Evie leans forward and pats me on the shoulder. “Exactly.”
I shake my head and follow her out of the bathroom where we nearly run into Zane. He glances down at Evie, and I don’t miss the way he scans her entire body before visibly relaxing. “I was just getting ready to come in to find you.”
“Into the women’s restroom?” I can’t help but ask.
Zane’s eyes don’t leave Evie. “What took so long?”
I snort out a laugh, and Zane’s eyes shoot to mine. “I’m sorry, but that’s just such a terrible thing to ask.” His eyebrows knit together, and I look at Evie. “Right? I mean what if one of us was having stomach issues?”
She shakes her head and puts her arm through Zane’s. “We’re good. We were just talking.”
“In the bathroom?” he asks, confusion all over his face.
Evie sighs. “I have so much to teach you.”
I follow the two of them back to our seats. Though, I’m pretty sure they’ve forgotten that I exist. The second half of the game starts up, and Alabama starts with possession. In the first several minutes, they get a look at our goal; but they don’t score. And then our guys seem to wake up a little. We get several attempts at a goal, but it's in the tenth minute that Slater gets close. I watch as he maneuvers around first one player and then another. Then he kicks a corner shot, and the ball shoots into the opening. I jump to my feet screaming and cheering. Quint elbows me, and I turn to him, still screaming.
“Somebody’s having a pretty good game.”
“Yes, he is! Slater Thorne is the best!” I scream. He just laughs at me and I’m pretty sure he takes a video, but I could care less. I live and breathe this stuff. We hold them off, and with one minute left to go, Bruce scores a third goal for our team. I watch as our guys gather and celebrate, and we celebrate withthem in the stands. I hug Evie as the clock runs out. “That was such an amazing game!” I wipe tears from my eyes.
“Are you crying?” she asks with a laugh.
“What? That was such a great game! Those guys worked so hard, and they’re getting everything they’ve put the time in for. This is going to be their season.”
Zane squeezes Evie in a hug. “You’re right, Tessa.”
We stay in our seats and let the crowd die down. I use the time to look for highlights of the game on social media. It doesn’t let me down. I find and favorite several posts, watching Slater score his goals over and over again. When the crowd finally disperses, we start making our way to the van. As soon as it comes into view, I can’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry; this van just so reminds me of our family van back at home.” Quint laughs with me, and Zane takes it good-naturedly. “But I’m not complaining because without this van, I wouldn’t have been able to come.”
Evie snags my hand and squeezes tightly. “I’m so glad you were able to come; I’m glad we were all able to.”
When we get to the van, I move ahead of Reid and Quint. “I’m sitting in the back,” I tell them in no uncertain terms. “I’m not making the tallest guy sit in the back again.” I look at Quint when I say the words.
“Hey, it’s not my fault. Reid wanted to sit back there.”
“Sure, he did,” I say, right before I climb into the van and make my way back to the seat in the back. “Reid, there’s no way this was comfortable for you. I can barely fit, and I’m short.”
“Yeah, you are,” Quint says with a grin as he climbs in and takes the seat in front of me. When all five of us are in and settled, I pull out my phone again, ready to dive back into social media for more highlights of the game.
After a few minutes, I notice we still haven’t moved. “Are we waiting for something?” I ask.
“Not something,” Quint corrects. “Someone.”
“Someone?” I ask in confusion.
“That someone,” Quint says, and I turn to look out the window. My breath catches at the soccer player coming our way. Slater Thorne is dressed in black athletic pants and a long-sleeved version of his jersey. His bag is slung over his shoulder, and he looks every bit the soccer star that he is. “You’re drooling, Tessa.”
Quint’s words jerk me back to reality, and I smack the back of his head. “No, I'm not.” He gives me a look. We both know I’m lying, but I’m not going to admit that. Quint opens the sliding door and hops out and gives Slater a fist bump. Whatever Quint says to him makes Slater smirk. And then, he pops his head into the van. Those dark eyes find mine, and I suddenly can’t move...or breathe. “Can I sit by you?” His question is low and dark, and I feel it deep in my stomach. I don’t know where I was thinking he’d sit but next to me was not even a thought. Dumbly, I nod my head. He hands his bag to Quint, who takes it and drops it in the back. Then, Slater climbs into the van, and the scent of his cologne wraps around me, clogging the air and making it difficult to breathe. He sits in the middle seat instead of over on his side, and that puts us incredibly close. Like, his body touching mine close. I try to take a deep breath, but it just makes me take in more of that sexy cologne he’s wearing. I swear my eyes roll back in my head. “Sorry it took me so long; I had to shower.”
“Pretty sure that was the fastest shower you’ve ever taken,” Quint says with a laugh, but I barely hear him. My heart is beating double time, and I’m trying to remember the suddenly complex method of breathing.
“Hey, you good?” Slater asks me suddenly. Those dark eyes are only inches from my face, and I panic and say what comesto mind. Unfortunately, too many thoughts come to mind at the same time.
“Great amazing you were game.”
He blinks slowly and then smirks that deliciously sexy smirk. “Want to try that again one more time, Shorty?”
His words bring me right out of that dreamy state I was in. “Shorty? I amnotshort.” He bites his lip, like he’s fighting a smile. I see it and narrow my eyes. “I’m not.”
