who were equally good at making the game and scoring, so it didn't look like they were missing me. Last season, they still won.
Without me.
“Yeah, dude, I miss my scoring buddy,” Oliver grinned at me, and I returned it half-heartedly.
Instead, my eyes wandered to my best friend, Max. He was our captain; he sure as hell knew what Coach thought and had his own reasoning to agree with him. Max played for the national team, played in the big leagues, and knew how to put the team and the win first, not his friend.
“We could practice some free kicks,” he offered, like he did last week. “Maybe that will help.”
“Sure.”
I never used to be the kind of person who turned down extra practice with my friends. But I felt like they were silently judging me.