I smiled just at the thought of it. “That was epic. Coach Collins looked like she wanted to strangle you.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t blame her. I can be a moron sometimes,” he said, grinning.
I shook my head and put my coffee in the cup holder. “We should get home. And I can’t drink this and drive at the same time.”
Just as I set the cup down, Aaron stopped me, putting his hand on mine.
His fingers were rougher than mine and hot from the coffee. They sent a buzz of electricity through me.
Aaron pulled his hand away. I did the same.
Our eyes met, and I blinked but didn’t look away. “I just mean… it’s gonna get cold by the time we get there,” he said softly.
I finally tore my gaze away. One of us had to or who knew what would happen. So I picked up my drink again, and we sat there sipping on our coffees again.
I focused on taking careful sips and letting the chocolatey goodness warm me from the inside out so I wouldn’t spazz out. The truth was that I missed this. So much.
I missed the rare moments Aaron and I would have sometimes when David wasn’t around. When we could say anything, when he could look at me the way that had my heart stopping.
When his hand touched mine, and we didn’t have to worry.
These moments meant everything to me, and I’d forgotten that.
Like the minute or two after a football game ended and everyone was busy celebrating a win. I’d find Aaron and give him the biggest hug. And he’d hold onto me so tight.
Or the weekend mornings when it was perfectly cool outside. I’d lace up my sneakers and go outside for a walk, earbuds in.
Aaron knew I liked to go outside and walk or run before the rest of the world woke up. Sometimes he just waved while we mowed the grass. But other times, he’d wave me over and show me something cool like a chrysalis or a bird’s nest he’d found while doing yard work.
Or the times last semester when we’d walk to class together, laughing about one thing or another. Then he’d hold my gaze a little too long, and I’d find it hard to catch my breath.
Why couldn’t he be both my brother’s best friend and mine?
I turned to Aaron, wanting to savor this moment while it lasted. The truth was that I missed him already even though he was still sitting just a few inches away. “Tell me about basketball. How is it going?” I asked, determined to be present no matter what my brain said about keeping my distance.
He glanced at me nervously. “I don’t want to bore you.”
“You won’t,” I replied, giving him a reassuring grin. “Do you like it more than football?”
His honey-colored eyes crinkled a little when he smiled. Those perfect lips of his began moving, and I remembered to listen instead of just wonder what they would feel like on mine. “I’ve always liked football more, but I guess I always thought Ben was better. I mean, he is better. He was born to play. I usually have to work harder just to do half of what he can do.”
“That’s not true,” I said, swishing my drink a little to cool it. “I’ve seen you on the field during practices and games. You’re just as good. You just don’t believe in yourself sometimes. That’s all.”
He gave me a soft smile. “Thanks. I guess you’re right.”
I grinned and winked at him playfully. “I know I’m right.”
He laughed and went on, holding my gaze a little longer than usual. “I don’t know. I still love football and always will, but I’m liking basketball a lot more these days. Something about the pace of it. It’s always been good conditioning in between football seasons, but Coach thinks I’m really good. So I don’t know. Maybe basketball could be my thing.”
I met his eyes, thinking of how fast he ran down the court and effortlessly jumped to sink the ball into the net. “Maybe you’re right. There’s just something about you when you’re on the basketball court versus the football field. You’re not in Ben’s shadow anymore. You’re just you.”
He glanced away.
I felt my face go hot. Had I said too much? Morphed into a weirdo?
Aaron met my gaze again, serious. “I knew there was a reason I liked being around you.”
He paused and went on.
“It’s like when I’m alone, there’s always this voice, telling me why I’m not good enough, telling me that I’ll never be good enough compared to what my brothers can do. But you remind me that I am,” he finished, his voice low.
Butterflies fluttered around my chest and down to my stomach. I blinked and tried to recover from how he’d just made me feel. Like there was this intense connection between us. And there was. “Just telling it how I see it, Garcia,” I managed, wishing I could just wrap my arms around him and stay there forever.
I glanced at the time on the dash.
Uh oh. We had to get going before Dad got home from work, realized I wasn’t there, and sent the National Guard looking for me.
Plus he technically didn’t know about me giving Aaron rides home. Or Mom.
Mom might have noticed and been cool with it. Unless, she saw something really concerning, she trusted me. She wasn’t nearly as strict as Dad, but Dad would’ve made this mean all kinds of stuff. I would be in all kinds of trouble.
Never mind that I’d be 18 and a senior next year.
In college the year after that.
I was growing up, but not in his eyes.
As I turned the ignition and got us going, I couldn’t help but steal one more glance at Aaron.
I noticed the strong jawline and stubble starting to grow out under it.
We were all growing up.
And as much as I wanted to keep the line between friendship and more than that super clear between us, a bigger part of me just wanted him in my life.
Wanted these moments.
Wanted him as more than a friend.
Was that so bad?
9
The crowd in the stands stood up and cheered.
