Page 39 of The Cheerleader is Off Limits

No… I was kidding. I want to see you again. Is that so hard to believe?

River:

It’s almost eleven. It’s late.

Me:

I already told you, I don’t have a curfew. It was just a thing last night because my aunt wanted to have a family dinner for my first week here, but neglected to tell me that was her plan. Tonight, my cousin is out on a date. My aunt and uncle are at a benefit for several more hours. Trust me, it’s fine. Unless you aren’t interested in seeing me again?

River:

I definitely am.

“You come here often?” I ask him as I slide onto the worn leather barstool next to him. Despite it being a Friday night, the bar wasn’t super busy, and I easily spotted him sitting along the polished wood that spanned the length of the establishment, staring down at his phone. He looked good from what I could see, wearing a cream short-sleeved button-down shirt open, with a white shirt underneath, showcasing all the ink he hason both arms. His thick dark hair was pushed back in waves, making him look effortlessly cool yet still polished.

He turns his head slowly, taking a second to look me over from my feet to my eyes, and chuckles before taking a sip of the beer in front of him. “That line is older than you are.”

“What’s this fixation with my age?” I ask, crossing one leg over the other to show off my bare tanned legs that I’d shaved thoroughly in the shower after he invited me out for a drink. I lean my elbow on the bar and cock my head to the side. “It’s actually getting quite old,” I tell him. “I’m guessing that’s why you ghosted me last night.”

His eyes snap to mine, and he shakes his head. “I did not ghost you.” I purse my lips and narrow my gaze, hoping to convey that I’m not buying that. “I didn’t!” He sighs after I continue to stare blankly at him. “It wasn’t that I’m not interested. But… you’re right. Normally, if something came up with a woman, I’d understand, but your age just made things seem more complicated. But you’ve explained it’s not like that… so, I won’t mention it again. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry if I came across like I didn’t enjoy our date or that I wasn’t into you.” He chuckles before taking another sip of his drink. “Couldn’t be further from the truth.” I try not to beam at his words, but my lips quirk upward slightly.He raises two fingers toward the bartender. “Old-fashioned with Makers,” he tells him, before looking at me. “What would you like?”

“Just water with lime, please,” I tell him before turning my eyes back to River’s chestnut-brown eyes that seem to be looking at me curiously. “I’m here to drive you home, remember?”

“I can really Uber.”

“Well, Ireallydrove,” I tell him. I’m sure one drink wouldn’t hurt normally, but not only am I underage and I’m not trying to risk River finding that out, but I’ve also never operated a car withany alcohol in my system before, and I’m not trying to find out why they say you really shouldn’t do that.

“So responsible.”

I tilt my head back and forth as if to implysort of. “I also don’t have a ton of experience driving here in general.” Because I was over eighteen and had a valid driver’s license from a country overseas with which Maryland had reciprocity, getting a new license was much easier. Now I just have a temporary license while I wait for one to come in the mail.

The bartender places his drink in front of him before setting the glass of water in front of me.

“So you’re a teacher and a high school football coach, right? If you weren’t doing that, what do you think you’d be doing?” I ask him, changing the subject.

“That’s random.”

“Isn’t getting to know someone just about asking a series of random questions? Okay, how about, name a time you felt the happiest?”

He hesitates, and I assume he’s trying to come up with the answers to my questions. “I’ll be honest, I kind of stumbled into teaching. I studied biology and kinesiology in college because I wanted to go into sports medicine, maybe to be a physical trainer… but things changed, and there was just so much fucking math that came with that.” He laughs. “And I realized I was more interested in sports itself, specifically football and coaching, than anything. I think at some point, I’d love to coach for a college team.” He pauses briefly to take a sip of his drink before continuing, “And this is more about my boys than me, but the team is very good, so there are always a lot of eyes on our school from colleges and thereby on me. So I’ve gotten a ton of offers since I’ve been there. I was up for a position as a special teams coordinator about two years ago for Penn State that I was seriously considering taking, but…” He rubs the back of his neck.“That was right around the time my brother’s ex died, and it just didn’t seem like the right time to up and move that far while my brother’s life was drastically changing, and he needed help.”

My heart squeezes slightly in my chest because it seems like he really does care about his brother and his kids.“It’s sweet how much you love them.”

“They’re all I’ve got, really,” he says, and I can see the fondness in his eyes when he speaks about them.

“Where are your parents?”

“Florida and I visit them, and they fly up here a few times a year, but it’s not the same with them being so far, you know?” He turns away from the bar and more toward me. “And a time I felt the happiest…” he whistles, “is it bad that I don’t know?” He shakes his head. “I don’t mean I’m unhappy, I just can’t remember a time that I was more happy than normal? Is that what you’re asking?”

“Are you drunk?” I giggle.

“No!” He laughs, and seeing his smile, I briefly feel my heart flutter in my chest. “I just… I assume you’re asking about a time when I wasn’t just normal, day-to-day happy?”

“You’re overthinking it. How about… what makes you happy in general?”

He leans forward and rests his elbows on the bar, swirling the remaining contents of his drink around the glass, clinking the ice against it with every movement. “Maybe last year when we won the state championship again? That might be my happiest moment in a while. The high of that is… like nothing else. Seeing them succeed makes me so fucking proud,” he continues, “but in general, probably seeing my nephew play soccer… or… my niece Isla, she’s getting really good at swimming now. She’s one of the best on her swim team. So seeing her compete is always great. Margot, my oldest niece, she’s graduating this year, and I already know I’m going to be a fucking baby about it.” He runshis hand through his hair, and I watch as his inked bicep flexes against his shirt.

Damn, he is so hot it’s ridiculous.