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My mouth fell open, and I stepped away from him. “You’re unbelievable.”
He dangled my panties and shrugged with no remorse. “And you’re too fucking adorable to resist. So be a good girl and go home. Because if I find out you went to Duffy’s, I may have to show up with these.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You really don’t think I would? You want to test out that theory and see if you’re right?”
I involuntarily shivered, seeing the triumph in his gaze. He knew I wouldn’t. Then he frowned. “Oh, you’re cold. We can’t have that.” He shrugged off his jacket and slipped it over my shoulders. “There. Much better.” I wanted to claw the smugness off his face, and it appeared that he knew my thoughts.
“Anyway…” He shoved the panties into his pocket and winked. “Goodnight, Hardcore. Sweet dreams.” With that, he walked away, leaving me at a loss for words, silently fuming at his back.
Natalie
Two weeks later, it was Christmas Day, and I was spending the holidays at home. “Kanchu, get the dishes out of the china cabinet and set the table.” My mom was busy taking out a shrimp casserole from the oven, while my sister-in-law, who was three months pregnant, stirred the pot of boiling potatoes on the stove to make alu ko achar, a Nepalese potato salad. My brother was carving the turkey Mom had baked earlier.
Our family had always joined in the American tradition of cooking a turkey and all the other typical sides you would have with it, aside from the achar. My mother was excited to have company and had invited all her friends over, whom she’d known for over twenty years since moving to Texas. I was happy she was getting back to some sense of normalcy.
The tables were set—the one in the dining room and the one in the kitchen, as well as setting up two card tables in the living room. When my mother entertained, she meant business. It was the same when we celebrated Dashain, actually even bigger, with more people, since it was the biggest and most important holiday in Nepal.
The doorbell sounded. “I got it,” I called out. When I opened the door, I saw Rajina, my mother’s best friend from Nepal, and her husband, Raaj, who’d moved here not long after my parents. We greeted each other as they slipped off their shoes at the door. “Hey, Natalie.” Kiran, their son, passed through the door behind them, balancing gifts in one hand. He gave me a side hug and toed off his shoes.
“How’s life treating you at Hillside?” he asked.
“Never better. Of course, it’s not as prestigious as Duke, but…” I shrugged playfully.
Kiran and I were good friends and had gone to the same school together from elementary to high school. There had always been a healthy competition between the two of us academically that was initiated by our families, but it never affected our friendship. He’d ended up valedictorian while I was salutatorian.
He was attending Duke University for medical school, while I was at Hillside, pursuing a degree in sports medicine.
Later, we were all seated for dinner. Both Kiran and I had fielded questions from friends and family about college and our future plans. He was firm about what his future held because he wanted to pursue a career in neurology. He already had the next several years of his life mapped out.
While I knew I wanted to be in the field of sports medicine, I wasn’t completely certain in what capacity. I was planning on going to graduate school in the future but hadn’t decided whether I would stay at Hillside or apply to another university.
I heard my phone buzz, and I pulled it down in my lap to see a text.
Axel:Merry Christmas.
I hadn’t heard from him since that night after the game when I was lying in bed in my dorm room after bowing out of going to dinner, thanks tohim. He’d had the audacity to send a text with two words as if he knew I would follow his instructions.
Good girl.
I’d never responded. In fact, I should’ve ignored this text. However, for the last few weeks, every time my cell signaled, I’d grabbed my phone with a little more zeal, secretly hoping it was him. Then I’d chastise myself and tell myself I was only bored because classes were finished for the semester, and I’d been home and had too much time on my hands.
I knew the football team had been required to stay on campus and practice, as well as essential training staff, and was only allowed to go home for a few days for Christmas. I’d been allowed to go home earlier for the holidays. However, in two days, we’d all meet back on campus to take buses to the airport and fly out to Arizona, where the semifinals would take place. If they won in Arizona, then we’d fly to Miami to contend for the National Championship.
Sighing inwardly, I eyed my phone. I shouldn’t respond.
But I decided that I didn’t want to be rude, so I did something stupid and texted him back.
Me:Merry Christmas.
Axel:What are you doing?
Me:Having dinner with my family and friends. You?
“Kanchu, did you hear what I said?” My mother rolled her eyes before turning to Rajina. “These children and their phones.”
“I know. They do not know how to sit at a dinner table and socialize without pausing to check out the latest TikTok video.”