This had been the craziest basketball game of the season so far, and that was saying something.
I thought the ceiling might blow off the gym. That’s how loud everyone kept screaming and stomping.
Scarlett used her pom-poms to cover her ears. “Oh my gosh!” she mouthed to me.
“I know!” I mouthed back, smiling. It was awesome.
Even through the incredible amount of screams in the gym, we made sure our cheers and stomps were heard.
The whole cheer squad was probably going to wake up with sore throats tomorrow, but it would be worth it.
At the end of our next cheer—and the boys’ next play, I checked the scoreboard. Our boys’ varsity basketball team was leading by just two points, thanks to the basket that Aaron had just made from the three-point line.
David sat with his crutches on the bench, raising his fist in approval. “Yes! Yeah! That’s my best friend right there!”
I’d never seen him this riled up and happy before.
I turned back to the clock. The game was almost over. There were less than ten seconds left in the game, and we’d been down almost the whole time.
The team had struggled without David. They’d lost a couple of games without him. He was one of their better defensive players, but Aaron had been doing a great job tonight of carrying the team by scoring basket after basket.
He was shining as a player more and more with each game, and everyone could see that, from the coach to David and the rest of the team to everyone in the stands.
Aaron gave David a high five as he ran past.
The other team grabbed the ball. One of their players dribbled towards our side of the court.
I watched the clock and cheered, my voice lost in the yells and screams filling the gym.
Seven seconds.
Stomp, stomp with the rest of the squad.
Five.
They were going to go for the shot.
I froze with anticipation.
Three seconds.
; Their point guard faked one way then aimed for the basket. One of Aaron’s teammates raised his hand high to stop it, but it was too late.
The intense noise seemed to fade away or maybe it was just me.
One.
The ball hit the rim and bounced off.
One of the opposing players jumped high to sink it in but Aaron jumped higher and grabbed the ball first. He landed on his feet, immediately wrapping his arms around it to protect it.
The buzzer went off.
The crowd went absolutely wild.
The cheer squad joined the screams. I shook my pom-poms and ran the far sideline, opposite the crowd.
I dropped the pom-poms as I geared up for what I did best at games.
My legs powered me into a sprint, and then I lunged into a round-off and several backflips.
Finally, I landed square on my feet and pumped my fist into the air.
My stunt only added to the excitement. The entire basketball team, along with most of the crowd, got on their feet, somehow screaming even louder than they had been a few seconds ago.
After a couple of minutes, everyone began to settle down, but only slightly. Clearly, they were still full of adrenaline from that incredible end to the game.
I made it back to the squad, looking at Aaron and how many people surrounded him. His teammates, his friends, and coaches.
I’d never seen him that happy in his life.
I smiled. He deserved it. The limelight didn’t often shine on him.
Since it was the last game of the night, people began to mill about, and others began to file out of the gym, still chatting animatedly.
As they did, the cheer squad made up two lines near the locker rooms so we could congratulate the boys on their hard-earned win. We cheered and clapped as the basketball team walked in between us and into the locker room.
Aaron gave me a giant grin as he walked past me, and I high-fived him. David was the last one to hobble into the locker room. Despite being on crutches for a couple weeks, he couldn’t do much more than take a few baby steps without them.
“Great job, everyone,” I told the squad, clapping for them. I could see how tired they were. We headed to the locker room.
Within about twenty minutes, most of the gym had gone from full and rowdy to almost empty and kind of desolate.
I stepped out of the locker room, my stuff in tow. I had my uniform on still, but I’d let my hair down and freshened up after a sweaty couple of hours cheering.
Scarlett was right behind me. “Are we heading to Bobby’s or what’s the plan?”
I turned back to her. “Yeah, I think so. I think the boys are riding together. Want to ride with me?”
She nodded. “Yeah. That would be perfect. Mom’s out with a friend of hers so I thought we could hang out.”
I was sure David and Aaron and the rest of the boys were already outside or on their way. We’d meet them there.
We made our way to the parking lot. Once I got to David’s car, I searched for my phone. Uh oh. Maybe I had left it in the locker room. “I hope the gym isn’t locked yet,” I thought out loud. “My phone isn’t here.”
Scarlett sat in the passenger seat. “Want me to go with you?”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. I’ll be right back.”
I ran back, passing David and some of his friends. They were getting ready to leave themselves, but it looked like they were busy chatting and having a good time. David gave me a wave.
He’d been cool about me using his car since he still couldn’t drive.
Thankfully, the gym was still open. The lights were still on, but the coaches were bound to leave soon, so I had to hurry.
I found my phone just where I’d left it. On one of the benches.
Scarlett had already sent me a text.
Scarlett: Found it?
I shot her quick message as I left the locker room.
Rachel: On my way back!
“Hey,” I heard. I almost jumped, not expecting anyone else to be around.
It was Aaron. He had his gym bag too, but unlike me, he was no longer in his basketball uniform. Instead, he wore fitted jeans and a solid black long-sleeve shirt. He looked super handsome. I walked toward him, taking in the smell of his cologne.
