He saved the basketball court for last and watched Elsie’s face as she walked in.
“This is awesome.”
“Do you play?”
She scuffed her gold sandal across the floor. “I’m not exactly dressed for it.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She gave him the challenging look he’d grown quite fond of. “I played in high school, although that’s not saying much. They took anyone who had the grades for it.”
“We could play barefoot.”
He could tell she didn’t believe him, so he took off his shoes and socks and walked over to get a ball off the rack.
A glance back told him she’d slipped off her sandals and moved to follow him. He dribbled a few times, getting close enough for her to reach out and try to steal the ball, but he moved out of range each time.
She rolled her eyes and jogged away, placing herself under the basket. When he made his shot, she grabbed the rebound and dribbled off to the side, preparing to make a shot.
It really wasn’t fair. He could block her just by standing in front of her. Putting his hands up only added to the impossibility of getting the ball over him.
She dribbled left and faked right, but he anticipated it and moved with her. She didn’t give up. She put her left hand to his stomach and gave him a saucy little grin, continuing to dribble with her right hand while nudging him away. The contact was just enough to throw him off his game, and the next time she faked, she got around him and made a shot.
He’d never played with someone he was attracted to. It added a whole different dimension to the game. He grabbed the rebound and welcomed a close defense. He dribbled for longer than was necessary, letting her come in close and try to reach around him while he dribbled the ball behind his back. She pushed against his ribs with her shoulder, and he laughed.
“Um, you’re totally fouling me.”
“Whatever, don’t be a baby.” She hugged him around the middle, finally reaching the ball and knocking it away. It was all he could do not to grab her up and continue where they’d left off in the library a few weeks ago. But he wasn’t sure where competition ended and flirting began. The two were so intertwined.
They played to ten points, enough that they could stop before getting too sweaty. He won by four points, something she pretended to be miffed about.
They headed over to the mini fridge in the corner where he kept water bottles.
He handed her one and drank half of his in one guzzle.
“I’m dying for a hair tie right now.” She lifted her hair with one hand, shaking it up off her neck while she drank from her water bottle.
“Can’t you put it in a knot?” He demonstrated with some swirling motion that had her giving him an amused glare.
“With some bobby pins or a pencil, yeah. But I can’t just twirl my hair and make it stay in place.”
She put her water bottle down and lifted her hair up again, twisting it around her finger. Having never had long hair, he could only imagine how bothersome it would feel against a hot neck.
When she turned away from him, he couldn’t resist pouring a little water down the back of her shirt.
She shrieked and turned to face him, her face full of shock. “I can’t believe you.” Her eyes went to her water bottle, and he took a step back.
“I was helping you cool off.”
She picked up her water bottle and took a step toward him. “It’s always nice to help someone in need.”
He sprinted out of her reach, and she followed, sloshing water as she ran. He looked back just as she slipped on the slick wood floor and went down on her bum.
She rubbed her backside. “Oh, that’s karma, right there.”
He came over and sat down next to her. “Are you okay?”
She winced. “Nothing’s broken. But yeah, that hurts. I slipped on the water intended for you.” She picked up her water bottle and sloshed the last little bit across his chest, laughing through her pain.
