Charlee pinched her brows. This was the first she’d heard of this. “What did he do?”
Drew explained about the odd text she’d received from him just that morning, telling her his body was still recovering from the night they’d had last night. Problem was Drew hadn’t seen him in days. She didn’t seem too broken up about it, but it was enough that she said she was done with him. That only reminded Charlee how Hector had never even bothered asking her for her number.
“It’s not like we’d agreed to be exclusive or anything, but the lengths he went to try to cover it up were such a turn off.” She made a gagging noise. “I would’ve had more respect for him if he’d just fessed up from the beginning as he tried to do later when he finally figured out I wasn’t buying it. Then he tried to act as if he was being all noble about coming clean and he’d sent the text to the wrong girl.” She shrugged. “Whatever! He was a good kisser, but I never felt anything like what you said you felt when Hector kissed you.” She went all dreamy eyed and sighed. “I think I’ll hold off until I find someone that makes me feel that way too.”
Not wanting to look at Drew anymore, Charlee glanced back down at her laptop. She knew her friend meant well, but she hated when Drew brought up Hector’s kisses. And she did it a lot—each time with that same wistful expression she wore now. Charlee didn’t need constant reminding of those kisses—kisses she may never get to experience again.
“So,” Drew stood up off the bed. “You and me. Friday night. 5th Street.” She lifted her hand before Charlee could even begin to protest. “I won’t take no for an answer, Charlotte Brennan. The last time you went out was the night of Hector’s fight. I won’t let you do what you did back home and sink into your lonely little cave.”
Charlee’s shoulders slouched in defeat. “I wouldn’t dream of arguing with you, Drew.”
“Good,” Drew smiled proudly, “because you’d never win. Now I’m off to brainstorm in the shower.”
Charlee fell back on her pillow dramatically. “I wish you’d left that last part out.”
“Okay,” Drew winked at her. “Forget I said that then. I’m off to enjoy the vibrating handheld shower.”
Charlee’s jaw dropped, and then she burst out laughing. “T.M.I!”
“But I’ll do it while thinking of Hector,” Drew added as she walked out the door.
That immediately shut Charlee up.
“You know what I meant!” Drew yelled from the hallway.
Charlee thought about it for a moment then smiled. She had no idea what Drew had in mind exactly for Friday night, but her insides were already beginning to bubble.
~*~
Hey stranger! I’ll be in town for a while. I know we sort of lost touch, but I really would like to get together if anything maybe just to grab a burger or something. Let me know if you’re up for it.
Hector sat in the gym’s office and read the text from Lisa, tempted to ignore it as he had most of the other ones she’d sent him, ever since he’d figured out she was seeing someone else. The only ones he ever did respond to were the ones that had no flirtatious undertones whatsoever. He didn’t want her to think he was all bitter and shit, so he could still be friendly, but he kept his responses short. He stared at his reply for a few seconds before he responded
How long will you be in town?
TYPICALLY, HE WOULDN’T BE SO UPTIGHT ABOUT KNOWING IF THE GIRLS HE HOOKED UP WITH WERE DOING SO WITH HIM EXCLUSIVELY. SINCE HE NEVER MADE ANY PROMISES HIMSELF, HE DIDN’T EXPECT ANY IN RETURN. HE ACTUALLY PREFERRED IT THAT WAY, BUT LISA HAD BEEN DIFFERENT. EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN’T FEEL EVEN THE TINIEST BIT OF WHAT HE ONCE THOUGHT HE FELT FOR HER, SHE WASN’T THE KIND OF GIRL YOU HOOKED UP WITH AND THEN JUST DROPPED. HE ALREADY KNEW FIRSTHAND WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO DO THAT TO A NICE GIRL. EVEN THOUGH CHARLEE PRETENDED NOT TO MIND, ACTIONS SPOKE LOUDER THAN WORDS. THEY WERE HARDLY SPEAKING ANYMORE, AND HECTOR DIDN’T THINK THAT HAD MUCH TO DO WITH WHAT HE’D SAID ABOUT HER AND THAT GUY. HE SAW IT IN HER FACE NOW. SHE WAS HURT, AND IT WAS A REAL SHITTY FEELING.
