And then he turned and walked away, in the same direction Ivy had headed off in minutes earlier. It took Sammie’s mind too long to catch up, spinning out over what had just happened—and whathadn’thappened. By the time she muttered a soft, “Night, Kieran,” he was already too far away to hear her.
“Well,” Atticus said as Sammie shoved past him into her room. “That sure was something.”
“Shut up,” she said.
“Ifbothof you could shut up, that would be awesome,” Kai groaned from the bed. Atticus snatched something off their small bathroom counter, pushing it into Sammie’s hands.
“If he ends up with a migraine, his medicine is in this pouch. Make sure he takes one, even if he thinks he can just tough it out. He’ll be out for the whole day otherwise, and Ineedhim to see me shut outJulian fucking Tatetomorrow.” Then Atticus crossed the room, grabbing a water bottle out of the mini-fridge and kneeling next to the bed. “Drink this, then sleep,” he said to Kai. He got a nod in answer, which he seemed to deem good enough. As he reached the door, opening his mouth to yap some more, Sammie cut him off.
“Did I just fuck up?” She kept her voice low.
Atticus quirked his head to the side. “What?”
“Was that the moment?” She twisted her hands together. “Was I supposed to chase after him and convince him that there could be…somethinghere? Did I just miss my shot?”
Atticus watched her for several long seconds. She saw the instinct to tease her melt from his bones. “I think,” he began, weighing each word carefully. “That you’ve put yourself out there for him from the very start, and maybe now it’s his turn to close the distance. If that’s what both of you want.” He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. “You deserve to be chased, Sammie.”
And even though he drove her crazy, Sammie tugged her brother into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered as he held her tight. “Good luck tomorrow, Attie.”
Sammie was crawling into the single, king-sized bed a short ten minutes later. Sleep didn’t come for her quickly, even as Kai’s soft snores started up next to her.
Tomorrow would be a big day. And if Atticus was right, if he’d been hinting that not only did Kieran need to be the one to make a move now, but that there was any possibility of that actually happening, then Sammie needed to be patient. The most important game of the season was on the line. Of coursenow wouldn’t be the time for Kieran to be distracted by anything beyond that. He needed to focus. For himself, for his team.
Sammie could wait. She could be patient, even if patience was something she’d neverreallyexcelled at. She could give Kieran time. After all, she’d already waited this long.
She could wait a little longer, hanging onto the smallest branch of hope that her brother had held out to her.
Chicago Wildcats Group Chat
Bowen: MORNING ASSHOLES
Bowen: TIME TO WIN A FUCKING TROPHY HAHAHAHA
David: Christ Bow, it’s 5am.
Bowen: RISE AND SHINE RISE AND GRIND BITCHES
Eric: he’s still in bed guys
Eric: he’s texting from under the covers do not let him fool you
Aaron: I’ve been up for an hour.
Atticus: Mister perfect over here
Atticus: iVe bEeN uP fOr aN hOUr
Aaron: I hope you sprain your ankle on the treadmill I just saw you hop on.
Atticus: :(
Atticus: So mean
Kieran: Good morning.
Kieran: I think I have a plan but I need your help.
