“Well,” he says before he pauses, his hands are gripping his coffee cup on the table and I’m trying not to get distracted by the veins in them, or the way they might feel running through my hair.
“I can show you.”
He looks at me and I’m trying to hide the deep breath I inhale at the intensity of his gaze, but it’s no use. His eyes look lighter in the sunlight today–still brown, but when the sunlight hits them just right, I swear there’s a flick of gold.
I should go home. I should ignore the part of me that wants to explore this attraction further. And I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about how it would feel if he pushed me against this brick wall beside us. Every rational part of me says go home, but the small part that’s intrigued by everything Ford Anderson does has me wanting to see what’s next.
“Okay, show me.”
The thought of spending more time with Abby today was too tempting to pass up. I know I’m putting both of us in a risky situation, but the logical side of my brain didn’t show up today, only the part that can’t stop thinking about Abby showed up. I’d like to say I regret asking her to come with me, but that’d be a fucking lie.
It’s not often that I bring people with me to the Rec Center and if it’s anyone, it sure as shit isn’t a woman. It’s usually the guys when I’ve run events here and they volunteer. It’s important to me to spend as much time as possible here with the kids because I know once the season really picks up, my free time is limited.
The Rec Center downtown is where the majority of my time and resources go during the offseason. There was no question when I was drafted that giving back to the community would be a priority. If it weren’t for this place in particular, who knows where I’d be. It kept me out of trouble and invested in sports. There are a lot of people here to thank for where my career is now.
“Downtown Recreation Center? So, what, after a long run you like to cool down with some more sports… ugh, athletes.” Abby reads the sign as we walk up the steps and she nudges my arm with a smile. I grab the door and gesture for her to go in first.
“You’ll see,” is all I say.
Once inside, she follows me down the hall to a gymnasium that has basketball hoops on either end of the gym. On the next court over, a small volleyball net is set up and there’s an area for kids to socialize and some mats to sit on, or in a lot of cases, they use them for tumbling. This place has seen better days, but since I’ve been in the league, I make sure to invest as much time, skill and money here to help. Kids that come here on weekends or after school will get help with homework if they need it, a safe spot to burn some energy on the courts or even just a place to socialize and make friends.
One of the kids who comes here every weekend grabs my attention. “Mr. Ford! Hey, you have to see this. Watch this dunk!” The net on the basketball hoop is much lower than regulation play since the kids that I normally play basketball with are anywhere from eight to twelve years old. The older kids usually play basketball on the larger court outside.
“Oh, yeah? Let’s see it.” He dribbles the ball a couple of times before scooping it up in his hands and jumping for the hoop. The ball just tips in and he lets go of the hoop, hollering and shaking his hands in the air like he just scored the winning basket in a championship game. I smile and give him a high five as he runs back onto the court. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Abby staring at me, her mouth is slightly open and she looks like a deer in headlights.
“Something wrong?” My eyes narrow.
“I just… had no idea you worked with kids. Obviously, I don’t know you that well, but I really didn’t expect this.” She touches my arm and just feeling her hand on my skin makes me smile. It’s probably the first time I’ve actually let myself smile at her with more than just my usual smirk that everyone else sees. For some reason, having her here with me feels right, it feels normal.
We walk around a little more before we stop and take a moment to talk with the office staff about the plan for the renovation in the art room. It’s scheduled to start next week and we just need to make sure everything is ready to go. Truth be told, the Rec Center needs a lot of help and without sounding like a dick, I have a lot of money and not a lot of people to spend it on. So, I’ve been donating to help get this place back into high functioning shape for the kids. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made here over the last few years and plan to keep making improvements.
I notice Abby keeps glancing at me now and then as we walk around, but it’s nearly impossible to tell what she’s thinking. She isn’t saying much as she takes everything in, which I’ve learned isn’t exactly normal for her. I watched her talk to herself while eating a muffin this morning.