HIS PHONE VIBRATED ON THE DESK, AND HE PICKED IT UP AGAIN.
A few weeks maybe longer. I haven’t decided.
That could only mean one thing. If she was texting him, wanting to get together and she wasn’t sure how long she’d be around and she didn’t sound anxious to get back, she must not be with the guy anymore. Hector wasn’t sure how he felt about that. She had been a consideration before she started seeing someone else.
Before he put too much thought into this, he’d get one thing straight. The conversations they’d had even back when she was seeing the guy but called him “just a friend” had been flirtatious in nature. For all Hector knew she might still be seeing the guy.
After verifying that she was, in fact, broken up with her boyfriend now and that she was out here alone staying with a friend who was not a dude, Hector agreed to meet up with her, but not in an intimate one-on-one setting. He’d even told her to bring her friend. Lisa had been a serious consideration before her boyfriend came into the picture, but that was before Charlee. As frustrating as it was to admit and as nice as it had been to kiss Lisa, it didn’t even come close to what he’d felt when he kissed Charlee.
He’d learned his lesson already. The way he was still feeling about Charlee there was no way he’d be considering anything serious with anyone for a while. At least not with anyone like Lisa anyway—someone he knew that like Charlee would not appreciate the one-night fling thing. And he wasn’t about to add another thing to his already guilt-ridden conscience.
***
So far anything to do with the U.S. chess team had consisted of conversations on Skype with the coaches and downloading tons of apps they wanted Hector to use for training. With an impending trip coming up in a few weeks to D.C. for one of their first meetings before the Jr. World Olympiad, Hector was hoping to make things a little more amicable with Charlee.
They would be spending an entire weekend traveling together, and since Hector, Walter, and Charlee were the only team members coming from Los Angeles, they’d be on the same plane and sharing the same transportation to and from the airports they arrived at. Not to mention they’d be put up in the same hotels. And this would be happening with every event the U.S. team attended. It’d be awkward at best if things between them continued the way they were now. He didn’t want a repeat of the day before when they hadn’t spoken a word to each other in the lab, so Thursday, Hector made it a point to sit next to her in between games.
He’d planned on just making small talk—something simple and safe about chess. But the second he took the seat next to her and she turned to him with those big startled baby blues, the last thing he anticipated saying to her flew out.
“I’m sorry.”
She stared at him, looking almost as stunned as he felt. “About what?”
“About everything,” the vomit of the mouth began, but he now very consciously wanted to finish, only he lowered his voice. Walter was a few tables over, and he wanted to be absolutely sure he didn’t hear him. “About that day I went off on you the way I did for talking to that guy.”
She shook her head. “No, I get why you were mad. And I only said what I said that day because I wanted to avoid any violence. I figured if I seemed agreeable he’d leave faster. But I don’t plan on being his friend or anything.”
Hector gulped, staring into her eyes like he hadn’t been able to in so long. He noticed how she didn’t conceal her freckles the way she had tried to that night of the party, not even a little bit.
“And I’m sorry about being such an asshole about what happened between us the night of my fight.” Her eyes widened at that. “I know you said you’d forgotten about it, but—”
“I hadn’t.”
Her admission silenced them both momentarily. Then she spoke again.
“I just . . .” she shrugged. “I just didn’t want you to think that . . .”
“It hasn’t been my week all week.” Walter said, plopping across fr
om them.
Hector turned and glared at Walter. The guy couldn’t possibly know what he’d just interrupted, but Hector felt like killing him anyway.
“First Dempsey beats me the other day, and then Samir pulls a Charlee stunt on me just now, playing my own game against me.” He turned to Hector, who was grinding his teeth already. “Like you, I never even saw what hit me until he had me cornered.” Walter shook his head. “I’ve been slacking. With all the time I’ve put into working out lately, I haven’t been doing much research or even playing online. I’m getting rusty.”
Charlee sat up, smiling. “Well, you can’t do that, Walter. Our first meeting with the U.S. team before the Jr. Olympiad is in a few weeks.” She stood up and grabbed her sweater from the chair it hung on. “You need to start training again.” She pulled her purse over her shoulder.
