Fate || Blake Griffin

|twelve|

Simone's POV

"So you've already dredged all my dark and dirty secrets from me. I say you start spilling the dirt on yourself," Blake said, a wicked glint in his eyes that made my heart rate accelerate.

"I don't have any dark and dirty secrets," I replied with a laugh.

"I can think of at least one that you have." His eyes never left mine and I blushed furiously.

"Hmm. There is that."

He chuckled. "That was amazing."

I stared at him seriously.

"What?" He asked, looking surprised.

"It doesn't bother you? That you're my dark and dirty secret, I mean?"

"Hell, no," he replied shaking his head and grinning. "I'm hoping all this may lead to a bunch more dark and dirty secrets with you. Just being honest."

He was always so straight to the point. I loved it, and it embarrassed me at the same time. I kind of liked it though. With Blake, I never really seemed to really know where I stood, but in a good way. It kept me guessing.

"I...I'm not sure how to respond to that."

"No need for words. That pretty blush of yours is doing plenty of talking for you." He winked.

Dammit. I blushed harder. Eyes dropping to the sandwich in front of me, I tried to focus in on my food instead of him, but I could practically feel his heated gaze following me everywhere. He was going to burn holes through me at this rate, but I liked it.

Three years alone and suddenly my hormones were all lit up like I was a sixteen year old girl, again. The strange thing with that was I'd never really been a sixteen year old when I was sixteen. I was so focused on overachieving that I'd missed out on discovering a lot of things other teens took for granted. I hadn't gone to many dances or football games, or any extracurricular events, for that matter. Unless they had to do with academics, then I was there for sure.

"You're doing it again, Simone." Blake's voice filtered into my head.

"Doing what?" I asked innocently.

"Over analyzing things."

"And what makes you such an expert on me?" I asked, half teasing, half annoyed that he was spot on with his assessment.

"Hours of close scrutiny," he replied wryly, taking a bite of his sandwich and leaning back against the tree behind him.

"Hours?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you spying on me when I'm not aware?"

He snorted. "I'm not a stalker. I meant from our sessions together."

"Interesting. I guess I never realized patients might be scrutinizing me."

"Why not? I'm just as curious about you as you are about me."

"You and I are different though."

"How so?" He asked, and I felt a little hurt that he didn't recognize it.

"Because we're connected."

Smiling widely, he nodded. "Glad you can finally admit it out loud."

"You're terrible."

"So I've been told." Just staring at his boyish grin made my insides melt. I could stare at him all day and never get sick of it.

"You going to get back to basketball soon?"

"Hopefully soon, Doc's waiting to make sure I'm fully stable before coming back. I don't mind spending the extra time with you though."

"I know he's going to let you play, you're so much better than when I first met you. It's amazing actually."