Eventually, I resort to watching Netflix on my computer until the battery dies, and I'm too lazy to plug it in. So, I lie there, thinking about that woman until she's all I see in my dreams.
* * *
The next day at practice, it's hot as hell outside. Especially sitting on the sidelines with all my gear on. Though coach told me I wouldn't be playing for weeks, I still got dressed just in case he changes his mind. But every so often, he flashes me a disapproving look that tells me he isn't going to play me anytime soon.
I'm sitting here, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about that beautiful nurse again. Her southern twang rings through my ears still, and that cute smile lights my heart. I'm like a damn kid with his first crush again. She said she's from Oakwood, but I just cannot put the pieces of the puzzle together until I hear Henley mention his plans for getting TexMex for lunch after practice.
My stomach does a backflip, and it all clicks—Nurse Adams is Chloe! Little Chloe Adams from Oakwood Elementary. Holy hell. A smile as bright as the California sun spreads on my face. No wonder it feels like I'm a kid with a crush again—Chloe was the very first girl I ever fell in love with. If you can call, an elementary school crush falling in love.
How funny that we've run into each other again after all this time, and I feel the same way about her as I did back then. Something about that girl has always caught my eye. Chloe was always so shy, so sweet, and loving. She's like a little mother, taking care of the kids on the playground and making friends with the odd ones out. Our little elementary school crush was cute and innocent, and even in middle school, after we went separate ways, I thought about her more often than I guess I should have.
I always wished something could have happened between us. Now that she's in my life once again, I won't waste the opportunity. It's finally time to do something about my attraction to Chloe.
Chapter Four
Chloe
It's quiet in the nursing office. The only sound comes from pain killer pills rattling around in their tiny bottles as I rearrange them in the medicine cabinet. Honestly, it's a mind-numbing task I've given myself to keep my mind off of Ethan. I stared at his beautiful Facebook profile picture for what felt like hours until it finally occurred to me to eat something. By the time I finished making a sandwich, the computer screen had blacked out, and I couldn't guess Jolene's password. I took it as a sign to get my life back on track.
Unfortunately, that decision hasn't done anything to tame my wandering mind. Images of his smiling face flash behind my eyelids, and I can't help but smile back, even though he isn't here.
"Chloe?"
I jump about five feet in the air and drop a pill bottle, shocked to bits at the sudden piercing sound after so much silence. When I turn around, its Ethan standing in the doorway on his crutches. He's got a smile as big as Texas on his face, which renders me completely speechless.
"Little Chloe Adams from Oakwood Elementary?" He asks, but he's already making his way toward me like he knows the answer.
My cheeks flush again, and I wish I weren't such an open book. "Yes," I mutter, not sure why I'm being so shy. It is Ethan, after all.
He stops just in front of me, so we're slightly a few feet apart, and says, "I knew I recognized you yesterday. Do you remember me?" I nod silently, and Ethan furrows his brows. "Why didn't you say anything?"
I bite my lip. "I don't know."
He looks at me then, an amused grin taking form on his face. "You always were shy." I shrug my shoulders as if to say, what can you do? Ethan chuckles. "You don't need to be shy with me, Chloe. We go way back."
I finally look him in the eyes, and when I do, the familiar warmth and sparkle within them melts all my inhibitions. Suddenly it's like I'm back home at Oakwood Elementary hanging with my best friend, Ethan. A calm washes over me, and it's like nothing else matters but this moment with him. My shoulders drop from my ears, and I have to chuckle. "Elementary school. Can you believe it's been that long?"
Ethan shakes his head in disbelief, then he sits on the patient table next to where I'm standing. "I seriously can't. Seems like just yesterday, you were kissing all the boys' boo-boos on the playground." He gives me a knowing look. "I guess not much has changed after all."
I roll my eyes. "Just to be clear, I don't kiss all the boys that come in here." Ethan's eyebrows shoot up.
"But you do kiss some?"
