Page 37 of Rookie Season
She glances in the mirror and laughs, dabbing her chin once more with the towel. “Oops.”
I shake my head, grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste before squeezing a dollop onto the brush.
Ally is watching me the same way I’m watching her. I didn’t realize until now how much you could learn about someone by watching them get ready for the day. As I brush my teeth, Ally applies three different creams and serums onto her skin then dabs on some makeup—concealer, I think? She then pinches her eyelashes with a funny looking contraption and applies mascara with her mouth wide open in an O shape as she leans close to the mirror.
I spit out my toothpaste with a laugh, then rinse my mouth with water.
“What's so funny?” She turns to look at me with one hand on her hip and only one eye finished.
“You’re going to catch flies.”
She points her mascara brush at me indignantly. “I’d like to see you apply mascara with your mouth closed.”
“No thanks,” I say.
Ally studies my face for a moment then turns away with an eye roll. “You wouldn’t even need it. You boys get the best lashes.”
I shake my head. Andie used to tell me the same thing. I can’t count the times she told me,those thick dark lashes are wasted on you; it’s not fair!
Ally finishes her other eye, and I notice that on top of opening her mouth wide, she’s also standing on her tippy toes. She does that a lot. I wonder if she even realizes it.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks, eyeing me in the mirror.
I blink. I hadn’t realized I was smiling. “No reason.”
She gives me a knowing look, silently calling me a liar.
I’m done in the bathroom, but just like last night, I find myself wanting to stay near her and keep talking. The thought of letting her in and allowing myself to know her has a prickle of fear waving through my stomach again.
I clear my throat. “I’ll leave you to it,” I say, willing my feet to move.
“Okay, thanks for sharing the bathroom!” She throws a smile over her shoulder at me. “I’m going to the store later, I’ll pick up some of those probiotic sodas you were drinking at dinner last night…you know, as a thank you for not making me late for work.”
Another One Direction song comes on, and she starts shimmying her hips to the music while applying a shiny pink lip balm to her lips.
I grit my teeth, trying my best to refuse to acknowledge how cute she is, and that Ilikethat she noticed my soda preference. I force my feet to move away from her, but as I go, I realize I’m still smiling against my will.
Dammit.
CHAPTER 16
NOAH
I’m dreamingof Ally again. I’m not in such a deep sleep I couldn’t stop the dream if I wanted to…but I don'twantto. Because my dreams are the only place I can admit to myself that I like Ally—that I want her, but I can’t have her.
In today’s dream, I’m in the bathroom shaving like I was a few mornings ago. The bathroom door creaks open, but it’s not Harry this time; it’s Ally. I turn to look at her, and she saunters toward me, biting her bottom lip. She’s not wearing her pajamas in my dream, but instead she’s dressed in that insanely hot yellow bikini. Her body is out of this world…although that part isn’t a dream, just a fact.
Her toned figure is all I can think about since being in the hot tub with her.
Dream-Ally walks toward me until her toes are nearly touching mine, then rises up on her tiptoes as she moves her hands to the ties on her hips, not breaking eye contact…
A pounding on my door jolts me awake. And I realize (with disappointment) I’m alone in my bedroom and not in the bathroom with Ally.
“Dude! Are you almost ready?” Penn yells from the otherside. Instead of waiting for me to reply, he barges right in. “You’re sleeping?” He’s annoyed, his voice still raised. “What the puck, Noah, we were supposed to leave for our game ten minutes ago!”
I blink rapidly and grab my phone from the nightstand. It’s dead despite being plugged in to charge. I jump up, and Harry scoots out from under the covers at the commotion. Glancing behind the nightstand, I find my charging cord unplugged from the brick and the end completely chewed off. The brick still plugged into the outlet is covered in bite marks from tiny, sharp teeth.
I glare at the beast sitting on my bed casually licking a paw without a care in the world.
