The Rival: A Washington Rampage Sports Romance

by Megan Green

  When Carter sinks his last beanbag in the center of the hole in the board, sealing his victory over Brandon, and his eyes immediately find mine, I can’t help the wave of emotion that flutters in my stomach. His smile is so genuine, his eyes so warm and inviting, I have to wonder…

  Are Lexi and Liv right?

  Have I missed something that’s been so blatantly staring me in the face all these years?

  I decide to test my theory on the way home shortly thereafter, Carter’s hand resting softly on the gearshift as we drive in silence.

  “I had fun tonight,” I say, my voice echoing in my ears as the drum of my heart intensifies. “I like your friends.”

  Carter nods. “Good. They seemed to like you, too.”

  Before I can think too much and talk myself out of it, I gently reach out, trailing my fingers along the side of his hand. His body tenses, but he doesn’t say a word. Taking his silence as permission, I slide my fingers under his palm, lifting his grip from the shifter and entwining his fingers with mine.

  Neither of us speaks after that, but neither of us moves to break the hold either. We ride the rest of the way back to his place like that, hands clasped and without a single word.

  It’s the most electric car ride of my life.

  Chapter 11

  Carter

  Did last night really happen?

  It’s the first thought that pops into my head as I wake from a fitful night of sleep. I wasn’t able to turn my brain off long enough to actually get some rest, my thoughts replaying the scene in the car and the few minutes after it over and over again, analyzing each and every single movement and word until I nearly drove myself mad.

  And we’d only held hands.

  God help me if I ever man up enough to kiss her.

  I push myself up out of bed, staggering over to the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I stand in front of the mirror, I recount the events of last night one more time.

  Avery took my hand in the car. She’d reached out, run her soft fingers over my skin, and then linked her hand with mine. She didn’t say a word, didn’t try to explain herself or why she was suddenly holding my hand after spending the evening with my friends. She simply held on to me, a soft smile on her face as she gazed out the windshield before her.

  Avery had held my hand a few times over the years. Mostly when we were younger and she was dragging me around behind her, always needing to be in constant motion. But there’d been times as we got older that she had reason to take my hand.

  None of those times compared to last night.

  Last night was different. I noticed a shift in the air between us the moment we got in the car, Avery quieter than usual, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. The silence was charged, the tension thick enough to slice through with a knife. And then, when she reached out and touched me, my entire body went up in flames.

  I was half-tempted to simply drive around the rest of the night, knowing, as soon as I pulled into the parking garage at my place, the moment would be over. We’d be forced to let go of each other, and who knew if it was something that would ever be repeated?

  But I knew I couldn’t drive forever, and sooner than I liked, I found myself sliding into my designated parking spot. Reluctantly letting go of her hand, I put the car in park, dropping my hands to my lap once I turned off the ignition.

  We sat in silence for a moment, neither of us wanting to break the spell that had fallen over the small space of the cab. I sat and listened to her soft breaths, wondering what could possibly be going through her mind at that moment. But I was too afraid to ask.

  Finally, after what felt like only a few minutes and an eternity, all at the same time, Avery turned her head to look at me, her eyes a mask of something I couldn’t quite place, her face a mixture of confusion and happiness.

  “I really did have fun tonight,” she repeated. “Thank you for inviting me.”

  I nodded. “Of course. I’m glad to know all my closest friends get along so well.”

  Her eyes flashed at my words, but the look was gone as quickly as it had come. I got out of the car, walking around to the passenger side to help her do the same.

  Her fingers were warm in mine as she took my hand to climb out. I expected her to drop my hand as soon as she was on her feet, whatever it was that had happened between us in the car clearly gone now that we were out in reality. But she didn’t. Instead, she entwined our fingers once more, and when I didn’t move to take a step forward, she gave my arm a gentle tug, pulling me over toward the elevator that led up to my apartment.

  Our hands remained clasped the entire ride up, both of us watching the other in the shiny metal of the elevator doors across from us. My palms started to sweat, and I wondered what would happen when we finally reached my door.

  Should we talk about this sudden shift between us?

  Should I tell her how I feel, how I’ve always felt?

  Should I kiss her?

  I wanted so desperately to make that last one a reality. I’d lost count of all the times throughout our friendship when I thought I’d been only moments away from kissing her, from finally telling her how I felt about her and hoping she didn’t laugh in my face. But something always held me back.

  Last night was the first time I seriously thought I might follow through with it.

  You can do this, I chanted to myself the entire walk down the hallway to my apartment door. It’s just Avery, the girl you’ve been in love with pretty much your entire life.

  My fingers shook as I inserted the key into my lock, pushing open the door and ushering her inside ahead of me. We walked down the hallway together, no longer touching but only centimeters away from each other. When we reached the door to the guest room, my heart was beating so fast in my chest; I couldn’t hear the sounds of my own breathing over the roar of my pulse.

  Avery turned to face me, giving me that same small smile she’d had in the car. Lifting her hand to cup my cheek, she tilted her head to the side, pushing up on her toes to bring her face closer to mine.

