Fair Catch (Love and Sports Series) (14 page)

             
“Why do you care how I see you?” He was even closer now as he placed his hands on her hips. His hands felt so strong, protective, safe.

             
She looked down but he lifted her chin so she was looking at him. “I don’t want you to look at me differently?” she said.

             
“And how would I look at you?”

             
Lexi blew out an exasperated breath. “Like a weakling.”

             
“You have to know by now I don’t see you as a weakling. I see you as a strong, confident, sexy woman.”

             
“Well I wasn’t last night, especially the sexy part.” Lexi felt herself turn bright red from the thought of what she might have looked like last night. She knew she didn’t have a pretty cry face. She could only imagine the horror she might have caused Jake.

             
“You were human last night, it was charming. It made me like you even more.”

             
“Like me?”

             
He smiled at her and brought his head down toward hers. Oh God he was going to kiss her. She felt her body tense up and panic while at the same time her heart hammered against her chest. She wanted this, she wanted Jake. His lips were a breath away from touching hers as he cupped the nape of her neck.

             
“There you are! Thank…Oh, sorry I didn’t know.” Lexi shot away from Jake as if he was acid that was burning her skin off. She looked over at her grinning roommate and Lexi instantly hated herself. “I was worried about you, but if I knew you were with Jake…”

             
“I wasn’t with him, well not the way you were thinking.” Lexi looked at Jake who was sporting a deep frown and then she looked back a Margo who would not stop smirking. “I’m fine, I have to go. I’ll see you at practice.”

             
Lexi couldn’t even turn to look at Jake to say good bye because she couldn’t stand to see the hurt in his eyes again. She knew she was blowing him off but she couldn’t do this right now, this, whatever it was with Jake. Even though her heart and her body were telling her to skip class and invite Jake to breakfast, her brain was actually working and telling her to get her ass in gear. She had things to do and she couldn’t spend her day pining away at Jake.

                                                        ***

              Jake watched Lexi walk away without even acknowledging him. What the hell? He turned to Margo who was still standing in the hallway, grinning like an idiot. “Thanks a lot, Margo.”

             
She feigned shock. “Oh was I interrupting something, perhaps something that continued over from last night?”

             
Jake wished! “No, actually. I had to track her down here when she left my apartment after not saying anything.”

He told Margo about how he found Lexi in the gym crying and Margo told him all about their practice from the
night before. Jake could completely relate to what Lexi was going through. He got ripped by his coach last year from not performing as a leader. Being captain was difficult because you had to be the best at everything while being a team leader. It was a tough spot to be in and if you were off your game for one day you were called out on it.

             
Jake shook his head. “I wish she would talk to me about it.”

             
“And why would she do that?” Margo asked.

             
“Because I care, because I want to help her. I would have thought she got that impression from what I did for her last night.”

             
Margo just shrugged. “Sometimes with Lexi, you have to voice what you’re feeling. I’m not going to get into it but she doesn’t have the best family life and it takes a lot out of her to trust someone, especially, no offense, someone with your kind of past.”

             
“I would tell her how I feel if she gave me the time of day.”

             
“You haven’t even talked to her for the past couple of weeks. If you’re interested in her you have to make it known. Stop pussy footing around and take what you want. Don’t take no for an answer. Make her feel special Jake, she deserves it and if you’re not up for the challenge then please just let her be. She can’t take the distraction if you’re not going to be all in.”

             
All in, was he all in?

H
e thanked Margo for the advice and walked toward his locker room. He thought about last night and how great it felt to have Lexi so close to him, to take care of her, to run his hand through her hair and he thought about the moment they shared together right before Margo interrupted them. If being with Lexi meant having to be all in, then he was all in. He couldn’t walk away now. He was so close to something he never thought he would ever want, he couldn’t give up now. He was never a quitter and he wouldn’t start now.

             
He pulled out his phone and sent Lexi a text message.

Jake: Have dinner with me tonight, after practice. Please.

             
It didn’t take her long to respond.

Lexi: I can’t

Jake: I know you have nothing planned, please let me take you out. Just something casual.

Lexi: I don’t think that is a good idea Jake. I appreciate what you did for me last night but I think we should leave it at that.

Jake: I’m not taking no for an answer. I think after last night I at least deserve this.

Lexi: I’m sorry, you’re right. I will meet you after practice

Jake: Thank you. See you then and Lexi, have a great day. I will be thinking about you

Lexi: You too.

              Jake stuffed his phone in his locker after reading her last text message and put on his running shoes. He was going to let Lexi know how he felt at dinner, he was going to take what he wanted and show her how special she was.

                                                        ***

              Lexi was a bundle of nerves while she was getting ready for her so-called date with Jake. Practice went much better today. Lexi felt like her old self again out on the field. She led the team every way possible, being the first on the field and the last to leave. She even got a brief nod from her coach knowing that was her coach’s way of showing her approval. Lexi might have let her guard down for a second but she was back in the game again. She was able to shut her personal life off when she stepped on the field, something she recently forgot how to do.