“You’re leaving already?” Both Walter and Hector asked at the same time.
Walter and Hector glanced at each other, and for an instant, Hector regretted sounding as desperate as Walter always did when she left early. But he did feel desperate.
“Yeah, I’m going shopping with Drew tonight.” She smiled, holding Hector’s gaze a little longer than she had since he told her to pretend nothing ever happened then said goodbye and started for the door.
She couldn’t leave now. He had to know what it was she didn’t want him to think. He wouldn’t be back in here until next week. Tomorrow he’d be busy all day helping Noah prepare for his fight. Damn Walter for having the worst timing in the world.
Walter started to tell him exactly what Samir had done to stump him. It was all Hector could to do not jump out of his seat and go after Charlee. A few minutes later and unable to stand it anymore, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and stood up. “I gotta make a phone call. I’ll be back.”
He bolted out of there, his heart already pounding. Not at all sure what to expect, he just had to know now or it’d drive him nuts all weekend.
For a moment, he felt the huge disappointment of not seeing her immediately, but he then he saw her headed toward the waterfall in the middle of the campus where Drew waited for her.
“Charlee!” He called out, hoping to stop her before she reached Drew. He had a feeling she might hold back if anyone else were around. She stopped and turned with that same startled expression she had when he sat next to her.
He rushed to her. “You didn’t want me to think what?” he asked as soon as he reached her, stopping right in front of her and staring right into those beautiful blue eyes. She shook her head, her expression a puzzled one. “Back there,” he motioned his thumb over his shoulder, “just before Walter got there, you started to say you didn’t want me to think something after that night. What was that?”
Her eyes widened as they had when he apologized for acting like an asshole about the whole thing. “I uh,” she chewed the corner of her lower lip. “I just didn’t want you to think I had any expectations of anything else happening between us.” She glanced away for a moment then back at him. “I figured since you were asking me to pretend it never happened you didn’t want things getting weird and neither did I.” She sounded as if she were trying to reassure him then added in a lowered voice. “I didn’t want you thinking it was such a big thing for me, so I said I’d forgotten.” She crinkled her nose and smiled in the most adorable way it made him smile despite the angst he’d begun to feel. “Maybe saying I’d forgotten pushed it a little too far.”
A small but very relieved laugh escaped him. “Yeah, that was kind of messed up.”
Her mouth fell open, but she recovered fast enough. “You’re the one who told me to pretend it never happened. That was kind of messed up—embarrassing.”
“I know. I know.” He said, bringing both hands to his chest and holding them there. “And I’m so sorry about that. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I handled it totally wrong. I just really, really didn’t want things getting weird between us.” He held back saying what he really wanted to ask. Was it as big a thing for her as it had been for him? With the thought of Walter still hanging over his head, he couldn’t, but he did say the one thing clearly—he needed to. “I meant it when I said you were different, Charlee.” The blue in her eyes had never been bluer. Hector had to concentrate on not getting lost in them, or he’d lose his train of thought like he’d done so often the night of the party. “I don’t want you to think that what happened that night was forgettable or insignificant to me at all.”
She smiled that timid little smile that should be anything but arousing because it was so sweet and pure. But it made him want to take her in his arms and kiss her like he could only close his eyes now and remember doing to her.
Something behind her caught his attention, and he tore his eyes away from hers to see her friend Drew holding her books to her chest, swaying side to side with her eyes closed, and he smiled. “I think your friend is getting restless.
Charlee turned to see what he was talking about then laughed softly. “Yeah, she hasn’t been feeling too hot this week, but she swears the flu is all in your head.” She turned back to him with that timid smile that was slowly bringing Hector to his knees. “She says meditating works better than medicine.” She lifted a shoulder and smiled. “She might be on to something, because she says she is feeling better now than she did a few days ago, and she’s refused to take any meds.”