  This is it. After all these years, I am finally going to kiss Avery Grant.

  And then she pressed her lips to my cheek, her kiss feather soft against my skin.

  “Good night, Carter,” was all she said, opening the door to her room and softly closing it behind her.

  And then I went to my room, where I proceeded to toss and turn the rest of the night, until I found myself here, staring at my reflection as I brush my teeth and wondering what the fuck it all meant.

  I finish up in the bathroom, pulling on a pair of sweatpants before I head to the door. Avery is already sitting at the kitchen island when I finally stride out of my room. From the disheveled state of her hair and the puffiness around her eyes, I’d say she got about as much sleep as I did.

  Her eyes flash up to mine for just a moment when I walk into the kitchen, her gaze quickly falling back down to the granite countertop as her cheeks flush.

  And this is precisely the reason I’ve never made a move with her before. I don’t want things to become awkward.

  We don’t speak as I start breakfast, me cooking silently as she watches from her stool. After I set the plate down before her, she tucks in, picking up her fork and slicing off a piece of French toast before bringing it up to her mouth.

  She doesn’t eat it though, and after a moment, the fork clatters down to her plate. I turn to look at her.

  “Are we going to talk about this?” she finally says, unable to look me in the eye.

  I hate that this is so uncomfortable. I hate that the two of us are acting like we’re on some sort of awkward first date or something, instead of two best friends having breakfast together for the umpteenth time in their lives.

  I nod. “We probably should.”

  Her eyes finally lift to mine then, scanning my face for something. When she doesn’t seem to find what she’s looking for, she lets out a relieved sigh. “Maybe we can talk about it tonight? Over dinner?”

&nb
sp; My eyes widen, my mouth falling open as I stare at her in complete shock.

  Did she just ask me on a date?

  “Or, you know, we can just not. Whatever you wanna do,” she adds, obviously misreading the shock on my face for something it’s not.

  “No, dinner would be great. Except…I can’t tonight. We’ve got a game. Actually, I need to get going here pretty quickly if I’m going to make it to practice on time.”

  Her face falls. “Oh, I see.”

  She thinks I’m blowing her off. I can see it written all over her pretty face.

  I reach across the island, tucking my finger under her chin and lifting her gaze to mine. “Tomorrow night though. Tomorrow night, I’m all yours. In fact, why don’t you let me take care of making dinner plans? You just be ready to go, say, around seven?”

  Her face brightens a little, that sweet smile I love so much finally returning to her face. “That I can do.”

  The last thirty-six hours of my life have been utter torture.

  Fucking baseball.

  It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever thought those words, but damn it. If it wasn’t for all the time I’d had to spend at the field, I would know exactly what Avery was thinking by now, exactly what had been going through her head the other night when she took my hand and then kissed me on the cheek.

  Instead, I’ve just continued to turn it over and over in my head, and honestly, I’ve probably turned it into a bigger deal than it actually is. But what the hell am I supposed to do when I can’t talk to the one person I need to?

  I didn’t see Avery the rest of the day yesterday, her having gone to bed by the time I got home after the game. I saw her for just moments this morning before having to head out the door, practice dragging on for what felt like an eternity when I knew what I had to look forward to tonight.

  Or maybe I shouldn’t be looking forward to it. Maybe she’s going to tell me she wasn’t thinking clearly the other night, and now, our friendship would never go back to what it was because I had so obviously made my feelings known.

  I haven’t come right out and told her yet, but there’s no way she could’ve misread the signs the night of the car ride.

  It’s too late now though. I brought my clothes with me to the field this morning, and now, as I walk up the hallway to my own apartment, my dress pants and blue button-down feeling stiff and uncomfortable against my skin, I can’t help the tremor coursing through my body as I near the door.

  Should I knock?

  No, that would be silly.

  But what’s the protocol for picking up a date who’s currently living with you?

  Luckily, I’m saved from having to decide. When I’m only a few steps away from the door, it swings open, Avery stepping outside and gently closing it behind her.

  She inserts the key into the lock, securing it before turning to walk down the hall. She startles when she sees me, her hand flying up to her chest as if wanting to steady its beat.

  Maybe she’s as nervous as I am.

  “Carter,” she says, letting out a slow breath. “I was hoping to get down to the lobby before you got here. I wasn’t exactly sure how this worked, but I figured I could at least save you the trouble of coming all the way up here to get me.”

  I smile as she repeats the words I was thinking only moments before. “I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do either. I was even contemplating knocking on my own door before you opened it.”

  The admission seems to ease some of the tension in the air, Avery letting out a chuckle as she links her arm through mine. “Oh my God. Why is this so weird? I mean, it’s just us.”

  I nod. “Just us. Easy-peasy.”

  She asks me about the game last night as we drive to the restaurant, congratulating me on our victory and praising me for my performance. I had a no-hitter—and completely shocked the hell out of myself, considering how distracted I’d been before the game. I’d thought we’d be lucky to win at all, but instead, I went on to have the best performance of my professional career so far.

  Apparently, I work well under stress.

