Page 19 of One Timer With A Wingman

“Okay, you too.” I slip into my room and close the door. My heart is beating fast, my face feels flushed, and my body feels warm. Aaron is probably one of the best-looking guys I have ever seen, but I shouldn’t be reacting this way. I let out a long breath and slip out of my dress and into a pair of pajamas, which are a matching shorts and T-shirt set.

I yawn but I’m not ready to get into bed yet. I figure I’ll go sit out on the balcony. With the partial ocean view, I can watch the waves rolling over the shore.

I open the blinds and I’m about to open the door when I spot Aaron sitting on the chair on his balcony, drinking a beer. I quickly shut the blinds before he notices me. Why does he have to be everywhere I turn? I slip into bed instead and watch some Netflix, but I can’t get Aaron out of my head. Why has he taken a sudden interest in me? We’ve been out with our friends in Riverside together as a group. We didn’t really speak to each other. Did I notice he was hot? It would be hard not to. The guys on the hockey team get a lot of attention.

It’s something the athletes on the gymnastics team aren’t used to. Besides, the last thing I need is to fall for a hockey player.

CHAPTERFOUR

Aaron

My alarm goes off to my favorite song. I groan. What the hell am I doing? I’m chasing Briar like a dog in heat. It’s so unlike me. She is gorgeous and her sassy mouth has my balls in a twist. Maybe that’s what it is. . . I blink the sleep away from my eyes. No, it’s more than that. When I see her, there’s this feeling in my chest I haven’t felt before and it’s drawing me to her. That and her little confession on the plane. I’m a guy who likes a challenge. I can’t deny it. I get out of bed and head to the bathroom. I take a shower and think about Briar in that sexy black bikini she was wearing. I think of the way she was dancing, the way her hips were moving. The tanned color of her skin. My cock grows hard. It’s not like I haven’t been with plenty of pretty girls before, so this isn’t making sense to me. I get myself off but only because I don’t want to be thinking of sex when I take her out. There is something about Briar that intrigues me. She’s driven and always focused on getting ahead. Not too many people our age are like that. Not that it matters. I’m only interested in seeing Briar smile, checking a couple items off her bucket list, and moving on.

I quickly get dressed and put on some deodorant. I slip into my slides and grab my wallet and key card. I also take a sheet off my bed so we can sit on it on the beach.

Briar is outside waiting for me. “You’re one minute late.”

“You sound like my coach,” I mutter. I walk over to her and throw my arm over her shoulders. She’s wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts and an oversized hoodie. Her hair is in a bun on top of her head and she’s makeup free and beautiful. Even though she was pretty with makeup on last night too. Shit! What is happening to me? My friends would be worried.

“What are you doing?” She removes my arm.

I smirk. “Usually, girls like when I give them attention. But you seem repulsed by me.”

“Not repulsed. You seem like a nice guy, Aaron. I just don’t understand your attention,” she replies.

“What is there to understand? You must know you’re hot. But you don’t need to worry because I’m not a relationship guy.”

“I’m not a relationship girl,” she says, but her words don’t carry the same conviction as mine.

I laugh and shake my head.

We head to the elevator. “So why have you never watched a sunrise?” I ask.

“It’s not that I haven’t seen the sun rise,” she replies. “I’ve woken up for practice before sunrise, but my life is always rushed. I never take time to just take it all in.”

“I can identify with that. Between school, the team, and my family, my plate is full,” I say.

The elevator arrives and we get on.

“Why aren’t you spending the holiday with your family?” she asks. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“Nah, it’s fine. My mom was diagnosed with ALS a year ago. It’s a disease that is degenerative. My dad is taking her on a trip around the world before she can’t,” I explain, feeling the words like grains of sand in my mouth. When Mom was first diagnosed, it felt like the world was ending. But Mom has superpowers. She’s kept us strong. She’s taking medications that have prolonged her life and kept her symptoms at bay, but there isn’t a timeline when all that will end.

“I’m sorry, Aaron.” She ducks her head.

“You don’t need to feel sorry for me or something,” I say to her. “My mother is doing okay, considering. My dad is doing everything to make her comfortable and happy. They are so in love I don’t know what he’s going to do when she goes.” Why am I saying this to her? Why am I pouring out my soul to a girl I barely know?

I’ve never been away from my parents over the holiday before. We’re a tight-knit family. Being away from them over Christmas is harder than I thought. I thought taking the trip would be a good distraction, but I’m carrying the pain everywhere I go.

“That must be so tough. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you. My parents are divorced. My dad spends the holiday with his new family and so does my mom. At least you got to experience something so great.” It seems that my overshare has opened her up. I’m not complaining, I clearly needed to talk this out with someone.

“I’ve never thought about it that way. I am grateful to have such loving and supportive parents,” I say.

Briar’s light-blue eyes bore into mine. The elevator arrives in the lobby and we get off.

“Is that why you planned to work at Black Jack’s over the holidays? Because your parents are busy?” I ask, figuring it’s fair game.

“My parents divorced when I was ten. Dad had an affair with his student teacher. Now they are married and have their own family. My mom got remarried too and has kids with the new hubby. Her husband doesn’t really like having me around, so I prefer to stay away.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, but it is. I can read the sadness in her eyes, even if she’s trying to mask it.

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