Chapter 13

A date? Date? Calendar date or date date? What did he mean by date?

These are the questions that ran through my mind as I took my bath. These same questions and some more ran through my mind as I pulled on a pair of jeans, a turtle neck top, and black knee length boots.

Oh well, let's find out.

By the time I got downstairs, Asher was already waiting in his rental car, so I just grabbed my jacket and rushed into the car, and we drove off.

I directed him to the barber's shop where Kaden usually cuts his hair, and sat with him while he got his hair cut. We chatted, joked, and laughed a lot. After his haircut, we went out to grab lunch and it was epic. We played this fun game where we tried to guess the backstory of the different couples in the cafe.

Bottom line? We had a fun day together.

We sang along with the songs on the radio. We sing along with Katy Perry, Jon bellion, and even ABBA. When we got home, we met the other outside picking teams for a family football match. We had to join teams, Paige, Katy, and Ian were on one team, then Asher, Kaden, and I was on the other team.

The match commenced, and soon my team was leading, the score was 22 - 12.

Midway through the game Paige threw a long ball for a touchdown, but quite unfortunately, the ball flew right to me and hit me square in the nose. It was a moment of panic there was blood gushing from my nose. We had to cut the game short as everybody ran to help me.

Asher give me a towel to stop the bleeding as I tilted my head backwards. After we had applied cold compress and finally got the bleeding under control, we all went inside for some lunch.

We settled for playing board games until it was time for dinner, then we had dinner and I soon went upstairs to get some shut-eye. But, I just could not settle, I could not go to sleep. I kept thinking about her.

“Does it still hurt?” Paige asked.

I fingered the purple-blue bruise above my cheekbone. I glanced back at Paige in the mirror and tried not to scoff at her new "teammate’s" concern. This massive shiner was all her fault and she didn’t even realise. Too wrapped up in the impossible glossiness of Paige’s legs, I had not seen the ball coming. It was a powerful smash delivered by my opposing team’s star player - Paige, that is, and, stupid as it may sound, I had forgotten to duck. I had been so enthralled by the flexing muscles in Paige’s calves that I had ignored the most important reflex of any football player: protect yourself.

“Kind of.” I removed the useless make-up from my face. I remembered the days when half of my college football team was made up of lesbians and they drove home after an away game, no matter how far. Nowadays, it seemed imperative that they book a cheap B&B so the youngsters could flirt all night with the male teams lingering about the cafeteria. At my age, I knew I was on my way out and maybe it made me a tad bitter. My lifetime football companion Kate had to bow out of our last game because of a knee injury―no doubt caused by too much wear and tear, we were the same age after all. Now, Paige was on the opposing team of the football match we played, and I could not even concentrate enough not to get hurt. I never lost focus on the field before. Now, we had to sleep in the same room, o felt like I was sleeping with the enemy. Funny, right? Not that I minded that much. If you know what I mean.

My gaze followed Paige as she brushed her long unruly curls before tying them into a ponytail for bed. It was just a bit embarrassing at the moment.

“It seemed like I was really gunning for you.” Paige shook her head and her ponytail bopped from left to right. “But, trust me, I wasn't. I never meant to hurt you.” she said.

“It was my own fault. I was distracted.” I said still looking at Paige’s reflection in the mirror, I pinned my eyes on my enemy’s bluer than blue ones and stared for a moment too long. Paige had slipped out of her summer dress and wore nothing but a flower-patterned pair of shorts and a skimpy tank top. Did she not realize that we were sharing the bed? As soon as I had heard I would be bunking with Paige alone, I had invested in a navy silk pair of pajamas which covered most of my skin―mainly as a measure of self-protection. The thought of inadvertently touching Paige during the night had made me a bit too moist for comfort.

“Oh yeah. By what?” Paige had moved to the edge of the bed and was applying moisturiser to her legs. I tried not to stare at them but, just like during the game, but I could not pull my darn gaze away.

“I don’t know.” I had to swallow before she could continue to speak. “Someone on one of the teams, I guess.”

“Someone special?” Paige said shooting me a sly smile.

“Hardly.” I had not met someone to refer to as special in a while, or should I say never. That is, until I met Paige. “Excuse me.” I said, as grabbed her pajamas, stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. Before splashing cold water in me face I examined myself in yet another mirror. My cheek was swollen, narrowing my left eye. The bruise seemed to mock me and, admittedly, despite the dramatic purple-red edge of the contusion, it was my ego that was wounded most. I had no business lusting after someone who I had just met, and who I had kinda tried to push away. Paige was barely twenty five and even though we were only six years apart in age, somehow, it felt more like eighteen―or eighty, now that I was feeling especially melodramatic about it.

I ran my fingers through my black hair and sighed. I undressed and let the soft silk of the pajama envelop my limbs. My nipples perked up against the smooth fabric and I certainly hadn’t counted on a pair of PJs making me frisky. Who was I kidding, anyway? I had plenty of silk garments and none had this effect on me. I relied on another deep breath to calm myself down and headed back into the bedroom.

In.

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Paige lay on her side, her nose buried in an Ian Rankin thriller. She looked up as I entered the room. “Nice PJs.” Paige gave her a once-over and curled her lips into an innocent smile.

“This old thing?” While scolding myself for behaving so pathetically, I switched off the overhead light, leaving Paige’s face solely illuminated by a small reading lamp. At least the legs are covered, I noticed, torn between relief and disappointment. Either way, some miracle would have to happen for this not be a feverish sleepless night for me.

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“Do you mind if I read?” Paige lifted her book up and presented it as a piece of evidence. “Never had time at uni to read a decent thriller. It was all Jane Austen here and Emily Brontë there.”

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“Could be worse.” I found herself tongue-tied and unable to engage in intelligent conversation with this girl.

“I understand if you’re tired, what with barely escaping a concussion.” Paige pulled the covers away on my side of the bed and I didn't know what to make of the gesture. It was so easy―so tempting―to see more in it than it was.

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“That’s all right. I don’t mind the light.” I slipped under the sheets and the pressure of the blanket reminded her of the stiffness of her nipples. Sheer fabric like silk was quite revealing and I was suddenly mortified. I pulled the sheets up to my chin and lay there with no idea of how to relax, let alone fall asleep. I listened to Paige’s breathing and the rustling of the pages. The rate at which she turned them made me suspect the book was worth staying up late for and I made a mental note to buy it. At least that way, we would have something to talk about next time we had the room to ourselves. If there ever was a next time, as Haley would be coming back tomorrow.