One Southern Night (5 page)

Laney laughs. “I believe you.”

“Hope you know how to sort.” I leer at her.

Laney pauses with the spoon by her lips, her mouth slightly open. “I’ll never do your laundry, Kam.”

“We better hire a housekeeper then.”

“Keep dreaming all-star.” She smiles and then continues eating.
Cock-blocked in every direction.

After a small conversation reprieve, I ask, “So, the country is finally growing on you?”

Laney shrugs. “I guess. I can appreciate the open landscape and living by the lake.”

“The lake is definitely a bonus.”

“I also like that my dad is happy.”

“He wasn’t in New York?”

“No. Toward the end of my parents’ marriage things were really bad. I’m probably the only kid in the world who breathed a sigh of relief when they told me they were getting a divorce. I just didn’t know my father had plans of leaving the state once it was over.”

“Where’s your mom? Why didn’t you stay with her?”

“What’s today’s date?” she muses, “I think she’s in Bangkok. She travels a lot, like all the time. That’s why I’m with my dad. He has full custody. All those spaghetti dinners? It was just the two of us.”

“Do you get along with your mom? Even though you don’t see her?” I don’t know if I’m prying, and I’m sure Laney will let me know once I step over the line, but she seems comfortable enough talking about her mother, so I’m going to push it as far as she’ll let me go.

“Yeah, actually she’s great. We talk all the time. I wish I saw her more.”

“Damn. I couldn’t imagine not seeing my mom. I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I think we established you’d have to learn to do laundry.”

“Smart-ass.”

“Yup.” She twists the spoon in her mouth and drags it over her tongue. Damn. Her little gesture just made my dick twitch. “You ready to finish?”

“Finish?” I ask awkwardly. My pants now have a pulse.

“Yeah, with studying. You tell me the answers, and I’ll write.”

“How about you help me write?”
How about you just touch me in general.

Laney cocks an eyebrow at me.

“Come on. What happened to practice makes perfect? You can teach me how to stir the sauce.”

“Oh, using my own words against me. Nice.”

“I’m a competitor. What I can I say? I’ll do anything to win.”

“I bet.” Laney comes and sits next to me. “No funny business. We’re studying.”

I make an X over my heart. “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.”

“At least you’re honest.” She grabs my hand, and my senses charge like electromagnetic energy. Her touch feels like the sun brightening a whole new day.

Maybe recovering isn’t going to be so bad after all.

I’
m up to eight mph on the treadmill.

It’s been nearly two months, and my body has bounced back with a vengeance. I’m lifting close to what I was before the aneurysm and running almost as far and as long. I feel good. I feel energized, but I’m not out of the woods yet. And that’s frustrating as hell.

“Nice job, Kam.” Dylan brings my speed down to a brisk walk. I’m panting and sweaty.

“Thanks. That felt great,” I huff. Dylan laughs his cool, nothing in the world bothers me, laugh.

“I wish more of my cases said that after a thirty-minute run.”

“I’m not most cases.”

“No, you’re definitely not. I’ll be bragging about you for the rest of my life.”

I roll my eyes. “Only brag if I end up someone to brag about.”

Dylan frowns. “Still having trouble with the coordination?”

I punch the off button and the treadmill dies. “Yes. I can write and eat now, but I still can’t regain my accuracy. I picked up a football the other day and tossed it at the tire swing a few times. I could barely hit it, let alone get it through the hole.”

“It will come,” Dylan assures me. Glad he is so confident because I’m freaking out. Spending the last two months with Dylan nearly every day has built our relationship significantly. His laidback attitude annoyed me at first, but now I know it’s just what I needed. When I was battling through reps I used to be able to do in my sleep and on the verge of a meltdown, Dylan kept me calm. He encouraged me, talked to me, and I soon understood the method to his madness. Although, he would argue it isn’t madness, and that I’m the only crazy one in the room. Being on the verge of losing all your hopes and dreams can do that to a person.

