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“Aw, you love me.” As soon as it comes out my mouth, I wish I could stuff it back inside. Adalee’s doe eyes are not swooning, she looks like a deer in headlights.
Luckily, the nurse calls her name, and she looks to me, gesturing for me to follow. My heart swells. She wants me by her side to hear the news. To be her rock. But why isn’t her family here? Archer, my parents and certainly Harper would be here with me. My other brother, Reggie, and sister, Sarah Jane, would be on the phone.
Even though I’ve fallen for this gorgeous woman, I haven’t scratched the surface yet. We need to have long walks and talks.
The doctor comes into the room, takes off her brace and does a variety of tests. He’s probably mid-forties and has an athletic build. As they talk, he tells her to be glad she didn’t tear her ACL in his day. “I played basketball at Louisville when I tore mine, twenty years ago.”
“We forgive you for wearing red,” she retorts with a smile on her face. The doctor laughs at the rivalry between the two universities.
“Okay, Adalee we’re going to do an MRI. Yourfriendwill have to go back to the waiting area.”
I like how he stressed the word friend as if he can tell we’re more. I stand while reaching for her hand. “I’ll be here when you get out.” She nods and I squeeze her hand twice.
An hour and a half later, the nurse says I can come back in. When the doctor gives us good news, that she can lose the brace except during extreme activity, Adalee wraps her arms around me in relief.
Us?
We go out for a celebratory lunch. She surprises me with a Mediterranean restaurant. It’s a little off campus but still close by. It’s in a quaint little shopping center surrounded by smaller houses made of stone with well-manicured lawns. It reminds me of neighborhoods in the suburbs of Chicago.
She eases out of my Rover placing her weight on her other leg. I attempt to help, but she waves me off. I stand close, just in case.
The restaurant is an oasis inside with painted murals on three of the walls, a scene depicting the place where the sea and sand meet.
As the waitress hands us menus, Adalee says, “Do you trust me?”
I nod and she gives the waitress our order. “I like a woman who knows what she wants.” I’m giving her my dimples because she’s genuine and a little mysterious.
Her face reddens at my comment. “Did you contact your professors and let them know you were missing class.”
“Yeah, I told them I was taking my girl… you…to the doctor. Our professor emailed back and said he understood and hopes you receive theall clear. I think he was worried about you being at the job site.”
A mouthwatering aroma distracts me as the waiter lays a family style dish of chicken shawarma, falafel, and a cucumber tomato salad in front of us. In the center is hummus with naan bread on the side. Adalee makes little tacos with her bread, scooping up a little of each thing.
“My grandparents on my mom’s side were born in Greece.” Her obvious love for mediterranean food is evident in the way she smiles at it before she takes a bite and hums afterward.
She doesn’t say more about her parents. But we take turns talking about life. Not wanting to force anything, I just ask casual questions as they seem relevant. Her favorite vegetable is peppers. So a heated discussion ensues as to whether they are actually vegetables or if they’re a fruit. We finally decide that it doesn’t matter since they’re healthy regardless.
We finish eating and on the way to her apartment, I’m surprised when she admits she loves baseball. “When I was little my parents would take me to Braves games. Ever since, baseball players are my Achilles heel. I wish they weren’t.”
My bubble bursts, choking down my disappointment. She continues. “I’ve always liked those tight white pants players wear. So, when Chaz asked me out, I was giddy. It wasn’t because I was pining over him. I just couldn’t believe someone like him wanted to go out with someone like me.”
I cut in. “Someone like you? Do younotknow how hot you are?” I flash her my right dimple because every time I do, she takes a short breath. It’s the one time when I can see and hear the effect I have on her.
Adalee slaps my leg, and I take the opportunity to hold her hand. The conversation stalls. I’m not sure how much I want to hear about her dating Chaz. It makes me sick to my stomach to entertain any thoughts of her with another guy. Did they have sex? Did she ever pleasure herself with him on the phone? God, I’m making myself ill.
When we reach her door, we hear the boisterous laughs of Joe and Ginger. Before she opens the door, she turns to me and says, “Thanks for defending me against him. Just so you know, Chaz doesn’t take up any room in my head or my heart.”
I lean down and tilt her chin up. “I’ll make sure to redeem baseball players in your eyes.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
Adalee
The team cheersme on when I return to the gymnastics center—well, everyone except for Shannon. The doctor gave the trainer explicit instructions on what I can do this week. Since the doctor is also part of the university, he knows it’s important for me to get back on the mat, but not at my expense. The fact he’s had the same injury makes me feel like I’m in good hands.
No tumbling. No vaulting. But it feels good to have two bare legs on display. The trainer says I can do uneven bars as long as a coach is spotting me. “Adalee, only skills you’ve mastered until you get back into the swing of things. No pun intended.”
“Yeah, right.”
