by L A Cotton
“This is it.” He lurched forward. “Dodge... that’s it, El... reverse pivot...” His fist clenched. “Layup, hit the—YES!” Zach was out of his seat again cheering Jasmine’s name as she celebrated with her team.
I gave up after that. Zach only grew more animated and excited as the Steinbeck High Sabers took the lead.
And when the final whistle blew, declaring them the winners, Zach was the first one on the court, congratulating them.
“Are you nervous?” Jasmine asked Zach, tucking into her chocolate sundae. It was our post-game ritual. Win or lose, we always got ice cream at Flippers after a game.
“Nervous? Is that a joke?” Zach scoffed. “We had one of the best seasons on record.”
“Yeah, but it’s the final four. Duke, Auburn, and Purdue are all looking—”
“Don’t say it.” He jabbed his spoon in her direction.
“Whatever, man,” she chuckled. “I’m just saying, you sound mighty sure of yourself.”
Zach licked the last drop of ice cream off his spoon and threw it into the glass, slinging his arm over the back of my chair. “It’s ours, it has to be. For Dec.”
Sadness washed over Jasmine. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re totally right. It’s for Declan, no way you won’t bring it home.”
I dropped my hand to Zach’s knee and squeezed gently. It had been almost three months since Zach’s parents had made the heart wrenching decision to switch off Declan’s life support. They’d wanted one last Christmas with their eldest son, and they’d gotten it.
Tim had taken it the hardest, but after Declan’s latest round of MRI scans, the doctors had confirmed what nobody wanted to believe: the damage to his brain was too extensive.
Zach had been surprisingly strong throughout the whole ordeal. Not long after we made our relationship official, we’d both visited his brother. Zach had taken some time to tell him about us, about the team, and Jasmine, and then with me nestled into his side, he’d said goodbye.
He’d made his peace with it, even if it took his parents a little while longer.
Leaning down, Zach brushed his lips over mine, completely ignoring Jasmine’s gagging sounds.
“I love you,” he whispered, the words affecting me as much now as they always had.
“I love you too.” I laid my palm on his cheek, running my thumb over the corner of his mouth. “But you need to behave while we’re on Elsa duty.”
“Heard that,” she muttered.
“Guess it’s time to return Elsa to her castle then.” Zach winked at her.
“One day, I’m not going to be a kid anymore and I’ll be able to tell you exactly what I’m thinking.”
“You’re fifteen. Still plenty of time to be a kid.”
“Cantaloupe, a little help here?”
It was a standing joke now. Zach called Jasmine ‘Elsa’, and she called me ‘Cantaloupe’.
“You’re on your own with this one, Jas, sorry.”
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “One day, Zach... I’m warning you.”
“I’m shaking in my boots.”
“You are such a dork.”
“Now that, we can agree on.” I held up my hand and she high fived me across the table.
“Oh crap, is that the time?” Jasmine checked her cell. “I need to get home anyway. Macauley Denver is picking me up at eight.”
“Macauley Denver? Who the fu—who the hell is Macauley Denver?”
“Just a friend.” She gave a little shrug as if it was no big deal.
“Doesn’t sound like a friend to me, El.” Zach practically growled the words. “It sounds like a boy, that’s what it sounds like.”
“Yeah, so? We’re friends.”
“And just how old is this Macauley?”
“He’s sixteen, he’s in tenth grade.”
“Oh, hell no. Does your mom and dad know about this?”
“They know, not that it’s any of their business…”
“Have they talked to you about the birds and—”
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” I clapped a hand over Zach’s mouth. “Remember what we talked about?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I remember.” The words were muffled against my palm.
“We can’t overstep.”
He nodded, and I slipped my hand away. “We have to stick to the rules, Zach. Freya made it very clear, we—you—can’t keep overstepping.”
“Got it, I got it.” He pouted.
Jasmine’s shoulders shook with quiet laughter. “You should see your face.”
“You should see Macauley’s face after I’m done with him should he ever lay a—”
“Zach!”
“What? She’s fifteen. I know what kids that age are like. Remember what we were like?”
“That’s different.” My cheeks pinked.
“No, it isn’t.”
“This is fun and all,” Jasmine said, “but I have a date.”
“See,” Zach muttered. “It’s a date. She called it a date.”
“Jasmine, let’s go.” I stood up. “We’ll leave the crazy man here.”
“I think that’s the best idea you’ve ever had.” She followed me up.
“Very funny, you two. Is it so wrong that I care?” He glanced between us and I felt my resolve slip.
I actually loved that he cared so fiercely. But Jasmine wasn’t our kid. She wasn’t even my little sister anymore, not officially. But we hung out still. Her parents were still as flaky as ever, something Zach and I had a wealth of experience in.
“No, it’s very chivalrous of you.”
“I dig it.” Jasmine shrugged. “But I’m still going out with Macauley.”
“What time did you say he was picking you up? Maybe I should stick around to meet—”
Jasmine strolled up to him and laid her hand on his shoulder, and said, “It’s going to be okay, Messiah.” She took off toward the door while Zach gawked after her.
