Cricket: Contemporary Romance Novella by Oliver Tess

Author:Oliver, Tess [Oliver, Tess]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Sugartree Press
Published: 2015-07-27T07:00:00+00:00

It was my turn to reminisce. “I remember that time when Hannah and I decided to try out for softball, and you were nice enough to come out and help us practice. And I was on first base with my mitt ready to catch the ball.”

He laughed, and I realized it had grown deeper and even more appealing. “And I popped one to Hannah, ran to first base, picked you up and tossed you over my shoulder and ran to second base with you giggling like a mad woman.”

“Yes. A highly underhanded baseball move but I’ll never forget it.” And with that, the cabin grew quiet again, only the furnace puffing from the vents, the sounds of the slowing fire and the raindrops hitting the roof. “Thank you for always putting up with us, Tate. You were so patient, and we bugged the heck out of you.”

He nodded. “I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked it. To be honest, I had a bit of a thing for you, but I guess my earlier confession about the run up the rainy mountain probably gave that away.”

I stared at my feet that were now red from the heat of the fire. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

“Really? Then I guess I was pretty good at hiding my crush.”

I pulled my legs in and faced him. “I used to have to consciously slow down my heart every time I saw you. I used to daydream about you during Mr. Ramsay’s boring social studies lectures. When you left to college, I cried into my pillow every night for a week. And, after all that, you had a thing for me?”

His long lashes dropped, and he smiled. “Yeah, I sort of knew that you liked me too.”

“What gave it away? The large I love Tate Harris tattoo across my forehead?”

He laughed and then stared at the fire. “I guess because you were Hannah’s best friend, it never seemed right. I mean, you used to come over with your pillow and your hot band magazines and have sleepovers. It made things kind of strange. I’d convinced myself that I needed to stay away from you. Because of Hannah— you know?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” We sat there in silence for a moment. I’d spent all that time worshipping the guy from a distance, trying to pretend he was just my best friend’s older brother and there he was admiring me too. And for some reason, now that we’d both confessed, things felt sort of awkward again. “I’ll make that cocoa.” I blurted, cutting the steamy tension that seemed to have suddenly surrounded us. I hopped up.

“How about a game of cards?” he called.

“Sure.” We were sliding back to the comfortable days of hanging out as kids, playing games in front of the fire. It was an easier, more natural state for both of us. It was for the best, I told myself as I filled a pot with milk.

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