I quickly look away, cursing my thin skin for always revealing the heatwave of emotions behind my cheeks. Ethan flashes me a debilitating smirk but thankfully changes the subject.
"How long have you been a student at Tempt U?" he asks. "Wait, you are a student, right? Not a faculty member?"
I nod. "Yes, I've been here all four years. And the only reason you get to call me Nurse Adams is because I'm one of the only students in the sports nursing program to have a job on campus."
He crosses his arms, a proud look taking over his features. "Wow, already working as a sports nurse. And you're a senior, too! So am I." He shakes his head again. "How did we never run into each other?"
"Well, you never get hurt," I say, amazed by that fact come to think of it.
Ethan nods. "True. And I've never seen you at any parties."
"I'm not much of a partier," I say. He smiles again, and it almost makes my knees go weak. Now I understand the meaning of that cliché term. I decide to sit next to him, you know, just in case they actually do give out, and it's incredible how just being close to him has me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
Pretty soon, we're catching up on everything that's happened since we parted ways so many years ago. But even though a lot has happened since then, it's like no time has passed at all. He's still my best friend, always my crush.
I learn a lot about him in a very short period. His life has been on full throttle since he got here. His focus has been solely on getting recruited into the NFL, regardless of what team. He works hard at practice and at school to maintain his scholarship, and he still manages to be the center of the social circle on campus.
"Wow, it seems like you've been go-go-go since you decided to play football."
Ethan nods. "Yeah, I guess so. I haven't had time for anything but the things that seem to matter for getting to the top. Until this damn thing happened." He scowls at his ankle.
"I find it's always easier to find the positive if you tell yourself everything happens for a reason." Ethan looks at me thoughtfully, and we share a smile.
"What have you been up to?" he asks, turning so his whole body is facing me. It's like I'm put on the spot—no, like I'm on a pedestal, just for him. The way he looks at me says he genuinely can't wait to hear every little detail about my life. I try to keep things surface level, to keep from going too deep, but the more I open up to Ethan, the easier it is to talk to him. Soon I'm telling him about all the silly stories from my childhood to even the heavier stuff, like my parents' divorce. Our conversation takes a million turns, and we talk about everything under the sun. It feels fantastic to finally connect with someone and feel the warmth and love of a kindred spirit.
Ethan asks me about my future plans, and after hearing his dedication to his football dreams, I honestly feel stupid telling him that I don't have any.
"That's okay, you don't have to know," he says. "Honestly, I think it is abnormal to know and stick to something as early as I did."
I smile appreciatively. "Thanks. I just thought it would be different, that's all. I've learned a lot, but it's not what I really want to do."
"What do you really want to do?" Ethan searches my eyes with his. It's incredible how invested he is in my life after all this time being apart. It makes me feel cared for, loved, warm. Almost like he's hugging me, even though we're still half a foot apart.
I think about his question for a moment, then say decidedly, "I like making people feel good. I guess that's why I figured this would be a good fit." I shrug.
"You sure do make me feel good, Chloe," Ethan says.
&nbs
p; My heart melts in my chest at his smile. We stare at each other for a long moment. What could he possibly be thinking behind those gorgeous brown eyes? He moves forward then until his lips are inches from mine. Even though I would love for him to kiss me, my whole body goes rigid and tense.
Ethan senses this, of course, and instead of making it weird, he leaves a sweet kiss on my cheek instead. He pulls back and says with a kind smile, "It was great catching up, Chloe. I'll see you again soon." Then he grabs his crutches and heads out of the nurse's office. But not before looking back once more and leaving me with the fantastic sight of his smile.
It takes a good few minutes for my heart to calm down and my thoughts to stop swirling, but when the dust settles, and it's quiet in the room once more, I let out an excited squeal.
