"You did good," Doc says quietly, and that means as much as all of Max's enthusiasm.
"Thanks. I'm gonna hit the showers, get the trainer to look at my thigh. It's been spasming."
"Are you okay?" Max looks worried again.
"I'm good, promise." I accept another hug because apparently that's what we do now. "Just pushed a little hard."
"I'll wait," Doc says. "If you want?"
"Yeah?" I try not to sound too eager. "I mean, if you don't mind. Might be a while."
"I've got time."
Max makes exaggerated kissing noises until Doc shoves him. "And that's my cue to leave. Some of us have actual plans tonight."
"Netflix alone in your room isn't 'plans'," Sebastian says.
"It's Netflix and a face mask, thank you very much. Self-care, Doc. Look it up."
They bicker all the way off the bleachers while I head to the locker room, grinning like an idiot.
Chapter 18
Standing O-vation
Gavin
The trainer, Kelly, is thorough as hell. She works on my thigh for a solid twenty minutes, her strong hands finding every knot and tension point while she lectures me about overextension and proper warm-ups.
Most of the football team does other sports or training during the off-season, so we have trainers available year-round. It's a big perk to come to PCU over other universities; they really take care of their athletes.
Each time she hits a particularly tight spot, I have to bite back a grunt. The woman doesn't mess around.
"You're carrying stress in your hip flexors too," she mutters, digging her elbow into a spot that makes me see stars. "When's the last time you did a proper cool-down routine?"
"Uh..." I try to think. "Tuesday?"
"Tuesday." She shakes her head as if I've personally offended her. "No wonder you're tight as a drum. Your body's not a machine, Robins. You can't just run it into the ground and expect it to keep performing."
By the time she's finally done working me over, the training facility has mostly cleared out. A few guys are just leaving thelocker room, their voices echoing off the walls, but pretty much everyone has already headed out.
"Ice when you get home," Kelly orders, packing up her massage oil and towels with military efficiency. "Twenty minutes on, twenty off. And do those stretches I showed you, the hip flexor ones and the IT band work."
"Yes, ma'am." I sit up on the table, testing how the leg feels. Better. Not perfect, but definitely better.
"And tell that boyfriend of yours to make sure you actually do them." She gives me a knowing look as she stuffs supplies into her kit. "Saw him mother-henning you from the stands after the meet.
My face heats up like someone just cranked the thermostat to ninety. "He's just?—"
"Adorable? Completely smitten? Yeah, I noticed." She shoulders her bag and heads for the door. "Take care of yourself, Robins. And next time, stretch properly before you try to show off for the cute medical student."
She's gone before I can sputter out a protest, leaving me sitting there with my face still burning and my brain stuck on 'completely smitten.' Because that's what Doc looked like from the field? Smitten?
Who uses words like 'smitten' anymore?
I'm still trying to wrap my head around that, trying to decide if Kelly's just messing with me or if she actually saw something I missed, when I hear tentative footsteps echoing from the hallway.
"Gavin? You still here?"