              Everyone was already gone, Lexi stayed behind to take a shower and try to make herself semi presentable. She put on a pair of navy blue yoga pants and a tight white t-shirt along with her lime green Nikes. She knew it wasn’t a dress and high heels but she just got out of practice, she wasn’t going to get much more out of herself in the fashion department. She made sure to throw her hair up in a messy bun with a headband and put on a generous amount of mascara to make her eyes pop.

             
Looking at herself in the mirror, she approved of her reflection. She wasn’t sex on a stick but she wasn’t half bad either. She grabbed her backpack and headed for the door. She made her way to the half wall that was just outside the events center to wait for Jake. It was a beautiful day and she might as well enjoy the weather while she waited for Jake. She knew Jake’s practice ran a little later than hers so she was prepared to wait. She sent a text to Jake to let him know where she was.

             
Nerves ran through her body as she couldn’t believe she was actually going on a date with Jake...again. This morning she had sworn him off. How was it that he was able to change her mind so quickly? Wait, her mind wasn’t changed. She was just going out to dinner with him because she owed it to him since he took care of her during one of her lowest points. She was going to hold true to what she told herself. She had no time or room for a guy in her life.

             
The side door to the events center opened up and Jake appeared wearing a pair of Cal U gym shorts and a dark grey football shirt. His hair was wet, most likely from a quick shower and he was wearing flip flops. She was glad she went super causal because she would have felt stupid in jeans and a nice shirt. She hopped off the half wall and met him on the sidewalk.

             
He beamed at her with one of his kill-me-now smiles. “Hey gorgeous, are you ready?”

             
“Yup.” They walked toward his Jeep while she asked, “How was practice?”

             
He rubbed his shoulder before he opened the door for her. “Oh you know, painful as usual.” He shut the door and jogged around to his side. She surveyed the interior of his Jeep and came to the realization of how much she loved his car. How stupid was that? It was a just a car, but it was so him, rugged on the outside but soft and safe on the inside. “How about you?”

             
She looked at him confused. “Huh?”

             
“How was your practice?”

             
“Oh, it was a hell of a lot better than yesterday. That’s for sure. It is obviously our off season right now so we focus a lot on technique and drills. It can get really boring at times. I prefer to do situational plays and scrimmages.”

             
“Doesn’t everybody? Drills can be so monotonous at times.”

             
Lexi agreed with him. Their conversation struck her as strange because the only other person besides her teammates that she talked about her sport with was Parker. No one else seemed to care, so it was refreshing to have another understanding ear to talk to. It didn’t really dawn on her that Jake was going through the same thing as her. Trying to play the sport he loved at a high level while also trying to earn a degree. No one really knew what they went through, unless they were actually in the same boat.

             
They continued with mindless chitchat until they pulled up to Panera. Lexi couldn’t help but let out a little giggle.

             
“Something funny?” He asked.

             
She shook her head and exited the car. He met her in the parking lot. “I just never pictured you as a Panera guy. I expected a Mexican joint or, I don’t know a steak.”

             
“What can I say? They have the best mac and cheese. Is this alright? We can go somewhere else.”

             
“No, this is great. I love it here but I’m sorry to say, I’ve never had their mac and cheese.”

             
Jake stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. “You have never had the mac and cheese? That is crazy.”

             
“I love the Fuji Apple Salad, I always get it.”

             
Jake just shook his head. “Women and their salads.”

             
When they got in Panera, they ordered, a salad for Lexi and mac and cheese and a sandwich for Jake. They both got drinks, picked up their food from the counter and found a cozy little booth in the back corner, where no one could bother them. Lexi eyed Jake’s mac and cheese and she had to admit, she was jealous when she turned back to her salad.

             
They started eating and at first Lexi was self-conscious but got rid of that feeling right away when Jake got sauce from his sandwich all over his face. He acted like nothing was on his face as he continued to tell her a story about Mason getting stuck in the bathroom at the football house their sophomore year. Jake had a huge glob of sauce on his cheek and Lexi knew he knew it was there, how could he not. She could feel it touching her own skin, it bothered her so much. Occasionally she would wipe the same side of her face hoping Jake would get the hint.

             
“So coach was on the field screaming where the hell Mason was and why he was missing practice. None of the guys knew where he was and I started to get nervous coach was going to have a heart attack because he was so mad.” Jake took another bite into his sandwich letting sauce hit his chin, Lexi cringed and he smiled.

             
“Are you trying to be disgusting on purpose?” She said with a laugh while handing him a napkin.

             
“No just trying to ease the tension.” He wiped his face and continued with his story. “So me and the other guys got back to the house, where Mason’s car was, his phone was in the house along with his backpack. We started to get really nervous because it wasn’t like Mason to miss practice. I started to get terrible thoughts in my head like he committed suicide or a jealous student shot him to death, you know the typical over-reactions.” Lexi nodded in agreement. “Well after calling his name we finally heard him yell out from upstairs. We all went running to his voice and followed it to the bathroom where the knob from the outside had fallen off so he had no way of getting out. We got the door open and there he was with a towel wrapped around his waist and the shower curtain wrapped around his shoulders.”