Ethan Figueroa kissed me! On the cheek, because I was acting like a scared little girl, but still! I feel more excited about whatever tomorrow will bring than I have the entire time I've been here. And it's all because of Ethan. The moment he walked through that door, I could sense something was different. It's like a part of me came alive. I have no idea where things could go from here, but for the first time in a while, I'm excited to find out.
Don't stress, don't worry, don't get too excited, I tell myself as I pick up the spilled pills I totally forgot about. Just do what you do best and take things nice and slow.
But my brain keeps replaying the moment he kissed me, and it has me smiling for the rest of the day.
Chapter Five
Ethan
I visit Chloe pretty much every day during practice for the next few weeks, until my ankle is all healed and there are no more excuses to see her.
So I make them.
I pretend to have all kinds of bogus injuries, from sore muscles to splinters. I love making Chloe smile, and when I get her to laugh, it's like baby angels singing. Each time I see her, we get to know each other more and more. I reveal things to her that I never talk about with my friends. I tell her how empty I was feeling and how all of the exciting things in my life seemed meaningless. Not exactly light material, but Chloe gets it. She felt the same way as if she was alone, but running into me again has her feeling differently. She's embarrassed about that, but she shouldn't be. Especially not when I feel the exact same way.
By the time the Cali Bowl comes, I'm feeling better than ever, on the field and off. I play my heart out, and by the difference in numbers on the scoreboard at the end of the game, it's clear we kicked ass. I should be celebrating with my teammates, but for some reason, winning the game just doesn't feel like that big of a deal to me. Honestly, I'd rather celebrate finally getting Chloe to kiss me. Instead of joining the guys in making our rounds at all the Fraternity parties like we usually do, I choose to hang with Chloe.
We end up just walking down Main Street and talking about post-graduation plans. She says she will use her degree to get a job back in Texas while she figures out what she really wants.
"I think teaching would be fun," she says, her shoulder bumping into mine every few steps, "or something to do with kids or even no job at all."
I give her a questioning look. "No job?" I ask.
"I just mean…" she looks off, getting her thoughts together, "I'd like to be a mom. Is that lame?" Before I can give her my response, she continues on in a nervous ramble. "It seems lame, especially when I'm surrounded by all these city ladies wanting to change the world and everything. And I admire them, I do, but that sort of life just isn't for me."
I stop walking then, and Chloe turns to me. "It's not lame at all," I tell her. "Being a mother is one of the toughest jobs in the world. It's one thing to have a kid, but it's entirely another to be a mother." I don't have to explain what I mean by this. Chloe already knows my own mom is an example. So instead of saying the things that people usually say, Chloe hugs me. I wrap my arms around her, and she fits perfectly against my chest. Instead of pushing for that kiss I've been dying for, I feel more than content holding her in my arms.
She's nothing like the girls I've ever been with, and she gets me more than any of the friends I've been hanging with since freshman year. Not one of them has spoken to me outside of practice, or parties for that matter, and I realized the only time they ever do talk to me is through texting or Instagram. They're always tagging each other and inviting everyone to parties, but now that I've stepped outside of that loop, at least temporarily, I realize how fake it all is. Chloe isn't on social media at all, but I'm more connected to her than I am with any of my so-called "friends."
Maybe that's why the next time the guys invite me out, I don't join. Henley leads the pack in giving me shit about "getting some" with "the hot nurse" instead of hanging with them. They have no idea this isn't a game for me. Chloe isn't a quick snack. She's the real deal. Not one of them, or Chloe, has any idea what she's doing to me. I want to spend every moment with her, kiss her, hold her close, and be with her in more ways than one.
I want so badly to take things to the next step with Chloe. She's still hesitant with me. Every time I try to make a move, besides a hug, she tenses up. But I know she wants more. She can't hide how her body reacts to me when we're in the same space together. She's pulled toward me by a magnetic force, just as I am to her. I've even caught sight of her nipples all perky, which does nothing to help my restraint. And the way she flushes bright pink… it's so damn cute. I don't want to push things too far, but it's been a month. Every time I think of her, I light up inside like a damn field light. I can't wait any longer. Chloe deserves to be swept off her feet.
