you won’t need to.”
“Shut up and teach me how to play.”
“Wow, Chambers, you got your hands full there.” I recognize the guy as the one who was playing football with Drake the first day I ran into him.
Drake’s eyes stay on me as he responds. “No, it looks like you have yours full, Gavin, because she’s on my team.”
Before I know it, I have a pool stick in my hand, and the front of Drake’s chest is pressed against my back as he tries to show me how to hit the white ball. The warmth of his body makes mine tingle in a way I’m not used to, and a part of me wants him to stay there. I hate even admitting it.
“See how we’re going to do this? We’re going to place the tip between your left fingers and hold the end of the stick with your right.” He stands behind me, his hands right behind mine. “We’re going to pull it back, and then hit the ball. Not too hard. Not too soft.”
We do just that, him guiding me the whole way through. The first shot he helps me with, I make with no problem, but as soon as he leaves me on my own, I miss the next couple shots.
“You can do it,” he says. “Just take your time, and do exactly what I showed you.” Not long after, I get the hang of it, knocking a few balls into the pockets. I’m even able to hit one in by holding the stick behind my back; I’d seen Gavin do it and was determined to show him up because he’s been teasing me incessantly tonight.
“You play before?” Gavin asks after Drake and I win our second game in a row.
“This is my first time.”
“Wow,” he mouths, setting up the balls again. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?”
“Leave her alone, man!”
“A ll right, I get it,” he says, laughing.
“Oh, no way—no, no, no, we aren’t together,” I stutter in an attempt to clear up the confusion. “There’s absolutely nothing going on between us.”
“Not yet,” Gavin says as he walks away with a smirk on his face.
Drake and I are about as likely as world peace. He’s starting to show me he’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not my type. Even if he was, I’m not interested in dating right now.
When I turn my attention back to Drake, he seems to be running Gavin’s comments in his head, too, because his eyebrows are pinched together as he looks back at me.
“Ignore him,” he mumbles, running his fingers through his hair. His head tilts to the side as he considers me carefully.
“I think you’ve told me that twice now when Gavin’s involved,” I say, biting on my lower lip. The way he looks at me has me shifting on my feet. Things didn’t feel so uncomfortable when Gavin was with us.
“Just making sure you understand.”
“Loud and clear,” I say, scanning the packed bar for any sign of Kate and Beau. I spot them playing two tables away with Eric. “I should probably go back over there.”
He nods, his lips turning up at one side. “Signal me if you need me to fly over and save you again.”
“I can handle it,” I say, walking back a couple steps.
“We’ll see.”
After a few more steps, I turn back around. “Does this take the place of a football lesson?”
One corner of his mouth quirks. “Not even close. We didn’t even touch on tackling.”
Smiling, I go back to join the others, dreading having to hang out with Eric. As I assumed it would, the awkwardness returns. Eric and I are definitely not going anywhere. I mean, just holding a conversation with him is harder than any calculus test I’ve ever taken.
At one point I consider going back over to help Drake, but change my mind when I notice the hands of a skinny blonde on his chest. An odd sensation fills my chest, but I don’t know why; she’s exactly the type of girl I pictured him with. I’m not that girl. He probably wouldn’t even give me the time of day if it weren’t for our project.
“Emery, are you awake?”
I rub my eyes, but when I try to open them, the room is too bright with morning sun
“Shut up and teach me how to play.”
“Wow, Chambers, you got your hands full there.” I recognize the guy as the one who was playing football with Drake the first day I ran into him.
Drake’s eyes stay on me as he responds. “No, it looks like you have yours full, Gavin, because she’s on my team.”
Before I know it, I have a pool stick in my hand, and the front of Drake’s chest is pressed against my back as he tries to show me how to hit the white ball. The warmth of his body makes mine tingle in a way I’m not used to, and a part of me wants him to stay there. I hate even admitting it.
“See how we’re going to do this? We’re going to place the tip between your left fingers and hold the end of the stick with your right.” He stands behind me, his hands right behind mine. “We’re going to pull it back, and then hit the ball. Not too hard. Not too soft.”
We do just that, him guiding me the whole way through. The first shot he helps me with, I make with no problem, but as soon as he leaves me on my own, I miss the next couple shots.
“You can do it,” he says. “Just take your time, and do exactly what I showed you.” Not long after, I get the hang of it, knocking a few balls into the pockets. I’m even able to hit one in by holding the stick behind my back; I’d seen Gavin do it and was determined to show him up because he’s been teasing me incessantly tonight.
“You play before?” Gavin asks after Drake and I win our second game in a row.
“This is my first time.”
“Wow,” he mouths, setting up the balls again. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?”
“Leave her alone, man!”
“A ll right, I get it,” he says, laughing.
“Oh, no way—no, no, no, we aren’t together,” I stutter in an attempt to clear up the confusion. “There’s absolutely nothing going on between us.”
“Not yet,” Gavin says as he walks away with a smirk on his face.
Drake and I are about as likely as world peace. He’s starting to show me he’s a good guy, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not my type. Even if he was, I’m not interested in dating right now.
When I turn my attention back to Drake, he seems to be running Gavin’s comments in his head, too, because his eyebrows are pinched together as he looks back at me.
“Ignore him,” he mumbles, running his fingers through his hair. His head tilts to the side as he considers me carefully.
“I think you’ve told me that twice now when Gavin’s involved,” I say, biting on my lower lip. The way he looks at me has me shifting on my feet. Things didn’t feel so uncomfortable when Gavin was with us.
“Just making sure you understand.”
“Loud and clear,” I say, scanning the packed bar for any sign of Kate and Beau. I spot them playing two tables away with Eric. “I should probably go back over there.”
He nods, his lips turning up at one side. “Signal me if you need me to fly over and save you again.”
“I can handle it,” I say, walking back a couple steps.
“We’ll see.”
After a few more steps, I turn back around. “Does this take the place of a football lesson?”
One corner of his mouth quirks. “Not even close. We didn’t even touch on tackling.”
Smiling, I go back to join the others, dreading having to hang out with Eric. As I assumed it would, the awkwardness returns. Eric and I are definitely not going anywhere. I mean, just holding a conversation with him is harder than any calculus test I’ve ever taken.
At one point I consider going back over to help Drake, but change my mind when I notice the hands of a skinny blonde on his chest. An odd sensation fills my chest, but I don’t know why; she’s exactly the type of girl I pictured him with. I’m not that girl. He probably wouldn’t even give me the time of day if it weren’t for our project.
“Emery, are you awake?”
I rub my eyes, but when I try to open them, the room is too bright with morning sun
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