Feels like you’re lying to me. No one just sleeps okay, Ackley.
I huffed a laugh, keeping my head down as my teammates began to groggily make their way onto the bus. Didn’t matter that we were all used to having to get up early due to games and practices. None of us were morning people. Hell, even our head coach, Hayes, wasn’t a morning person.
Finch:
I slept like shit.
Locking my phone back, I shoved it into my pocket and leaned my head on the window, letting my eyes slide closed again as Sleep Token’s newest song, “Caramel” began playing in my ears. And just like that, I was out, not even feeling my phone going off in my hoodie pocket.
I jerked awake in surprise when someone began shaking me, almost knocking my head into Damien’s as I lurched upright. He arched a brow at me and yanked his hand away. “You good, dude?” he asked.
I roughly cleared my throat, trying to blink the sleep from my eyes. “Uh, yeah,” I croaked. Truthfully, I’d been dreaming about Rafe pinning me to that hotel bed and fucking me stupid, and my dick was hard, though my hoodie thankfully hid that. It would be embarrassing as fuck if my teammates saw me walking around with a boner.
“We’re back at the school,” Damien told me. “Come on. Hayes is giving us the day off from practice so we can rest up.”
Nodding, I stood, making sure my hoodie still covered my hard cock, and grabbed my bag from beneath the seat. “Good game yesterday,” Coach Hayes said once we were all off the bus. “Rest today. Hydrate. Get your protein in. Practice resumes tomorrow. We have two days before the championship game.” And with that, he turned and walked away, raising his to-go mug of coffee to his lips.
Yawning, I headed for the parking lot we were parked near so I could get my car and head to the frat house. I was ready to crash back into my bed that didn’t smell like Rafe so I could hopefully get some good rest. I was going to need it in preparation for the championship game. I had to be on my A-game. It was my final game as a basketball player, and I wanted that championship as desperately as my teammates did.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out as I tossed my bag into the backseat. My eyes widened in alarm at the number of texts and calls I had from Rafe.
Rafe:
Why didn’t you sleep well?
Rafe:
Finch?
Rafe:
Are you ignoring me?
Rafe:
I’m not a fan of being ignored.
Rafe:
Scared your teammates will know we fucked?
Rafe:
Ackley.
Rafe:
Alright, baby. Wanna play this game? Fucking bet.
Rafe:
Where the fuck are you?
Christ, it was a little early in this… relationship, if we could call it that, for him to be going crazy about me not texting him back immediately, wasn’t it? Sighing and deciding I would text him back once I was back at the frat house, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and slid into the driver’s seat of my car.
The drive home was only about three minutes, and when I pulled up, I frowned at the sight of my teammates who’d made it back before me crowding the porch steps. Quickly, I got out and rushed up the walkway, wondering what was wrong.
And then, the crowd parted just the tiniest bit, and Rafe’s eyes met mine from where he was standing on the porch.
