I raised a brow. “Not long.”
“Nope,” he agreed. “But, in the short amount of time, it’s almost been more rewarding than football.”
“Hm.” I leaned back in my seat, considering his words. “Interesting. So, hearing the cheers of thousands of fans and being on television multiple times a semester isn’t as rewarding as this?”
“No.” He shook his head. “The realization surprised me too.”
“So… since you don’t feel rewarded in football does that mean you’re not one of the players who want to go pro?” I asked, unable to ignore my curiosity in getting to know him more.
“No, I’m going pro,” he said without hesitation. “I have to.”
“Have to,” I repeated, hopeful that he’d elaborate.
This time, my response was met with silence. For the first time since I met him, Dakota wasn’t wearing his easy smile. I’ve never been a good people reader, which was why making new friends felt near impossible most days. He’d been making it easy so far. Now, I couldn’t read anything from the straight line of his mouth.
Dakota drove us down a road on the outskirts of campus. There weren’t many classroom buildings and I could see the football stadium getting closer. The soccer field we passed was filled with people playing frisbee or lying on blankets in the grass.
We finally slowed down once we neared a lake. Dakota stopped underneath a large tree. Its branches reached across the sidewalk creating an impressive archway of sorts. The pink flowers on the tree floated off at any blow from the wind. Small petals covered the cart’s windshield.
“This is beautiful,” I murmured, taking in the scenic view of the lake.
“It’s my favorite spot on campus.” Dakota repositioned his leg on the dash so it mirrored mine. He reached in a pocket under the golf cart seats and pulled out two protein bars.
“Thanks.” My stomach growled at the sight of the bars. I didn’t like the dry, chalky taste of them, but it sure beat sitting here surviving on water alone.
“You’ll have to tell me your favorite snacks. I’ll stock up on some for our route.”
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to.” I shook my head. “I can bring my own.”
“It’s not a big deal. I like the idea of taking care of you… I mean…”
My skin warmed, and I couldn’t keep my smile from widening. “You mean?”
He cleared his throat. “I mean, I like knowing that I can do something to make working together easier. Sitting here hungry would be uncomfortable, no?”
“For sure.”
I opened my bar and decided to let him off the hook. Because I was supposed to be good and focused on not falling for him. Not falling would entail not reading into his words. Maybe he didn’t mean anything more than wanting me to feel comfortable.
As I ate, I danced a little in my seat at the taste of chocolate on my tongue.
“You like it?” Dakota asked, looking amused by my movements.
I glanced down at the chocolate-covered bar that tasted like sandpaper dipped in sugar. “Eh, it’s alright.”
“If you dance for something alright, I want to see what you do when you find something extraordinary,” he mused.
I shrugged and kept it to myself that my dancing was more to do with him and his words.
“Sometimes, I sing,” I said, after swallowing the last of the bar. When he tilted his head, confused, I added, “When I find something extraordinary, I sing and dance.”
He smiled. “You seem like you’d be good at that.”
“How does one seem like they’d be good at singing?” I folded my empty wrapper into a triangle before slipping it into the trash bag Dakota made out of a wayward shopping bag.
“Your voice has a certain flow to it.” He moved his hand up and down like it was surfing a wave. I watched the calm movement of his fingers cutting through the air.
The largeness of Dakota’s arms and hands never ceased to amaze me. I like guys with large hands that could grab, not sink into my hips. Anytime Dakota spoke with his hands, I was reminded of how easily he could manhandle me… If it came to it, which it wouldn’t. I shouldn’t even be considering his ability to hold me down.
