Coach Me

“Yeah. That would be great.” He stands and I get up with him. He walks between the sofas and tables and as we pass one of the bars, he waves at a guy behind it. The guy is in a gray suit and I assume he’s the owner. He shoots Torres a wave and then we’re out the door.

THIRTY-NINE

“Will you be at practice tomorrow? I seriously don’t think I can take another day of Foster’s shit.” Amber unclips her seatbelt and locks her eyes on me. We’re parked in front of Amber’s building. I made sure to park near the edge of the parking lot, out of the light so no one can see us together.

“I’ll be there tomorrow. Don’t worry. I’m surprised Hamilton set you up with Foster, though. I figured she’d at least take over for me.”

“She seemed really busy with the hurdlers and with some work she was doing in her office.”

“Oh, yeah. Season is starting. More paperwork for her.” I rest the back of my head on the headrest.

“Well, I’m glad we got to see each other tonight,” she murmurs.

“I’m glad too.”

“Just make sure you clean your apartment so I can come over soon,” she teases.

I laugh. “I’ll do my best, preciosa.”

“Cool.” Leaning over the middle console, she palms the right side of my face. She kisses me firm and deep, and I groan, lifting a hand and reaching around to cup her ass.

She breaks the kiss and starts to pull away, but I catch her arm and reel her back in, wrapping my palm around the nape of her neck and stealing another taste of her lips.

Everything I said at Vito’s is true. I feel a connection with Amber that I have never felt before. I don’t know if it’s because our pasts are similar, or because we both have the same passion when it comes to running, but there is something here between us. It’s powerful and all-consuming. We’re like magnets, her and I. I can never seem to pull away from her when she’s close.

Those days I took off, I thought I’d be able to stop thinking about her if I didn’t see her. It was such a close call with Ramirez, it spooked me…but there was no way in hell I could get Amber off my mind. She sent me text messages, called me, and it took everything in me to not respond. Grief and confusion never treated me well. I knew to spare her feelings, I needed to take some time to let my emotions settle.

Amber moans when I stop the kiss, and I drop one last caress on her bottom lip. When I let her go, she sighs dreamily as she moves away and slouches in the seat.

“Man…I really wish I didn’t have class in the morning,” she breathes.

A laugh breaks out of me. “Go on. Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Kay.” She’s having a hard time not smiling right now and it’s adorable as hell. Gripping the door handle, she finally pushes out of my car and when the door closes, she leans down to wave goodbye behind the window.

I wave back and then watch her walk to the building, making sure she gets inside safely.

It's a lot easier to be at practice with Amber now that we’ve established some boundaries. She focuses on practicing and I focus on coaching, just like we did before. Of course, there are the not-so-subtle looks we pass to each other during the breaks, but that’s bound to happen for us.

The season has officially started and we’re having meets every weekend and Amber is killing it. She wins every single one of her races and is definitely not disappointing anyone.

Hamilton loves the attention she’s bringing to the school. Several reporters have shown up to ask about Amber’s stats and about her story in general, which I find interesting…but of course there’s always that rotten egg who has to ruin everything.

Howard doesn’t like the attention Amber is getting, and it’s even worse when Hamilton appoints Amber as team captain for the year. I don’t miss the incredulous look on Howard’s face when it’s announced after practice one day. Amber is over the moon and all the girls are excited for her—all the girls except Melanie, Christa, and Katie.

It's sad, really, but I’m proud of Amber and how far she’s come. She once hated it here. Now she’s fitting in, blossoming, and she deserves it.

I haven’t been able to kiss her for weeks—not since the night at Vito’s. She’s been practicing and having races, and she also had exams, so it hasn’t been the best time for her to see me.

There are moments when I want to steal her away, hide somewhere on campus, and congratulate her my way, but I have to remember the rules. No fooling around on campus. We can’t break that rule, no matter how bad we want to.