The Hardest Fall

I relaxed in my seat and threw my arm over the back of the couch so I could watch her do her thing. “I can’t have coffee this late because I have an early practice, but I’ll have milk if you have it.”

“Just milk?”

I nodded.

“Okay, see, I’m not even gonna make fun of you for drinking milk, though from the size of you, I can tell you’re not a growing boy anymore. Hell, you know what? I’ll even drink some with you.”

Unexpectedly, she drew a laugh out of me, and I won a smile from her. Just like that, it struck me that she would stand out no matter where she was, and I was stupid for mistaking other people for her. A few seconds passed as we smiled at each other.

“Right…milk.” She lifted a finger and checked the fridge, her head disappearing from view completely. She shifted a few things around and leaned farther in until all I could see was her ass.

“It’s fine if you don’t have it. I don’t need to have a drink to chat with you.”

“Got it!” she yelled as she came out with a box of milk held high. “Just let me check the expiration date. And…we’re good.”

After filling two glasses, she offered me one and went back to her seat. Resting her glass on the armrest, she sat cross-legged and took a sip of milk with a shy little smile on her face. I just stared.

“Sorry, I don’t have any of those fancy milks—soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or whatever other new kind I don’t know about. I make extra money to get by, but it’s not that much.” She nodded at my untouched glass. “It’s okay if you’re not used to cow milk or something. You don’t have to drink it.”

I settled back and drank half of it. “What makes you say that?” I asked as calmly as possible.

“I just assumed since you’re a football player you drink healthier stuff like green juice, or other fancy milks…” She took a deep breath and blew out her cheeks, all the while keeping her eyes somewhere over my shoulder. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

I grinned at her and took another gulp from my glass.

She groaned and covered her face with her palm. “I think you should do all the talking for a while. I’m acting like a complete asshole. So, please, ask anything you want…please.”

I drank the last of the milk and set the glass on the coffee table in front of me. She held her own glass between her palms and took a small sip. I watched her discreetly licking her upper lip to make sure she had no milk mustache.

“Let’s start small—how many siblings?” I asked, deciding not to dwell on the fact that she was the first person to make me smile since that night.

“Ah, siblings, huh? None. You?”

My smile grew bigger and I relaxed. “I have two monsters that happen to be my brother and sister. Amelia is the middle child. She just turned fifteen this summer and she’s the princess in the family, Daddy’s girl through and through, shy and sweet as can be.” I watched Zoe duck her head and take a few more sips of milk. “And then we have Mason. He’s seven, and he is the main monster, the most inquisitive kid you could ever meet. If you think you talk too much, wait till you meet him.”

Not that there would be an occasion where she would meet my brother, but…you never know.

“He’s seven? That’s a big age difference.”

“He is the surprise baby. Can’t imagine not having him around though. It was weird when Dad sat me down and told me I’d have a baby brother, and to be completely honest, it’s a little embarrassing for a fourteen-year-old to know his parents are still doing it, but they did good with him. Now I don’t even know how we survived without that kid. He’s the best.”

I grinned and watched her lips slowly tip up as her gaze focused on my lips. I didn’t want to ruin our moment, especially when she wasn’t acting like she wanted to collapse in on herself, but I needed to know and this was the best time to ask.

“That first night…”

She groaned and let her head drop back on the couch. “You’re killing me.”

I chuckled. “No, listen—just one question. I need to know.”

I couldn’t identify the expression on her face, but I could tell saying anything about it was pretty much the last thing she wanted to do. I forged on anyway.

“Did you cry? I thought I saw you crying when you were trying to get away, but I wasn’t sure.” When she didn’t lift her head up, I kept going. “I kinda looked for you that night, you know. I mean, I was seeing this girl at the time and it was new…but still, after the way you ran out, I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Trust me, it wasn’t about you. Any of the other guys would’ve taken you up on your offer, but—”

“Oh, please, please, let’s just forget it happened, all right? Yes, I kind of started crying at the end because I was embarrassed and I do that sometimes, but it wasn’t about you. I cry all the time. Okay, maybe I don’t cry all the time, but it doesn’t take much for me to shed a few tears. Show me a video where a dog reunites with its owner and I’m a goner. I’ll cry all over you. Plus, it wasn’t like I was bawling my eyes out because you didn’t want a stranger to kiss you in the middle of a freaking party. I was just embarrassed. If you haven’t noticed, I’m painfully shy. It happens. I cried today when you scared me out of my mind and I thought I was going to die.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “To be honest, it wasn’t because you rejected me. I was pissed at my roommate for putting me in that position and pissed at myself for playing along. I was fine…mostly.”

It was fun to watch her rambling. “Define mostly.”

She slumped in her seat. “Oh man. Well…I might’ve walked the other way whenever I saw you around campus after that…which wasn’t often, just a few times, but I still did it. Again, like I said, it was only because I was embarrassed. Now, you’re right here and I don’t have anywhere to run to, so I won’t be doing that this time.” She gulped down her milk and leaned forward to set it on the table between us, unknowingly giving me a brief view of the swell of her boobs. I looked away, because she was off limits. Any girl was off limits, but Zoe Clarke was even more off limits. I was sticking with my decision to be distraction-free for my last year.

It was the worst fucking timing to meet her.

“Let me save you and get back to easier questions,” I said softly. She exhaled and soundlessly mouthed her thanks. “Favorite movie?”

“I’m not gonna be vague like you, but…there really are a ton of movies I enjoy watching. Shia LaBeouf’s Eagle Eye—can’t even count how many times I’ve watched that movie. Speed—I love Keanu Reeves, both on screen and in real life. What else…Transformers, Lord of The Rings, Mean Girls, 2012, and The Holiday because Jude Law and Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet…just to name a few that come to mind.”

I parted my lips, ready to get to my next question, but she jerked her hand up, stopping me.

“Oh! Also, I basically love all animated movies.”

“A little bit of everything, huh? That’s good. I’m like that, too. Not really into romance movies all that much, but if you have an action movie on, I won’t say no.”

“Noted.”