Page 16 of Hitting the Goal Line
“You two are too much.” Mom starts shaking her head but we all know that she wants to agree with me. “Alright, let’s go. I don’t want to miss our flight.”
Within minutes, we are all out of the car with our luggage and are making our way down to the terminal.
When we get to the check-in desk, mom and Jainie go over and print out our boarding passes. While they do that, I decide to shoot Sophia a quick text telling her that we are on our way home.
Since her party is during one of the busiest times of the year for travel, she was nervous that we wouldn’t make it. That our flight would get canceled or that there would be a blizzard or something that would keep us out of Montana. She has sent me so many damn screenshots about flight cancelations and weather conditions these last four days, that I actually thought about blocking her. I kept telling her that she has nothing to worry about, but the girl won’t believe me until I’m standing in front of her wearing a damn three-piece suit at her party.
“You texting your girlfriend or something?” Hunter asks as we wait off to the side for mom and Jainie.
I shake my head, pocketing my phone. “No, it’s Sophia. She’s freaking out because she thinks that we won’t make it back on time for her party.”
“And you’re trying to calm her down,” he says, more as a statement of fact instead of a question.
“Yup, that’s what best friends are for.”
“You ever think about making her more than just your best friend?” My brother asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
I look at him like he’s crazy. “Why would I do that?”
Hunter shrugs. “She’s a pretty girl. You’re not a bad looking guy. Given your history, and how well you know each other, I think you two would be great together in that way.”
“She’s my best friend.”
“She can be your best friend and your girlfriend at the same time,” he tells me. Who knew that a twenty-one-year-old could be so wise.
“I’m not her type,” I argue, trying to find anything that would stop this conversation.
“But is she yours?” Hunter asks and as much as I want to come up with answer, I can’t.
If Soph wasn’t my best friend and we hadn’t been in each other’s lives since we were five, I would have asked out in a heartbeat. She’s pretty, smart, so damn funny, and most definitely my type. I never really saw her in that way until last year when we went to a party together and for some reason, I just started looking at her differently.
I found my best friend to be the prettiest girl I had ever seen, and as much as I wanted, or should I say want, to tell her, I could never find the words. Thinking about it now, I still can’t find the words how to tell my best friend that I find her pretty. She’ll probably laugh in my face and quickly change the subject.
Hunter takes my silence as a yes and gives my shoulder a pat. “You should tell her, man. Because if you don’t, she might slip through my fingers.”
I want to tell him that he has no idea what he is talking about. That I don’t find Sophia attractive at all, but that would be a completely lie.
The whole flight home, though, I can’t help but to wonder about what my brother said.
What if I do tell her and she slips through my fingers anyway? What happens then? Do I lose the one person that has meant something to me for so long?
I don’t know, but one thing that I do know, is that this is not a risk that I’m willing to take.
CHAPTER SIX
SOPHIA
The party isin full swing, and I feel like I need to take a breather.
Being the center of attention is a lot harder than I thought it would be and I don’t know how I feel about it.
What I do know is that I need water and at least a ten-minute break way from everyone.
Going into hiding is a little hard, especially with the size of dress that I’m wearing, but somehow I’m able to grab a bottle of water and head out of the ballroom of the hotel where my quince is, without anyone noticing.
I can still hear the music blasting as I walk out to the small courtyard that the hotel has just outside ballroom. I’m actually a little surprised that other guests aren’t out here getting some fresh air too, but that just means I get the place all to myself.
Opening up the water, I take a big gulp and let out a sigh of relief when the coldness hits my throat. It feels like I haven’t had any water in days, when in reality, it’s only been a few hours.
