Page 84 of Scoring the Player
I think about that for a second. “I’m not sure. I imagine some of it is just part of my personality, but the first time I can remember people referring to me as shy was in the fourth grade. My dad switched jobs halfway through the school year and my family moved across the state.”
“You were the new girl,” he says and waggles his brows.
“Yeah. And can I just say that all the movies and books make it seem way more fun than it actually is? Making friends is not something that’s ever been that easy for me. It takes me a while to get comfortable around new people. Half the girls thought I was stuck-up, and the others thought I was weird.”
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I would have been your friend, hot stuff.”
“No, you wouldn’t have.” I roll my eyes and shake my head. I think I have a pretty good picture of what young Felix was like and we would not have run in the same circles. “I had this really unfortunate haircut that looked like a blonde mushroom on top of my head, and I had an early growth-spurt, so I was taller than all the guys in class for a year or two.”
An amused smile tips up his lips as he wraps a finger around a long strand of my hair. “I don’t think any of that would have mattered. Enough time around you and I would have felt it.”
“Felt what?”
“This.” He motions between us. “We’re the same. Different, but the same.”
I’d like to think he’s right, and that under any circumstances, Felix and I would have been friends, but I’m not so sure.
“Did you always want to be a designer?” he asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“No. For a long time I thought I was going to be a dancer. But even back then, I was making my own leotards and booty shorts.”
His smile widens. “We definitely would have been friends. No way I wasn’t befriending the new, hot, dance girl.”
“You’re something else.”
He glances at the time and then turns in his seat and places either leg around mine, closing me in. “I should get going, but I really don’t wanna.”
I lean into his chest. I don’t want him to either. He wraps both arms around me. “Two days without you. How am I going to survive?”
I smile, but don’t respond. It feels so real between us, so perfect. If I had a boyfriend, this is exactly what I would want it to be like. I love that we can sit and talk like friends, but that neither of us can keep our hands off the other. It’s the best of both worlds in a way I didn’t realize was possible. And maybe it isn’t. Maybe the reason things are like this is because we’re coming to the end of our agreement. Before I can stress about that, though, Felix kisses me. As long as he’s kissing me, I can hold on to the time we have left.
29
FELIX
“Gimme, gimme.”Brogan grins like an idiot as he, Archer, and Lucas pillage the leftover food on Dahlia’s tray.
She laughs and pushes it across the table so they can each grab what they want.
“Tell me the truth,” I say, lowering my head to whisper in her ear. “You get extra knowing they’re going to steal half, don’t you?”
“Half?” she asks, turning her head and giggling. “Brogan ate every one of my grapes.”
“They were good, too,” the man himself says with his mouth full of something.
“I have a couple grapes left,” I say. “What’ll you do for ‘em?”
“Hmm.” She presses her lips together and leans closer. “What do you want?”
“Dangerous question, babe.” I can’t resist brushing my lips over hers.
“Maybe I want a little danger.”
She’s taunting me and I’m here for it. We’ve been making out every chance we get since I got back Sunday. Which is a lot of chances. We meet between classes, after classes. Basically, if we aren’t at practice or class, our lips are glued together. I’ve even given up my lunchtime nap.
Today’s our last official day together. Neither of us has mentioned it, but I know it’s on her mind.
“How late can you be for class?” I circle an arm around her waist and pull her onto my lap.
