Page 119 of Sporty Girls Don't Fall For Loners

Kade gently touches the back of my head, his fingertips searing my scalp. “Is your head okay?”

“Y-yeah. Um, yeah. Totally. I barely even feel the pain.”

He nods and steps back, as though worried he’s not giving me enough space. With a small smile, I grab hold of my suitcase handle and start rolling it toward the stairs.

Kade closes his hand around my wrist, tugging me back to him. “Zoey.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a while now, but I wasn’t sure if the timing was right.”

“What?” I ask, every cell in my body beating with anticipation and curiosity.

“Do you want to go to the fall dance with me?”

I blink at him, not sure I heard him right. “You want to go to the dance with me?”

He leans against the wall, folding his arms over his chest, his hair falling into his eyes as he regards me. “If you want to go, that is.”

“But you said dances aren’t your thing.”

He chuckles. “They’re definitely not.”

“Then why…?”

He tilts his head as he continues looking at me. “I want to go to the dance with you.”

“I…I…” I have no idea what to say. I’m so confused.

“I know. This is very unlike me,” he murmurs. “But…I like the idea of going to the dance with you. If you want to go with me, I mean.”

My lips move, but no sound comes out. Then I blurt, “I usually go to dances with my friends.”

His face falls, though he tries to hide it. “Okay. I get it. That’s cool.”

I slam the palm of my hand to my forehead. “Oh my gosh. That’s not what I meant at all. Of course I want to go with you.”

He goes still for a second. “You do?”

“Yeah.”

“But what about your friends?”

“Believe me, they’d celebrate if they knew you and I were going to the dance together.”

His brow shoots up. “Really?”

“Yeah…” I laugh nervously. “They, um…well, let’s just say they’d be really excited about it.”

He nods as he pushes some hair out of his eyes. “I’m glad I have their approval.”

“Oh, definitely.”

“So…is that a yes?”

My face warms up as elation spreads through my body. “Yes. It’s a yes for sure.”

His lips form into a relieved smile. “Good. I mean, I’m happy.”

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