Always You

by Tiara Inserto

  Neela could feel the burn starting in her arms, but they kept the pace up until Leila called for a tighter circle. “One step in. Ready? Three, two, one. Now!”

  The ball kept moving as they adjusted their releases to the shorter distances between players. Quick, short throws.

  “Time!”

  Francine spiked the ball. “And that’s how you do it!”

  “That was crazy!” Melanie agreed, returning a high-five from Neela.

  Leila smiled at Blake. “You’ve always had good hands, but I think we forget how good they really are.”

  “The admiration is mutual, Leila,” Blake said.

  Neela frowned at the familiarity between the two players. She didn’t remember ever seeing their names associated with each other, nor had Leila ever mentioned knowing Blake before today.

  Blake turned to her suddenly. “Are you taking a shower before we go?”

  “Pardon?”

  “Shower? Or should we just start our date?”

  The word hung in the air as Neela felt five pairs of eyes on her.

  “A date?” Francine asked.

  Neela could hear the smile in her friend’s voice. She glared at Blake, who was obviously enjoying the surprise he had given everyone. Then she took a deep breath and turned around to face her teammates. “We’re just headed to the Esplanade. For the food trucks. Blake has a friend busking as well.”

  Mel sighed. “I love food trucks! I’ve only been to the one at Cathedral Square, but I heard this one was good too. Lots more musicians and more dessert trucks. Can I go too?”

  Five pairs of eyes now switched their attention to the blonde.

  “They’re on a DATE, Melanie,” Francine hissed.

  Realization swept over her face, and Mel blushed visibly. “Oh, yeah. Right. I forgot. Neela doesn’t normally date.”

  “They do have really good dessert trucks,” Blake said. “Maybe we’ll see you there? Right, Neela?”

  Neela forced a smile onto her face. “Sure. Yeah. That will be fun.”

  “Well, I’m free, Mel,” Leila said, grinning.” And I’m always up to doing a bit of research on the best dessert trucks. Would Jack be interested in joining us? Didn’t you say he has a friend I should meet? Anyone else?” Leila turned to Blake and Neela. “Maybe we’ll see you two there. Don’t mind us. Just enjoy your date.”

  Less than an hour later, as Neela and Blake started to join the crowd walking toward the Esplanade, she asked, “Why did you have to use that word in front of the girls?”

  “Which word? Date?”

  “And why ask them to join us?”

  “The whole point of this charade was to get the word out that we’re seeing each other.”

  “It is. I thought they’d see photos of us together. I’d get teased, but I wouldn’t lie to their faces.”

  Blake stopped and turned. “We haven’t lied. This is a date.”

  “You can’t even say it with a straight face.”

  Blake’s dimple deepened when he smiled. Why was she even noticing these things?

  “You’re right,” he said. “This isn’t my idea of a first date. Getting dinner from food trucks is something I’d do after I’ve seen someone for a month or so. I’m not a pretty eater. I don’t think I’ve done anything like this for a first date.”

  “Are you usually so calculating with a first date?”

  “That’s a strong word. The first date is meant to impress.”

  Neela scoffed. “You play on the almighty National Team. You’ve won the World Championship twice. I don’t think you have to worry about impressing anybody.”

  An unexpected knock by a passing stranger pushed Neela into Blake. His reached up to steady her automatically. “All right?”

  “Yeah,” she said. Her hand rested on his upper arm. Such solid biceps. She ignored the hair rising on the back of her neck.

  Blake didn’t seem affected by the accidental body contact. He continued. “The rugby may get the girl to say yes, but who I am keeps her interested.”

  Neela frowned. “Really? You’re photographed with a lot of different women.”

  “I’ve only had three long-term relationships.”

  “How long is long-term? A week?”

  “At least six months. Though I should count Joy Wong since she gave me my first kiss.”

  “You went out with Joy Wong?” She remembered the quiet girl only because she had been the smartest student in the whole school, the one who eventually skipped a couple of levels to enter university at sixteen.

  “Sort of.”

  “We walked to school together in fourth year. Joy lived on the same street as us. I’m not sure when we stopped being walking mates and became boyfriend-girlfriend,” he replied. “We met in Auckland last year.”

  “Did you?”

  “Yeah. She had actually moved to America to continue her studies. At Stanford.”

  “Stanford?” Neela whistled. “Wow. What’s she doing back here, then?”

  “She’s opening a bakery in Christchurch, part of the revitalization movement in downtown.”

  “A bakery?”

  “Yeah. That’s why we met. She used to come over to our house to bake and wondered if I still had the recipe we made up when we were kids.”

  “You’re lying, Blake Stanton.”

  “Why would I make up these things?”

  Neela snorted. “Joy Wong, the smartest girl I’ve ever met, came back from America to bake cakes?”

  “Yes. She’s going to name the cupcake after me,” Blake announced. “The Stanton.”

  Neela looked at Blake’s face, but he appeared serious. “You are definitely making this up.”

  “I am not. Check the internet. She started a blog. My brother is an investor.”

  “Your brother? Which one?”

  “Andrew.”

  “I thought he was the tech genius.”

  “He is, and that’s why he also has the money to help businesses.”

