Intercept My Heart

Chapter 14

After going over a few equations I was having trouble with, mostly because I slept in that class. It was my earliest class on Tuesday's and Thursday's, right after weight lifting, and I was always dog tired. Our session, our time together was coming to an end.

She wanted to go over a few equations that I had forgotten how to do. I can admit I didn't really learn shit. I was going to have to look over the problems some more.

My eyes kept drifting to her lips. Her full and plump lips. The way she scrunched her mouth when she was deep in thought and the way her big brown eyes widened and lips parted when she listened to me talk. The way her fingers, her small hands, wrapped around the expo marker as she wrote on the board.

I was a goner. I couldn't focus, which is why the next words that came out of my mouth, surprised me as well.

"So, about walking me to class." I said with a wink.

"What about it?" Her brown eyes meet mine before they widen. "You were serious? Are you really having trouble getting to class?"

"It's right after weight lifting. I sleep in there anyways, I would rather sleep in my room though." I state. "It's been very tempting to go straight to my room lately." Sure, its just the first week of classes, but I'm already making decisions to skip. Professors that use attendance as part of your grade should be banned from teaching. The workload for an athlete along with practices, weight training, games, and events, you would think they would cut us some slack. That's wishful thinking though.

"I'm pretty sure the guy is supposed to walk the girl to class. Not vice versa." Was she flirting?

"I wouldn't mind that."

"I do." She rolls her eyes. "You're not the best company."

I recoil. "What is your problem with me?"

"There is none. Are we done here?"

Her hands were on her hips again, lips slightly parted.

"Are you in a rush? Do you have somewhere to be?"

The annoyance was seeping off her. I told myself this was her trying not to fall for my charm and good looks. "Not that that's any of your business.." she trails off.

"It's not. Do you want to go get some ice cream?"

"What am I? 12?" She was teasing me. I could see the small smile threatening to spread across her beautiful face. "That sounds great."

****

I was sure Autumn would get in her Honda and drive home instead of trailing me here, so here we were, in my truck on our way to get ice cream. Her manicured nails were tapping away on her phone.

"Let me guess, you're letting your friends know who you're with in case you come up missing?"

"I wouldn't dare let them know I'm alone with you." She scoffs.

"Why not? It isn't the first time."

"I don't want them to get any ideas. This is platonic. With a capital P." She says as if she's trying to convince herself.

"This isn't a date." I glance at her profile as I park and remove the key from the ignition. "But don't worry, trust me, you'll know when it's a date."

I walk around to the passenger side and open the door and help her down. My truck has a lift along with huge tires, and I don't trust her to jump down herself. Her hands are warm and for some reason I don't let go, until she pulls away, the goosebumps instantly fade away.

Girls love ice cream with candy's. Cookies & Cream, Snickers, Cookie Dough, or they play it safe and get vanilla. Autumn was a cookies & cream girl. I was a chocolate ice cream guy. We make our way to a bench outside of the ice cream shop with our waffle bowls.

"Mmm," she moans as she licks her spoon.

I'm extremely turned on. Outside of an ice cream shop.

"Will you be at the game Friday?" I ask, trying to divert my attention to football and not the fact that I wish I was that spoon she's licking.

"Yeah."

"I know that you know a lot about sports, since you tried to school me about the interception I made in the championship game last year. It's hot that you know about sports." I say but I don't think I deliver the last part correctly.

"Okay well first off, it was definitely a passing interference." She begins, looking at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Hot? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, it's nice to know that you're there to actually watch the game and not the players." I say.

"So is that why you invited me for ice cream? Because you know I'm not a jersey chaser?"

"I figured we could get to know each other more since we have to be alone twice a week."

"This was nice but I would rather keep seeing you twice a week, not anymore than I have to."

I could read her very well. She has never had a guy do something nice for her. Just a simple gesture.

I let out a low whistle. "Shit, who broke your heart?"

And for the first time since I met her, I see something in her eyes that I hadn't seen before. Sadness, maybe. Regret even.

I didn't know much about her, but I wasn't going to stop until I found out.