“Maybe. I don't know, things are interesting here right now.” She tries to keep her voice casual, but I know my baby sister. I've covered for her too many times.
“Wait did you say apartment? What happened to the dorms?”
“Okay, please don't tell mom. I am going to college…Just not full time.” She says carefully.
I don't say anything. I take the time to pull out another cigarette seeing as I finished that one off in one pull. It doesn't take long before she can't take the silence and is rambling out an explanation at a hundred miles per hour.
I catch the wordsdebut, big brandsandpaid opportunities.
“P. You know I support you no matter what. I won't tell mom but promise me that you'll let me know if you need anything? Like a bigger apartment maybe?” I offer
“No way, T. You already got me a car and Scotty just threw thousands at me for my tuition. I don't want to feel like a mooch any more than I already do.”
“What? No– “
“I know, I know. You and Scotty had a different childhood before dad came along and y'all don't want us to want for anything. It doesn't change how it feels. I'm still immensely grateful, I just want to feel like I earned something all on my own, ya know?”
I let out a sigh because who can argue with that? Still. I worry about her sometimes, even if she is the toughest Bridges sibling.
“Stay safe, I love you.” I tell her.
The screen door slides open, scaring the hell out of me, and making me throw my cigarette butt to the side.
“Hey.” A honeysuckle voice to feminine to be Coach or Matty.
I let out a breath when Alli steps out. She rubs her upper arms trying to stay warm. I immediately shuck my coat and wrap it around her shoulders. “Matty and Hudson won the three-legged race.”
“Oh yeah? They work good together.” A smile tips up my lips.
“More like they plot well together. They're a couple of cheats. They were even brave enough to untie Coach Randall's rope.” She lets out a breathless laugh and I join her.
“You must have been teaching Hudson to play dirty then.” I give her a playful smirk. She blushes a glorious shade of pink.
“Oh, like you haven't been teaching Matty the same thing? I've seen you fight on the ice. You're a sneaky one.” She grins and pokes a finger into my side. I work to keep a straight face as she jabs right into the sensitive spot on my ribs. I try to cover my reaction with a cough into my fist.
Her grin grows.
“Wait…Don't tell me...Is Texasticklish?”
When she goes to do it again, I snatch her hand out of the air. Her breath catches. I gently pull her to me. My arm wraps around her soft waist and her breath stalls.
Her green eyes blink up at me when I trace her cheek with my fingertips. I want to tell her how she makes me feel— new. She feels familiar to me, like we’ve known each other for years, not weeks.
Maybe I'm too much, too fast. She's fresh from a divorce. We work together. So, what do I do about the fact that she is the only woman I've wanted beyond one forgotten night. What's the possibility of keeping her?
Laughter from the house finds us outside. The loudest ones are the two boys who have everything to lose if this thing between us goes wrong.
Allison's soft smile falters as she turns her head to the sliding doors, where Hudson and Matty are on my teammates shoulders and Emalyn is tossing red and green confetti on them.
“Looks like they won again.”Alli whispers and lays her head against my shoulder. She must be coming to the same conclusion as me because a resigned sigh leaves her lips.
She squeezes me tighter before slipping my coat off her shoulders.
“Come on. Let’s go humble our boys.” She smiles and turns back to the doors. I know she expects me to follow. I’m stuck in place.
Our boys.
I wish she meant it the way I do.
