Page 24 of Touchdowns and Temptations

“Maybe you're right,” I agree. “I can't give up.”

“Good!” Alex gets up from the couch. “Shall we go for a drink?” I look at him and nod. Why not? It can't hurt to take your mind off things for a while. “I'm going to take a shower,” I answer. “See you in a bit.”

“Are you driving?”

“Uber?” I suggest, and Alex frowns. He hates Uber. He always thinks the drivers take a longer route just to spy on us when they recognize us. They force us into conversations and want to take pictures. I'm more relaxed about it. We live this privileged life and play football for a lot of money. You can talk to the fans and take pictures with them.

“Come on”

“But if it's a fan, you have to talk to him.”

I roll my eyes and nod.

“That's fine,” I reply. “I'll talk to him.”

***

Alex and I stand in the street waiting for our Uber.

“He's late,” Alex says, and I roll my eyes. We haven't even waited two minutes. For Alex, everyone has to be on time; otherwise, he gets offended.

“He'll come.” I kick at a stone flying across the road and look at him. Hopefully, the evening will distract me a bit and I won't have to think about Cara all the time. What she's doing tonight and why she rejected me. I don't understand. At least she can give me the chance to get to know each other. Maybe after a date we'll realize that we're not right for each other. As a couple, I mean, and we become friends. That's worth something, right?

“Noah?” Alex grins at me and shoves his phone back into his jeans. “Get her out of your head.”

“I wasn't...”

“Of course you were thinking about Cara,” he sighs. “And I didn't go out this evening to listen to your heartbreak over and over again.”

“I'm not heartbroken,” I brush it off. “I don't understand it. But it's not heartbreak, you should know that. After all, I'm still eating.”

Alex stopped eating after Daisy left. The guy was so out of it, we thought he was going to give up his scholarship.

“Anything you want to tell me?” As always, when the subject turns to Daisy, he goes on the offensive. Even after all these years, it still bothers him that she left him.

“The Uber's here,” I dodge, and he starts to protest, but unfortunately the car actually pulls up at that moment. “Let's get in.”

Alex gives me an angry look that shows the topic hasn't been forgotten. He can't stand the fact that even after almost seven years I'm still talking about how he was so out of line because of Daisy.

The Uber stops in front of us and the man at the wheel rolls down the passenger window. “Noah Carter?” he asks, looking at us.

“That's me,” I reply. “We're going downtown.”

“Get in,” he says. “I've got another user we're picking up a few blocks away.”

Alex rolls his eyes in annoyance and circles the car to get in behind the man. I sit next to him in the passenger seat to keep my promise. When the man starts to drive away and I look at him to give him the exact address, his jaw drops. “Oh my God,” he screams. Yes, he screams like a girl. “You ... you're Noah McCarter, our ... our quarterback, and you ... you ...” He looks in the rearview mirror. “You're Alexander McCarter. I got the McCarter twins in the car.”

He becomes more and more agitated, but fortunately manages to start the car and drive off. He spends the next twenty minutes telling us what a big fan he is. He doesn't even notice that Alex isn't listening to him. My brother keeps looking at his cell phone.

“Our last passenger is waiting.” The man stops and rolls down the passenger window again. “Corse?” he asks and my head spins. “Cara Corse?”

Now Alex seems no longer interested in his cell phone.

“Yes,” Cara says, coming closer. “Noah?” she asks, not answering the driver. “What are you doing in my Uber?”

“What are you doing in my Uber?” I reply with a grin and unbuckle my seatbelt to get out. Cara takes a step back as I open the door and join her on the street. I couldn't be that lucky to run into her here of all places, could I?

“Noah!” Alex calls. “Get in. We have to keep going.”

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