“Did I just get schooled by a ninth grader?”
“Yeah, babe.” I fought a smile. “I think you did.”
Zach
“Where do you think you’re going?” I snagged Calli around the waist and pulled her back against my chest. Sweeping the hair off her shoulder, I peppered tiny kisses there, dragging my tongue up the slope of her neck to nip her jaw.
“I wanted to unpack,” she said.
“Unpack?”
“Babe, I just spent hours cooped up on a bus with a bunch of guys and you think now is the time to unpack?”
The journey from Steinbeck to Phoenix had been almost seven hours. We’d been up at the ass crack of dawn to head to the location of the final weekend of March Madness, being held at State Farm Stadium.
Calli had traveled behind with her dad, Josie, and Josie’s parents.
“Seriously, you want to talk rides from hell?” she grumbled. “I had to listen to my dad and Mr. Molineux talk about the tournament for seven freakin’ hours.” She turned in my arms staring up at me with those big whiskey eyes of hers. “I love you, Zach, and I love the team, but nobody, and I mean nobody, needs to listen to basketball talk for that long.”
Laughter rumbled in my chest as I pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “You did a good thing letting him travel with you and the Molineux family.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t like I could just let him come alone.”
Calli and her old man were a work in progress. They’d tried to repair their damaged relationship over the last five months, but some scars were simply too deep to heal. They were civil, and we visited the house sometimes with Callum and his new girlfriend, but Calli had made her peace with never having the father she’d wanted.
“God, I love you.” I ran my knuckles down her cheeks. Our relationship had only gone from strength to strength. Calli was my biggest supporter. She handled the team and their bullshit with nothing but grace and a smile, and they loved her right back.
Sometimes a little too much for my liking.
Her fingers curled into my jersey, yanking me closer. “It’s a good thing, Messiah, because I am completely gone for you.”
“You love me, sweet pea?”
“I don’t love you, Zach.” She smirked. It had become our thing over the last few weeks. For her to repeat the words that had ruined us the first time around. “Because I love you couldn’t possibly do justice to the way I feel about you.”
“You are amazing, Calliope James. And you’re mine.” So fucking mine.
Her lips curved, but I didn’t give her time to respond, crashing my mouth down on hers and taking what I needed.
What I’d always need.
I’d loved this girl since I was fifteen. And I’d love her forever more if she let me.
We stumbled our way to the bedroom, both of us unwilling to break the kiss. Our tongues tangled together with easy familiarity, but the heat never subsided. The second Calli touched me, she set off a wildfire inside me.
Only ever her.
“We have the dinner,” she murmured against my lips. “We can’t be late.”
“We’ll be quick, but I need you, sweet pea.” My hands were already tugging at her clothes. I needed her naked and writhing beneath me. Or maybe on top of me, her riding me while I lay back and—
“Zach.” She tapped my cheek. “Where’d you go just now?”
“Less talking, more undressing.” I made quick work of stripping her before starting on my own clothes. The second my jeans hit the floor, I dived for her, tackling Calli to the bed in a whoosh of laughter and limbs.
I stared down at the girl I loved more than anything in the entire world.
“What?” she whispered, her eyes twinkling with adoration.
“You, Calli.” I rocked into her without warning, making us both cry out. She gripped my shoulders, shuddering beneath me. Her soft fingers gripped my jaw, bringing my face level with hers.
“You’re going to win, Zach. For Declan. For the team… For you.”
I touched my head against hers, breathing her in, gently sliding in and out of her wet heat.
I wanted it, I wanted it so fucking much. To bring the team victory. To honor my brother the only way I knew how. But no matter what happened this weekend, I’d already won.
I had my girl by my side, and we had our whole lives ahead of us.
Anything else was just the icing on the cake.
Calli
“There you are,” Josie hurried over to us the second we stepped into the restaurant Coach and his team had reserved.
“Hey.” I hugged her back. “We, uh... we lost track of time.”
“I bet you did.” She gave me a knowing smile. “Everyone’s already here.”
“Okay, lead the way.”
My best friend led us to the back of the restaurant and into a private dining room, full of the team and their families. Big round tables had been laid out much like a wedding, dressed with red, white, and black balloons.
“It’s fancy,” I whispered to Zach who had an iron grip on my waist.
Callum caught my eye and beckoned us over, while Josie took her seat with Joel and her parents. I noticed she’d chosen a chair which meant she had her back to Brad.
Things had gone south with them after the exhibition game. Five months later, they still couldn’t be in the same room together without things getting prickly. It made our lives interesting, given she was my best friend and Brad was one of Zach’s closest friends.
My father and Callum rose, as did Zach’s dad.
“Sweetheart, you look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I gave him a kiss on the cheek. It still felt strange accepting his compliments. In truth, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it. But I was trying.
“Sis, get over here.” Callum pulled me into his arms, and I hugged him back. Things were easier between us, better than they had ever been. And he and Zach had become fast friends. Losing Declan had tethered them, but they had both come out of it stronger.
And my brother had found love. Jessa wasn’t just a beautiful person, she was a beautiful soul.
