Page 5 of Honey Undone
Cael and Van shuffled me out of the dugout, jostling me between them in celebration as we made our way up the small set of stairs to the field.
“What the hell was that?” Van asked, throwing his arm over my shoulder.
“That,” I said, my eyes trailing up to where she still stood with her friends. “Do you think Cosy will vouch for me?”
“With her?” Van barked out a loud laugh that turned his cheeks red. “There’s not a chance you ever get with that, Jensen. You’re good, but you aren’t that fucking good.” He pressed his hand to the back of my head and ruffled up my hair even more than it already was.
“Best let that one die and be grateful that play worked or you’d be singleanda benchwarmer for the rest of the season,” Cael joked, jogging up to get ahead of us and waving to some people in the crowd.
“The second one might still be a possibility,” Josh said, sauntering past me with his arms crossed over his chest and his hat low on his brow line.
My eyes trailed up to the stand as I stood in the back of the line to shake hands with a very sour NYU team. Cosy lifted her arm in the air and tapped her wrist like she was wearing a watch as her eyes drifted to the smallest blonde shuffling from her seat to the end of the aisle.
Shit.
I was going to miss my only shot at getting her number. I pushed in front of Van and dodged my way through a few bodies, shaking random hands and offering ‘good game’ to those who made eye contact until I was closer to the front of the line right behind Dean who took his sweet time to talk to Colhan about the play. I interrupted with a stupid smile and patted him on the shoulder.
“Rough end to a good game buddy, catch you later,” I blurted in a string of words that all rolled together at the end as I ran back through the huddle of players to the edge of the field.
“Hey!” I called out as she reached the stairs and my breath caught in my chest when she looked over her shoulder at me. “Where are you going?” I asked her and she paused on the step. “Come here.” I called her back down.
“I’m okay here,” she said, a tiny smirk playing on her perfect lips.
“You never gave me your name!” I linked my fingers around the barrier that separated the stands from the field. Her friends, including Cosy, were giggling around her and I could feel my heart creeping into my throat with every second that passed as the stadium emptied.
“When you figure it out, come find me,” she said, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Her dark waves hung over her shoulder and I wanted to tug on the chunky pieces of hair that curled wildly around her heart-shaped face.
“What about your number, at least give me that so I can text you my guess!” I tried again, my feet lifting off the grass.
She shrugged her cute little shoulders at me, the smile growing as she drove me insane with her teasing. “I didn’t bring my phone,” she said and hissed something at the brunette behind her as she offered up a phone.
“That’s a shame,” I said, licking my bottom lip. I gripped the barrier tighter just trying to keep her here by any means necessary. I looked around and took a second to mull over my options… She never took her eyes off me but I could feel her starting to retreat. Whatever game we were playing, I was about to lose.
And I hated losing.
“Wait!” I said as she went to step up behind Cosy. I roughly tugged on my jersey until it came loose over my head and ran to the dugout.
“What the fuck are you doing now?” Arlo grumbled as I snatched the permanent marker from the clipboard and jogged out. I climbed over the barrier and ran up the stairs completely out of breath and half naked with my jersey in my fingers.
“Here,” I scribbled my number across it with my name and held it out to her. “Now you can text me when you start to miss me.”
She looked down at it, her tongue playing nervously with one of her sharp top teeth as her brows pinched together.
“What makes you so sure I’ll miss you?” She asked.
“Take the jersey…” I held it up to her, using the railing to lean forward. “Please.”
Her lips twitch in amusement, “Only because you’re embarrassing yourself groveling like this.”
“You’llknowwhen I’m groveling,” I said, I let my eyes trace the expanse of her skin, stopping on the little sliver of skin above the jeans she wore. She cleared her throat and my eyes flickered up to her lips. “Use the number, you owe me a date.”
She nodded, holding the jersey up as she backed away up the stairs after her friends and out of sight. I stayed on the stairs for a second, smiling like an idiot before my name was shouted for the hundredth time that evening.
“Locker room!” Coach glared, “now.”
“Coming Coach,” I hollered back and jogged down the stairs toward him.
Delta was packed as we all found spots on the ratty furniture in the living room. Todd was losing in Mario Kart to Ella who was barely paying attention to her controller as she talked to Zoey about something.
