A pair of shoes scuffed nearby before Dean planted his feet on either side of my hips and smiled down at me. Giving me a hand up, he said, “I think that was the most graceful fall I’ve ever seen.”
I laughed as I dusted myself off before we returned to the game.
Not even a few minutes later, I found myself the closest to our hoop when the ball was thrown wide in my direction. Panic and adrenaline raced through me when I managed to catch it before it bounced out of bounds, but I had no one close to pass it to make the shot. And a swarm of fully grown, extremely sweaty men were heading straight for me.
I gasped when a pair of hands quickly and firmly took hold of my waist before Dean’s voice came from behind me.
“I’ve gotcha,” he said breathlessly and lifted me up towards the net with ease.
I lobbed the ball into it, scoring my first point of the game.
There was a scuffle nearby between teams to get the ball back, and then they were moving in the other direction. But my mind was elsewhere.
The lift had caused my shirt to bunch around my ribs, where Dean’s hands remained. He slowly brought me back down, leaving barely any space between the front of his body and the back of mine. He moved me down against him until my feet were planted on the ground. Despite that, it felt like my head was up in the clouds.
He skimmed his hands down my sides, and my shirt went with them. It tickled and I smiled faintly as I leaned into him.
“We should get back to the game,” I said softly, turning my head in the direction of where the others were at the other end of the court.
He hummed, trailing his fingers down the back of my arms. “Not that I’ll be able to focus...”
“You’re the one who wanted me to come.” I realized how it sounded as the words left my mouth.
Dean stepped out from behind me. Amusement and knowing flashed in his eyes.
My lips twitched and I folded my arms, moving to the edge of the court as the guys raced for the goal again. “You have a dirty mind.”
He followed, raising his right eyebrow as he pocketed his hands. “So do you.”
I came to a stop, looking up at him as I ground my jaw slightly in consideration. Refusing to break eye contact when I tilted my head. His eyes were on my lips, and I smiled a little.
“You have no idea..." I said softly.
Both his eyebrows went up this time, paired with a growing hunger in his eyes. A hunger that filled me with a little more confidence about sharing my first time with him. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the basketball hit him in the back. Thanks to Seb, who didn’t look too pleased that half his team wasn’t focused on the game.
After an almost two-hour game, with Seb's team winning by a point, the eight of us sat for almost another hour against one of the brick walls, giving our weary legs time to recoup after so much running in the midday heat. Mine felt like jelly as I stretched them out in front of me, resting my head back against the brick while a gentle breeze blew into the court. It lifted the loose hairs of my ponytail from my face, bringing a little reprieve.
Dean was beside me, listening to Seb beside him complaining because he forgot to bring a canteen with him. When Dean reached into his pocket, I was subtly surprised when instead of taking out a packet of cigarettes he retrieved gum.
I tried to remember the last time I saw him without a cloud of smoke. The smell of tobacco still lingered with his scent, but it wasn’t nearly as strong or often anymore.
“Did you give up smoking?” I asked quietly.
He half smiled with his head back against the wall and eyes closed, chewing on the gum. He pulled his legs up to rest his forearms on his knees.
“Tryin’ to.” He opened one eye to look at me. “Spendin’ time with you helps.”
“How?”
“’Coz I know the smell isn’t pleasant for you. And I don’t wanna fuck up your lungs too.”
“That’s very considerate of you... I would kiss you but I’m still a little sweaty.”
He huffed a laugh and his Adam’s apple bobbed before he rolled his head to the side, looking at me through tired but happy eyes. “I wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t,” I laughed softly, pulling out my phone at the same time as it buzzed in my back pocket.
The caller ID said it was Jane but when I answered I could just make out the voice of her friend, Lydia. Her voice strained over the sound of the loud music playing in the background. Why she had Jane’s phone in the first place made me straighten. Dean did too, just a little slower as he watched my face. His smile was long gone.
