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A million thoughts go through my head at once. It would be nice to talk to someone about this, but Charley didn’t want me to know. I peer up, finding her at Coach’s hip, like usual, but they’re on the other side of the field, running defense.
“Something up with you and Charley? Everything seemed cool earlier.”
I shake my head. “It’s not me and her.” God, she’s so gorgeous. The way her black hair complements her skin. Those big, beautiful eyes. Full lips. The cold gives her face the tiniest bit of a red tint, especially in the cheekbones.
At first, I was so confused why the guys weren’t talking about her. If there was a good-looking girl on the support staff, we heard about it. Constantly. But Charley tries to make herself invisible. And now I know why…
“Then?”
“It’s complicated,” I tell him, reaching for a cup of Gatorade on the table. “I don’t think she’d want me saying anything, but I just found something out about her home life, and it’s not so great. It’s messing with my head, man.”
Aidan swallows some Gatorade of his own, and with perfect form, shoots the empty cup into the trash can. “I totally get it. I don’t know if you remember, but Bailey’s mother was an issue when we first got together. She actually didn’t want us together at all, but that wasn’t the worst part. It was the way she treated Bails that got to me.”
“It’s getting under my skin.”
“That’s because we want to protect them.” His lips quirk into a smile. “It’s that caveman part of us—or so Bailey would say.”
“I’m feeling that right now. In spades.”
“It’s tricky when it’s family because you don’t want to overstep. Be there for her. Stick up for her but also let her fight her own battles.”
It certainly seems like Charley is ready to fight. Seeing her cry in my arms was heartbreaking, and I understand why she broke down now. Tramp? Ridiculous.
“If it’s a parent thing, remember that in all likelihood, you’re going to have to figure out a way to get along with them, too. If you’re serious about her, you’re in it for the long haul.”
“I’m serious about her.”
“We all noticed the necklace, bro. You don’t have to tell us.” He gives me a playful shove. “Think about your next steps like a play. You just have to figure out which route you’re going to take. The one that’s best for the team, even if the one you really want to take is to protect her at all costs.”
“Are you a psych major? Damn.”
“I’m a man of many talents, which include throwing you perfect passes if you would get your head out of your ass to make a catch.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter because he’s right. I make a square over my chest and point to it. “Don’t forget, right here.”
Coach calls us back to practice, and sure enough, Aidan hits me right between the numbers for a completed pass. It nearly bounces off my chest, but I secure it before jogging out of the play.
“’Bout time, Farmer,” he calls out, and I give him the one-finger salute. His laughter rings out over the field. “Round of applause for a receiver who actually receives the ball!”
He’s got a point. Not about his stupid receiver joke, but about running the right play when it comes to navigating this stuff with Charley’s dad. Just because he’s sick doesn’t mean he can treat her that way. I never asked what ailment he had. It doesn’t sound like a temporary sickness like the flu. It sounds like it’s something they’ve been dealing with for a long time.
Jesus. What if it’s cancer?Here I am talking shit about a man that might be dying from cancer.
Coach claps his hand two times. “Farmer!”
I better get my head in this practice before they bench me for the next game. Even I’m getting irritated with myself.
I pick up the pace into a jog. “On it, Coach.”
For the next thirty minutes, I’m more on point, but when they call practice, I’m relieved. I haven’t had that bad of a run-through in a long time. The offensive coach side-eyes me while I walk off the field. “Sorry. It won’t happen again.”
He and I have been working together for a long time, and I’m thankful he doesn’t bring me into his office like I’m a freshman who doesn’t know what he’s doing. A lecture is the last thing I need right now.
Ever since Charley and I have started seeing each other, I make sure that I’m the last player out of the locker room. Sometimes, I can walk her out of there, and other times, she has to stay later to clean something or get something to Coach. But today, we’re the last two. Coach has even left.
I’m peering into his empty, dark office when Charley comes up behind me. “He had a doctor’s appointment.”
I turn in her arms, filtering my fingers through her hair. “Does that mean we’re in here alone?”