  “So the Stanton cupcake would be named after your brother and not you.”

  Blake looked hurt. “It’s after me. I’m sure of that.”

  Neela laughed. “I’m sure Joy is more than happy to let you believe that!”

  The crowds started to grow by the time they reached the open space at the far end of the Esplanade. At least half a dozen trucks were parked along the waterfront while smaller booths stood on the green area near the clock tower. Impromptu picnic areas and lawn chairs were scattered throughout. Children’s laughter with occasional shouts of caution came from the playground. Music merged with the continual buzz of voices.

  Neela noticed a few people doing double-takes as Blake passed them, but he wasn’t stopped. Wearing an All Whites baseball cap with a plain blue shirt and khaki shorts, he looked unusually sedate. Nothing bright or neon on him. Sunglasses should have kept him anonymous, except no article of clothing known to man could camouflage his well-known physique.

  “Ah! There it is. I thought I could smell the barbecue kimchi sauce,” Blake said excitedly. He stopped at a busy truck that had a string of miniature Korean and New Zealand flags draped across the front. “That’ll be my pick. I tell you what, why don’t I queue up for this while you pick something else? Maybe a dessert?”

  “Dessert? Some of us are still in training mode,” she reminded him.

  “Yes, and if I know you, you didn’t cheat once this past week. One dessert shared by two adults isn’t going to unravel your training.”

  “I’ll find some fruit.”

  “Oh, come on, Neela. Live dangerously.”

  “I bet that’s what you said to Lindsay in the hot tub,” Neela said as she walked away.

  “Hey!”

  She grinned but didn’t turn. She walked through the crowd, inhaling the different smells in the air. Some were traditionally comforting, like fried onions and sausages; others were layered, complicated but also familiar. Neela smiled as she watched an elderly couple grapple with their sou
vlaki, eventually losing the battle with the creamy sauce.

  An excited boy ran past her. “Nan! I think I saw Blake Stanton!”

  Seconds later, the same boy dragged a confused-looking woman pass her. That didn’t take long. But she wasn’t surprised. Any time she went out with Mano, the same thing happened. The diehards would know everyone on the National Team, but even to the casual fan, her cousin and Blake were two of the more famous faces. There were few places they could go without being recognized. Fortunately, most people were nice about it.

  After wandering around and scouting the offerings, Neela decided on a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries. It was fruit.

  Her phone sounded.

  Blake: Meet me near the clock tower.

  “Mel spotted me,” Blake said when she found him. “She said we could join her and Leila if you like.”

  Neela raised her eyebrows. “Would you like that?”

  Blake shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’ve known Leila for a few years. And only if you’re comfortable with doing this in front of them.”

  “Not a real date, right?”

  Blake smiled. “It’s as fake a date as I’ve ever been on.”

  They found the other rugby players on a blanket close to where a group of musicians was playing acoustic guitars. Besides Leila and Mel, Neela recognized Mel’s boyfriend, Jack, who was already digging into his bowl of noodles. There were two other blokes Neela didn’t know. One was paying a lot of attention to Leila.

  “Hiya!” Mel said as she reached over to embrace Neela. “When I told Jack about the food trucks, he insisted on meeting us. Neil and Harry work with Jack. Boys, this is Neela and Blake.”

  Leila waved her greetings. Neil nodded quickly at them both but returned his attention to Leila, who looked happy to have it. Harry stood up, wiped his hands on his shorts before offering a handshake. “Good to meet you both. Fan of yours, Blake. Too bad about your ankle.”

  Neela watched Blake shake Harry’s hand, but she didn’t expect to feel his arm go around her waist after the handshake. Also unexpected was the gentle but firm pull toward his body, or the jolt of electricity that coursed through her at his touch.

  She stiffened at their contact. She knew what his body was like under his clothes; pretty much the whole country did. But feeling his muscles, his hardness... Neela swallowed.

  Blake angled his head close to her ear, a gesture that could have been mistaken as something far more intimate than the message he delivered. “Relax, Neela,” he whispered. “We’re supposed to be going out, remember?”

  A part of her wanted to pull away from Blake, to get away from the physical attraction that was building inside her. Another part of her—the competitive side—didn’t like how Blake Stanton expected her to comply with his directions.

  Those days were over.

  Neela turned her body slightly and pressed it closer to Blake’s. She felt him tensed up, and a thrill went through her. He’s attracted to me!

  With her free hand, she picked up a strawberry and raised it to Blake’s mouth. She pressed it gently to his lips before tracing their outline with the tip of the fruit. But as soon as Blake began to open his mouth, she made a deliberate move to bring the strawberry to her own lips and bit it with calculated slowness. She felt some of the juice trickle out of the corner of her mouth and licked it before it could reach the bottom of her chin.

  She couldn’t read Blake’s eyes, which were still shielded behind his sunglasses. But she could see the vein on the side of his neck pulsing a little faster. She hoped, in return, he wouldn’t know how fast her own heart was beating.

  For a few seconds, neither of them moved. Neela wasn’t sure if she were breathing. The sounds, smells, and sights around them disappeared.

