“Why’s that?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly before taking another sip of her drink. She set it back down, fingers fiddling with the stem of the glass. She nodded up to the stage, then asked, “So … was being up there as bad as you thought it’d be?”
I tilted my head as I thought.
“I guess it could have been worse,” I admitted.
“Right? You got a lot more bids than I thought,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I hope you don’t mind having to put up that much cash to get out of a date with a stranger.”
“Kodi.” I said her name a little sterner than I meant to, but this had to be clear. “I look at this as a date withyou. And I’d spend any amount of money for that.”
“Oh fuck, why do you have to say things likethatdressed likethat?” she whined. “It’s unfair, you know?”
I huffed out a laugh, wishing I could tell her just how unfairshe’sbeen by not remembering me. But things were going too well now to bring that up.
“Do you want to go for a walk and … talk? I imagine the music won’t start up for a while.”
“You don’t wanna see how much Marshall’s gonna go for? You know, a few years ago, I would’ve killed for a chance to —”
I stopped her by looping my arm around hers and pulling her tight against me. “Stop talking about Marshall like that. Better yet, don’t talk about him at all.”
As I walked us to the door that led to a garden, Kodi giggled and teased, “You sound jealous.”
My grip on her arm tightened and I took a deep breath in an attempt to loosen my nerves.
“I am. That’s why I hit my head in the last home game.” We stepped out into the garden, the buzz of the crowd dulling as the doors shut behind us. Without all that noise, I felt like I could finallybreatheagain, like getting those first few words out was all I needed. I slid my hand down Kodi’s arm to intertwine our fingers and led us farther in, heading to the gazebo where we’d be out of sight from the gala goers. “It’s why the guys keep trying to push us together. It’s why I said yes to this auction thing and all the social media stuff. It’s why I told off Brooker. It’s why I ran away from you during practice. And it’s why I gave you a month's worth of tasks to complete in a week.” We stepped into the gazebo and I turned to face Kodi. “I’m jealous. I’m insanely jealous of anyone who gets your time, your company, your thoughts. I want all of that to bemine. Because for me,everything, all my thoughts, all my actions, they’reall about you.”
“Oh.” Kodi’s cheeks went the most beautiful shade of pink. “I kinda thought we were still in the denying-our-attraction phase and were gonna stay there for a little bit.”
“Is that what you want?”
She huffed. “How could I possibly want that after you said all …” She waved her free hand at me. “That.”
“Then whatdoyou want?” I asked, stepping closer to her. She moved backwards, away from me, but didn’t let go of my hand.
“What do I want?” she repeated, voice shaky. I took another step forward and again she stepped back, this time her back hitting a column. “Like, right now or just in general?”
“Both.” I shuffled, leaving just a bit of space, just enough that she could leave if she wanted to.
“Well, in general, I guess I want to be the Dastards’ social media manager and … have that date. Maybe do something … I don’t know, quiet. Not a movie or dinner, but maybe mini golf?”
“Mini golf sounds nice,” I said, swallowing a lump in my throat at memories of us going to this one course over and over again that summer we were together. “But what about right now?”
“Right now?” she choked. “God, right now I just want you to pin me down and fuck me.”
That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore.
If I didn’t kiss her now, something in me would break.
So I slammed my lips to hers and finally felt whole for the first time since I saw her name on that application.
A Mental Crisis
Kodi
Things I thought were going to happen at this gala:
Kean wouldn’t get any bids, I’d have to make one, and then he’d pout about the whole thing.
