One Good Play

by Meredith St. James

  She was still thinking when the elevator stopped, and we stepped out. "I would probably say..." She pointed out the direction we were headed. "Hiking in Death Valley."

  That was unexpected. "Isn't Death Valley insanely hot?" Suddenly I didn't feel so accomplished about the hiking I'd done with my sister and parents during our summer trip to Gatlinburg.

  "Yeah, the heat was miserable, but it's so peaceful out there. It was really beautiful. I hadn't actually planned to go but somehow I ended up joining up with a group of hikers at this little convenience store I stopped at. So, I decided—why not?"

  "Just like that?"

  "Just like that." She laughed, probably at the shock I knew was evident on my face.

  I tried to picture myself in her place. I couldn't fathom the idea of meeting strangers and then just along with whatever they were doing. I could barely stomach a short conversation with the cashier at the grocery store, and I saw her every week.

  "What made you decide to even take a trip like that?"

  She tapped her fingers nervously against her leg. I wasn't sure where my sudden bout of courage came from, but I reached out and took her hand like she would have done for me. The smile she gave me told me she recognized the gesture.

  "I have this bucket list of sorts. Cross-country road trip was the next thing on my list. It was good timing, too, because cell service is always spotty when I'm abroad, and the school was sending me all sorts of emails and whatnot all summer."

  "Yeah, I got those, too." The conversation had already gone on for far longer than I'd expected. I quickly thought of something else to say to keep it going. "How does your family feel about you traveling alone like that?"

  She dissolved into a gentle laughter. "My dad definitely hates it, but I think he's too nervous to say anything directly."

  I rapid fired another question. "Have you taken a lot of spontaneous trips like that?"

  "Tons." Her eyes got wide. "You know, I've never heard you ask so many questions at once."

  Her surprise made me more uncomfortable than my own. It was a blatant reminder that I couldn't just be normal. I hated that. Men weren't supposed to be nervous or quiet. We were supposed to be tough and assertive.

  Our hands were still clasped, and Wren used that grip to tug me to a stop as soon as we'd made it outside the library. "I didn't mean to make you self-conscious about it."

  Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. I wondered if her mouth would taste as incredible as it looked. I liked to imagine she'd taste like the cherry chapstick she carried around with her.

  "We don't have to keep talking about it," I muttered as I ground the toe of my shoe into the dirt.

  "That's fair."

  She surprised me by placing her arms on either side of my body, effectively encapsulating me in a hug. It took me a beat before I understood what was happening and put my arms around her in return. She rested the side of her head against my chest as we stood there hugging. I even managed to block out the alarming number of strange looks we were getting from people as they passed by us. We didn't stay like that long, but it was enough to calm my nerves.

  Of course, that calm didn't last when she led me into a parking lot and asked me to get into her car.

  10

  Wren

  I liked him.

  There were a lot of things I had planned on not doing when I got to Kelley. At the top of that list was getting romantically involved with anyone. My heart apparently hadn't gotten the memo.

  "Where are we?" Carter stared up uneasily at the faded sign we drove under on the way through the open gates. Time had erased whatever words had once been there.

  "You're not very patient," I teased.

  One of the things I'd begun to notice about Carter was that he didn't like to not feel in control. I'd started forming theories. I wasn't sure exactly how old he was when he'd been adopted, but I thought that might have had something to do with the control thing. I was also starting to think his need for control was what kept him from bonding with people. It didn't seem like he really trusted other people.

  Except me, it seemed.

  Over the past few weeks, he'd started to open up a little bit. He talked more. He started trusting me to set our schedule without his input. And now, he'd even gotten in my car without knowing where we were going.

  The more progress he made the harder it was for me to keep my distance. People around campus treated him like he was an ogre. They conveniently didn't notice things like the way he always opened doors for everyone, or how he stepped out of the way to let other people pass him on the sidewalk. He may have come across standoffish, but he was actually incredibly kind. It seemed that no one had bothered getting to know that about him.

  Not that it changed anything. He was still my roommate's brother, which felt taboo enough that I hadn't even mentioned to Rose that I was tutoring him. Besides, there was also that little voice in my head still telling me that I wasn't allowed to like him. Not him, not anyone.

  "Is this...?" Carter's eyebrows furrowed down.

  "Ta-da! A petting zoo!" I kept one hand on steering wheel but threw out my other arm in a sweeping grand gesture.

  Carter leaned forward to get a better look, but also to avoid my flailing arm. I pulled into the small gravel parking lot in front of the main building. Worn fencing spread out as far as the eye could see in either direction.

  "Are those...are those camels?"

  Before I could answer, Carter nearly yanked the car door off the hinges in his haste to get out and get a better look. My smile was so wide my cheeks were aching as I followed him out.

  We stood next to each other, close but not touching. "The guy here rescues the animals and then runs this place to help bring in donations," I explained. "I've never actually been here before, but everyone seems to agree that the place is great. I know the facilities seem a little run down, but apparently, the animals are great."

  "I didn't know Kelley even had a petting zoo."

  "Well, surprise!" I joked. "Now, c'mon."

