Page 3 of The Sky Between Us

Fridays were my daysoff which meant no Hazel until Monday. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it yet but getting a break from that chick and her sharp tongue might have been a good idea. Shit, I should not have thought about her tongue. It made me think of her lips and I ended up wondering how she would taste if I kissed her.

Fuck.

“Aiden? Are you coming, man?” My roommate and best friend, Elliot, waited for me at the side of the field, his foot tapping impatiently. His black hair hanging over his right eye in a sweaty mess and his almost black eyes focused on me as I approached him in a slow jog trying to collect my thoughts. Coach was already eyeing me suspiciously. “All good? You seem distracted.”

“Yeah,” I nodded, running my hand through my damp hair. “Just a little hangover. Nothing a pizza couldn’t fix.”

“Agreed.” He took off his shirt and wiped his sweat off, shaking out his curly, wet hair. “I’m going to shower. See you in ten.”

I was about to head into the changing room, too, when from the corner of my eye, some movement caught my attention. I turned my head and my eyes landed on her, as if she walked straight out of my fantasy.

Hazel was heading down the stairs between the seats and a tiny figure bounced in front of her. She did a small jump at every step and smiled. I’ve never seen her that careless, and certainly not in the past week. I was completely entranced by her presence. I couldn’t move. She was glowing. The small figure was heading toward me and I could see it was a boy with curly brown hair and big brown eyes that seemed to cover his entire tiny face. He was wearing a Barcelona jersey that must have been two sizes too big as it was hitting his knees. He stopped close to me, almost knocking me over. I grabbed his shoulders to steady him and smiled.

“Hey there, buddy.”

“Hi!” A wide grin spread across his tiny face. “I saw your practice. You were so so so so good! Do you want to play with me?”

“He doesn’t need an ego boost, Sky. He has enough of it.”

I didn’t miss the edge in Hazel’s voice, but I acted as if I didn’t hear her. I picked up a ball. “Sure, let’s go.”

“What’s an ego?” Sky asked looking back at Hazel. They looked alike with their dark hair, but Hazel had hers incredibly straight, and Sky’s was a curly mess.

“It’s what makes your sister think she is perfect,” I answered without even looking at her, assuming they were related.

Sky giggled.

“Don’t listen to him, Sky.” I could tell she was rolling her eyes, but I still didn’t look in her direction.

“Let’s go, little man. We can play a short game.”

“Sky…” Hazel tried to object.

“Dad said I can play!” his voice was suddenly high pitched, and even I could tell that he was about to cry if she said no.

“Whatever,” she sighed, defeated.

A wide grin appeared on my face and suddenly I loved this little kid. He could take down Miss “I’m too good for everyone”. I might have to learn a few tricks from him.

“You can stay and watch.”

I finally turned to her and reaching for the ham of my shirt I removed it. Her eyes flashed at my bare chest and they travelled south towards my abs. I could see her hazel eyes turn a dark brown, and it made me grin harder. She definitely liked what she was seeing. Hazel recovered within a few moments and our eyes locked. Looking into those eyes did something to me. The world around me grew quiet, and I got lost in the blend of colors hiding in her eyes. My heartbeat picked up and I felt an unfamiliar tug inside my chest as warmth spread over my body.

What was happening to me?

Hazel’s eyes bore into mine, and her emotions thoughtfully concealed. I couldn’t read her. Not even slightly.

“Ten minutes,” she ordered Sky. Or me. I wasn’t sure because she didn’t take her eyes off of me.

“Okay.” The little guy sounded disappointed, but before I could jump in, Hazel threw her long chestnut hair over her shoulders and walked away. I stared at her ass in those skinny jeans and licked my bottom lip. My pants suddenly felt smaller as I grew harder. At that moment, I realized I wanted her badly. And I always got what I wanted.

“Are we playing?” Sky kicked the ball at me, and I could barely stop it, thanks to my quick reflexes, before it hit me in the stomach. This little boy had a mean kick.

“Yeah, come on.” I kicked away the ball and we both jogged towards it. “Catch.”

We kept passing the ball for ten minutes between each other and I had to admit Sky was good for such a young age. His reflexes were spot on and he paid attention. I could tell he was talented. Clearly, it was in his blood. I was impressed with the kid who seemed to be completely in love with soccer. His little cheeks were red, and his eyes were shining. They were almost as light as his sister’s.

“Good job, buddy.” I lifted my hand to give him a high five and he jumped up to return it.

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