Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
I THINK I LIKE YOU BY THE BAND CAMINO
“Hey Ryn,” He speaks to me as I climb into his car, sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose, his smile blinding.
He’s wearing workout clothes, and I tilt my head.
“What are we doing?” I ask.
“From the list, we’ll be doing a movie date where I slowly make a move on you. I promise it’ll be a great one, but I thought you could help me first,” He tells me, and I look to push my own sunglasses up, pushing my hair back.
“I didn’t sign up to work out,” I tell him.
I don’t mind working out. I actually enjoy running often, but I didn’t plan for that today.
“I would never expect you to... I said help me, not participate,” He slowly pulls away from my building and into the street.
He doesn’t hesitate to reach over the console, his hand resting on my bare thigh, his finger already drawing circles on the soft skin.
This man is going to end me. He’s constantly touching me, and my body is very aware when it comes to Bellamy.
It’s more intense because with him I’ve waited for sex.
I’ve waited to cross that metaphorical finish line because of the list, which is very unlike me.
Though this is a form of hooking up with him, it’s very different.
It’s different because he treats me like a human being, and I treat him with a lot more respect than my previous hookups.
Usually, in the end, I’m looking for one thing.
With this, of course, I want that same thing, but I’m also somewhat wanting to complete the list with him.
He drives us, music playing over the wind that pours through the topless Jeep.
Once we’re pulled into the parking lot of the football stadium, and the car is turned off he reaches into his backseat and pulls out a giant duffle bag before exiting the car.
I wait, knowing he’ll say something if I even try to open the door for myself.
Bell moves to my side, opening my door for me, giving me a hand. I hop down, directly in front of him.
“This…” He tugs on the rolled sleeve, his attention on the shirt that I’m wearing. “I like this... On you,” He tells me, approving of my outfit.
“It’s cuter on me I think,” I tell him.
“So you admit it would be cute on me?” He asks, and I roll my eyes. “Selective hearing always works in my favor,” He slings his arm over my shoulder, his height towering over me.
He walks me straight into the stadium, keeping me right by his side.
I see a group of girls, all of them walking up the stairs, matching shirts on their bodies.
I recognize some of them, others not so much.
It’s the cheer team. I feel eyes on me instantly, and I would move, but I have a feeling Bellamy wouldn’t let me.
I shouldn’t care what they think though, none of them matter in this regard.
None of them know Bellamy or me, or what’s going on.
My mind spins, wondering what they’re thinking.
What are they going to go and tell their other friends, or boyfriends?
I wonder how real this looks to people that aren’t our friends. I wonder if they think…
“Hey Bellamy,” I hear a few girls speak out flirtatiously.
Some even say hi to me, their voices not as kind…
but there’s one that doesn’t say a word.
I don’t know how I forgot Leah was on the cheer team, especially because she’s now probably the captain considering she’s going into her senior year.
Leah’s eyes are sharp, not looking at him, but me. She looks angered and oddly hurt.
“Hey, ladies. Practice went well?” He asks over the group as we start to pass.
“First boot camp of the summer actually. Tryouts start next month, all the new freshmen don’t start boot camp until a week before,” Leah speaks, her voice not as pointed as her stare.
“Cool, hope it went well,” He tells them and continues walking.
I look over my shoulder, and Leah is doing the same, her eyes glaring down at me. I look away, turning back to the front, not liking the thought of her being jealous over something like this.
Something fake.
I also don’t like her claim on him in the slightest. She broke it off with him, why does she care what he does with his time?
Why does she assume she has any control at all in his life?
She’s the type to try and ruin a good thing, I can tell just by the way she looked at me and Bell.
I’m the protective type over my friends.
I’d consider him my friend at this point, and she acts like it’s her job to keep tabs on him.
I understand being hurt, being broken up with, or wanting your ex back, but Leah takes it to another level.
At the end of the day, if he’s moving on, it’s not her job to sabotage that.
It shows me, and probably him, that she never really cared about him in the first place.
“Ignore her Ryn.”
I look up at him the second we step onto the turf.
“It’s hard when she’s shooting daggers at me. Especially since she has no reason to,” My voice is soft despite my words being serious.
