Love In Destin ✔

20 - escape

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𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒂

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CONVERSATION SEEMS EASIER now that Rick and I have had our outings. The awkwardness still hangs at the edge of our small talk sometimes, but I always try to push it away with a bright smile. We try to greet one another in between classes whenever we spot each other in the hallways. Well, I full-on wave while Rick just sends a nod my way.

So now, when I spot his tall figure between his teammates on the track, I excuse myself from Dawn and run until I'm beside him. "Hey," I manage to breathe out between losing my breath and my heart beating so hard in my chest.

"Catch you later," says Damon, who jogs back to where I left Dawn and the two fall into an immediate conversation.

The field is a chaos of practice groups, with the girls' soccer tryouts happening today. So we've got to share the field with the cheerleading squad and the football team. We're all doing a warm-up jog right now, so the track is a mix of large, muscular guys and girls trying to mingle their way into their conversations. The others who think the jocks are douchebags just stay among themselves, side-eyeing the other girls, including me. This involves the cheerleaders who are doing their own version of a warm-up which encompasses putting their buttocks and boobs on full display.

Rick looks alarmed to see me, "What are you doing here?"

"Soccer tryouts,"

"You never mentioned being into sports?"

"You never asked,"

"Fair. But, if this is a tryout, shouldn't you not be talking to me?"

I glance at coach Mcallister, who seems to be in a brawl with the football coach, before sheepishly smiling and shrugging at him, "I guess not, but when you spot a familiar face, you can't help but say hi,"

He lifts a brow, "What exactly are you supposed to be doing?"

"Coach wants to see if we can manage four laps around the field without passing out,"

"The others don't seem too keen," he says, eyeing some of the girls who run for just a second and then walk whenever the coach isn't looking.

I giggle, "I think it's because the guys are here. Some girls don't like to run when good-looking guys are around. Especially being sweaty, definitely not sweaty,"

"You think I'm good-looking?" he smirks.

"I'm running, aren't I?"

"Ouch," he pouts, and I laugh. The topic changes, and he's raving about something to me. Yet, my focus is on the blonde strands that keep getting in his face and the flex of his exposed biceps. All this distraction causes me to trip. But before my body can touch the ground, he has his arms around my waist and mine are on his shoulders.

I catch my breath, my brain quickly registering that I haven't fallen, and my attention settles on his eyes. It's like time stops for just a second, and everything slows. I can feel the warmth of his body seep into my waist and the smoothness of his skin on my hands. For just a second and only a second, with the setting sun doing wonders for his hair, I think he looks majestic. Or, in a simpler term, hot.

A loud whistle blows out and draws him out of his stupor. A sharp breath whistles through my teeth as my body hits the ground, the impact sending a rush of pain from my tailbone to my back. He let me go. Rick released me from his grasp and let me fall to the ground. I wince from the pain, rubbing against my back to soothe the throbbing away as I stand up while gauging his expression.