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“Yup, I got a scholarship to play here freshman year, but I turned it down. It was more of my parents' dream than mine.”
“Were they mad?”
“Nah, they are great. They’ll support anything I want to do.” He pauses for a moment to take another sip of his beer. Looking into his clear plastic cup, he adds, “Even if it’s crazy,” under his breath in a way that makes me believe I wasn’t supposed to hear it.
“Sooo…what’syourdream?” I’m going to take advantage of all the personal information he’s willing to give me right now.
He glances sideways at me like he knows what I’m doing. “That is a great question, Maci.” He doesn’t add anything else, just goes quiet. As if the Universe has his back, the game starts, and the stadium fills with far too much noise to finish the conversation.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Afterthegame,Deanoffered to walk me home since it was getting dark and Avery said she was going to Miller’s. I was freezing during the game. It was my fault for not dressing appropriately, but I blamed Dean for buying me cold beer and making my face cold. He responded by pulling my face into his and warming my lips with his own, kissing me like no one else was around. Then he promised me hot food as soon as the game ended. He’s definitely making it easy to fall for him the more time we spend together.
My stomach is growling and my fingers are freezing, even stuffed inside the middle pocket of my sweatshirt. I’m not sure whether food or warmth is a more pressing matter right now. After we get out of the stadium, Dean looks over to see me shivering and without hesitation he slips his hand into my pocket, lacing our fingers together. Holding my hand is not something he’s done, and the rush that flows through me is more than just from his body heat.
“Food first? Or do you need me to warm you up first?” He waggles his eyebrows at me.
His excitement to get me in bed is tempting, and I’m about to choose the second option when I look up and notice we are passing Track Town Pizza, the place I went with my friends on my birthday. He must see my eyes widen with excitement. “Food it is, then.” He laughs, reaching for the door handle, but he hesitates before opening it. He leans in to whisper in my ear, “I’ll warm you up after.”
I can’t help but smile and glance up at him, our eyes locking for a moment before he pulls me inside by our intertwined fingers.
The rush of hot air from the restaurant burns against my nose as I look at the menu hanging above the order counter at the entrance. “You pick. Whatever you want,” he says, squeezing my hand before he lets it go.
“AnythingI want?” I want pineapple and jalapeño. It’s what I’ve been craving all week, but no one ever wants to eat that with me. He nods at me, a “give me your best shot” look on his face.
“Pineapple and jalapeño?” I ask, still hesitant.
Without more than a smile, he steps up to the counter and orders for us.
I wondered if he was only being nice, but he eats half our pizza like he loves pineapple and spice on pizza. It makes me happy.
When we get back to my apartment, Dean follows me inside as I unlock my door. Fine by me, especially since he alluded to what’s next. I had such a good time at the game. I usually watch without really knowing what’s happening. Dean patiently explained answers to every question I had, his hand lazily rubbing my lower back or locked between my thighs almost the entire time. I know I still haven’t known him very long, but I already want this to be more than it is. When we are together, it’s great and then earlier I swear he almost slipped and called me his girlfriend. I know he stopped himself, but I was thinking I was crazy for thinking I was already falling for him. Maybe I’m not. I want to bring it up, but I’m not sure how to approach it.
Closing the door behind me, I veer to the right, into the kitchen to grab a water. “Do you want anything?” I turn my head back to look at him.
“Yeah, I want to stay over. If you’re cool with it.”
“I meant something to drink.” I can’t help but smile. “But that works too.” I reach into the fridge and by the time I close the door and turn back around, Dean is in front of me. His hand wraps around my lower back as he pulls me into him while pushing me against the fridge simultaneously. His lips land on mine, soft and sweet, and the kiss is shorter than I expected. He pulls back, tugging my water bottle from my hand and taking a sip before handing it back. “Good because I want to do a lot more of that.”
When he’s blatantly sharing his attraction to me, I’m at a loss for words. I’ve never had someone act this into me physically before. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, I love it, at least with Dean. I just don’t know how to respond, so I change the subject.
“I like meeting your friends. Cooper seems nice.”
“Yeah, he is. He’s a year younger than us. We played football together, and he’s always lived next door, but he and Sophie are better friends.”
I feel like being nosy. “Maybe I’m off base, but he seemed upset when you mentioned her.”
He nods. “Yeah, I noticed that too. He’s always had a crush on her. They had a thing in high school. I thought it was short lived, but maybe he’s not over it.”
“Well I hope he’s okay. Have you met Sophie’s boyfriend?”
“No, it’s pretty new I think.” He moves his hand to my shoulder and starts twirling my hair around his finger, his interest in our conversation fading.
I take a drink of my water before working up to the real question I want to ask before we head to bed. “I wonder how it went with your parents meeting him.”
He shrugs, his free hand sliding under my sweatshirt against my skin. “I’m sure it went well. They are super chill,” he mumbles into my neck before kissing me.
“So they’ve liked all your girlfriends?”
