Page 35 of The Tip-Off
I nod.
“Can I follow you where you’re going right now? Because my parents always told me to follow my dreams!”
“Damn, that’s awful.”
She grins and we fall silent. I feel her sigh before I hear it. “Alright, fine, we can go back now.”
On our walk back from the dock to the cabin, she grabs my hand and swings our arms playfully between us. I stop, tug her hand so she has to stop too. “Before we go back. I, uh, made you a playlist.”
Gabby started following my music account after that first night we listened to music together and we’ve texted a few times about it, prompting me to create my new lists with more than just myself in mind.
“You did?” Her voice is excited and surprised. She pulls out her phone like she’s going to check it out now.
“Listen to it later,” I urge and pull her toward our friends.
Gabby returns to the girls, and I head over to where the guys are. Joel shoves a beer in my hand, like the dude has been waiting for me to return. “How’s the fun level?” he asks, raises his hand to his head and then gives me a thumbs up. I crack a smile, shake my head, and open the beer.
As the night goes on, I do start to have more fun, relax as the alcohol gets in my system, and try and remember Gabby’s words from earlier. She’s right. These moments are almost done and, yeah, I need to keep busting my ass as I work toward the draft and my pro rookie season, but this may be the last time I get to hang with all my teammates before graduation.
Joel sits beside me, Katrina on his lap. The couples have all started to pair off as the sun sets and the stars come out. Gabby sits in a chair by herself, feet pulled up, hugging her bare legs.
“No way,” Joel’s voice cuts through all the chatter on the deck and I look up to see Shaw and Nathan joining us.
“Dude, what did you do to your head?” someone calls out.
Nathan’s trademark long locks have been buzzed off and his hair is cropped short to his head. It’s not his hair that has me sitting up straight and swallowing down a lump that’s forming in my throat, it’s the way Gabby is on her feet and running toward him, throwing her arms around his neck and then pulling back and running her fingers through his hair.
I’m jealous. It’s such a foreign feeling it takes a minute to identify the unused emotion. I’ve always gone after what I wanted with no apologies. And I was successful more times than not. I never wanted anything I couldn’t have, but I want her, and I can’t have her.
Relationships are a distraction and it’s never been more critical that I keep focused than now when I’m so close. Is it possible to juggle the NBA and be in a relationship? Maybe. But is it really worth the risk to find out?
16
Gabby
“What did you do?”I run my fingers through Nathan’s short hair. It’s got a little curl to it, something I had not expected, and I can’t stop touching it. “And when and why?”
“You like it?”
“I love it. I can see your face now.”
He blushes and an embarrassed smile tugs at his lips. “Thanks.”
Nathan’s grand entry has spurred everyone to get up and move around and Joel announces he’s going to take the boat out for a night drive. I follow Nathan down to the dock with some of the other guys who hadn’t gone out earlier. I look around for a certain tall, dark, and handsome man, but he’s nowhere to be found. A group of guys went in to play cards and Zeke must have gone with them. Or maybe his fun meter tapped out and he went to bed.
The boat roars to life and the wind whips through my hair. A shiver makes my whole body shake and Nathan wraps an arm around me sharing his heat with me. The houses lit up around the lake like a postcard and the gentle waves of the water as we cruise around has us all quiet and soaking up the moment.
I close my eyes, so tired and satiated from the day. It was absolutely perfect. I mentally cross weekend at the lake off my list but then add it right back because I want more weekends just like this.
“Gabs baby, wake up.” Nathan’s voice whispers as he runs a hand down my arm.
When I open my eyes, we’re the last two people on the boat and docked back at Joel’s cabin.
“Guess I was tired,” I say, a little mortified as I pull my head from his chest. I wonder how long I was passed out cold and hopefully I didn’t drool on him.
“It happens. Days out on the water with sun and beer take it out of you.”
I stand up and stretch, take a step to get off the boat and he grabs my hand. “Wait.”