  I ushered him into the small brown building centered in front of the parking lot. A bell jingled over the door as we entered. A man in dirty overalls instantly came out from another room to meet us. "You the girl that called?"

  "Yes, sir."

  Carter's eyes widened when he turned to look at me. I knew what he was thinking. He'd thought our trip had been spontaneous, but it was actually something I'd planned ahead of time. It was better I didn't think too much about why I'd put in so much effort. I'd just wanted to cheer him up for a little while. I didn't know what was going on, but he'd been moping pretty heavily since I'd been tutoring him. More so than when I'd first met him.

  The man said, "Here you go," and lifted two giant buckets of animal feed up on the countertop.

  I eyed one of the buckets skeptically. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to carry one of those things. Not that I needed to worry, apparently. Carter stepped forward and picked them both up like the weight was nothing. I wasn't sure if he'd meant to impress me, but it was impressive nonetheless.

  "Thanks," I told the man.

  His only response was a grunt before he turned and went back the way he'd come. The man seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Carter, quite the conversationalists, those two.

  "Shall we?" I pointed towards the door opposite from where we'd entered.

  "Don't we have to pay or something?" He turned like he was fully prepared to go track the man back down.

  "Carter," I stopped him. "I already took care of it."

  "Next time it's my turn to pay, then."

  I gave him a gentle pat on the chest. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. Let's see how the first date goes before you start planning a second one."

  My heart was racing as I slipped out the door ahead of him. I wasn't really sure that it was a date until I'd called it one. If I was being honest with myself—which I figured I ought to be—then I had to admit that it felt like a date.


  I hadn't been on a real, regular date since high school.

  Carter caught up with me quickly. No surprise, considering the size of him. He looked at me helplessly. I'd reverted him back to being speechless. I sent him a friendly wink to let him know that was okay.

  "Miniature ponies?" I asked, pointing in the direction I'd seen them wandering.

  "Yeah."

  We wandered for a while. Every time we reached a section of fencing, the animals hurried over to us. They very clearly knew exactly what the buckets Carter was carrying were for. At one point, a donkey managed to stick his head between the slats of the fence so he could shove his whole head down into the food bucket. I laughed when Carter had to wrestle the bucket away.

  Sometimes we talked about the animals while we pet and fed them. Sometimes we just enjoyed the quiet. I could tell it helped to melt some of Carter's stress away. When the buckets were light enough, I carried one so that we could hold hands.

  "How did you know I'd like this?" he asked later as he scratched a goat under its chin.

  I shrugged. "Just a hunch." Because animals didn't care whether you talked or not.

  He put his arm around my shoulders and tugged me closer to him. "Did you mean it when you said this was a date?"

  I leaned into him, curling myself closer to his chest. My hands reached out for him without a thought. "Of course. You didn't say anything. I was starting to think maybe you hadn't heard me."

  "I always hear you," he whispered.

  I looked up at him from under my eyelashes. Beneath my hands, I could feel the unsteady beat of his heart. Amusement struck me as I realized how in sync it felt with my own.

  "I—" Whatever I'd been prepared to say died in my throat as Carter gently pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.

  That one simple touch was electric. All thoughts of fighting my attraction to the man in front of me fled. My hands slid further up, leaving his chest to grasp his shoulders. I marveled at how petite my hands looked against his bulky upper body.

  And then we were kissing.

  I wasn't sure how it happened—who'd leaned in first. All I knew was that the taste of him made my head go foggy.

  His lips were soft on mine at first, but then progressively our mouths began to meet more aggressively. The fight for control we'd been having for weeks was finally culminating in our passionate embrace. His hands rose to tangle in my hair, drawing me more firmly into him.

  My toes curled inside my boots as a shot of heat ran through me straight to my core. It felt like he was lighting me on fire from the inside out. His hands drifted down my back, dangerously close to my ass. The extra touches were like throwing on gasoline.

  "Hey!" he shouted suddenly, pulling away.

  My eyes flew open just in time to see him trying to pull away from the camel that had latched onto the back of his shirt. Carter had somehow ended up with his back to the fence, and the camel had decided to take advantage.

  I broke into laughter so hard that it brought tears to my eyes. When Carter finally managed to tug himself lose, he glared at me, but there was humor in his eyes.

  "Oh, you think that's funny, huh?"

  He stared me down with a predatory gleam in his eye. I yelped and turned to run. I wasn't sure why I'd even attempted it because Carter was literally a top-tier athlete. He caught me easily, pulling me down to the ground. I grabbed my sides, aching from how hard I was laughing as he pressed us both into the dirt.

  My laughter died off when he kissed me again. As we proceeded to roll around in the dirt, I tried to ignore the guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach. There were so many things I hadn't told him. Things that would change everything if he knew.

  "What are you thinking about?" he pulled back to ask.

  I wasn't ready to tell him. "Just wondering how much it's gonna cost me to get my car detailed after this," I joked instead.

  I didn't have to tell him, I reasoned with myself. At least not yet.

  11

  Carter

  I stood back against the shadow of the house as I waited for Wren to show up. Usually, when our house threw parties I made myself scarce, but this time I'd invited Wren. A giant banner someone had strung across the top of our covered porch announced FALL FOOTBALL PARTY. As I waited, I stared at the way the wind made the bottom of the banner flap around.

