Perfect For You

by Ashelyn Drake

  “Hey.” Ash lifts my chin. “I’m going to do everything I can to be there for you. What’s the worst Coach can do to me? He’s not going to bench his best player this close to Saturday’s game.”

  I force a smile. “Great.”

  Ash walks me to the locker room and kisses me goodbye. “Does ‘break a leg’ work for tennis?”

  “Not really. I can’t play with a broken leg.”

  “Okay. How about break her leg?”

  I smile, which is exactly what he was hoping for.

  “I love you, Meg.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He kisses me again before turning in the direction of the guys’ locker room. I stare after him, but Noah is standing in the gym. I’m sure he heard everything. Heard me say the L-word. Our eyes meet, and all he does is smile. Strange. I turn and head inside the locker room to avoid the awkwardness.

  ***

  Noah jogs over to the courts, just in time for the start of my match. He catches my eye as I step up to the service line. “It’s all you, Flannigan.”

  I smile, something I never thought I’d be able to do at the start of a match against Kendall Mercer. I’m ready, confident. I take the first set easily, and I’m about to finish off the match when I hear Ash yell, “Yeah, Meg!”

  I look up to see the entire football team running in place and cheering for me. My eyes fly over to Noah, waiting for Ash to notice him. Kendall serves, and the ball whizzes past my head. I wasn’t even paying attention. I’m about to call her on it, but Ash turns to Noah. Oh, crap! Don’t do this now. Don’t get into a fight in the middle of my match.

  “Time out for a sec,” I yell to Kendall, putting my hand up in the air.

  “Are you hurt?” she asks. That’s really the only reason a player can stop in the middle of a game. Otherwise, the coaches are supposed to call the time-outs.

  “I’m not sure,” I lie. I pretend to hobble a little, making my way over to the fence around the court and leaning against it.

  Ash jogs down to meet me. “Are you okay?” he asks, but I can see he has other things on his mind. Namely Noah.

  “I think so. I twisted my ankle.” I’m playing the sympathy card, but I don’t know what else to do.

  “Do you want me to call Coach Moyers over?”

  “No. I don’t want to worry him. I just need a minute.”

  Ash lowers his eyes and grips the fence. “What’s he doing here, Meg?”

  “Who?” I’ve never been good at playing dumb.

  “Who do you think?”

  “He wants to support me.”

  “You think he’s strictly here as a tennis fan?” Ash’s eyes burn into me.

  “No. He’s my friend.”

  “Your friend? You haven’t seen him since the water park, right?”

  “Yeah. I mean, no. I mean, right.” Yeah, stutter, that should help the situation.

  “Is your ankle okay?” He points to my foot, which is holding me up with no problem at all. “Because I need to get these guys back over to the practice field before Coach kicks my ass.”

  “Yeah. I’m good.”

  “Good luck.”

  I reach for his hand, but he pulls his fingers from the fence and turns away, heading back up the hill. He didn’t say it, but I know we’ll be talking more about Noah later. Now’s just not the time, and Ash gets that. I can’t blow this match over boy drama. Jackson lags behind the rest of the team to glare at me. I’m on his shit list again.

  Kendall’s coach approaches me. “What’s the hold up? Do you need the trainer?”

  “No.” I shake my head. “I twisted my ankle, but I’m okay. I can play.”

  “Good. Then let’s get this match back on track. The pause in play is distracting my player.” Does he really think that’s why she’s losing? Because I’m slowing up the match?

  “Sure thing.” I smile at him, ready to show him exactly why Kendall is losing. Only I blow the next three points.

  “Come on, Meg,” Noah yells. “Stick to your plan. You can win this. Get him out of your head.” He thinks Ash is the problem. Maybe he’s right. I was doing great until Ash and the football team came along.

  I need to forget about Ash and Noah right now. I force all thoughts from my mind and get back in the game. I focus on making Kendall volley, knowing I can win points that way. I bring her to the net, point after point. One of my shots almost hits her in the head, and she yells and steps aside to avoid getting hit.

