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“Hey. I was going to ask you the same thing. Just finished practice.” He replied, the deep intonations of his voice making my nipples stand to attention.
I quickly crossed my arms over my chest to conceal the puckered points of my breasts.
“Oh, okay. My car won’t start and my family’s not available to come get me. So I’m waiting for roadside assistance.” I explained with a shoulder shrug, trying my damnedest to sound casual.
Barrett gave me a head nod and planted himself next to me, legs slightly apart in his gray sweats, arms crossed, in a similar posture as mine. He looked freaking good enough to eat. The soft material of his sweats loosely fitting his tall, defined body. His dark, short cropped hair still a bit damp from the shower, smelling and looking fresh.Gah!
“I’ll wait with you, then I’ll drive you home.” He declared.
What?!My heartbeat instantly picked up, panic spreading through my chest.
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure the mechanic will give me a ride.” I protested vehemently.
“It’s fine.” Barrett deadpanned.
Fuck my life.
The worst part was that I knew he wasn’t offering to wait with me because he was being friendly or anything personal. He was just being a good guy, rescuing someone from his neighborhood, a vague acquaintance who used to be a childhood friend. After a full day of schoolwork and hours of basketball practice, the guy still had it in him to be a good Samaritan.Fuck.
We stood in silence, surrounded by the sounds of the rain. I was all at once excited and stressed beyond measure to do or say the wrong thing. And, as usual, Barrett stayed quiet. The very definition of the strong, silent type. I tried my best to keep my eyes away from him, especially the outline of his crotch in those damn gray sweats, his perfect lips, the skin of his neck that looked sofuckingsoft, his big hands with the thick veins running along the back. The long fingers I fantasized about on a daily basis, imagining how they’d feel running over every single inch of my body.Fuuuuccckkkk!
The fight to not inhale his clean, manly scent was killing me. Fresh out of the shower, smelling of citrus and woodsy aromas.
We stood so close it was impossible not to notice the glaring differences between our bodies. His tall, athletic build, pure muscle next to my medium height, curvy form. How many times had I fantasized about how it would feel to be Barrett’s girlfriend and snuggle up against his giant stature? I kept fighting myself to keep my mind away from thoughts that wouldn’t lead to anything.
And, of course, Barrett was completely unaffected. He waited with me like thefuckinggentleman he was, spoke to the mechanic, then gave me a silent ride home. End of story.
Well, almost… If I thought it was hard resisting his pull standing outdoors, I was completely unprepared for the close quarters of his pickup. Barrett’s scent saturated the air of the truck’s cabin. Not only the fragrance of his body-soap, aftershave, cologne or whatever was turning me into goo, but the very essence that was attached to the man’s skin.
I also tried, and failed, to not notice his long, elegant fingers on the steering wheel. Tried ignoring the powerful body sitting at a foot’s distance from me…
When we made it to my house, Barrett insisted on coming inside to report his exchange with the roadside assistance agent to my dad. I remember my father watching us with an amused glint in his observant gaze, butThank Godhe didn’t tease me about it.
Yeah, so the note is definitely not from Barrett, despite my hopes.
* * *
As the teacher enters the classroom, I fold the paper and tuck it into my pencil pouch before hurrying to shoot a text to my sister about the crazy thing I need to tell her.
***
“Don’t worry about Halima,” my big sister, Sarah, reassures me. “You two had fights before. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, easy for you to say. It’s not your best friend who’s turned into your frenemy.”
She shakes her head like every time she’s implying I’m a dramatic teenager.
“I’m serious, Sarah! It’s like no one at school speaks to me anymore.”
Sarah cocks her head to the side. “Exaggerate much?”
“Barely. Talking to teachers and school staff doesn’t count as having a social life.”
She burst with laughter and I can’t help but smile.Thank Godfor my big sister. She’s always there for me.
“You need to give it some time. Halima is pissed because you guys talked about getting your hair cut short forever, and you went and did it without her.”
“But she wasn’t even in town. She was visiting her family abroad!” I protest in a whine.
