Chapter 10 #4
Aspen chuckled softly. “Yes, although I must confess I only found out about it tonight and feel a little bit dumb for not seeing it sooner. The guy hasn’t wiped that goofy grin off his face since the second you two arrived tonight.”
A short laugh slipped out of Maddy. “No, he hasn’t.” She shrugged lightly. “It’s kinda cute though.”
“It is. I also must confess that until I found that out tonight, I thought…” She hesitated. Her throat suddenly felt very dry. She swallowed hard.
Maddy’s head turned. Her eyes, paled to slate in the low light, landed on Aspen’s for the first time since she had come out the door. “You thought…?”
Aspen cleared her throat. “I thought you and Jake were…you know, rekindling things.”
Maddy’s laugh was sharp and immediate, almost startled. “Me and Jake? No. Absolutely not.” She turned her body now, hip leaning into the railing, facing Aspen squarely. “I wouldn’t be hanging out with him if I thought he still had feelings for me.”
Aspen nodded, turning her body to mirror Maddy’s. Unable to make herself look away.
God, she was beautiful.
This was her moment. Just like Jake said—or rapped?—one opportunity. Don’t let it slip.
Maddy’s lips parted. She drew a soft breath like she was about to say something.
“Do you like soccer?” Aspen blurted out, too loudly, and cringed.
Maddy’s brows pulled together. “I’m sorry?”
“Soccer. Women’s soccer, specifically. Professional.” Real eloquent, Aspen.
The crease between Maddy’s brows deepened, like she could not compute what Aspen had just said.
That made two of them.
Aspen took a breath and tried again. “I work for the San Diego Wave.” She watched Maddy’s face for a flicker of recognition. Nothing. Maddy’s face was entirely blank. “It’s our women’s soccer team—”
“I know what the San Diego Wave is, Aspen.” Maddy said flatly.
“Right, of course you do.” Aspen cleared her throat again. She should abort. She should apologize for coming out here and ruining Maddy’s peaceful moment, and walk back inside.
No, it was too late for that. She already brought it up. She may as well see it through. Worst-case scenario, Maddy said no.
Okay, that thought didn’t help. Aspen took another breath and pushed through.
“I’m the team’s rehab PT. And I’m on call for home games,” she went on, closely watching Maddy’s face for a reaction, any reaction at all, “which basically just means I get free tickets to sit in the first row behind my team’s bench and if a player gets injured, I meet them in the locker room.
And if not, I just get to enjoy the game.
Maisie goes with me sometimes, but she has a slumber party Friday night, so I was wondering…
” Her heart pounded in her ears. She forced the words out.
“If you’d like to go to the game with me? ”
She finished the sentence and pulled in a long breath through her nose. There. She had asked. Now she waited.
Maddy didn’t speak. She just stared. Her face blank. Then she watched as comprehension sank in.
And still, Maddy said nothing.
Aspen resisted the urge to fill the silence with more babbling words.
She lost the resistance after roughly three seconds. “Unless you don’t like soccer. Then that’s cool.” Heat climbed up Aspen’s neck. She kept her hand flat against the railing to steady herself.
A small breath of a laugh broke out of Maddy. “I like soccer. I’m an Angel City fan.”
Aspen nodded lightly. “That…makes sense.” Of course Maddy would be a fan of the LA team. And San Diego’s biggest rival. But Maddy still hadn’t answered the actual question.
Aspen searched Maddy’s face, trying to read her mind like she had been doing all night during Codenames. But it seemed that only worked when Maddy allowed it to.
Maddy chewed the inside of her cheek and glanced at the sliding glass door, watching their family and friends on the other side who were completely oblivious to Aspen currently making a fool of herself on the deck.
Maddy turned her attention back to Aspen, and Aspen could have sworn Maddy was trying to read her mind now too. Her eyes studied Aspen’s so sharply. The same look she had given the Codenames board half an hour ago.
Aspen’s nerves intensified. She felt her throat bob as she swallowed.
Maddy dropped her eyes to the deck floorboards and held them there for a beat. “Okay.” She said quietly and snapped her gaze back up to Aspen
Aspen blinked. “Okay?” She asked, needing clarification. Especially considering Maddy hadn’t even added a fine at the end. Aspen understood fine. She didn’t know what to do with…okay.
“Yes. Okay.” Maddy cocked her head, watching Aspen closely. “I will go to the game with you.”
Aspen knew she must have looked as surprised as she felt.
Maddy hadn’t even put up a fight. Not a single fabricated excuse about being busy, no back-and-forth rebuttal, she didn’t even ask what time the game was to verify if she had a scheduling conflict.
That had to be good, right? But Aspen needed to play it cool. If she came on too strong, it would spook Maddy, just like it had inside.
She offered a closed-lip, but genuine, smile. “Cool.”
“Cool.” Maddy’s mouth twitched.
Aspen’s fingers tightened on the railing once and let go. “The game starts at 5 on Friday, so I’ll pick you up at 4?”
“Okay.” Maddy said with her eyes still locked on Aspen.
God, why was that one four-letter word throwing her so off-kilter?
“Okay.” Aspen echoed.
For a second, neither of them moved. The string lights buzzed faintly overhead. Inside, their family and friends’ laughter was muffled by the glass.
Maddy pushed gently off the railing. “I’m gonna…” She tipped her head toward the door.
Aspen nodded. She watched Maddy cross the deck and slide the door open, heard the muffled sound of her family briefly amplify, then mute again as the door slid shut.
The deck went quiet. Aspen stayed at the railing and turned to face the dark yard, letting out a long exhale.
Holy shit. She did it. She had a date with Maddy Sterling on Friday.
A smile started to form, then abruptly stopped when a second thought hit: had she made it clear she was actually asking Maddy out on a date?
Did it count as a date if she was technically on the clock and would have been going anyway?
Fuck. Now Aspen was sending herself mixed signals.
She replayed the conversation. Still unclear.
Then she decided it didn’t really matter. Because she had asked, and Maddy had said yes. And if there was even the slightest chance Maddy had said yes under the impression it was a date, then she needed to make sure it was the best damn date of Maddy Sterling’s life.