Page 21 of A Shot at Love
We shoot in contemplative silence for a few beats, me with the mid-range jumper and him at the free throw line.
He frowns in concentration, staring down the hoop. “I think I need the adrenaline to shoot well. Just standing here and shooting feels off.” Spoken like a true runner. I stifle a smile.
When his third shot in a row pings off the rim, I walk over. “Here, let me.” I hand him the ball. “Put your arms in a shooting motion.”
He raises the ball, not looking at me. I step into his space. He emanates a pleasant heat. I gently push his elbow out and straighten his wrist. I nudge his back foot and push it forward so they’re equally toeing the line. I lightly push his waist so he’s facing the basket more head-on.
Every place we touch seems electric. My fingertips burn. “Try it now,” I say, breathless.
The ball falls through with such a perfect swish that it hardly touches the net.
I know I should step back from Daniel, but the moment feels heavy. Heavy with our past and our present. Heavy with that lightning in a bottle feeling. Would it be so bad to try again? Could I ever trust him? Has he really changed, like it seems he has?
The ball bounces right back to Daniel, and he hardly moves as he holds it, maybe waiting for me to step back. We’re only inches apart. I could wrap my arms around him, feel his warmth course through me. I step carefully around him, reaching for the ball.
Our hands touch, surprising me. I meet his gaze, and I see that sparkle in his eye and the endearing mole on his jaw and his beautiful dark curls and that tiny white scar over his brow, and I’ve never wanted to kiss someone more in my life.
There is something about Daniel and me that just works. I can feel it.
I’m leaning in, the ball pressed between us, and I can feel a whisper of his minty breath. “Annie,” he whispers. There’s something in his voice, wonder or awe or that same desperation I feel.
“Daniel,” I murmur back, voice trembling. My whole body is trembling.
There’s a beat where it seems like we’ll drop the ball and kiss and press together so tightly, and then we’ll back into the basketball hoop and kiss harder, but then I hear a voice.
Jadea’s voice.
“Annie!” Fortunately, she sounds far away, like she’s in the tunnel, which means she hasn’t seen us yet. “The bus is going to leave without you!”
My brain fires all at once, and I back away from Daniel abruptly. The game. Indiana. Trenton. Jack. He drops the ball, letting it bounce between us, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Coming!” I shout to Jadea. I start walking backwards towards the locker room, where I’d stored my luggage. “I’m sorry,” I tell him. “We have a game tomorrow.” It’s a ridiculous thing to say, because he’s going too. His crew will be filming there, but they’re flying out tomorrow morning with their equipment.
I look at him apologetically, trying to communicate that even though this conversation was difficult, it was necessary. The first step. “Any time, Annie.” He steps towards me, grabbing my hand. “You have my number.”
I’m lost in Daniel’s dark eyes, an emotional black hole that’s threatening to swallow me up. I don’t knowhow long I stand there until I’m interrupted by, “Annie? We need to leave.” It’s Jadea’s voice, curious and wary at the way Daniel and I are standing.
I leap back from him, dropping his hand. Again. I try not to look guilty like I wasn’t about to throw away past trust issues and make out with Daniel right there on the court.
I tug on my braid. “Sorry. Daniel was just rebounding for me. Helping me get out my feelings.”
It’s the wrong thing to say. Jadea’s expression grows mischievous, eyes lighting up. “I’ve just had the most incredible idea.” She points between us. “We’ll talk, the three of us, after we get back from Indiana.”
“What idea?” I try to sound casual, but Jadea doesn’t fall for it.
She shakes her head. “It’s just that maybe your animosity towards Daniel has led to some more useful feelings.” Useful might not sound like a scary word to most people, but from Jadea any number of things could be useful. A dunking contest to end practice? Thirty pairs of Jordan sneakers? Matchmaking her best friend and her ex, when she doesn’t know it’s her ex?
“Don’t go anywhere.” Jadea beams at Daniel, and he smiles sheepishly in response.“We’ll talk soon.”
She puts an arm over my shoulders and pulls me away. “Sorry,” I mouth to Daniel over my shoulder. I have to admit that even though his past mistakes make me uncomfortable, the secrecy surrounding our past relationship is probably making him uncomfortable, too.
As we board the bus and take our seats, Jadea gives me that same teeth-baring smile I gave to Daniel’s camera crew a few hours ago. “We don’t need Trenton Smith’s bribes, Annie. We can make waves of our own.”
The feminist sentiment makes my heart thud with a fierce pride. The scheming expression that accompanies it makes my stomach drop.
Suddenly, I wish we were playing in Indiana for weeks. I don’t want to know whatever Jadea is planning when we come home.
10
The trip to Indiana is a story of highs and lows.
