Page 105 of Remember Us This Way

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Noah

The whistle sounds and the crowd roars as they spring to their feet after watching the most thrilling final few minutes of our game. I immediately look up at Zoey in the VIP section of the stands, her hands around her mouth as she screams out.

Fuck, she looks so happy.

There’s nothing better than having her eyes on me while I play. It’s such a fucking rush, and what’s better, I get to look forward to this for the rest of my life.

The pride shining through her beautiful eyes is enough to make me momentarily forget how distant she’s been over the past two weeks, but after driving home on Wednesday night, I trust her to come to me when she’s ready. I just hope it’s soon because I can’t handle her pushing me out.

She jumps up and down, cheering so loud that I can hear her sweet tone sailing across the frenzied crowd. And even though this isn’t a championship game, I know that this very moment will be one I treasure until my dying days.

Our coach calls us in, and after the usual post-game bullshit, we’re sent back to our lockers to get cleaned up. I rush through a shower, more than ready to get out of here and find Zoey. I hope she’s okay in this crowd. It can be daunting, especially when you’re alone and new to the area.

Knox Parker, possibly the greatest wide receiver I’ve ever met, steps in beside me as we make our way out of the stadium, both our gazes locked on Zoey across the lot. He takes in her wide, cheesy grin and the way her eyes light up like Christmas morning. “Yo, is that your girl?” he asks, his gaze eating her up like a meal.

“Sure fucking is,” I tell him, watching as she breaks into a sprint toward me. “Keep your grubby hands off.”

Knox just laughs, more than prepared to spend the rest of the night screwing with me over it. “Ohh, protective of this one,” he comments. “She’s gorgeous. There’s no telling what I could do with a girl like that.”

“Even think about it, and I’ll put you in the ground,” I tell him letting him hear the edge in my tone, that despite his teasing, I’m dead serious.

I can’t take my eyes off Zoey, my grin mirroring hers as she darts through the crowd. I pick up my pace, Knox long forgotten even though I can hear the echo of his laughter through the bodies behind me. When she finally reaches me, she throws herself right into my arms and her legs lock around my waist.

Zoey’s lips crash down on mine, kissing me deeply as her arms snake around the back of my neck, holding on to me as though she’ll never let me go, and fuck, these kinds of embraces are my favorite. When she holds me as though I’m her whole world, like she can’t breathe without me, it feels like pure ecstasy pulsing through my veins. I don’t know how I survived those three years without her. What the fuck was I thinking?

Zoey pulls back and buries her face into the curve of my neck, breathing me in as I simply hold her, hating that I can’t do this every minute of every day. “Do you have any idea how good it feels to be up in those stands, watching you play?” she asks, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pulls back to meet my stare.

“Probably about as good as it feels to be on that field knowing that you’re right there watching me.” She grins back at me, and I walk back toward her car before placing her on the hood. “What do you wanna do?” I ask. “Have you eaten? We could grab dinner and then head out to celebrate with the boys.”

Zoey’s grin widens. “Oh, I’m hungry,” she murmurs. “But not for food.”

“Goddamn, Zo,” I groan, my fingers digging into her thighs. “I can’t wait for you to be here with me next year.”

She smiles, but as she does, the fire and passion fade from her eyes until she’s left looking empty. “Yeah,” she says, glancing away, unable to meet my stare.

My brows furrow, and I take her chin, lifting it and bringing her blazing green gaze back to mine. “What’s the matter?” I ask, desperately searching her eyes.

“It’s nothing,” she says, trying to give me an encouraging smile, only the longer she forces it, the easier it is to see through, and fuck, the guilt radiating out of her puts me on edge. “It’s nothing. I’m just . . . I’m just being weird.”

She looks away again, but I don’t stop watching her, feeling in my gut that something’s not right, but why would she feel guilty over a simple comment about looking forward to being here together next year? Why would she get so torn up about something like that? Unless . . .

Fuck.

“You’re not planning on coming here, are you?”

Her eyes shoot back to mine, and the guilt flooding them almost knocks me back. “I . . . I’m sorry, I just—”

“Fuck, Zo,” I say, stepping away, everything breaking within me. “I thought you wanted this. Coming here was our plan.”

“Noah, please,” she says, jumping down from the hood and walking straight into me, taking my wrists in her hands and forcing me to meet her stare. “It’s not that simple. Of course I want to be here with you. I would follow you anywhere, and you know that. I just . . . shit.”

She pulls away from me, her eyes filling with tears as I try to figure out what the fuck could have changed her mind. “Tonight was supposed to be about you,” she finally says. “This isn’t how this was supposed to go.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I demand, moving back toward her. “Isn’t how what was supposed to go?”

“Everything,” she says, the tears only getting worse. She shakes her head, heartbreak and regret flashing in her beautiful eyes. “Please, Noah. Can we not do this tonight? Let’s just go to that party and have a good time, and then tomorrow, I swear, I’ll explain everything.”

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