fool (lester averman)

chapter fifteen

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chapter fifteen: kiss me, kiss me with your eyes closed

a/n:

"it is time" - rafiki

tw(s) - bombay's back.

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In the locker room before the game, Rory finds herself so pensive that she's buckling her pads slowly.

Her attention is on Averman, who's much further along in the process of getting dressed than she is and is standing a few feet away. He's animatedly talking about something, his hands waving about and a small smile on his face as he tells, what she is assuming is, a terrible joke judging by the looks on Jesse and Goldberg's faces. The corner of her lip twitches up into a smile as she keeps staring longer than she should-- she'd probably laugh at the stupid joke like the loser she is, or force him to over-explain it by accident because she sometimes just doesn't understand the things he says-- but there's no ignoring that there's this sinking feeling inside of her. She doesn't exactly have the most extensive love life, but she knows that, in the past, things have moved much faster than this. Maybe it was because Henri was just a summer fling, a short-term thing that went from friends sharing a room to kids kissing under the cover of the grapevines, but she can't help but worry.

He told her he liked her and wanted to kiss her days ago, and he hasn't done anything about it since. Is he intentionally not making a move? Does he want her to make a move?

Is he even aware of her inner turmoil?

"Are you alright?

Shaken from her thoughts, she nods, clearing her throat and turning to look at Kenny. The boy has his hand on her shoulder and this knowing look on his face.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

He nods, too, and bites back a smirk as she goes back to actually doing her pads up.

"Mhm. Okay."

Even if she got caught, her eyes drift right back to the goofy red-headed boy.

Their teammates start to leave the locker room and she's still not ready to go. When Averman goes to walk past her, she gently grabs his arm.

"Hey, can you help me with my skates while I put my hair up?"

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, of course, m'lady."

Rory rolls her eyes.

Averman crouches down at her feet and starts tying her skates for her. Eventually, it's only the two of them and everything she wants to say in the locker room, and he stands back up with a proud smile as she ties her braid off.

"You're all set."

Rory wants to say something.

She tries to say something, but all of the words get caught in her throat.

So, instead, she grabs the front of his jersey and pulls him into her, kissing him sweetly. Lester's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and his body bends around hers as she leans into him.