know his knock. Slightly impatient and full of life.
I’m smiling before I even reach the door.
He’s changed since practice, and he looks good. Really good.
With a quick glance down the hall, I grab his shirt and tug him inside, but before I can push him against the wall and kiss him stupid, Beck steps out of my reach. He’s not meeting my eyes, and I’m suddenly really worried he’s here for a reason other than making out. He shifts further away.
Uh-oh.
Is he done here already?
I straighten up and do my best to hide the sudden panic. It might have been Beck’s idea to continue this, but I definitely haven’t been complaining. Every night he sneaks down here, it just makes me want more.
“So this is outside our usual schedule,” I say carefully.
Beck forces a little laugh. “Ah, yeah. I thought I’d catch you before dinner, see if you were hungry maybe?” He’s still acting weird, but at least it doesn’t seem like he’s here to end things.
“I could eat.”
“You could?”
I stare at him for a minute, not sure if he’s dicking around. “Why are you being weird?”
“I’m …” I can tell he’s about to deny it when he relaxes. “My sister maybe guessed about us.”
“Guessed?”
“Apparently your little display of jealousy didn’t go unnoticed. And neither did my sneaking out. Are you mad?”
Am I? I feel like I should be. Beck’s certainly expecting me to be. “Can’t be helped.”
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Jacobs?”
I hold back my laugh and tug him in close again. “Who are you? You’ve been here a few minutes now and we haven’t even kissed yet.”
“You want to kiss me?”
I don’t answer him. Instead I press my lips to his and lean into the feel of his body against mine.
“Dinner?” he asks against my mouth.
“Sure, let me get my keys.”
“And maybe change your shirt?”
It’s such a weird request that I stare at him a moment. At his tight jeans and button-up shirt, and …
I swallow hard. Is this a date?
Nerves explode in my gut as I force my feet toward the closet and pull my T-shirt over my head. I don’t have many options, so I pull the first navy button-up I see from the hanger and shrug into it, while keeping my back turned firmly toward Beck.
Maybe I’m reading this wrong. That would be the most obvious option. So why can’t I bring myself to make some kind of joke while I clear up whatever is happening here? I check my hair in the small mirror. The close-shaved sides have started to grow out, but at least the length on top is sitting right.
“Okay, let’s go.”
I follow Beck to his car, and thankfully we don’t see anyone we know. If one of our teammates saw us right now, I have no idea how I’d explain us together, let alone dressed nice and headed off campus.
I could imagine Cohen and Rossi assuming we were headed to a club and asking to come along.
“How does Italian sound?” Beck asks as he backs out of the parking spot.
“Delicious.” My smiles are coming easier now, and I’m letting them happen more than I ever have around him. I guess that’s what orgasms do to a guy. “Know a place?”
“Yeah, it looks like a bit of a shithole, but the food’s good.”
It goes silent after that. And instead of the stifling awkwardness I’m expecting, it’s kinda chill. Relaxing. I glance over at where he’s driving and wonder what would happen if I reached for his thigh. Is that too much? I mean, if this is a date, then it would be expected. But if it really is two teammates who get each other off, then it could be crossing a line.
We pull up at the restaurant, and Beck’s right, it’s a shithole. All yellow brick and checkered red-and-white awnings. Inside, the lights are dim, covering everything in a dark yellow glow. The wood tables are chipped, and none of the chairs match.
A sweet older woman leads us to a booth, and the restaurant is packed. There’s only a couple of free tables. I wait for her to drop off the menus, take our drink orders, and leave before I lean across to Beck.
“It’s possible I’m gonna sound like a dick here, but this doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”
He takes a moment to look around. “I came in here drunk one night and orgasmed over the food. Then I assumed it was so good because