  A group of younger players was working the door. I'd already warned them to be on the lookout for Wren's copper hair, but she hadn't shown up yet. I was starting to get paranoid that she wouldn't.

  "You okay?" I turned to see Travis staring at me.

  "Yeah."

  "Waiting for Wren?"

  I shifted uncomfortably. I knew Travis and Wren had class together. I'd seen them on campus together, and she'd mentioned a project they were working on together.

  "Yeah," I said again.

  "Cool." Travis made himself comfortable as he leaned against the house next to me.

  He seemed content to wait silently with me, which was a relief. At least he wasn't expecting me to keep up a conversation. I wondered if he was waiting for Wren, too. I was talking myself into sucking it up and asking when the approach of a loud voice broke my concentration.

  "Yeah, these parties are super hard to get into. They're very exclusive. If you stick with me, though, I can probably get you in." Something about that voice was familiar.

  I turned just in time to see Wren nodding absently along as the guy next to her kept rambling. It was that frat guy from opening weekend. Wren didn't look thrilled to have him walking next to her. When his hand suddenly snaked its way around her waist, I saw red.

  I pushed away from the siding of the house and stepped out to meet Wren on the sidewalk. She'd already pulled out of the guy's grasp. My murderous expression sent him stepping back away from Wren.

  "Hey," Wren greeted me gently. She tugged at my shirt, trying to draw my attention back to her.

  I looked right over the top of her head to the frat boy still standing there. He had the nerve to have his eyes on Wren's ass. "Back off," I growled out.

  The guy tripped all over himself in his sudden hurry to get away.

  "Guess he didn't want to come to the party after all," Travis joked. He'd followed me out to the sidewalk.

  I could only imagine what sort of rumors would be started about me by the next day. Wren pinched my side, forcing my attention to move to her.

  "He's a jerk. Don't worry about it."

  Travis watched with vested interest in the way Wren's voice soothed my anger. I tried not to feel self-conscious about it. Let him think what he wanted.

  He surprised me when he said, "The two of you look good together." Then, he moved on as if he hadn't mentioned it. "Now, I have it on good authority that there's a beer pong tournament happening in the basement."

  Wren's eyes lit up. "I am pretty good at beer pong." She looked to me for approval. Not wanting to let her down, I forced myself to smile and nod.

  It wasn't until we were actually downstairs waiting for our round to start that I whispered to Wren, "I've never played before."

  "How is that possible?" She gaped at me. "You live in a house full of guys and you all have never played beer pong before?"

  My eyes skimmed over the setup. The table was a modified ping-pong table, the net long-since discarded. Red plastic cups were set up in a triangle on opposing sides of the table. I'd been forced to sit through enough teen comedies with my sister that the set-up was at least familiar.

  "They play all the time, but I've never played with them."

  Wren smiled, showing off the whites of her teeth. "So, basically what you're saying is that this is a sport that I'm going to be better at than you?"

  "I wouldn't exactly call this a sport."

  She gasped and tugged on my shirt collar to pull me down to her height. "You take that back."

  "No way."

  She pressed a quick kiss to my mouth. "Please?"

  "Nuh-uh."

  She kissed
me again, even quicker the second time.

  "Okay, I take it back," I conceded. "This is a sport and you're gonna kick my ass at it."

  Her hair swung around wildly as she laughed. "Much better."

  And then she was kissing me for real. Her full lips tasted like cherries on mine. I knew it had to be because of her chapstick, and I hoped she never stopped using it. Her mouth languidly explored my own.

  People were talking about us. "Is that girl seriously kissing Carter Scott? Does she know he's basically a mute?"

  I started to pull away but Wren held me tighter. She kept kissing me until I forgot what other people were saying. Until I forgot there were even other people in the room.

  Her hand grabbed a fistful of my shirt. We couldn't actually get any closer, but that didn't stop her from trying. The kiss wasn't as frantic as the one we'd shared at the petting zoo. Instead, our second kiss was more leisurely.

  "Hey, lovebirds, you're up," Travis interrupted.

  Wren pulled away and shot me a too-innocent smile that instantly put me on guard. Sure enough, a few seconds later she suggested, "Let's play a boys versus girls round. Travis and Carter can be on a team." She quickly turned a retrieved a teammate for herself from out of the crowd.

  "Don't look so horrified, dude. I'm pretty decent." Travis patted me on the back as if that was comforting.

  "I'm probably gonna suck," I admitted. "Sorry."

  "I should be the one saying sorry."

  "Why?"

  "I'm a designated driver tonight. No drinking for me." He laughed at my blank stare. "That means you're drinking for the both of us, mate!"

  "Great," I grumbled.

  Wren piped up, "Let's just play a sober round." Some of the spectators booed her suggestion, but she waved them off.

  It was impressive how little she cared. Personally, I would have been perfectly fine standing on my side of the table in silence, but Wren was watching me. She'd forced me with Travis to try to push me out of my comfort zone. It was a cheap trick, but one that worked.