  Noah is laughing up a storm, and I’m tempted to join him. I have this match in the bag, but I keep my excitement inside so I don’t get called on poor sportsmanship. Match point comes, and I can already feel the win. My confidence is soaring, and I can’t help feeling that it’s because Noah is here cheering for me. I win the point and the match.

  “Yes!” I jump up and down. Noah’s on his feet and screaming. I jog to the net to shake Kendall’s hand. “Good game.”

  “Yeah, you too.” Her voice is full of disappointment. I have to give her credit. I’d be in tears right now if I’d lost. I motion for her to exit the court first. I don’t want her to have to see me celebrate right in front of her. Still, I deserve to celebrate.

  I rush over to the little hill where Noah is waiting for me. He’s all smiles and holds his arms out. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. I run into his arms, and he spins me around. I’m flying. Between the win and Noah being here, I’m in heaven.

  Until I see Ash walking over to us.

  Chapter Nine

  “You were amazing,” Noah says, his lips brushing my ear.

  I tap his shoulder. “Could you put me down, please?” My eyes are locked on Ash, who’s getting closer by the second and not at all happy about seeing me in Noah’s arms.

  Noah sets me down and turns, following my gaze. He doesn’t look at Ash for long. “Guess that’s my cue to leave.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Great job again. I knew you could do it. We’ll talk more later.”

  “Thanks. For everything. I couldn’t have beaten her without your help.”

  He smiles as he walks away, not even looking in Ash’s direction, and I’m thankful for that. The last thing I need is Ash getting kicked off the team for fighting with Noah.

  “Hey.” I rush up to him, forcing a smile on my face. “I won!” I go to hug him, but he grabs my arms, not letting me get any closer.

  “I don’t even know where to start, Meg.” His hands shake as they hold my arms. “First I see him here, which makes no sense to me because I thought you two stopped hanging out. Then, I rush over here to catch the end of your match and I find you with your arms wrapped around him.” He lets go of me, like he can’t stand to touch me after I hugged Noah.

  “Ash, it was nothing. Noah came to support me because he’s a good friend.”

  “A good friend?” Ash is practically yelling, and people are starting to stare.

  I pull him toward the track and away from all the listening ears. “What do you want me to say? He told me Kendall’s weakness. He told me what to do to beat her, and he was right. Besides, it’s not like I could ask him to leave. The match is open to the public, and I was too busy focusing on beating Kendall to even think about Noah being here.” Not entirely true. I liked having Noah here. He gave me the confidence I needed to win. And it’s nice having someone who understands tennis to talk to. Someone other than Grayson or the other girls on the team. Ash is always busy with football. I got him to play tennis once, but he couldn’t get the hang of it, and he never asked to practice with me again after that.

  Ash runs his fingers through his hair and stares out at the courts. I have no idea how my teammates are doing. I should be there cheering on Grayson. It’s her first varsity match, and I know she’s nervous.

  “Ash, I have to get back to my team. If I’m not there to support them, Coach is going to be pissed.”

  “What about me? Don’t you care that I’m pissed?” His eyes are red, and I’m not sure if it’s from ange
r or if…“I feel like I’m losing you, Meg.”

  “What?” I reach for his hands, not letting him push me away this time. “Ash, no. I’m not going anywhere. Noah is just a friend. That’s it.”

  “I don’t get it. He’s totally into you, and you’re either too naïve to see it or you like his attention and won’t set him straight.”

  Ouch. Neither of those options sounds like something I want to admit to. I let go of his hands and reach for his waist, pulling my body up against his. “Ash, I’m with you. I only want you. Maybe Noah does like me, but it doesn’t really matter. I love you.”

  He sighs and lowers his head, resting his forehead on mine. “I don’t want him to come between us.”

  “Then don’t let him.” I reach up and kiss him, softly at first, but his hands wrap around me and he deepens the kiss. I can feel all of his insecurity, his fear, his anger. All caused by me. I have to make it go away. He’s so good to me, and he doesn’t deserve to feel this way. We back up, getting lost under the cover of the bleachers. We’re a tangle of limbs. Ash’s lips move across my face to my neck, making me moan.

