Going Long (Waiting on the Sidelines #2)(64)

“Oh,” I said softly, a little confused by this information, but also a little grateful that I might not have to see him again. “Well, maybe I’ll see you on campus, or in another class sometime.”

“Yeah…that’d be nice. I mean, I’d like that,” he said, backing up with his bag and pulling his beanie on his head. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

I just nodded in return and let him walk out well before me so I wouldn’t have to see him anymore. Our final exchange was strange, but there really was no way around that. I’d made it that way the moment I kissed him. But the thought that I might get a chance to earn back all that I’d lost, gave me hope, and there just wasn’t room for Gavin in any of that.



Sarah and I were driving back to Coolidge on Sunday evening because of some dance recital she had managed to squeeze into for the weekend. Sarah’s dance had really evolved. She was constantly being requested for senior choreography projects and being put in showcases at the arts college. I loved to watch her. The things her body could do were truly amazing. It was odd to think of her tough and rough personality when watching her bend and twist in ways so beautiful they almost brought tears to my eyes.

Sarah was packing the rest of her things late Sunday afternoon while I texted back and forth with Reed. He was at some fancy hotel in Tucson with a television crew waiting for the Selection Sunday announcement for the Rose Bowl. Our conversations were playful, and our texts were flirtatious, but never anything more since our skinny-dipping make-out session. I still hadn’t asked about Jenny, but Reed also never brought her up.

I was so anxious for our next date, and for being home with Reed. I knew he’d have to leave right after Christmas for the Rose Bowl, and we probably wouldn’t get to spend New Year’s together, but there was something warm and full of possibility about the holiday season. Coolidge always had a holiday festival in the streets of the downtown, where every historic building was wrapped in lights, and families came out to share desserts, cocoa and popcorn. It was one of the best things about being in a small town.

The news cut in for a live shot where Reed was sitting with Trig and a few other players along with their coach. I texted him—teasing him a little, just to make him sweat.



Uh, so I just saw you on TV. You might want to check your hair.



The camera was still on him, and I saw him look in his lap to read my text. He immediately brushed his hand through his hair and bumped Trig’s shoulder to ask him if he looked okay. I laughed out loud.



You are such a girl. I was just kidding : - P



I saw a smirk spread across his face next, and he looked directly into the camera, right at me, before he snuck his phone into his lap again and shot back a quick message. The station went to a commercial break just then.



That was not nice…but funny as hell.



My small prank had my mind spinning a bit, and it gave me an idea. I texted him back right away.



Hey, so…wanna make a wager?



I waited, and he wrote back in seconds.



Hmmmmm, I’m curious. What are the terms?



I grinned and slid down into the sofa so I could hide a little from Sarah, who was busy tidying things up in her kitchen.



When they interview you after the announcement, if you can work the word ‘coconut’ into your response, I will spend tonight in your room.



He responded instantly.



Tonight? In my room? All for coconut?



I wrote back:



Yes.



Reed was fast again.



Deal. You better have your PJs packed, Princess.



I giggled silently to myself. Truth was I was winning in two ways. I’d give anything for more time to reconnect with Reed, and seeing him work an absurd word into a national TV interview was priceless. Sarah had finished her packing and cleaning and was sitting on the corner of her sofa next to me. I looked up and told her we could leave as soon as Reed’s school was announced; there was no way I was missing this.

The Rose Bowl committee made their announcement right after the commercial break, and the camera turned to a room full of cheering UofA students, and then settled in on Reed, Trig and his coach.

“We’re here with Reed Johnson, whose name is being thrown around in a lot of Heisman conversations lately…Reed? How excited are you to face Ohio State in the Rose Bowl?”

Reed was wearing his modest grin, his dimples deep, and his eyes squinted a bit from the attention. He was so amazingly talented, but he always hated being singled out as the reason his team was doing so well, even though he was precisely the reason they were. “Thanks for that, Wendy. Well…it’s pretty awesome being in the Rose Bowl for a second year in a row. Ohio State is a great team, but I feel pretty good about our chances,” Reed said, leaning sideways in his chair to get more comfortable.

“And what about the Heisman hype? Does that distract you at all?” the reporter questioned him again, pushing him for more. But as always, Reed was so cool in the face of big-time pressure. He just smiled again and chuckled to himself.

“I mean, I’d be coconuts not to be a little excited about the idea of winning a Heisman,” he said it. He looked right into the camera after his answer, right at me, and winked a bit with a smile, before he continued on. He was adorable, and I was as in love as I’d ever been. “But it doesn’t take away from the game. The game is my first priority. I worry about one game at a time. It’s worked out pretty well for me so far.”