She throws her head back and laughs, and it reminds me of earlier when Greer made her do the same thing.
“What did Greer say to make you laugh earlier?”
She looks surprised by the sudden change of subject. “Huh?”
I don’t know why I care. I shouldn’t care, but I do.
“Earlier, when you were dancing with Greer, you laughed like that. What did he say to make you laugh so hard?”
The streetlights are just bright enough that I can still see the red that colors her cheeks.
“He, um, he told me to do that.”
My brows squish together. “Huh?”
“He told me to laugh like he just told me something funny because he wanted to test something.”
“He wanted to…” Holy shit. I shake my head. “That asshole. He was testing me, wasn’t he?”
She nods. “Afraid so.”
“And it worked.”
“It did, but…” She lets out a heavy breath, and I brace myself for her to tell me she’s taking back agreeing to a date, it’s a mistake, and she doesn’t want to ruin our—reluctant on her part—friendship or something. “I’vehadacrushonyouforawhile.”
It comes out in one big, long word, and I’m certain she didn’t just say what I think she did.
“What?”
She groans, cradling her face in her hands, then realizes a few moments too late that she’s wearing makeup and that’s probably not a good idea. She sinks down into her seat and takes another fortifying breath.
“I’ve had a crush on you for a while. So, I wasn’t really mad about it.”
My brows shoot up. “You’ve been crushing on me?”
The red on her cheeks deepens as she nods. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Since you’ve been coming to the truck.”
Oh fuck. That makes me feel kind of awful.
I’ve seen Scout at the truck so many times over the years, but I never really saw her until recently, and I can’t believe what I’ve been missing out on.
“I never knew,” I say quietly.
“I know.” She tucks her lips together like she’s hurt by this, but also maybe not surprised. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not. The guys on the team are right—I am a fucking idiot.”
Her brows furrow. “Stop saying that. You’re not an idiot. You’re not stupid. You’re just…well, you’re Miller.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
She shakes her head. “Not at all. I happen to like Miller.”
“As a friend?”
“Or more.” She blushes again, then clears her throat. “Anyway, this is me.”
I laugh. “Yeah, you said that.” I point at her. “Wait here.”
She giggles but remains in the car while I hop out. I jog over to her side and pull her door open, bending at the waist in a dramatic fashion.
She laughs again, and I swear I love the sound of it more every time I hear it.
She slips her hand into mine, allowing me to help her from the vehicle.
“Come on. I’ll walk you up.”
“You don’t—oh, okay,” she says when she sees the look I’m sending her, daring her to keep challenging me.
Unsure of where to go exactly, I let her lead the way, but I keep my hand on her lower back the entire way because I can’t seem to stop touching her.
My fingers rest against exposed skin. It’s warm and soft, and I want to touch more of her.
But I’m getting way ahead of myself.
We stop in front of a door that has a Carolina Comets-themed wreath on it, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’m sure it’s just because Macie is a big fan, but I’m going to pretend it was you who picked that out so you could support your best friend.”
“Best friend, huh?” Her lips pull into a half-smile. “Wow, we’re moving fast.”
“It’s because you can’t get enough of me, always wanting me to be around.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to help you sleep at night.”
“Oh, I don’t need to tell myself anything. I sleep just fine knowing how obsessed with me you are, Miss Crushing on Me for Months over here.”
“You know, the more you talk, the more I’m really starting to doubt my sanity.”
“Nah. You like me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Despite your inability to get over yourself, I had a really nice time tonight.”
“Yeah?” She nods. “Good. I did too. Especially the part where you agreed to a date with me.”
She groans. “Ugh. I did, huh?”
“Yep, and I’m holding you to it—though it may not be until I get back from these two preseason games…”
“That’s fine. I’m sure I’m going to need time to prepare myself for it.”
“I promise to make it not suck.”
“Mm, we’ll see about that.” She grabs hold of the door handle. “Thanks again.”
“Anytime.”
She doesn’t move. Neither do I.
We stand there in silence for several seconds, letting the cool, September night air settle between us.
“I…um…good night,” she says.
“Good night.”
She laughs, dropping her eyes to where our fingers are still laced. “I kind of need my hand back, Miller.”
“Right. But here’s the thing—I kind of don’t want to let go.”
“Kind of?”
“More than kind of. I definitely don’t want to let go.”
I don’t want to let go because I’m scared if I do, she’s going to come to her senses and tell me the date is off, and I really don’t want that.
I like Scout. I like her a lot.
“But…” I draw the word out. “I suppose I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you,” she says, but it seems like she doesn’t want to let me go either because I swear this is the slowest anyone has ever stopped touching someone else.
When we finally let go, it feels weird, like I’m missing something vital. I’ve never felt that before.
“Good night.”
“You said that already.”
“Well, this time I mean it.” She spins around, digging into her purse for her key like she’s trying to prove a point.
I can’t help but laugh.
She glares over her shoulder at me.
I laugh harder.
“Stop it, Miller. I’ll take our date back.”
I gasp dramatically. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.” She finally retrieves her keys and inserts one into the lock.
“Hey, Scout?”
She sighs loudly, turning my way. “Yes?”
I take a step closer, closing the short distance between us. She gasps softly at my sudden movements but doesn’t shift back.
I swallow the knot lodged in my throat as she stares up at me, waiting.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see you before, but I see you now.”
Her mouth floats open. Then closes.
Opens again.
Then, I swear she mutters, “Oh, what the hell?”
And her mouth crashes to mine.