We just finished going live for the sixth time in as many days. Our audience can’t get enough. They can’t get enough of Miley, sure. But also? If the comments are to be believed, they can’t get enough of Charlotte and me, either. There are a lot of assumptions being made, like:
You guys are so #couplegoals
And,
Why are you so adorbs together?
I don’t exactly mind it.
“Is it a problem? I mean, if you don’t like it, I’ll try to stop.”
“Tryto stop?” She puts a hand on her hip.
I clear my throat. “Okay, um. If you really don’t like it, I’ll stop.” I meet her gaze. “No trying. Just succeeding.” I shrug. “In stopping.”
She turns away from me, but I catch a smile forming. “It’s flattering.” Her voice is teetering on unease.
“It just tumbles out. I think you’re cool and I can’t control that.” I pull up straight. “But I will if it’s making you uncomfortable.”
“There’s a fine line between your teasing, which you’ve done basically my whole life, and…flirting.”
“You’re funny. I like that about you. And the flirting?” I chew on my bottom lip, regret welling within me. “I’m sorry. I will stop that.”
Charlotte empties the dishwasher. “How many more videos do you think we need to do?”
“Are you getting sick of this?” I ask, wanting to put my hands on her hips and pin her against the counter and kiss her.
I’ve been wondering what it would be like to kiss her. I don’t know if she’s interested in me, or if she’s interested in the attention I’ve garnered for her for the center.
Except, I know that’s not all of it. Sure, she’s grateful that we’ve gotten the word out. A couple of local media outlets picked up the story and passed along the info for the gait analysis night. The signup form online is already nearly at capacity.
“I’m not getting sick of it, I just…” She twists a strand of hair around her finger. I’ve noticed her doing that before, and it makes me feel she’s anxious to pull it back. I get wanting it out of your face to work with kids all day. That makes sense. But keeping it up in a tight bun even after work? She’s hiding one of her best features.
Charlotte has a lot of good features.
She changes the subject. “Did you catch the comments about Miley’s throne room? People are liking it.”
Charlotte lives in a three-bedroom house, so she cleaned out one room and made it into Miley’s bedroom, AKA the “throne room.” We unveiled it to our audience just tonight, and people are excited about it. It’s not much more than a couple of cat beds, another climbing toy, and a closet that contains cans of milk replacement and a few cat sweaters and shirts.
We’ve both gone a little crazy buying her things.
And okay, I admit, it’s mostly me who has bought the extras, like the cat clothes.
We discuss some of the funny comments people have made while I help her unload her clean dishes. Even though I’ve only been coming over for about a week, I’m learning where she keeps things in her cupboards. We’re getting into a routine where I go hang out with or help my mom after my spring workouts and trainings, and then by the time I’m finished with that, Charlotte’s home from work, so I go over. It feels good and also there’s this foreboding feeling, like it won’t last.
Still no word from the team about my contract for next year. And still no word about Casey Riddock’s contract, either. I guess they’re still working out the details.
“I don’t know how to respond,” she says. “Are you just a big flirt? You’re just a big flirt, huh?” She turns from me, her hands full of silverware. “But see, I’m not used to that. I don’t date much.” She opens a drawer and begins depositing the cutlery in its proper spaces. “So to have you say things like that, well, it’s hard because I don’t take words like that lightly.”
“Neither do I.” I’ve finished putting the dishes away, so I rest my hips against the countertop, but when she jumps up next to me and slides on it to sit, I do the same.
“You’re like, famous, though. You date a lot, and I just think…”
I frown. “I don’t date a lot.”
She rolls her eyes.
“I don’t. I haven’t for years. The last time I had a girlfriend was my second year in the NFL. So three years ago.”