“You look... shit, Calli. You grew up good.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” I smiled up at him. “Ready for this weekend?”
“I think so.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But whatever happens, I’m glad you’re here. It feels right.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
We all took our seats and waited for Coach Baxter to take center stage. Usually, teams celebrated after the tournament, but Coach had wanted to do something special to commemorate Declan.
He stood up and the room ushered into silence.
Zach gripped my hand and my eyes slid to his. “Okay?” I mouthed.
He nodded, emotion glittering in his gaze.
I knew what this weekend meant to him, we all did. But whatever happened, he’d done himself proud. He’d done the team proud.
And whether he’d wanted it or not, he’d done his family proud.
“Last season, I honestly didn’t know if we’d be here again this year. The team took a big hit,” Coach Baxter inhaled a ragged breath. “We were still reeling from Maverick’s accident when we got the news that Declan had... wow,” he let out a long steady breath, “it doesn’t get easier. Declan Messiah was the heart of this team. He stepped up when we lost Maverick and he refused to accept less than our best.” He took a big sip of his drink.
“I think we hoped for a miracle. Deep down, we all hoped to see Declan here for this. He deserved it. God knows, he deserved so much more. But it wasn’t to be. Declan might be gone but he will never be forgotten. His spirit will live on through the young men who move through the ranks of this team. And when we go out there tomorrow, we will play for him. So I’d like to take this opportunity to raise my glass to Declan.”
“Declan.” His name rippled around us, as I tucked myself into Zach’s side. He kissed my hair before giving me a small smile.
Despite everything that had happened, he’d chosen SU. He’d chosen to pursue basketball because it was a part of him as much as it had been a part of Declan. Things weren’t perfect. He and his dad still butted heads. Their relationship was still strained. But the Messiahs were healing. Slowly, they were finding their way. A new way. We had dinner with them every other week and I loved listen to his mom and dad tell stories about Declan and Zach as small boys. And then, after we left, I would love Zach with my body and words, reminding him that he was worthy. That to me, he would always be the most important person in the world.
He was my sun and I always wanted to be in his light. And when things got hard, when the pain or grief or self-doubt became too much to bear, I would be his star, lighting the way.
“I love you, Zachary Messiah,” I whispered against his ear. “I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ll love you to the end.”
“The end?” He slid his finger under my jaw and angled my face to his, staring into my eyes. “That sounds a lot like forever.”
I pressed my lips together, suppressing a smile.
“Say it, sweet pea.” He ghosted his lips over mine, not caring that we were surrounded by our friends and families. We were done letting other people dictate our relationship.
I loved Zach.
And he loved me.
“Use your words, Calli. Say it.”
It was a game we played. A game of who would break first. But there was no hesitation this time when I curled my arm around his shoulder and kissed him.
“Forever, Zach. I want forever.”
Zach
I’d spent a long time angry at the world. Angry at my dad, my brother… the people around me who only ever saw him. His achievements, his potential. I’d spent my entire childhood in Declan’s shadow. But as I stood there, under the harsh glare of the lights in the State Farm Stadium, I didn’t feel angry. I felt determined. This game wasn’t only for me, or the guys, or Coach and the fans, it was for Declan.
And I’d made my peace with t
hat.
We were tied at the end of the second half with twenty seconds left on the clock. It had been a grueling forty minutes. Purdue scored, we scored right back. Back and forth. Back and forth. My legs and arms ached, and my lungs burned. But we had time for one last play.
I pulled up my jersey and wiped the sweat from my face. “We’ve got this,” I mouthed to my teammates.
Brad was on the baseline, ready to run the play. My body hummed with awareness as I slowed my breathing, waiting for the whistle. The second it sounded, I jogged into place. Brad threw the ball to Devin who cut around the defense with precision and power, looking up for his receiving player. It all happened so fast. One second, I was watching the play unfold, the next I was cradling the ball in my hand and leaping into the air, my wrist snapping. The ball flew… sailing clean through the hoop.
The buzzer sounded and the crowd went wild.
Before I could realize what was happening, my team swarmed me, chanting my name. Not Messiah.
Zach.
Zach. Zach. Zach.
It rang loud in my ears as adrenaline raced through me.
We’d done it.
We’d won the championship, and I’d scored the winning point.
I closed my eyes, tilting my head to the ceiling. We did it, Dec. We did it. Emotion lodged in my throat as my teammates jostled me, all high on the win. But when my eyes opened, I only saw one person.
Calli ran onto the court wearing my jersey, my fucking number, tears clinging to her long lashes. The guys parted like the sea, giving her a clear path to leap into my arms. “You did it,” she breathed, burying her face into the crook of my shoulder. “You did it.”
My hand went to the back of her neck, holding her there as I tried to rein in my emotions. She knew. Calli knew what this meant to me, what if meant to my family. She’d been there every step of the way. The ups, the downs, and the downright ugly, she’d been there.
“I love you, sweet pea.”
She lifted her head and took a shuddering breath. “I love you too, so much. And I’m so proud of you, Zach. So, so proud.”
