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“There,” I say while quickly straightening and stepping away from Seth, not really understanding what’s going on inside my brain. “Better.”
“Thanks,” Seth says hoarsely before brushing past me.
Are his ears pink?I wonder while following him, wanting to comment on them, knowing Seth will probably yell at me for it. It’s been so long since we fought. I can’t really tell if that’s a bad thing or a good thing. Things have been so different since we sat on that staircase inside that apartment complex. I feel like a wall came down that day. Seth has been nice for him, which isn’t saying too much.
However, he’s no longer calling me asshole or telling me to leave him the fuck alone. He’s actually borrowed some of my clothes for track meets, when his have been too messed up to wear. I’m honestly surprised he agreed to go with me to this photo shoot. I thought for sure he would turn me down, but nope. Here he is, standing next to me, looking awkward as fuck, like a deer caught in headlights.
I squint as the lights flash on us, my hand hovering above me to help block the lights. I’m already beginning to sweat and pastel spots dot my vision.
“Too much light!” someone calls. I can’t see them, but I think it’s Alan, the sports magazine editor.
I sigh in relief when the lights dim and my hand drops to my side. I shove my hands into my pants pockets and give my best smolder at the camera. Alice sighs and shakes her head. “It’s not a family photo,” she says, irritation laced in her voice.
I glance in Seth’s direction and see him forcing the biggest, cheesiest smile I have ever seen. My jaw clenches to contain my laughter, and I nudge his shoulder, leaning in close and whispering, “Act normal, like any other day on the track. They don’t want anything special.”
Seth nods and I watch him copy my stance. His fingers are shaking. My lips tug into a smile, but I fight it.This isn’t the time to goof off,I tell myself.Stay professional.Still, I can’t help but think Seth is acting a little cute. For him. Which isn’t saying much, because Seth is definitely not cute.
“Better,” says Alice when Seth presses his back against mine.
I cross my arms and narrow my eyes, trying to give off bad boy vibes. They always love the bad boy look. As soon as the camera snaps, I turn and face Seth. He has the same idea, his body facing mine. I lean in close and look at the camera, trying desperately to ignore the heat rising in my face as I feel Seth’s breath on my jaw.
***
“I can’t believe we actually get to keep the clothes,” Seth says as we step out onto the sidewalk, his new Puma bag hanging on one shoulder, filled with all the clothes we wore in the shoot.
I chuckle while shrugging my bag higher on my shoulder, trying desperately not to look at him, but finding my gaze sliding toward him despite my wishes. It’s cute how happy and excited he is. There’s an extra pep in his step as he walks down the sidewalk, his head held high, a bright smile on his face. I don’t think I’ve seen him this happy in a very long time, at least not around me. It’s definitely nice in a very platonic, friendly way.
“How do you think I get my athletic wear?” I ask, an arrogant ring in my tone that has me wincing. Maybe this is why Seth didn’t like me from the beginning. I always seem to come off as a cocky asshole.
“You mean you’ve never bought a thing from Puma?”
I shake my head. “I was always an Adidas man, but then Puma pulled me into the dark side with their free clothes and all their well-paid photo shoots.” I rest my hand on my forehead, feigning sorrow. “I don’t think I can ever go back.”
Seth nudges my shoulder, making me laugh while he shakes his head. “You have to be fucking kidding me,” he grumbles.
We continue down the sidewalk toward our hotel. The silence feels awkward, but I have nothing to say. I can’t think of anything to say. The wind brushes past, whipping Seth’s hair around and leaving it tousled. He pauses in front of a store, staring into the window at a small white bear with the word:Denverwritten in red thread on its belly.
“Do you think Rachel would like that?” Seth asks while pointing at the bear.
My heart swells as I think of Rachel and how sad she’s been since Hunter left. I can see the smile spreading across her face when we give her the bear and I instantly wish I had come up with the idea.
“Yeah,” I breathe and follow Seth inside the small shop.
The shop is the size of our bathroom back in Aurora, filled to the brim with more little bears of various colors. My gaze slides to the pink one, about the size of my palm, withDenverwritten in white, but Rachel really doesn’t come off as the super girly-girl type. The shop smells like a combination of florals, given the bags of potpourri lining the shelves and the different bars of soap resting in baskets.
“Can I help you?” a little old lady asks from behind her counter, dressed in a green apron and wearing simple blue jeans and a white shirt embroidered with pink and purple tulips. She repositions her glasses on her nose, a wide smile on her face as she looks between us.
“How much is this bear?” Seth asks while grabbing the white one, turning it from side to side.
The lady reaches over the counter and grabs it, scanning the barcode on its tag before giving a curt nod. “Thirty-one dollars and ninety-five cents.”
Seth makes a face and I can tell he’s about to put the bear back. I step forward and take out my wallet. “We’ll get it,” I say while flipping through my cash and handing thirty-two dollars to the woman.
“Are you serious?” Seth whispers harshly. “Thirty-two bucks for a tiny bear? What does it do? Shit make-believe gold?”
The woman frowns, and I can’t tell if she’s irritated with Seth’s swearing or his grumblings about the price. She decides to keep her mouth shut as she wraps the bear in white tissue paper and places it in a small, gold paper bag.
“It’ll make Rachel happy,” I say simply, ignoring Seth as he continues to poke my shoulder.
