But how could I not when one look of his made me feel like the most important person in the goddamn world?
My limbs lay messily over him, my hand now lingering on his cheek, and my leg draped over his thigh. I offered a lopsided smile, feeling suddenly vulnerable in our current position. River tried to return it, his lips tugging shakily to form a small grin, but the delusional side of me swore there was a hint of apprehension behind it.
“Did you win?” Millie shouted through the fence. “Alex! Did you win?”
I pulled away from River the moment my niece’s voice snapped me back into reality. River and I scurried to our feet, and I subconsciously took a step away from him, thinking we could both use the space.
“Knocking him down to win? That’s so smart!” Millie chirped.
“I didn’t mean to knock him down, Mills,” I shouted. “I didn’t win.”
“Aw, man.” Her disappointment was short-lived. “Can I go play?”
My head tilted. “Play?”
The child pointed to her left. “There’s a playground!”
I followed her pointed finger and spotted the area she was referring to. We were on a college campus, so it wasn’t a full-blown playground, but a swing set in a sandbox. It was empty and within eyesight of the courts.
Maybe she could wear herself out. “Five minutes.”
With the way her face lit up, one would think I had just promised her pizza for dinner every night for a year. I watched as Millie skipped to the swing set, purposely focusing on her to not have to deal with the uncomfortable atmosphere between River and me.
My hands rested on my hips as I panted heavily, and my body felt like I’d just run two marathons. Fuck, I seriously needed to go to the gym more.
“Hands on your head.” I viewed him from the corner of my eye as River demonstrated. His arms rose above him, and he placed his hands on his head, his chest rising and falling at a quickened pace, but not as rapidly as mine. “It’ll help you catch your breath faster.”
I mimicked his position and paced in small circles. It was helping, but my legs felt like lead, and I was so hot I could melt. “I’m never being active again.”
He chuckled through his nose. “There’s a water fountain over there.”
Beside the courts and across from the swing set was a restroom, but I saw no signs of a water fountain. River noticed my suspicions and gestured for me to follow him. We entered the bathroom corridor, and when we turned the corner, there were two water fountains awkwardly bolted into the wall. It was a secluded area that could only be found if you’d wandered to the toilet, but it didn’t block us from hearing the ball on the courts or the few people passing by. What an odd place to put water.
I couldn’t help but scarf down the drink after feeling like I had been dying of thirst. The cold liquid stung against my teeth, and honestly, it was what I needed to forget how badly I longed for my ex-best friend, mere inches away from me, yet out of my reach.
To forget how much I wanted to press my body against his, but intentionally this time.
How desperately I wanted to trace my fingers along the curves of his bare chest that I hadn’t seen yet, but already knew was more defined than my own existence.
Ex-best friend.I called him that, even though I knew I wanted more long before we stopped being anything at all. Even now, seven years later, I still wished I had gotten the chance to call us more. Instead, I was stuck with the term ex-best friend.
A firm hand gripped my shoulder, followed by a calm but warning voice. “Too much at once and you’ll cramp.”
I backed away from the fountain with a sharp nod as the back of my hand wiped over my lip. River peered down at me, and his mouth did that weird thing where it tried to form a full smile, but failed.
My heart leaped when he took a step toward me. River’s hand cupped my face, and his thumb found the corner of my lip and wiped gently. “You missed a spot.”
I didn’t think I did, but my heart was pounding too loudly for me to respond without it turning into a rambling mess. My tongue grazed along my bottom lip as heat swirled in my chest, not fully believing what I thought was happening.
And the next thing I knew, River’s lips were crashing against mine.
Chapter Ten
ALEX
His lips tasted like all of my delusional childhood fantasies coming to life.
Intense. Chaotic.Perfect.
