Page 29

I steal a glance at her notes and grimace.

Apparently, I’m the only one who can’t focus because they’re meticulously organized with color-coded highlights and neat handwriting that puts my chaotic scribbling to shame.

Before I know it, the students around me are packing up their things.

The scraping sound of chairs and shuffling papers surround me, and when I glance around the room, disoriented and wondering how the hell nearly an hour went by so fast, Karr reminds us of the quiz next week.

Shit.

“You missed a lot,” Avery whispers, glancing over at my notes.

I stare at the pitiful paper in front of me, only half full and barely legible, then sink a hand into my hair and mumble, “Yeah, I, uh . . . might’ve drifted off.”

“I can let you borrow my notes,” she says with a small smile. “I mean, if you want them.”

I nod and find myself, once again, staring at her mouth. “Yeah.” I swallow. “Yeah, um, that would be great.”

What the hell is wrong with me?

The tiny smile curling her lips spreads as she rises from her seat, and I feel like I’ve gained something I didn’t know I needed. “Great.”

Standing, I begin to gather up my things, in no hurry to get out of here. I’m relieved to see she must feel the same as I sling my backpack over my shoulder. “So, I was just headed to grab a coffee before practice. Want to join me?”

“Actually, I was just headed that way. My shift starts in ten, so I can’t join you, but I can walk with you.”

“Yeah, okay.” I nod, lost in her whiskey-hewn depths as I fall into step beside her.

We push our way outside, and despite the cloudless sky and the sun shining brightly, the cold air bites at my cheeks.

My breath puffs out in front of me as I tuck my hands into the pockets of my coat, noting the way Avery hunches her shoulders against the wind as we fall into step together, our strides matching naturally as we navigate the crowded campus sidewalk.

“So,” she begins, her voice soft but clear against the background noise of passing students. “Does this mean you’re done with your coffee boycott?”

I snort and shake my head slightly. “Am I that obvious?”

“More like habitual. When you didn’t show up again after that first day I saw you at work, I figured you somehow managed to get my schedule or were avoiding Java the Hutt altogether.”

I scratch my head, cheeks turning pink at being called out. “Uh, yeah. Avoiding it altogether would be accurate, and let me just say, my roommate’s coffee is not the same.”

She grins, drawing my gaze before she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “When you didn’t show up at class on Monday, I thought maybe you were still avoiding me.”

“I just needed to think,” I admit. “Lucky for me the boycott is over, I guess.”

Avery’s gaze heats. “I think you mean, lucky for me ,” she says before she playfully bumps me with her shoulder. “It would be nice to see your face while I’m at work.”

“Just while you’re at work?” I ask with a wink.

“Still a shameless flirt, I see?”

Only with you, I nearly say it, but I don’t. “Maybe.” I shrug, barely resisting the urge to reach out and touch her cheek when she blushes.

She lowers her face, glancing at the sidewalk as we walk. “The championship game is less than a week away now. That’s a big deal.”

I nod, my stomach tightening at the reminder. “We fly out tomorrow morning,” I confirm. “Coach wants the team to acclimate and settle in before the game.”

“Nervous?” she asks, glancing up at me once more.

I consider lying, putting on the cocky quarterback persona everyone expects, but this is Avery. She’s always seen through my bullshit.

“Terrified,” I admit, surprising myself with brutal honesty. “This is everything I’ve worked for since I was a kid throwing footballs in my backyard. One game that could determine my entire future.”

“You’re going to do amazing.” She says it with such conviction that for a moment, I almost believe her. Almost.

“How can you be so sure?” I ask, my voice lower than I intended. “I’ve been distracted. Sloppy. Hell, I brought back a win by the skin of my teeth our last game, and you haven’t even seen me play in years.”

Avery’s steps slow slightly, until she comes to a stop.

Turning to me, she glances into my eyes, fidgeting with the end of her scarf and twisting the tassels between her fingers.

