Page 160 of All at Once

“We’ll see about that.”

After running back and forth, I use one of his own tricks against him, pretending I’m going to the left but then kick the ball to my right. Getting closer to the goalpost, while running faster than I probably have in years, I manage to score a point before boastfully walking toward our stuff jokingly. “Okay,” I say. “We can go now.”

“Nice work,” Luca admits.

But why does he look so cocky though?

Suddenly feeling warmer than I already am, I ask, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What if I told you that Iletyou win.” He narrows his eyes at me as he passes the football back and forth between his hands.

I walk closer to him, my adrenaline building with each step, until I’m just a foot away from him. Placing my index finger onto his firm chest, I look him dead in the eye and say, “Never let me win.”

Biting down on his bottom lip, he looks down at my finger before smoothly glancing back into my eyes. “Are we still talking about football?”

Taking the ball from his hands, I narrow my eyes at him. “I guess you’ll find out later.”

I smirk to myself when I walk right past him so that he doesn’t see my facial expression.

The next round, we both give it our all as if we’re in the final match of a crucial tournament. And although it’s pretty close, Luca scores again.Unfortunately.

Trying not to show my exhaustion, I subtly say, “Maybe just one more play.”

He picks up on how I’m actually feeling, “Alreadytired?”

“I was suggesting that foryou.” Then I quickly remember how I’ve been trying to learn some Spanish these past few days. Hoping I can impress him given how he hasn’t heard me speak the language yet, I say, “Sabes cuánto me encanta jugo al fútbol.”

He snorts so loudly that I jolt. “Sabes cuánto me encantajugaral fútbol.”

“No I think I was right.”

“Hm I don’t know about that. I don’t think you were trying to say that you love footballjuice.” Luca bites back a smile, while my eyes grow wide.

“Is that really what I said?”

“Hey you were close,” he says. “‘You know how much I love playing football’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to itas what you said anyway.” I roll my eyes. “And to your previous point, I could go for a few more hours.”

“Show off.” I scoff as if I don’tlove it.

His stamina is still a wonder to me. It’s like he’s the kind of person who views situations like a marathon rather than a sprint. Already seeing it play out for avarietyof things, I only get goosebumps at the reminder.

But I, on the other hand, am a second away from collapsing, so when we reach near the side of his goal where I could easily score, I pretend to miss the ball and walk away. “Oh look. You won. Now let’s go get ice cream before I pass out.”

“We wouldn’t want that to happen. Quick. Hold on!” Luca leans forward, making me giggle as I jump onto his back before he leads us to his car.

_________

I don’t request for us to go back to the same place we went last time solely for the ice cream. It’s more so since it reminds me when Luca and I visited the ice cream stand the day after we first met.

I knew something was alluring about him then. Hence why I kept finding myself being drawn back to him like how waves cling onto the ocean after they crash along the shore.

And sitting next to him in the passenger seat of his car right now has me convinced thatnoneof this will fully hit me until I’m back home.

When I recognize the street we’re approaching, I immediately turn toward him. “Wait. Do you mind if we stop here for a second?”

“Where?” he says.

“That corner.” I point toward the street I visited by myself that one day. “There’s this store that I want to go to again.”

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