“Yeah, well it better come soon. The head coach from Alabama checks in on me once a week. And the fact that all I can tell him is ‘I’m working hard, sir’ isn’t really sitting well. I’m afraid I’m going to lose my spot
—my chance.”

“You’re not going to lose anything. Sometimes recovery is as much mental as it is physical. You’re in limbo right now. It will all come together, trust me. It’s just going to take a little time.”

“A little time is all I have.”

“You know what you need?”

“No, do tell,” I respond cynically.

“To have a little fun.”

“Fun? I forgot what fun is.”

“Exactly. You need to be reminded. Go out and do something new. Something you’ve never done before.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. An image of Laney naked in my bed springs to mind. That would definitely be fun. But I know that’s not what he means. There’s not much to do in this small Alabama town besides off-roading, swimming in the lake, or hanging out at Sonic on a Saturday night.

“I’ll work on it,” I tell him, an image of Laney completely bare still dominating my thoughts.

He smiles aloofly at me as I step off the treadmill. “Good.”

I really want to ask him how much pot he smokes.

I wipe the sweat off my brow, clasp hands with Dylan and confirm my appointment for Monday. One more week and I’ll be back at school. I can’t wait and am apprehensive all at the same time. It’s a really sucky place to be.

Once home, I wait for Laney like the puppy I have become, always anxious for her arrival. Spending the last two months with her has been the only thing making this recovery bearable. It’s unbelievable how she can distract me from everything going on in my life. How she can make me forget I’m supposed to be Superman and just be satisfied being Clark Kent. No one has ever affected me like that before. And the more time we spend together, the more I want to tell her how she makes me feel. But every time I get the courage, she reminds me of our place. Strictly platonic. It doesn’t matter that she laughs at my jokes or her eyes blaze whenever I touch her. She keeps a safe distance between us. She doesn’t trust me, no matter how many hints I drop. And not just hints I want her physically. I want the total package—I want Laney to be my girlfriend. I didn’t think I was ever going to want that again, not after Cheyenne and her manipulative, self-centered ways. But Laney is nothing like her. It doesn’t matter to her that I’m some hometown celebrity put on a pedestal because I’m a football god. Or that I’m the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback next year. She’s told me repeatedly football is just a game to her. She doesn’t understand the hype, and that is sort of refreshing. Although, sometimes I want to shake her so she understands just what a big deal it is around here, what a big deal it is to
me.
She can drive me crazy like no other, and for some reason I love it.

I tried to kiss her last week. I couldn’t even control myself, but she retreated so fast, the room teetered. Being around her is becoming harder and harder. I don’t know what to do; I don’t know how to break down the door. I’m close to saying fuck it, tying her up, and shouting in her face with a megaphone:
I like you! I want to be with you! I’m not going to hurt you! You’re not like the others!

I would actually do it too, if I thought it would work.

I hear the doorbell. She’s finally here and she’s late. What’s that about? Then I remember that volleyball tryouts were this afternoon. Who knew my little, surly city girl was an athlete at heart? Makes me love her even more.

Laney comes bouncing into my room, her book bag slung over one shoulder and a pizza box in her hands.

“Hey.” I smile brightly at her.

“Hey.” She smiles back and drops her book bag onto the floor, never letting go of the pizza.

“How were tryouts?”

“Okay, I guess. We’ll see next week. This picking the players over the weekend is killer.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why they do it that way. Stupid.”

“Tell me about it,” she agrees as she puts the box on my desk and takes a seat in her chair. Yes, her chair. I’ve dubbed it that since it’s where she sits every night.

“What’s with the food?” I ask with a chin thrust.

“I thought since it was Friday and you’ve been working so hard, we’d forgo studying and just hang out.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup.”

“You want to just hang out, with me, tonight?” I repeat, making sure I heard her correctly.

