“All right then. It's agreed – we'll keep it a secret.”
“Remember, when we say 'secret,' it means a total, one hundred percent secret,” I said. “I can’t have you getting in trouble.”
“Right. We can't tell anyone. Not family, not best friends, not anyone at all,” she added. “The consequences of anyone finding out about this could be-”
“Totally disastrous.”
“Believe me, Wade, I know just how much is at stake here.”
“All right. Well, you know I trust you – and you can trust me completely.”
“Yeah. Well, this evening has been amazing. I guess it's time to call it a night, though, before another cop shows up and we end up in a gossip column because we were arrested for indecent exposure or something,” she laughed.
“I guess it is,” I replied, disappointed that the night had to be over. Still, we didn't want things to get too crazy too quickly. It was better to take it slow.
“Can you drive me home now?”
“I can, not that I really want to see you go,” I replied.
We chatted on the way back to her place. Like I had told her before, it was just so easy to talk to her; it really felt like the most natural thing in the world. The conversation flowed so smoothly and easily between us, and once again, it was hard to believe that there were ten years between us. It was as if I was talking to someone older and more mature, and I had to say that I appreciated her emotional maturity.
Finally, we reached her place. “Well, here we are,” I said.
“Yep, here we are.”
“Before you go, there's something I have to say,” I expressed, looking into her eyes. “But words alone aren't enough to say it.”
“I think I know what it is,” she replied, and we both moved at once, pressing our lips together in a passionate and intense kiss. We both grew sweltering and excited, but knew that we shouldn't do more at this point, so we reluctantly broke it off. I went around and opened her door, helping her out of the car.
“Bye, Wade,” she said with a smile.
“Bye, Eryn,” I replied, and watched her until she made it safely inside her apartment. I drove off feeling happier than I had in years.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eryn
After a couple of weeks of light participation in practice — which meant no actual practicing — I’d finally been released by the doctor to get back to full speed. I had to remind myself daily that pushing it too hard too soon would prolong my injury, and as annoying as it had been for a fitness junkie like me, I'd listened to my doctor and coach and stayed off my feet and rested.
Now, however, I was back on the court at last. I realized after spiking my first successful attack over the net, not just how much I loved this game, but how much I needed it. If there ever was a place I felt fully and truly at home, it was here on the volleyball court. I'd been born to do this – of that much I was certain.
The ball came back over the net in a well-placed attack. I dove to the ground and saved it, sending it back up to Leena, who set up a perfect attack. We scored again. Leena high-fived me as I steadied myself back on my feet.
“That ankle doing all right, Eryn?” she asked.
“It's holding up well, yeah,” I replied.
“You're sure you're okay playing on it?”
I nodded. “Definitely. It feels like it wasn't ever hurt, actually.”
She smiled. “Awesome! You have no idea how happy I am to have you back in action!”
“You and me both. I'm ready to kick some ass; seriously, I am. Especially after doing nothing much but sitting on the sofa and binge-watching Netflix. It was like I could feel my muscles shriveling up and dying. It was terrible!”
What I wasn't saying, however, was that a lot of that time spent on the sofa, while Leena had been out, had been with Wade – and we hadn't just been watching shows, I could tell you that.
In fact, just the thought of what we'd gotten up to in that time started getting things pretty warm between my thighs. I blushed, even though nobody knew what was happening down there except me. Practice was definitely not the place for thinking about such things. With a guy like Wade, however, it was hard to keep my mind off him. Especially at practice, considering that tiny, little detail of him being my volleyball coach.