  Then Blake smiled his famous smile, the same one he had used with practiced ease on Francine, and Neela was back in the real world.

  “Well played, Neela Smyth,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I may never see a chocolate strawberry again without thinking of this moment.”

  “I’m sorry I spoiled the fruit for you,” Neela whispered.

  Blake rested his sunglasses on his forehead, and his brown eyes met hers. “On the contrary. I think you’ve only made the fruit more appealing.”

  When Neela turned to sit on the picnic rug, Mel’s eyes were as big as saucers. She leaned over. “Oh my God, Neela! When did you get to be such a tease? That was so hot! I thought I was watching an X-rated movie!”

  Neela’s heart was still beating a mile a minute, but she feigned nonchalance. Or at least she hoped she did. “You and Jack need to get out more. Or at least expand your movie tastes beyond The Little Mermaid.”

  “Hey, that’s the best movie!” Jack retorted.

  The group burst out laughing, and a relaxed round of teasing and banter led to a twenty-minute discussion of everyone’s favorite movie villain.

  In a crowded field on a busy night with a lot going on, Blake still grabbed a few people’s attention. Most people just waved and snap photos from afar, but some were bold enough to step into the group to ask for a selfie or an autograph. There were three other professional athletes among them, including two medalists from the Summer Games. But he was the only one whose fans wanted some time with.

  Neela looked at her teammates. No one seemed particularly bothered by the interruption. They continued to eat and talk among themselves. Everyone understood that Blake wasn’t asking for any of the attention. It came with being on the National Team. They were the superstars. She and Leila had had their moment of glory when they first came back from Rio. But life had returned to normal quickly. The Summer Games were over. The next match was the only one that mattered.

  Everyone stayed into the night, their conversation drifting from movies to rugby to food and back to rugby. It was common ground for them all, both as players and as fans. Once the last of the musicians had finished their set, the group began to pack up. Blake offered his hand to Neela to help her up from the picnic blanket.

  She hesitated but immediately sensed Mel’s eyes on them. She was supposed to pretend to be on a date, but she had never had a boyfriend who did that, offer his hand to help her. She was a world-class athlete. She wasn’t weak. She could get up on her own.

  Blake continued to hold out his hand. When she placed her hand in his, he pulled her up effortlessly. She began to pull out of his grasp, but he only tightened his grip.

  “Thanks for the good company tonight,” Blake said as he looked past Neela to the group. “It was a lot of fun.”

  “Good meeting you, mate,” said Harry. “Good luck with the ankle. The Club will need you back, especially if Mano leaves. Hope to see you back in form in time for the season.”

  “You and me both, mate,” Blake said. “Ladies, fellas? Be seeing you all again, I hope.”

  Neela and Blake walked hand in hand along the sea wall, the rhythmic sound of crashing waves kept them company. She wondered if she should break their physical contact. It was dark; there was no one to see them now. But it felt nice. Really nice.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Neela, it’s Scott.”

  Neela threw one more set of trainers into her bag, glad for the distraction. She hated packing and, as always, had left it to the last minute. Leila’s bags were already by the door, no doubt meticulously packed according to the list she had tacked to her bedroom wall. She had shaken her head in disapproval when Neela confessed she hadn’t even started to get ready for their tour. She did have her uniforms, she assured Leila. Everything else was optional.

  “Hello, Scott.”

  “What do you think about the contract I’d sent?”

  Neela walked to her bureau and reached for the thick pile of papers she had printed out a few days ago. “I must say I’m a little surprised. Pastall’s is quite a brand. My nephews and nieces spend a fortune on their lollies, even the teenagers.”

  “You’ll get a lot free as one of their spokespersons.”

&nbs
p; “That would make me a very popular aunty. And this has been cleared by RugNZ?”

  “Final approval received today. You’re ready to be immortalized in the world of advertising. I just need your signature.”

  “Blake’s also okay with it?”

  She hadn’t spoken to her fake boyfriend since their date. He had flown to Auckland early the next morning. His presence at a charity event with Mitch Molloy and Connor Dane had made the evening news.

  She could lie to herself and say it didn’t matter that he hadn’t called or sent her a message. There was no reason to. They had already set up their next date. This was all for show, a pretend relationship— except feeling his hand on her back after their fake date had sparked excitement in her body that she had long suppressed.

  When he hugged her goodnight, she could feel the strength beneath her palms as they instinctively followed the uneven planes of his well-muscled back. Nor had she imagined his lingering caress on her exposed arm when she stepped past the security door to her building. She had been sorely tempted to ask if he wanted to come up.

  “Neela?”

  “Sorry. I’m in the middle of packing and got distracted.”

  “As I was saying, Blake has no problems with the terms. The product is a new one for him. I don’t know why, but the lolly people have never seemed interested in Blake Stanton before.”

  Neela smiled. “Would an electronic signature suffice?”

  “I’m a bit old-fashioned and would prefer the real thing. Can I drive by your place and pick up the contract?”

  Neela looked at the clock. “I leave for Wellington this evening.”

  “I forgot. I’m at the Club right now. I have a meeting, but—”

  “I can drop it off there if you like. I don’t mind getting out of the house for a bit.”