Page 52 of The Midseason Fakeout

“You got about five feet.”

I cringe. Good Lord, I’m glad I didn’t have to do this one. I don’t like heights on a good day, let alone blindfolded.

He jumps off, and I hold my breath.

He lands in a crouch and then spins. I only have to redirect him to run straight ahead and then he’s crossing the finishing line, a long yellow ribbon hitting him across the torso.

“Yes!”

I jump up and down and run toward him. He yanks off the blindfold in time to see me launch myself at him. He easily plucks me out of the air and spins me around. “We did it!”

I smile down at him. Without thinking, my lips find his, and as soon as they touch, it’s like a dam breaking. All the tension from the other night hits a boiling point as we find each other once more.

His fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me down to him until we both need to come up for air.

When he sets me on my feet, his parents are there. I stand, stunned, watching while he gives out hugs.

For a moment, it feels so real. So, so real. Like I’m one half of Aidan’s power couple team. Like I’m meant to be here. Like I always have been.

And it feels amazing.

15

AIDAN

My dad liftshis beer bottle. Our nearly empty plates lie in front of us at Cindy’s Steakhouse, a Warner treasure. Or so it says on the sign out front. Next to me, Bailey lifts her glass of water as my dad says, “To the winning couple.”

A whole-body laugh overtakes me. I’m still wearing the shirt Bailey presented this morning, and when I peer at her, she’s taking a sip from her glass, amusement written all over her face.

“I have to admit, it was dope watching you guys,” Darrin states. “I didn’t think Bailey could move that fast.”

“Ha-ha,” she snarks, sending him a frosty glare around me, but then it’s as if she remembers where we are and smiles sweetly at my mom across the table.

The two seem to have hit it off. They’ve talked all through dinner, and whatever awkwardness I imagined there would be isn’t there at all. Bailey fits in fine.

Which is awesome…if she was my real girlfriend.

“I’m glad we were able to raise so much for the Step-Up Foundation.”

I shrug casually, dampening the thoughts of unease and pushing them way down so I can enjoy this moment for what it is. “It was fun to win, too.”

Bailey rolls her eyes. “I was afraid if we didn’t win, you’d find someone to replace me.”

“Eh,” I tease. “They wouldn’t have looked as cute in the shirt.”

Her cheeks turn red. Next to me, Darrin shifts in his chair, but he doesn’t make any comments about wanting to puke in front of my parents. Looks like I’m not the only one on my best behavior.

“You two.” My mom sighs, her eyes glittering. “You’re the cutest. I can’t wait to go to your game tomorrow.”

She turns her face and brings a napkin to her eye.

My stomach squeezes, but in true fashion, I say a joke instead. “If I’d known getting a girlfriend would make you cry, I would’ve done it sooner.”

She waves me away. “It’s not just that.”

My father leans forward, his elbows resting on the table. When he sees me watching him, he smiles, but it’s not genuine. Something else is going on. My mind races as I glance between the two of them.

Half of my brain tells me not to pull on that thread. I’m playing in tomorrow’s game, and if I don’t put on one hell of a show, people will talk. They’ll speculate. I need to crush it so no one remembers that I didn’t play in the last game.

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