“Of course they did.” I chewed the side of my lip, a million questions going through my head. Why had Luca come today, after we’d essentially agreed nothing would ever happen between us? Unless Dean forced him to attend, but Luca didn’t do anything he didn’t want to.
He wants to come then.
A bright, pleasant feeling grew in my chest at the thought.
As we showered and listened to our post-game chat with Coach Ramirez, I couldn’t quite focus. The post-game high was a real thing, and I couldn’t sit still. My left leg bounced up and down, my gut twisting with anticipation of some sort. I wanted to do something, anything really, to rid of this energy. Could be something easy like a long walk or even a small workout for a release. Deep down though, I’d admit I wanted to do something rash, something…wild.
Like Luca.
My face flushed, and I took another long swig of water. I knew better than to let a guy distract me after what happened with Eric, but the temptation was there. Even more so after Luca watched me touch myself. That combined with the brief whisper of his lips against mine last weekend caused a tornado of butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t recall if I’d felt that with Eric. I knew I was into him and liked our chemistry, but this vibe with Luca was more intense.
“Great game, Lorelei,” Mally Higgins said. She was a sophomore on the team and rarely complimented me. She intimidated me on every level, looks, muscles, and skills even though I was a year older.
Age didn’t equate power though. That was a lesson I learned playing for Coach Ramirez.
“Thank you.” I swallowed and flashed a smile. “You too. You had what… thirty saves today?”
“Thirty-five.” She flashed a smile. “And thank you. Tell your brother Higgs said to fuck off. He’ll know what I mean.”
She added gel to her hair and slicked one side of it back, and ugh, she looked so cool. The coolest. I stared and she caught me in the mirror, and I made an awkward smile.
“You’re such a dork.” Mack snorted. “Stop staring at her.”
“She’s so cool though. Like, I know she’s a sophomore, but I want her swag. The badassery that radiates around her. If we were walking in a crowd, people would move out of her way. Me? People push me around.”
“Cause you’re short.”
Mack shoved the doors open to exit the locker room, and the familiar smell of grass and cleaner filled the air. I breathed it in deep, the same electric bubble ofsomethingcirculating under my skin. I could lie to myself, but it was the fact I was about to see Luca again. So soon too. After we got home last night, he’d walked me to my room and immediately shut his door. If life repeated itself, I didn’t expect to see him for at least a week.
How fun, our routine was for us to cross the line and then avoid each other. Healthy. Super fucking normal.
“But what did she mean about your brother?” Mack said, drawing my attention back to her. A slight blush crept down her face and neck.
See, the thing about Mack was, she tried really hard to hide her crush on my brother. She heard me complain about the girls who used me to get to him, the fake attempts at friendship just to try to hit on Dean. I appreciated her effort to never be one of those girls, but she was shit at hiding the truth
“Fuck off, he’ll know what it means?I mean, it’s pretty clear.” I laughed as my gaze landed on Dean and Luca. They headed toward us, and Luca’s dark eyes narrowed as he glanced down my body. My skin prickled from his perusal, and I was glad I put on my favorite jeans. They provided an extra layer of armor. For what? I didn’t know, but I needed it.
“Are they—” her question was interrupted by Dean holding up his hands in a double high-five. Our tradition.
“Fivesies.” He grinned hard at me as we did our handshake. It was three hits, elbow, elbow, one kick and a double clap. We both laughed by the end, and I snuck a glance at Luca, who stared unblinking at me. There might’ve been warmth in his gaze, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
“Y’all know how lame you look, right?” Mack said, amusement filling her tone.
“By lame you mean awesome?” I fired back. “I’m sorry you don’t have an annoying twin who was your best friend growing up.”
“We weren’t best friends,” Dean said. “We tolerated each other.”
“Are you saying we weren’t close? What the hell?” I punched his arm. He swatted my hand. “Why are you at the game then?”
“School spirit.”
“Liar.” I shook my head and took my time eyeing Luca’s outfit. Tight, fitted black jeans, a thermal with a hood, and his fresh, clean scent that reminded me of him. Nowwhyhad he come to the game? “You also feeling spirited? Why are you at the game? Sundays are for… color-coding your socks, I thought?”
His lips quirked up but not enough for a smile. “Figured I could support my quarterback’s sister.”
“That’s a weird sentence.” Mack scrunched her nose, her frown growing as she stared at Luca. Her apprehension matched my own confusion at seeing Luca here, studying me.
A part of me was thrilled. He came to a game! But the reason why was unclear, and I wanted to know. More like, I needed to know. I couldn’t get him out of my head. Was I stuck in his too?