  “Meg?” Jess’s voice is a loud whisper. She must be finished with her match.

  I pull away from Ash, but he doesn’t want to let me go. “It’s Jess. Coach must have noticed I took off. He’ll kill me if I don’t get back to the courts.”

  Ash groans in protest.

  “Come with me.” I tug his arm, practically dragging him out from under the bleachers.

  Jess is rounding the bleachers when we come into view. “There you are. Moyers is going to flip his toupee if you don’t get back to the courts. I covered for you and said you ran to the bathroom. Girl stuff. That shut him up, but if you don’t show up soon…”

  “Got it. Thanks.” I reach for her arm. “How did you do?” Jess should be a guaranteed win, but you never know.

  “I won. Grayson and Leanne aren’t doing so well though.”

  I nod and take off running toward the courts. Ash jogs next to me, still holding my hand. I wonder if he’ll ever let go.

  We take a seat on the grass by Grayson and Leanne’s court. “Come on, Gray!” I call. She’s getting ready to serve. “Remember what we practiced!” Without looking my way, she nods and tosses the ball in the air.

  Ash wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer. Jess smiles at us. “You guys are too cute.” We kind of are. We’re perfect together. So why can’t I get Noah out of my mind? I hate feeling this way. I hate betraying Ash. Even if I’m not physically cheating on him, it’s still wrong that I feel this way. It’s wrong that I like Noah’s attention. I like the way he looks at me. I like the way he smiles at me with that dimple that’s sexy as hell. I don’t know what to make of my feelings for Noah. Can I really have feelings for both Ash and Noah at the same time? Or does it all come back to Derrick and how Noah reminds me of him?

  Ash rubs my knee. “I think Gray just might pull out a win, now that you’re here to cheer her on.” Maybe I can explain this to him. Maybe he’ll understand that I feel the same way about Noah being here for me. No. That would only hurt him more. He’d be jealous that he can’t do that for me.

  “She’s doing great,” I say, deciding to leave Noah out of it. I don’t want to fight.

  Ash and I cuddle for the rest of the match, focusing on cheering Grayson and Leanne to victory, which they finally pull off.

  Grayson comes off the court and throws her arms around me, tackling me to the ground. I laugh. Her excitement is contagious. “Did you see me? My serve was on fire!”

  “I saw. Great job, Gray. I’m really proud of you.”

  She rolls off me and lies in the grass. Coach Moyers walks over to us. “Great job today, ladies. You stepped up and did what we needed you to do.”

  “Thanks, Coach,” Grayson and I say in unison, which only makes us giggle more.

  Coach Moyers shakes his head. Sometimes I wonder if he dreads the start of the girls’ tennis season. Coaching a bunch of girls who are giggly one minute and PMSing the next can’t be easy for a middle-aged man.

  “We totally need to celebrate!” Grayson squeezes my hand. “Let’s go out. The diner is open, and I’m starving. I want a huge slice of cheesecake.”

  I look at Ash. He definitely needs some quality time together after the incident with Noah, but Gray needs me, too. I’m torn. Ash shrugs. “Let’s go to the diner.” He leans in and whispers, “But I get you to myself afterward.”

  I kiss his cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  He blushes. That’s the great thing about Ash. He has no clue how great he is. He’s not cocky. He doesn’t have to try to do the right thing. He’s just…perfect.

  “You two aren’t going to be all touchy feely, are you?” Grayson whines.

  Ash whips out his cell. “How about I text Tucker and have him meet us there?” Yup, he’s totally perfect.

  Grayson’s eyes light up. “I’m going to the locker room to freshen up.” She gets up and stares at me like I should be moving, too. “Coming?”

  “Oh, um, okay.” I squeeze Ash’s bicep while he texts Tucker. “Be right back.”

  “I’ll be here.” He smiles and my heart melts. How can I want anyone but him? I must be losing my mind.

