Page 54 of Offsides
I jog a couple of steps to get in front of her, my key fob in my hand so I can unlock my car, and open her door as she reaches it. “Oh, I’m going to insist.”
A laugh that’s half disbelief and half pleasure burbles out of her.
I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her against me, dropping a soft kiss on her lips. “I know this isn’t what you’re used to. But I enjoy doing things for you. I’m not opening your door because I think you’re helpless or incompetent, but because I like taking care of you. I know you’re strong. I know you’re a total badass. And I also know that you don’t let people do anything for you if you can help it. But you don’t have to keep up those walls with me. Not anymore.”
Her eyes move back-and-forth between mine, her smile fading as I talk, her expression turning more solemn. When I finish, she nods and clears her throat, dropping her eyes to my chest like she does when she’s uncomfortable or embarrassed. “Okay.” The word is little more than a rasp, but it’s a clear agreement nonetheless.
“Okay,” I repeat.
She nods again and climbs into the car. By the time I’ve climbed into the driver’s side and started the car, she’s regained her equilibrium. “So.” She turns her upper body to face me, her hands folded in her lap. “Where are we going?”
Putting the car in gear, I laugh. “Nice try. You’re not getting it out of me that easy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Dani
I spend the entire drive trying to weasel our destination out of Eli. But he won’t even give me a hint.
I have no clue where he’s taking me until we pull up in front of a bowling alley. “Bowling? You decided we needed to go bowling? And you couldn’t have told me sooner so I could dress more appropriately for our activity?”
He glances over at me as he smoothly pulls into the parking lot, his eyes darting down to my bare legs. “I told you, you look gorgeous. It’s just bowling. I’m not taking you rock climbing or something. You’ll be fine in a dress.”
“So says you. Have you ever gone bowling in a dress before?”
The look he gives me is pure challenge. “Have you?”
I narrow my eyes at him, because he knows the answer is no. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve worn a dress before this year. Even if we add in the two other times I’ve worn a skirt since coming back to school at the end of Christmas break, we’re barely involving a second hand.
Instead of admitting it, though, I deflect. “Who in their right mind would go bowling in a dress on purpose?”
“Well, we’re about to find out.” He kills the engine and climbs out of the car.
He can do this chivalrous gentlemanly act all he wants, but I’m not waiting for him to walk around the car to open my door for me. I push the door open and climb out just as he gets to my side.
He smirks at me but doesn’t say anything, just closes the door and hits the button on his key fob to lock the car. Holding out his elbow, he gives me a look of invitation.
I can’t help rolling my eyes at him again. He’s so ridiculous. But deep down, I really love it. He was right when he said that I have a hard time letting anybody do anything for me. I have a hard time asking for help. Asking for help was a sign of weakness. I was raised to be strong. To do everything myself. To handle it. No matter what.
But this semester has been one long exercise in learning how to ask for help so far. First with hair and makeup and clothes from my roommates, which still feels silly on some level, but I’m getting used to it. And now, with Eli. Not just help with what to wear, but advice on how to handle everything that’s developing between us.
I’d never realized how dysfunctional my relationship with Luke really was until Autumn and Ellie pointed it out. Just like I hadn’t realized how dysfunctional my relationship with my dad was until my sister pointed it out. Apparently every relationship with an important man in my life has been dysfunctional before now.
Even my relationship with Eli. Looking back, I can see that our friendship has always been beyond the bounds of normal friendship. All the time we spent together—from studying to parties to game nights—I thought were platonic friendship activities, but he was really falling for me the whole time. I just didn’t realize it. And I relied on him the way my friends assure me they rely on their boyfriends. It’s like a reverse friends-with-benefits situation, with a deeper friendship and none of the benefits.
At least now we can translate that into something more healthy for both of us.
* * *
Bowling ends up being way more fun than I expected. Eli buys me some ankle socks at the shoe rental counter since I didn’t wear socks with my flats.
I haven’t been bowling in ages … not since maybe freshman year of high school? I think we went bowling for one of my friends’ birthdays that year.
That was before my dad went nuts with pushing me to lift and compete and train and watch my diet.
Eli and I don’t watch our diet, though. Not tonight. We pig out on fried foods—chicken strips, onion rings, french fries—and soda. We’re both terrible bowlers since neither of us do it often at all, but we each manage a couple of strikes and a few spares throughout the night.
My first strike was such a shock and felt like a huge accomplishment, especially when I turned to face him, arms raised in victory, and he rushed me, picked me up and spun me around before planting a kiss on me when he placed me back on my feet.
