Page 43 of Fever Dream
Casey drags me away for a walk after we eat dinner by the hotel pool. Izak and Sonny are lazing on the sun loungers but I can tell Casey needs to get out some energy so I volunteer as tribute.
The hotel has a little outdoor gym and grass area so of course we end up there. He squeals when he sees a football in the adjoining equipment shed and guess what that means next?
Yep, Casey kicking the ball to me while I try not to show how extremely uncoordinated at ball sports I actually am as I try to catch it. Kicking an oval shaped ball is not as easy as it looks and Casey just holds in his laugh as I spray the ball into the fence.
“Good try,” he enthuses, and I can see he means it.
“I didn’t grow up kicking an oval shaped ball,” I grump back.
“I know,” he grins cos he’s just nice and that’s another thing I love about him, how kind he is. Of course, he walks towards me, ball in hand as he gives me a quick demonstration in kicking skills.
“So you want to hold the ball across the laces,” he shows me before handing it back and spreading my fingers evenly across the ball. “Thumbs down,” he adds, positioning them where he wants. I pretend his touch doesn’t affect me while little bolts of pleasure shoot through my body at his touch.
“Like this?” I ask.
“Perfect,” he grins. “Now, tip the ball down like this,” he adds as he adjusts my positioning again. “You want to time the drop of the ball so you kick it on the top of your foot. But the mostimportant part is the follow through.” He demonstrates for me again and I think I could just watch him all day. He just exudes confidence and talent and he’s so very lovely to watch.
“Now you try,” he nods at me while I shake my head to try and disperse my thoughts from catching Casey fever again. I follow his directions and release the ball, and it sails in a perfect arc right to where Sonny and Izak step onto the green.
“Nice, Thornfield,” Izak grins at me while Sonny raises his eyebrow at where Casey is still touching my hand. I hadn’t even noticed him there.
Izak picks up the ball and bounces it easily, but I’ve seen even pro athletes mess that up so there’s no way I’m embarrassing myself trying that skill. “Should we have a little game?” he asks, eyes lit up.
“Yes,” Casey immediately chimes in.
“Um, no,” I protest. “I’m not playing football with you three.”
“Aw, you can be on my team. I don’t mind,” Casey says.
“What about something else?” Sonny cuts in, walking to the equipment shed. “Something none of us excel in.”
“Cricket?” I suggest, spying the cricket set in the corner.
Sonny chuffs a laugh. “Yeah, except Casey was a State junior cricketer so …”
I laugh, eyes on Casey as he shrugs in that self-deprecating way. “Of course he was.”
“Addictive personality,” he whispers at me, and I smile. “What about soccer?”
I raise my eyebrow at his suggestion while Sonny returns with a soccer ball in his grip. “I’m good with soccer,” he says.
“Done,” Casey enthuses before he steps to my side. “Me and Harry onto you two.”
“Hang on, how about we change things up a bit,” Sonny suggests. “We’re already couplie enough as it is and you two act like an old married couple.”
“I’d marry Harry,” Casey says with a casual shrug while I try not to react. “I’m just not sure whose last name we’d take. Oooh, we could ship us, like the Callofields.”
“Well, Thornway sounds like a tropical disease so it can’t be worse than that,” I reply dryly. Casey’s grin lights up his entire face, like he’s surprised I played along. Well, that makes two of us.
“Okay, well, sorry but I’m splitting the Callofields up for this game,” Sonny interjects. “I’ll take Harrison. Izak and Casey can pair up.”
“Just no funny business with my life partner,” Casey says, doing thatI’m watching yougesture with his fingers to his eyes at Sonny who rolls his eyes back.
Of course, the game is fun but these three are still highly competitive, elite athletes so I’m still by far the worst on the field even though I’m the only Englishman among us. But Casey goes so easy on me it’s almost embarrassing, especially in contrast to how hard he goes on Sonny. He even lets me score a couple of times, like he wants me to win.
“Nice one, Callofield,” he says with a friendly tap on my ass after I manage to get one past him.
“Are you even trying, Callie?” Izak grumbles at his teammate who laughs in return.