“I’ve watched every game,” she admits. “Every. Single. Game. No matter what I was doing or who I was with. Even when I told myself I had to let you go.” Her voice trembles just enough to crack something open inside my chest. “You were never just a game to me, Damon. You were the game. The only thing that ever really mattered, even after I let you go.”

The confession hits me like a tackle I didn’t see coming, knocking the air from my lungs. Even after her confession Sunday night, I’m not sure I fully understood until this moment. All this time, I thought I was the only one holding onto the past, but I wasn’t.

“Every game?” I repeat, unable to keep the wonder from my voice.

She nods, and the vulnerability written across her face grasps at my heart. “I couldn’t stop caring just because we weren’t together anymore.”

“Will you come and watch me play?” I blurt.

Then, squeezing my eyes closed, I shake my head, realizing what I’m asking of her.

“Sorry, I know that’s a lot to ask,” I say, blinking my eyes back open to stare down into her beautiful face.

“You have work and school and it’s halfway across the country, but?”

“If you want me there, I’ll be there.” She reaches out, giving my hand a little squeeze.

“Really?” I ask. When she nods, I swallow, relief swelling inside of me at the thought of her being there, in the flesh, watching me play like she used to?my own personal lucky charm.

“The girls are going?Charlotte, Brynn, Liz, and Samantha. They’re flying out the night before.

I heard the guys talking. I’m sure you could join them. ”

“Definitely.” She flashes me a brilliant smile, then starts walking again, and I follow beside her, walking in silence. This time when I feel the urge to grab her hand, I do so, intertwining her fingers with mine.

A comfortable tension stretches between us, the kind that’s filled with unspoken words and possibilities as we make our way off campus and onto Main Street.

Cars zip past on the street and students amble on the sidewalk, headed to nearby restaurants, little boutiques, the campus bookstore, and Java the Hutt.

“What time are you done with practice today?” Avery asks, breaking the quiet.

“Five. Coach wants us fresh for tomorrow’s flight, so it’s just walk-throughs and some light conditioning.”

“So, this is the last time I’ll see you?” she asks, pausing outside of the glass doors to the coffee shop.

“Unless you want to stop by with those notes you promised,” I say, nudging her in the side and cursing myself even as I say it. I should be going over plays, meditating, hydrating, and focusing on my chi and shit. Not worrying about girls.

But this isn’t just any girl.

This is Avery. My Avery.

“I’d love to,” she says, and the way her cheeks flush a candy apple red makes me forget why having her over is a bad idea. “I get off work at six, so I’ll swing by after. Your number is still the same?”

I nod. I never changed it. If I’m being honest, I’d harbored the hope for a long time she’d reach out. “Is yours? The same, I mean?”

She rolls her eyes and pulls her phone from her pocket, swiping the screen and navigating to her contacts. She turns the phone toward me so I can see the entry at the top of her favorites: QB.

“You’re still my number one.”

Warmth unfurls inside my chest at the same time her phone buzzes with a text, but before she can turn it around to check it, I catch a glimpse of the name flashing across the screen and want to puke.

Travis.

The sight of his name carves a hollow space in my chest, but before I have time to dwell on it, Avery quickly tucks her phone out of sight.

My thoughts scatter as I try to reason why he might be messaging her. Is this the first time he’s reached out since their date? Is she interested in him? Just because she has unresolved feelings for me and we have a history, doesn’t mean she can’t develop feelings for someone else.

Shit .

“I should get inside before I’m late,” she says, glancing at the door, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

“Yeah, of course.” I force a smile, trying to mask the unease creeping through me. “I’ll see you tonight?”

She nods, her eyes searching mine for a moment before she rises on her tiptoes and presses a quick kiss to my cheek. “See you tonight, QB.”

I watch her disappear inside, the bell above the door jingling as it closes behind her. The spot where her lips touched my skin burns pleasantly, a stark contrast to the cold knot in my chest.