“Are you okay?” Grace hooked a brow. “If he’s hurt, you’ll still have to smile like nothing happened.”
“I know. I’ll be fine.” Or would I? Hell, I knew how to fake a smile. I swung my gaze to the field.
Eli sat up, and one medic stood, holding his hand out to him.
Taking his hand, Eli hopped to standing, shook his arms and circled his head. As he walked off the field with the medic team, he glanced at me and gave me a crooked smile.
“Thank God he’s okay.” I rose with the rest of the squad and chanted, “ASU, ASU, ASU…” while banging our pom-poms in front of our chests.
Eli strolled to the sidelines, where the medics ran further tests on him. As I chanted and we started a fresh routine, I monitored him from afar.
After the game,we’d taken buses to the airport and boarded our plane. Where the football players had a chartered jet, we were stuck with a regular flight. As the plane took to the air, I sat next to Grace and sighed. Eli played again after halftime. What the hell had happened to him? There’d been no opportunity for me to talk to him.
“Are you thinking about Eli?” She pushed her seat back as the plane leveled.
“No.” Hell, I couldn’t lie to her. “Yes.” I had yet to share what had happened in our room. We’d been so busy this afternoon. I glanced through the portal window at the city lights below, the plane’s engines rumbling through the cabin.
“You’re worried about him.” She crossed her legs and angled toward me. “They let him play, so whatever happened couldn’t have been that bad.”
“I know.” I bit my lower lip. “He told me he still has feelings for me.” There, I’d said it out loud, the words that had been rolling around in my head for hours.
“He did?” Her eyes lit. “That’s great, isn’t it?” She touched my forearm lying on the armrest between us.
“I don’t know.” I stared at the tray in the seat ahead of me and fidgeted with the clasp. “What should I do with that? I’m not sure what he wants from me.” If he asked me to date again, could I?
With a scoff, she said, “Are you stupid? If your ex tells you he still has feelings for you, he obviously wants to date you again.” She snickered. “God, Wren, can’t you see that?”
“I…maybe I don’t want to, to see it.” I hung my head as butterflies took flight in my stomach. Apparently, part of me wanted it. But my brain saidno. “How could I ever trust him again?”
“Do you really think he hasn’t matured since high school? He volunteers at the LGBTQ helpline. He’s out now, right? You wouldn’t be hiding.” She lowered her brows. “I know you feel something for him. I saw it when he got hurt tonight. You can’t fool me.” With a huff, she crossed her arms. “All you do is hook up with guys or date for a few days and then poof, there’s something wrong with them.” She turned her hard gaze on me. “Pull your head out of your ass and quit punishing the guy.”
I stared at her, my mouth falling open. “Harsh much?” I glared at the back of my seat, clenching my fists. She was right, as usual. “I don’t even know if that’s what he wants. Maybe he just wants to be friends or to bury the hatchet.”
“God, you frustrate me sometimes.” She slipped her phone from the seat pocket in front of her and opened the app for the movies. “Let me know when you come to your senses.”
“Fine.” I leaned my head against the window frame and closed my eyes. Maybe I could sleep this argument away.
Midweek,I strolled to the campus Starbucks in between classes. I had a craving for a pumpkin-spiced latte, and I’d kept from asking Grace for Eli’s number all week. I deserved a treat. After opening the door, I stepped into the cool, retro darkness of the coffee shop.
As my gaze snagged Eli’s dark head of hair at the counter, I froze. Damn it, I shouldn’t have seen him until the game this weekend. What the hell? I’d come in here all last year and never seen him.
Twisting, I glanced at the door. Maybe I should leave?
“Wren,” Eli’s deep voice said. “Hey.” He grasped my arm and turned me to face him. “Come on, have a coffee with me.” He ticked his head at the counter. “I don’t have class for an hour.”
“Fine.” I wanted to know what had happened to him last weekend. With a deep breath, I strolled to the counter and ordered my drink.
As Eli’s name was called, he grabbed his coffee and sat at a dark wood table by the window, and then watched me, like I would run off on him.
Hell, I just might. No, I had to face this. There would be more games, more hard hits and traveling with him. We had to come to an agreement.
The barista called my name, and I picked up my drink and dropped in across from Eli, then set my backpack on the floor. “How are you feeling after that crappy hit on Saturday?” I’d start there. Maybe I could keep it friendly and avoid any talk of feelings.
“I’m fine.” He rubbed the heel of his hand across his chest. “A little sore still, but that’s all. The fucker knocked the wind out of me.” He sipped his coffee. “How are you doing?”
“Fine.” Awkward. I glanced out the window and into the relentless sunshine, bleeding the color from the landscape of palms and desert plants. It wouldn’t feel like fall until next month, if we were lucky.
“What are you studying?” His gaze trailed over me and stopped at my mouth.