“I thought you’d left,” I told him.
He shook his head. “Not yet. The guys are waiting for me.”
I held up my phone. “I forgot this so I had to come back.”
We walked to the double doors. One of the girls’ basketball coaches exited the boys locker room. He gave us a small wave and we waved back. Then he entered his office and shut the door.
“We should get going,” I said. I went to push through the double doors so we could leave, but Aaron put his hand on my arm.
When I turned to him, he was looking down at me. For a minute, I thought he might bend down and kiss me.
I would’ve let him.
Instead, he took my hands in his. He had this expression on his face, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Or didn’t know how.
All kinds of nervous that we were this close, I blurted out, “You played a really good game tonight.”
He gave me a small grin. “Every time I see you on the sidelines, cheering us one… it’s my favorite thing. I just wish…”
For a second, it was just us. Silence.
“What?” I asked, not able to take it anymore.
He squeezed my hands with his. His face turned serious. “I just wish that everyone knew how I really felt about you. And that they would be okay with it.”
He used the word everyone, but I had the feeling he meant a specific someone.
The thought of what David would say right now had me taking a step back, but something told me not to.
I didn’t want to. “Aaron,” I managed.
David’s face came to the front of my mind, and immediately, guilt flooded my stomach. I did take a step back, even if I let Aaron hold my hands still. “You know we can’t,” I told him, glancing down.
“Why not?” he asked, his eyes intense. “I don’t care anymore, Rachel. I don’t care what you brother has to say. I’m not trying to play games with you. I want this, and I know you do too.”
I could hardly believe what he was saying. Was this really Aaron talking? Had he really just said that? He sounded so sure, but I wasn’t. “You know it’s not that easy.”
Slowly, he closed the gap between us. “Why not?”
“He’s your best friend,” I replied, full of doubt. I knew it was one thing to feel one way about one another. But it was another thing entirely to try to actually do this. It just wasn’t that easy. “There’s a good reason you sent me that message the day after the winter dance, remember?”
I saw the doubt flash in his eyes. “You know this would cause trouble. Lots of it.” I let go of his hands. “It’s not worth it, Aaron.”
That’s when I saw the resolve come back into his eyes. “Yeah, but you’re worth it, Rachel. Worth the trouble and more. I was wrong then, scared, but not anymore.”
My heart felt like it had stopped.
He took my face in his hands and leaned down towards me. Slowly, like he wanted to make sure I wanted this as much as him.
I did.
My hands went to his forearms, and held on, not sure if I was about to push him away or pull him towards me…
Then—
My phone went off loudly. I jumped, remembering that Scarlett was still waiting for me outside.
David was outside too. What if he came looking for me?
It had been really dumb of me to do this. I took a step back and grabbed my phone. It was Scarlett. “I have to go,” I told him.
Aaron opened his mouth to say something, but then his phone went off too, buzzing loudly. He pulled it out of his pocket. His face fell.
Sure enough, it was David.
Seeing his name on his phone screen brought me back to reality and realize the gravity of wha
t had almost happened.
David wasn’t one to get mad or upset easily, but I knew he wouldn’t take it well if he had walked in on us like this. Aaron couldn’t lose his one and only friend because of me.
“I have to go,” I said, pushing through the double doors.
“Rachel, wait,” he called after me.
But I couldn’t.
Being around Aaron was amazing but dangerous, and I’d just been reminded of that.
10
The next morning, I dragged myself to the kitchen for breakfast.
Sure enough, my voice was half-gone, my throat felt kind of sore, and I was still tired from an entire night of cheering and staying up way too late texting my friends.
My hair was in a messy bun, and I sported a giant t-shirt and my favorite pair of running shorts.
I took a seat at the table.
Mom already my plate ready. “Gracias, mami,” I told her as I took the plate from her and gave her a half-hug.
Today it was scrambled eggs with ham. Plus a slice of raisin toast because it was my favorite. It all smelled great. I grabbed a glass of orange juice and took a seat.
David came in a few minutes later as I dug into my food. He looked just as tired as I did.
Dad looked up from his newspaper and large mug of black coffee. “How’d the game go last night?” he asked him in Spanish.
“Good,” David said, sitting down and leaning his crutches against the empty seat next to him. “We won but barely in the last minute or so. It was epic.”
Over the next few minutes, my brother gave him the play-by-play.
As he talked, Dad set his paper down. Even though I’d shown him the News app on his phone, he preferred to reading the paper every morning. We had it delivered and everything. He said it reminded him of his father, who’d been the first in his family to learn how to properly read. He had read a newspaper every single morning of his life at five in the morning. “Hm, sounds like it was a great game. Sounds like Aaron has really been stepping up. Good for him. I always thought he just wasn’t confident enough.”
Dating Aaron & Other Forbidden Things (Garcia Brothers Book 2) Page 4