“You have what she wants,” He drops his duffle bag on the ground between us now.
“Not actually,” I tell him, and he steps forward, over his bag.
He curls his finger under my chin, tilting my face up to him, “You’re wearing my name on your back, and walking onto the field, my safe space with me. It might be fake to us, but to everyone else except our friends, it’s not.”
Reality rushes through me at how right he is.
Leah thinks he’s choosing me. She’s noticed since the party.
I don’t doubt she saw me when I came to the field a few days ago to tell him I’d do the list with him.
I don’t feel one ounce of regret agreeing to this.
Not yet anyway. But I wonder if I should feel bad.
.. For Leah, or anyone else we’re fooling.
“She was probably just telling me because she knows my sister is coming here next semester as a freshman. She cheers, and she’s really good. Leah knows that,” He shrugs, and I nod.
“Yeah probably…” I agree, wanting this conversation to end.
I don’t need to worry about Leah at all.
“Put your hair up,” He tells me, changing my thoughts again.
“Why?” I ask.
He pushes my hair back for me, his hands grazing my skin, sending flames through my body.
“Because I want to see your pretty face,” He jokes, and I raise my eyebrows waiting for a serious answer. “Because it’ll be easier for you. I can braid it for you.”
“I don’t have a hair tie,” I tell him, and he pulls one off of his wrist.
“I do, turn around,” He tells me, and I do.
He runs his large hands through my hair, pulling and twisting.
“How do you know how to braid hair?” I ask, knowing he’s not even doing a simple braid, he’s doing French or Dutch, something most men wouldn’t know anything about.
“My little sister didn’t have a mom as she grew up... My grandma is an amazing woman, but my sister wanted our mom, dad, or me... So I learned what I had to.”
My heart melts, and breaks all at once, thinking of the two of them growing up without a mom or dad. Especially a young girl like Brianne.
“You’re a really good brother...” I never saw it firsthand, but by the way he treats me, and the things I’ve learned thus far about his family I can just tell.
“I try my best,” He tells me, still working his fingers through my hair as he braids it back. “Do you have any siblings?”
My chest vibrates. I don’t know why it feels intimate when someone wants to know something about me. Not someone, but Bellamy. Because I know he’s the type of person who’s actually going to remember what I say. He’s actually listening to me.
“No... My mom couldn’t after me. They always wanted more, but they couldn’t. I was like a miracle to them,” I use the words my mom always used.
“How fitting.”
My smile is quick after that one. Bellamy is smooth, he knows just how to talk to me, and I don’t know who taught him, but he’s doing great.
He finishes the braid, and ties my hair, flipping the tail over my shoulder, “I know you’ve got a strong voice.
I brought you here because when I train by myself I get a little lazy.
I figured you could help me with my form, with everything I do.
Yell when I need to step it up, considering I know you love football. ”
I feel my stomach heat up.
“You know I love it. So you want me to help you train?” I know he’s giving me insight into the game, to the team, and I also know this could help my reputation with Coach too.
Bellamy is the star after all. I feel a tug on my heart at the thought of this gesture.
One he’d probably brush off, and pretend isn’t that big of a deal when in reality it is.
If Bellamy can trust me with his training on the field, the coach will listen to that.
This list was silly and stupid, but he’s going above and beyond to show me that he’s a really, really good guy.
“That’s the idea... Every few days. Can you wrap me up first?” I nod without a second thought.
“Yeah, where’s your tape?” He reaches into the bag, bringing it out.
He tosses me the roll, and I catch it, coming over to him.
He holds out his right hand to me, flipping it up to the sky.
He gets taped often from what I can see.
He seems to be used to it. This is the hand he throws with.
I start where I usually do, my eyes fixed on his hand.
I can feel his gaze on me, and when I look up at him, I can see his smirk easily.
“I don’t want to hear it from you, I’m being professional right now.”
He knows. He always knows when he’s affecting me and normally that would annoy me. But he’s so hot. That’s such a silly way to put it. It almost makes me feel childish saying it to myself, but it’s so true. He’s just that attractive, to the point where I can barely look at him sometimes.
“This is what you want to do for a living and you can barely keep your cool.”