Page 44 of Courtside

There was a hint of a smile on David’s lips. “You’re very bossy, Lefty.”

Sage snorted. “Come on. Get up and put on some clothes.” She glanced down at her own attire. “Mind if I wear the t-shirt?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Not at all.” David picked up a wriggling Daisy, setting her down on the floor. Immediately she raced for the door, her collar jingling and golden tail wagging behind her. “There’s coffee in the pot in the kitchen if you want some,” he said as he walked toward his bedroom.

“I don’t drink coffee, but thank you.”

David turned to face her fully, disbelief on his face. “What do you drink in the morning?” He frowned. “Are you a smoothie girl? I think I have some frozen strawberries…”

“Tea,” Sage said with a quiet laugh. “Earl Gray with milk and honey.”

“What kind of milk?”

“Whole.”

David nodded, thoughtful, like he was carefully committing her response to memory before disappearing into his room. Sage went and brushed her teeth with the borrowed toothbrush again before pulling on her jeans and tucking the front of the t-shirt in. She took out her braid, running her fingers through the tangles before pulling it up into a ponytail. Daisy danced around her feet, yipping excitedly, sensing that the humans were about to go do something.

“Are you sure you have the time to do this?” David asked, emerging from his room dressed in a t-shirt and basketball shorts. It was a painfully normal outfit, and yet on him it looked almost obscene — his built, hairy legs, his wide arms and chest straining against the cotton of his shirt.

Sage shook her head. “I’ve got nothing planned today,” she said. It wasn’t entirely true, but delaying the start of her to-do list seemed like the most obvious thing in the world.

David got Daisy fastened in her harness and leash, and he held the door open for Sage as they walked outside.

It was a calm morning. The air was fresh and still, while still maintaining the slight coolness that held over from the night before. They walked side by side with Daisy prancing ahead of them, using every bit of the reach of the leash to sniff at the grass on either side of the sidewalk.

“Thanks for this,” David said, his voice soft, almost hesitant.

Sage looked up at him. “It’s a nice way to start a morning,” she replied. “In California, my mom would get us up every morning before school with enough time to go for a walk. We don’t have a lot of land around the house, but we would go and look at all of the plants, checking in on what was blooming or dying or changing color.” She smiled, feeling a rare wave of missing home. “I still like to run outside when I can.”

“Me too. A treadmill just isn’t the same as running outside.”

“And yet you still use plastic water bottles.”

David huffed a laugh, shaking his head. Quiet settled between them. “This is weird.”

“What do you mean?” She kept her voice carefully calm, even as her shoulders stiffened.

“This,” he said, gesturing between the two of them. “Hanging out with you. It’s —” He paused, obviously struggling to find the words to express himself. “It’s nice, Sage. It’s really damn nice.”

“Oh,” she said, something softening in her.

“But the team, and the work.” He reached a hand up to scratch at his jaw. “It’s just weird, because the more time that I spend with you the more I realize that I like you, and I actually want to hang out with you. And that’s all fine, except for the fact that you’re also beautiful and confident and my goddamn brain can’t seem to get the memo that you’re off limits.” He shot her a pained glance. “You’re a student, you’re young, and I’m your superior in a professional environment, and that all matters, Sage. I won’t be the guy who pretends like it means nothing.”

Oh.

Sage opened and closed her mouth, but she couldn’t find a single word to follow up what David had just said.

“Damnit, Sage.” He scrubbed his hands over his face before dropping them down to his sides and letting out a strained laugh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Before she could stop herself, Sage reached out and grabbed David’s forearm, pulling him to a stop. “Don’t apologize,” she said, wishing that her voice sounded stronger, more confident. But what he’d said had shaken her. She hadn’t been expecting any of it. She’d known the attraction was there, sure, but the rest of it? “I appreciate the honesty,” she added, and it was the truth. She’d asked for him to explain himself, and he had.

She just hadn’t anticipated that response.

Gently, David pulled his arm out of her grip. For a moment, her fingers chased him, not yet ready to give up his touch. He shot a sad smile her way. “Want to head over to the office and grab your key? They should be open by now.”

Sage could only nod, and fell into step with David as he wound his way through the shaded buildings to the front office. David waited outside with Daisy while she went in and got a new key.

“All set,” she said, holding up the key as she rejoined them outside. She knelt down to scratch at Daisy’s ears, glancing up at David. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his posture stiff as he watched her.

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