There was a short silent pause where they stared at each other, and Hector knew neither of them was thinking about Drew’s flu. Finally, she smiled a little bigger this time, breaking their moment. “Thank you,” she said simply then added. “I better get going. There’s a reason I left the lab early. We don’t want to be out there too late.”
“Okay, I’ll see you next week.” Hector said, feeling a little disappointed that he couldn’t say more—tell her how he really felt.
Something flashed in her eyes, and for a moment, he thought she might say something, but then it was gone and she nodded. “Next week,” she said before walking off toward Drew.
Chapter 17
“Okay, tell me again why we’re still going to do this? Because he was nice enough to apologize and it’s pretty much cut and dry, Drew—”
“That he’s definitely feeling something for you, but he’s holding back.” Drew interrupted her then blew her nose. “We’re getting closer and closer to proving the very thing I’ve been saying all along.”
Charlee had to admit it. Hector had practically said it to her yesterday. Yes, their time together that night, those beautiful kisses, had meant more to him than he initially admitted to. But he also said he really, really didn’t want things getting weird between them.
“So we prove it. Then what? He’s practically spelled it out already.” Charlee stared at Drew through the mirror. As usual, they were sharing the same mirror in the hall restroom to get ready. “Maybe he did feel something that night, but he thinks anything more would be too weird. It’s the very word he used.”
Her insides still warmed at the thought that even if that were the case he’d still wanted her to know that the kisses she thought about on a daily basis now hadn’t been forgettable or insignificant to him either—at all.
“And let’s just admit it.” Drew grabbed some more toilet paper and blew her nose again. “Things did get weird. I mean that blowup he had about Ross. Geez, I know Walter’s his friend and all, and it made him mad that you’d be friendly to Ross,” Drew turned away to sneeze then wiped her nose, “but there was way more to it than that. I don’t care what you or Hector say. He was jealous, plain and simple, and now he wants to make sure you know that night meant more to him than he first let on?” Drew lifted an eyebrow with an evil little grin. “I’m even more certain my plan is going to work now.”
Trying not to get too caught up or show just how excited the very idea that Hector might actually have real feelings for her made her, Charlee lowered her eyes down to Drew’s red nose. “You’re not even feeling well, Drew. We really should
just stay home tonight.”
Drew shook her head then closed her eyes and hummed loudly, swaying her head side to side.
Charlee smiled. Her friend was nuts. “You say you’re feeling better, and while I’m all for the power of thought and everything, your body knows what it needs, and that’s rest, Drew.”
“I’ll rest tomorrow,” Drew said, opening her eyes.
“But—”
“If . . .” Drew pointed her finger at Charlee. “If I’m wrong and something happens tonight that totally proves I’m way off here, then I’ll back off. I will totally drop this. I promise. But I think someone is forgetting the power of my sixth sense.”
Charlee pinched her lips to the side but bit her tongue. She was not about to get into the last time Drew’s sixth sense had been totally off, especially on a night like tonight. One thing was for sure whether Drew kept her promise or not: if, in fact, Hector was simply attracted to Charlee but in no way interested in anything more as he’d made clear enough yesterday, this would be the last time Charlee gave into Drew. As persuasive as her friend could be, Charlee had to stand her ground at some point.
If she thought she might be asking for it by letting herself get caught up on a guy like Hector before, it was an even bigger gamble to allow it now. Because after staring so profoundly deep into his eyes yesterday and hearing the words he said with such sincerity, Charlee was beginning to fear the worst. She just may be falling in love with the guy.
~*~
The place was a madhouse. The last few fights they’d had here as part of their fall lineup for Friday Night Fights had been pretty packed, including Hector’s fight a few weeks ago, but tonight was a third-time rematch. Noah had almost lost to this guy the first time, but it was called a draw. Then the second time, Noah knocked the guy out. Now the guy had requested another rematch. Noah had agreed, even though he’d been distracted from his usual training because of his new baby this entire past year.
Hector knew Abel was worried that Noah might not be as ready as he’d been the last time he fought him. Hector reminded Abel that the last time Noah had fought this guy he had a lot going on too. He had been trying to get it together with his then roommate Roni. Things hadn’t been exactly going his way, and he’d still knocked the guy out.