“I’ll be done in about five minutes, we can leave then. I’ll walk you home,” I say, watching her sip what’s left of her coffee as she’s looking out the window watching the older kids on the basketball court. She nods her head and smiles to herself, while I’m so fucking stuck standing here, just staring at her.
“So that all sounds good, Ford, thank you so much again. You’re an angel, dear.” I’ve come to appreciate these women who work here at the front desk a hell of a lot. One of them, Dolly, has been here for twenty years, easily. I remember her from when I was younger. She’s obviously a little older now, fragile looking even. Her black rimmed glasses sit at the tip of her nose and her hair is pulled back, but some of the silver strands still fall near her face.
“Anything for you, Doll.” She blushes at my comment as she walks away.
I walk over to the window where Abby is standing and the pull between us feels immediate. Our bodies aren’t touching, but I can feel the tension between us, the desire to be close to her. It takes everything in me not to put my arm around her waist and scoop her up beside me.
“This is amazing, Ford. You can tell how much the kids love being here. You’re making such a difference for them, you probably don’t even realize it.” Her eyes become misty as she smiles up at me. I’m not one for the mushy shit, so I press my lips together and nod my head.
“Just helping where I can.” I’m about to offer to walk her home when she smiles and turns to me.
“What else is on the agenda today?”
My heart cannot handle what I’ve seen so far today with Ford. I never would’ve guessed he’s the guy who volunteers with kids or the guy who likes churros and sprinkles in his ice cream like a child. He’s made me laugh more than I expected and he’s surprised me in so many ways since we first met. It’s like everything I’ve learned about him today has only furthered this attraction towards him. Call me crazy, but I’d swear he feels it too. We seem to keep stealing glances at one another and the subtle touches here and there keep sending heat waves through my body. I’ve caught him staring at my ass a few times too and frankly, who could blame him? I’m well aware that these bike shorts are doing me all sorts of favors.
“Okay, so ice cream and churros were not my plan for lunch, but I don’t hate it.” I rub my stomach and smile to myself. This has been the best day I’ve had since moving here, I feel so at ease with Ford. We’ve fallen into this rhythm today, like this is just a normal Saturday between us and not the second time we’ve ever met. Part of me wants to get to know him more, but I shouldn’t pry. He doesn’t seem like someone who would respond well to that. I’m sure if he wants to share something, he will. Also, wrapping myself up in a guy is the last thing I want right now. Not that this is even anything with Ford; at this point we’re merely just friends. Still, knowing as little as possible about him will help with not furthering this attraction. You never know, next he could be showing me the animal shelter he volunteers at and I’ll lose the little self-control I have left the second he cuddles a puppy.
God that would probably be so hot.
The clouds have thankfully cast a bit of coverage over the blazing Florida sun, so walking around all afternoon hasn’t been all that bad. We’ve seen countless flower shops, more cafes, a few little mom and pop restaurants and some fancy jewelry stores. We’re not far from Chase’s apartment, I recognize the red sign out front that reads “LINCOLN ON MAIN.” I can’t help but be a little bummed that our day together is coming to an end, even though all good things must.
“I’ll walk you up to your apartment,” he says it as a fact, not a question and I don’t bother protesting. It’s hard not to wonder if this is out of the way for him though. He did mention that he used to live around here, but I don’t know where he lives now.
“Is this out of the way for you?” The words fly out of my mouth as we walk into the lobby. Outside, there are people walking down the street, and you can see the hustle of everyone getting from point A to point B, but inside it’s just the two of us, it’s quiet. He stops in front of me suddenly causing me to lightly bump into him. I pull myself back to create some space between us before he looks down at me. His eyes meet mine with the same darkness and intensity I saw a lot of the first night we met. He lets out a deep sigh and inches closer to me. I’d just need to step a foot forward and our bodies would be touching. Something inside me wants to test it, to see if he’d back up or let me come closer. My heart rate just skyrocketed in the last ten seconds and I’m obviously not thinking clearly.
