Rounding Third - Michelle Lynn Page 0,22
pack over his eyes. A table of girls in the corner are whispering, with their lust filled eyes fixed on the boys.
One breaks away from the pack and starts her way toward Crosby, her eyes focused on the back of his head.
Ariel runs toward Spencer, straddling him. He leans his head back and groans in pain.
“What happened?” she asks.
“I hit him,” Crosby deadpans.
Ariel’s eyes light up like an inferno.
Crosby’s eyes lock with mine, and my heart leaps.
“You what? Why?” I ask.
The freshman girl’s hand touches his arm. He sidesteps, his head jolting to the side to see who’s touching him. He’s quick to remove her hand and lets it drop to her side.
“Hi,” she coos.
I widen my eyes waiting to see how he’ll deal with this situation. It’s payback for making me handle Caden all on my own.
“Hi,” he returns the greeting, stepping back more.
“I’m Viv.” She places her hand on his forearm again, and he removes it, again.
“Get off, Viv. He belongs to my sister!” Ariel screams, glaring at the redheaded girl.
Viv glances to me and then to Crosby. “True?”
He shrugs. “You’ll have to ask her.” He raises those eyebrows in question, testing me.
“Not true. Go ahead, Viv. He’s all yours.”
His lips dip down, and he shakes his head, but there’s amusement laced in his face.
Then, he looks to Viv. “Sorry, I might not belong to her, but she belongs to me. She just hasn’t accepted it yet. I’ll wait though.”
“Impatiently,” Spencer adds.
Ariel laughs, her hand caressing his cheek, before she kisses him.
“My brother’s got me on that one. I’m not very patient when I’m waiting for something I’m craving. You know, like a caramel sundae with a cherry on top.”
He winks to me, and my heart jolts, demanding to be released and placed safely in his hands.
The redhead glances back to me and nods. “Lucky girl.”
She slithers back the way she came, and I break the distance and head over to him.
“She said you’re lucky,” he repeats.
I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Why did you hit him?” I change the subject.
“In your honor.”
“What?” Ariel’s hand reaches for the ice pack.
“You looked devastated, and I had to do something for you.”
“So, you hit your own brother?”
“Yep.” He leans in close. “For you,” he whispers.
“I got that part.”
Ariel takes off the ice pack, and my one eye winces as I wait to see his puffy red eye lined with blue. Nothing. His matching caramel eyes are still intact, glowing with that same devilish glint as his brother’s.
I smack Crosby’s rock-hard stomach. “You jerk.”
The two of them rumble with laughter, and Spencer pulls Ariel into his body before quickly getting her on her back.
Crosby’s laugh is short-lived when he spots his brother’s hand venturing to a place we’d rather not witness.
“Let’s go.” He nods his head toward the door.
“Please,” I say. I turn around when their lips never part.
“See you two around,” Crosby says.
Neither one of them answers—unless a moan constitutes as a response.
We walk out of Musselman Hall and into the dark of night. A cool breeze rushes goose bumps up my arms, and I instinctively wrap my arms around my middle for warmth.
“Here.” Crosby shrugs out of his sweatshirt and hands it to me.
The act conjures up an image of his high school jacket. How it hung in my closet more than his. Oh how I yearn for the easiness of our lives then.
“Thanks.” I slide my arms in and zip up the front, instantly warming me.
Continuing down the lit path, we venture toward his truck in the parking lot. Our conversation slows, but there’s a sense of comfort in the silence. He’s a gentleman, as always, opening my door and shutting it, and then he climbs into his own side.
“Who would have thought?” he asks after we’ve pulled out onto the street that serves as the main artery in and out of campus.
“Yeah.” I stop before I say that they remind me of us. “They’re cute together.”
“Yeah.” His voice is shallow.
I wish I could slide up to him and say, Not as cute as us.
My stomach twists. We’ll never be that couple again.
My hand stretches over the console, and I link my fingers with his on the steering wheel. He accepts my offer, eyeing me from the corner of his vision.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I don’t know. Seeing them made me miss something.”
“Us?” His body stiffens, and his fingers go limp as he waits for my answer.
“Yeah.”
He silences and doesn’t ask any more questions.
I wish things with Liam