  The time passes quickly, the conversation between us easy and normal until we reach the restaurant. My heart flips a little when I think about the topics we’re supposed to discuss over dinner, but I tell myself that, no matter what happens, this is Avery, and there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for this woman.

  Even if it means pretending like the last few days never happened.

  Surprisingly though, she never brings it up. We make it all the way throughout the meal without her even mentioning the tension between us. I was under the impression that the whole reason for this dinner was to discuss the other night, but instead, Avery has been talking about her job. She tells me about the phone calls she made this morning, clearing her to stay for a few more weeks. She tells me about the resident she’s been worried might pass while she’s been gone but who’s seemingly taken a turn for the better.

  “I’m so relieved, Car. You have no idea how much I would regret not getting to say good-bye to Mrs. Banks.”

  I love watching her talk about her career. It’s not glamorous, not something people envision when they think the words dream job. But her entire face lights up when she talks about her residents and her employees. They’re like another family to her. And I know she dearly loves it.

  That only further complicates whatever this might be between us. I’m here, in Seattle, for the foreseeable future. Even if something were to develop, how would it ever work, her life being in Stetson and mine in Seattle?

  I tell myself to pump the brakes a little. Here I am, fretting about our future, and she might be stalling so that she doesn’t have to come right out and tell me that she’ll never see me as anything more than her childhood friend.

  She seems content with just chatting right now though, so I’m not going to force her along even if I am dying to know what’s going on inside that beautiful head of hers.

  So, instead, I listen to her, relishing in the enthusiasm in her voice, until the check comes. Grabbing the black leather folder, I slip a card inside and hand it to the waitress before Avery can protest. I want her to know that I’m considering this a date, and that means there’s no way in hell she’s paying for her own food.

  She doesn’t argue though, instead smiling as the waitress whisks the check away. Reaching out and grabbing her wine glass, she drains the last of the white liquid inside before sweetly smiling at me.

  We make our way from the restaurant, Avery’s small hand tucked into the crook of my elbow as I lead her toward the door. I’m wondering how to prolong this, not quite ready for the evening to end, especially since I still don’t have any answers.

  And, once again, Avery comes to my rescue.

  “What do you say we take a walk?”

  She slides her arm further through mine until her hand is wrapped up around my bicep, her arm pressed firmly against the back of mine, her side and mine touching from shoulder to hip.

  Taking a risk, I lift the hand of the arm that’s entwined with hers, linking her fingers with mine. When she doesn’t protest, I let both of our hands relax against my arm. And then I walk.

  We stroll the streets of Seattle arm in arm, Avery stopping every so often to look inside a store window or to remark on various street performers. Her eyes dance with excitement at every turn, the lights of the city so different from what she’s used to that it’s impossible not to get caught up in her enthusiasm.

  We walk for over an hour, the smile never once falling from Avery’s face as she takes in the sights. But nothing makes it shine as brightly as when we stumble upon a small, abandoned park. Her face instantly lights up, her arm pulling from mine as she takes off at a run.

  “Oh my God, Carter. Look!” she shrieks as she sprints across the grass to the sandy area.

  My eyes leave her body for only a moment to see where she’s headed, and I can’t help the smile that breaks across my face when I see it.

/>   An old metal merry-go-round sits in the center of the sand, the paint all but completely peeled away, only a few streaks of red, blue, and yellow remaining to indicate the state of its former glory.

  Avery leaps on to it as soon as she reaches it, twirling around and wildly waving at me. “Come on, Carter! Spin me!”

  I slightly shake my head with a chuckle, briskly jogging over to her. “Aren’t we a little, uh, big for this, Smalls?”

  She waves me away. “Oh, pssh. You’re never too old for spinning. Now, go!”

  I grab hold of one of the metal bars, starting off at a walk but quickly picking up speed. Avery sits down, tucking her legs under her as she holds on. When I finally get up to a full run, Avery’s hair whipping around her head in the breeze from the ride, I pull myself up, climbing over until I’m seated right beside her.

  We ride out the spins, both of us laughing like we’re back in third grade instead of in our twenties. When the ride begins to slow, I move to jump off and get it going again, but Avery grabs me, pulling me back with her until we’re both lying flat on the cool metal surface.

  We stare up at the stars in silence, both of us trying to catch our breaths from laughing so hard. A shooting star flashes across the sky, and Avery gasps.

  “Did you see that?”

  I nod, knowing she can’t see me on the side of her but hoping she can feel me. Because, suddenly, my throat feels too thick to form words.

  Tonight has been completely perfect.

  And I want to kiss her.

  I want to kiss Avery so bad; my entire body trembles with the need to taste her.

  My fingers twitch at my side, brushing against hers where they lie. When she feels the movement, she slides her hand over mine, enveloping my large hand as completely as she can with her small one.

  “What’s going on, Avery?” I finally manage to croak out. “I mean, what is this? With us?”

  Dropping her hold on my hand, she props herself up on her elbow, her gorgeous face finally coming into view. And all the nerves I was feeling moments ago vanish when I see the look in her eyes.