  Gray and I walk to the locker room with our arms linked. “I can’t believe how totally awesome I feel!” Her voice is squeaky and high-pitched.

  “You’re on a tennis high. Nice, right?”

  “Nice? It’s incredible. My first varsity match and I take down the best team in the league.” Gray reenacts the final game of her match for me, letting go of my arm in order to pretend she’s swinging the racket. It’s cute how excited she is, and I can’t help but feel proud of her.

  We head into the locker room, but someone grabs my arm from behind, pulling me into the trainer’s office between the girls’ and boys’ locker rooms. I’m about to protest when a hand slips over my mouth. Noah. I stare at him, noticing how my pulse is still racing even though I know who it is now. Because I know who it is. He lowers his hand and smiles at me.

  “You’re still here?” I ask.

  “Nah, you’re dreaming about me.” His dimple makes an appearance.

  I cross my arms. “You think I dream about you?” I scoff, not at all meaning it, but he leans closer.

  “Yes, I do.” His voice is barely a whisper, and it sends chills running down my back, arms, and legs.

  I push him back, but not forcefully. Just lightly enough so he knows I don’t want him that close. “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”

  “Am I?” He cocks an eyebrow. “I’ve never popped up in your dreams? Not even once?”

  “I don’t remember my dreams.” Lie. I drop my arms and try to move away from the wall where he has me pinned, but he reaches for my right shoulder and starts massaging it. “What are you doing?” I ask, but I don’t stop him.

  “You should ice after every match, practices too actually. And massage your shoulder. It will keep knots from forming.”

  “Oh, so you’re just looking out for my well-being, not trying to cop a feel?” Where is this boldness coming from?

  He smirks. “If I was trying to cop a feel, I wouldn’t be touching your shoulder.”

  Now I step away. This is getting too uncomfortable. “I have to go. I have plans with Grayson and Ash.”

  Noah nods. “Group thing like we had at the water park?”

  Is he trying to equate what I have with Ash to whatever this is between him and me? “No. Only dinner is a group thing. Ash and I are hanging out alone after that.” Good. I’m being clear that I’m with Ash. This is what I need to do. Let Noah know that he and I can only be friends.

  Except Noah smiles. Not the reaction I’m expecting. “He wasn’t too happy to see you in my arms after the match.”

  “Put yourself in his shoes.”

  “I’m not sure I want to.”

  “What does that mean?” I narrow my eyes at him, waiting for an
explanation.

  “Sure, he’s dating you and gets certain…benefits because of it.” He steps toward me, brushing a stray hair out of my face. His touch gives me chills. “But, things can’t be all that good if you’re here with me now.”

  I back away. “You dragged me in here. It’s not like I had a choice.”

  “You always have a choice. I told you I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. You ran into my arms after the match. You could’ve walked right back out of this empty trainer’s office, but you didn’t. You don’t have to let me touch you like this.” He runs his finger down my cheek. “But you do. Because you like me.”

  Holy crap. He’s right. I let him do all those things. I could stop him. I could make him leave me alone, but I’m not. “Noah, I—”

  He leans in close so our lips are only inches apart. “If you love Ash so much, why are you hanging out with me? Why aren’t you telling me to go away? Why aren’t you going to stop me from kissing you right now?”

  Chapter Ten

  I freeze. His lips are moving in slow motion toward me. He’s giving me the chance to say no. Say no! Say no!

  “Noah.” That’s all I can manage.

  He pulls away. My head leans back against the wall, and I close my eyes. What am I doing? I look at him, begging for answers. “Why didn’t you kiss me?” I’m not complaining that he didn’t do it. I just want to know why he didn’t do it. I mean, I didn’t exactly say no.

  “I told you. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. You wouldn’t have stopped me. I think you would’ve even kissed me back. But that’s not how I want to kiss you. I want you to want to kiss me.”

  What if I do? “I have to go.” I turn and run from the office, bumping right into Grayson.

  “Ow! Watch my hair. I just fixed it.” She looks at me, the horror on my face registering. “Where were you? Are you okay?”