I also get my ass back over to the passenger seat.
With his hand hovering in front of the Start button, Lennox asks me, “Are you ready to go?”
“I am,” I reply. “But before we leave, maybe we should go over some new ground rules for this change in our relationship. You know, just to get it out of the way.”
He nods. “Okay, that’s probably a good idea. But”—he hits the Start button, and the engine roars to life—“I’m going to let this thing run while we talk so we can clear the windows.”
“Good idea.”
Since I brought it up, I figure I should go first.
Blowing out a breath, I say, “Since this is new territory for both of us, I think we should still keep our relationship a secret.”
“I agree,” Lennox replies. “We don’t need the added pressure from our friends and family.”
I nod. “Yeah, and I don’t care to hear from Claire how this is a bad idea and you’re going to break my heart into a million little pieces.”
He places his hand on his chest and says, “Hey, I also have a heart that could get broken.”
Softly, I reply, “I know.” Reaching over, I place my hand on his jeans-clad thigh. “And that’s why I think we should definitely not see other people.”
Chuckling, he says, “Babe, I think that’s what being boyfriend-girlfriend kind of implies.”
“Not for everyone,” I remind him. “But it should be for us.”
“For sure.” He taps the steering wheel twice before asking, “Okay, anything else we should cover?”
I think it over for a moment, and then say, “I’d like to go on more dates. Today really was so much fun.”
“It was,” he agrees, smiling over at me in the dimly lit cabin. “I think we can do that and still stay on the down-low. Today worked out fine, so maybe we can just stay out of the Phoenix area. You know, like if we want to go see a movie or hit up a restaurant, we’ll just make it a fun road trip kind of thing.”
Feeling pumped that this may actually work and Lennox and I can go out on real dates like a real couple, I say, “I actually like that idea. Oh, and I even know of an old drive-in that’s still open. It’s about an hour outside Phoenix. We could go watch a movie there.”
“That’d be super cool,” he says.
He sounds so genuinely excited that it makes me feel like this is the right move for both of us for sure.
With our new ground rules set, it’s finally time to head back to Phoenix.
Yeah, back to Phoenix with my official boyfriend, Lennox.
Mmmm, I like the sound of that.
Madison and I slide into an awesome routine. We go out on “secret” dates, and no one is the wiser. We also spend a lot of time at my house. I give her a drawer and part of my closet, plus some bathroom space as well, for her toiletries and such.
Surprisingly, none of this puts me in a panic.
Fuck, I can’t believe it, but I like having a girlfriend.
And I really like that she’s all mine.
I don’t know if I’m ready to admit it—to her or to myself—but I think I may be truly falling for Madison Ellery.
Could it be love?
Shit, I’m scared of that word.
Then again, we had a couple of away games, and I missed Madison like you wouldn’t believe, even though we texted and talked on the phone a lot.
