Calling to my coach for a break, I drop my glove and jog over. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Alex tucks a wavy strand behind her ear and ducks her chin almost as if she’s…nervous? The corner of my mouth kicks up as a warmth weaves between my ribs. Alex is always so breathtakingly confident that it’s kind of adorable seeing her this way.
I reach out and straighten her flipped press badge just to give my antsy fingers something to do. “Where’s Daphne?”
Alex’s gaze is caught somewhere between my collarbones and my Adam’s apple.
“Um.” She gives her head a little shake. “Her sister’s wedding. We have a fill-in cameraman today—Steve.”
I lower my voice, moving a half-step closer. “How long do we have until Steve shows up?”
Alex finally meets my gaze, a challenge in her beautiful brown eyes. “We’re surrounded by the rest of your team and the coaching staff.”
“That doesn’t mean you couldn’t trip and fall into my arms.” My smile shifts into something devious. “Maybe when that happens, my lips accidentally brush your temple…or your neck.”
Her bottom lip tucks between her teeth before Alex makes a show of rolling her eyes.
“I’m not clumsy.”
“You could be,” I challenge, my gaze roaming today’s outfit: a snug top, a pencil skirt, and of course, her Vans.
Her sleeveless blouse has tiny ruffles at the shoulder. They’re wholly distracting as they flutter in the desert breeze. I want to trace them with my fingertips and then run my palm down Alex’s arm until I intertwine our fingers.
My hand flexes as I force myself to hold still.
“I need to ask you something first.” Alex frowns as she straightens her spine.
“You ask, I answer. That’s basically our thing.”
My jokey attempt to lighten the mood fails miserably as Alex grimaces, blinking away. A few seconds pass, her lips opening and then closing.
“Who’s Rory?” she finally whispers.
My neck warms as I rub at my eyebrow. “Zona said something, didn’t she?”
“Answer the question, Tenny.” Alex’s gaze snaps to me, a flicker of determination etching her brow.
“She’s you,” I admit, shoulders sagging. “I didn’t know your name after our kiss in college, but I thought about you all the time. I wanted to have something to call you, so I picked Rory.”
“She’s me?”
My fingers curl when Alex’s eyes mist.
“Yeah. I used that name when I spoke about you to my family because Zona has a habit of putting my entire life on display. I didn’t want our relationship to jeopardize your career.” I take a step back even though every cell in my body is screaming to wrap Alex in my arms. “I still don’t.”
Alex’s lower lip wobbles before she bites it. “I’m sorry, Tenny.”
“For what?” My ribs feel like they’re caving in, seeing her this upset.
“I— I didn’t understand. I thought you were dating someone else while also kissing me. I thought—” Alex runs frustrated fingers through her hair before fisting her hands at the base of her neck. “I told Cecil to run that interview because I was hurt by what you’d done.”
My mind replays all those terrible moments through this lens, making Alex’s actions as easy to understand as a post-game recap.
“I should have talked to you instead of assuming the worst. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, because it is.