“Yes.” She giggles. She’s wearing that shirt again. The gray and black one with the number fourteen stamped across her chest. I don’t think there’s an article of clothing I find more appealing. Laney picks up her book bag and pulls out paper plates, napkins, and two bottles of soda. “I thought we’d give your mom the night off. My dad made the pizza for us.”

“The famous Chef Riley cooked for me?” I sit up straighter on my bed.

“He was thrilled to do it. I think he wants your autograph,” she says as she plates a piece of pizza for each of us. It smells out of this world. Laney hands me my slice. It’s square, which is odd, and there’re little circles of mozzarella all over the top of it.

“Kam, what’s wrong, you look confused?” Laney asks as she sits next to me on the bed.

“I’m not used to pizza looking like this,” I admit.

Laney nearly falls over laughing. “It’s called a grandma pie, all fresh ingredients. My father made the mozzarella himself.”

“He made the cheese? I can’t even begin to imagine how you make cheese.”

“It’s a very involved process. Lots of kneading.” She smirks. “And you don’t ask Chef Riley to cook and expect store bought ingredients.”

“Well, I’ll send him a signed football for his trouble.”

“Thank you.” She nibbles on her pizza.

“You know, you could have just asked me.”

“Asked you what?”

“For an autograph, if your dad wanted one.”

“I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. Or make your ego any bigger than it already is.” She grins all cutesy at me.

“You can ask me for anything, Lemon. I’ll never say no.”

“You spoil me,” she jokes. I wish she knew how much I want to spoil her. Spend time with her, touch her, and make her smile.

“I can be a pretty good boyfriend if given the chance.” Laney nearly chokes on her pizza, and I pat her back. “You okay?”

“Fine, that statement was just surprising.”

“Why?”

“Because, there are plenty of girls at school who would die to be your girlfriend.”

“Yeah, well I’m not interested in any of them.”

“Really? That’s funny, I remember you being interested in Darla, Jen, Tammy, Lisa—”

“Alright!” I cut her off there. “I get your point. But I wasn’t really ‘interested’ in them. We just hung out. I was always honest that I wasn’t looking for a relationship.”

“And you are now?” Laney challenges me with sharp blue eyes.

“Maybe I met someone I actually want to be with.”

“Oh, really? I would love to meet her.”

“I think you know her pretty well. She goes to school with us. She has dark hair with red streaks and big, beautiful blue eyes. I call her Lemon.” There. I said it. A weight has been lifted, for now.

“And she hates it, sort of.” Laney stares at me with a look of mixed emotions.

“Why do you hate it?”

“Because, I don’t know if it’s just to toy with me or you’re actually serious about your feelings.”

“I liked you from the moment I met you.”

“You like a lot of girls, Kam.”

“Not the way I like you.” I sit up and put my plate down as I take Laney’s out of her hand. I’m going to be bold. I grab Laney’s wrist and pull her to me. She gasps but doesn’t pull away as I trap her against my body.

“Kam—” She’s tense in my arms. Her heart is beating against my chest and the smell of her flowery perfume is enlivening all my senses.

“Shhh.” I drop my head down so my mouth is an inch away from hers. This is my megaphone, screaming loud and clear that I want her. That I need her. “Laney, all I’m asking is that you give me a chance. One chance.”

“One chance at what?”

“To show you I’m not the guy you think I am.”

She looks up at me with those big blue eyes. I melt. I’m hers, there’s no question. Now all I need is her to be mine.

“Fine, Kam.” She eyes me speculatively, a hint of humor dancing on her lips. “I’ll give you a chance to prove it.”

“You will?” I sound a little more surprised than I mean to.

“Yes.” She giggles.

I lean in to kiss her, but she stops me by placing a finger on my mouth. “No. Prove to me we can hang out because you want me and not just my body.”

“I want all of you,” I tell her truthfully.

“Okay then. So tonight it’s just pizza and Xbox and if you’re a good boy, I’ll give you a kiss.”