Read Online Once Again by Amy Durham - Free Book Online Page A

too much of a liability.
    And didn’t it just make me so happy to have
those doubts bouncing around my head?
    Three minutes remained in the second quarter
when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
    “Room for me?” asked Lucas. The noise from
the crowd was loud, so his face was bent to my ear. His voice,
deep, rich and full of amusement, made my heart melt.
    Relief flooded through me as I scooted closer
to Jessie, making room for Lucas on the end of the bleacher. I knew
the smile on my face was gigantic, both from Luke’s presence beside
me and the release of tension that had tormented me since the
dream.
    “Did you win?” I asked, leaning closer to
make myself heard.
    “Yes.” He smiled. “We did.”
    “Did you win?”
    He nodded, but like last time, he clearly
didn’t think much of his own success.
    I was very aware of Jessie, Marsha, and
Tiffany - and probably a lot of other people - watching us. I
didn’t want to say or do anything that would make him uncomfortable
or give anyone the wrong idea about us.
    Despite the way I felt about him, I still had
no idea exactly what we were. And though it was sometimes
frustrating to be so uncertain, I was really enjoying getting to
know him without any expectations or pressure.
    He slipped on a gray hooded sweatshirt,
bearing the Sky Cove cross-country logo, then picked up my
hand.
    “Glad to see you, Layla.” He winked, then
playfully kissed the back of my hand.
    He laid my hand on my knee, then positioned
his own knee so that the side of his hand brushed against mine.
Perfect and sweet, the subtle gesture proved Lucas to be a
romantic. And, unlike the ending of my dream, here .
    I swallowed past the lump of joy in my
throat.

CHAPTER 12
     
    As
far as successes went, the last Friday of September had been a big
one for Sky Cove Senior High. Lucas and the cross-country team won
their meet, and the football team won soundly over their rival.
Apparently, Todd Miller had even been the MVP of the game.
    The football stands began to empty, and all
over the stadium, kids started making plans to continue the evening
somewhere else. The Pizza Place was the most popular choice, I
gathered from what Jessie and the girls said, because it had picnic
seating outside to accommodate larger crowds.
    And though the breeze was chilly, it wasn’t
uncomfortable outside, even this late in the evening.
    “You guys ready?” Jessie asked, looking to
Luke and me. Over her shoulder Marsha and Tiffany looked on.
    “Sure,” I said, looking up at Lucas. I had no
idea if he was planning to go with us.
    “Did you drive?” he asked me.
    I shook my head. “I rode with Jessie.”
    “You want to ride with me?”
    The girls giggled, in that way only girls can
do.
    Marsha shouted, “Of course she does!” and
Jessie and Tiffany immediately agreed. Jessie promised to save us a
seat at their table, and also to bring my purse, which was still in
her car.
    Luke and I didn’t hurry as we walked to his
Bronco. Having arrived at the game late, he’d had to park a good
distance away, in the parking lot of the elementary school on the
other side.
    He took my hand again and led me through the
crowd of people in the direction of his car. When we’d left most of
the noise behind us, he leaned closer to me.
    “I thought about you this afternoon.” His
voice was soft, almost unsure, as if testing my reaction.
    “While you were running?
    “Yes. Sometimes I - ” he broke off.
“Sometimes I let my mind wander while I run.”
    “And you thought about me?” I was rather
stunned by his admission.
    “I wondered what you were doing, how you were
feeling, what you’d look like tonight.” One corner of his mouth
lifted in a smile.
    Breath became difficult to draw. Was there
another guy on the planet who was this good with words?
    “So,” he went on. “How did you feel this
afternoon?”
    “If you mean was I excited about the game
tonight,” because no way could I get into the dream business,