As soon as practice ends and my teammates head for the locker rooms, I book it toward the nurse's office, hoping Chloe hasn't already gone home.
Thankfully, I find her sweeping the floor. A diligent worker, as always. When she sees me standing in the doorway, a smile lights up her face.
"What's wrong this time?" she asks playfully.
"Something's up with my shoulder," I say, pretending to feel pain when I move it. "Could you take a look at it?"
Chloe leans the broom against the wall, and we meet in the center of the room. "That was last week," she says with a smirk.
"Oh, of course. What was I thinking? I meant my lower back."
She crosses her arms. "That was what you said the second time you saw me."
I smile. "Right. Right… oh, I remember now."
"Do you?" she asks, her eyebrows raised. A hint of a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, and I know she loves this.
"Something's up with my lips. I think they may be… chapped," I say.
Chloe steps closer and narrows her eyes, pretending to take a closer look. She's just inches from me now, and the smell of her honey shampoo intoxicates me. "They look just fine to me," she says.
"Did I say, chapped? I meant… sprained."
Chloe gives me a questioning look. "Have you been overworking those lips lately?"
"That's just the problem." I take a half step closer to her until there's hardly any room between us. "The thing is, they haven't been put to work at all recently." Chloe looks up at me with those big, glistening blue eyes. She's quiet as ever. "But, I think I know what might help…"
I lean down to kiss her, and this time she lets me. Chloe's lips are so unbelievably soft and sweet. I wrap my arms around her waist. She lets her hands slide up my chest and find their way around my neck. She fits perfectly against me when I pull her closer, and she lets a small whimper slip out when I squeeze her tight. Her body is soft and warm, and I just want to melt into one with her right here.
Chloe gently pushes me away to catch her breath. She gasps and looks up at me again in that adorable way that she does. "Woa," she says. She has no idea I'm thinking the same thing. Though it wasn't anything too crazy or sensual, it was the best kiss of my life.
"All better?" she asks.
I smile. "Almost." Our lips meet again, and the world stops. We pull each other closer like we can't get enough. I want more than anything to take things furthe
r, but I don't want to screw everything up after waiting for this kiss. I let this moment with Chloe last as long as it can. Our lips find their rhythm, and I'm lost in Chloe.
She looks up at me, and when her eyes finally focus, she lets out a giggle. "That was…"
"Will you go out with me, Chloe?" I ask it before another moment can pass us by.
She smiles and averts her gaze for a moment. Then Chloe says, "What did you have in mind?"
"I thought we could grab dinner on Main Street and then play some MarioKart."
Chloe's face lights up. She practically jumps for joy when she says, "You remember!"
"Of course, I do. That's still one of my favorite memories." She laughs, and I pull her into a hug.
With her face pressed against my chest, she says, "I can't wait." My stomach does the same thing it always does whenever I score a touchdown.
Chapter Six
Chloe
Upbeat music plays through Jolene's portable speaker as Sophie curls my hair. I'm brimming with excited nerves for my date with Ethan tonight, and I cannot wait to finally go out with him. It's crazy, but it feels like this date has been building for the last twelve years. And that kiss! My goodness, I've never felt more alive. I can still feel his warm, muscular arms wrapped around me and how his lips felt on mine.
"Tell us about the kiss again," Sophie says, curling the last strand of my straight black hair. It's like she can read my mind.
"It was amazing," I say dreamily.
"Tell us about it again," Jolene says from her closet. She finds what she's looking for and hands me a sparkly purple clutch to go with the silky, flowery dress she's letting me wear tonight. I had to borrow everything for this outfit, except for my underwear. Jolene was determined to get me to wear a thong, but I told her I'm just not comfortable wearing another woman's unmentionables, especially under a dress. She and Sophie just laughed.
Tempt University: Year One: A College Romance Collection Page 14