Ah, what?
Were they still on the same subject?
Maddy aimed a confused look at him. “Because the school gym is nice and toasty?”
Nate sighed heavily. “Just come and you’ll see.”
Maddy narrowed her eyes at him but said “Okay.”
Nate nodded and headed towards the opposite direction, throwing a wave over his shoulder just as the bell rang.
***
When she made her way to the school gym later, Maddy couldn’t help but snicker to herself at all the times she hadnotattended any type of sports practice when she had been younger.
Maybe it was time to admit that her high school experience might have been a bit lacking. But what better opportunity to rectify that right now? she thought as she slipped inside the sturdy metal door, her shoes slightly squeaking on the polished wood of the basketball court.
Well, the scene in front of her was certainly enough to warm her up.
A very sweaty Nate was locked in a one-on-one match, his powerful body moving with a strength that was almost mesmerizing. He bounced the ball skillfully, never giving an inch, exploiting his opponent’s missteps with effortless ease—almost taunting him with the way he slipped past every challenge.
He wore a pair of basketball shorts and a loose-fitting sleeveless shirt, both of which had no business lookingthatgood on someone.
Maddy swore she had somehow acquired super vision in the past few hours because she couldseeevery bead of sweat lining Nate’s focused face, the way it dampened his disheveled hair. And she wasreallytrying not to dwell on how his clothes clung to him. If she fainted from this sight alone and someone had to carry her out, she wouldneverlive that down.
For such a tall guy, Nate’s moves seemed almost choreographed. And Maddy was a bit starstruck. Her throat had gotten really dry and she knew words would fail her if she tried talking. She also didn’t know when she’d gotten closer and closer to the court as her eyes followed the scene in front of her.
It turned out that maybe shecouldfind some interest in sports.
A whistle blew from somewhere, snapping her out of her stupor.
She saw Nate head for the bench, grab a towel to dab his face, and their eyes suddenly caught. A zing of tension seemed to run between them, like a rubber band that snapped into place, and Maddy felt a small flutter taking residence in her insides.
Nate held her gaze for a beat longer and then signaled he’d be there in a few.
Sudden nerves, dangerously close to what felt like excitement, made Maddy shake out her hands in an attempt to calm herself. She was being ridiculous, probably imagining things. But the blush that had somehow crept up her cheeks had not subsided even when Nate caught up with her.
“Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Maddy knew that she was supposed to answer something to that since that was how polite conversation in civilized societies worked. The problem was, she’d just noticed that Nate had put on a dark green hoodie beneath the jacket. He also looked freshly showered, the ends of his wet hair peeking from the edges of his hood, making itslightlyharder to concentrate.
His clean, woodsy smell also didn’t help in any way to reboot her brain, and make her blush disappear. Maybe shehadturned into a teenager.
Nate frowned at her. “Are you okay? You look flushed.”
God, she hated how she was an open book sometimes.
“Yep, everything is fine,” she croaked very convincingly.
Nate arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing her but letting it slide anyway. His eyes though seemed to shine with a spark that she didn’t like.
“You look much warmer now, Madison.”
His cheek was twitching now, but Maddy decided to own her predicament.
“Yes, so curious. If I knew that all it would take would be a few minutes of watching practice, I would have done that ages ago.”
Nate was openly smirking now. “That’s a pity. I guess there’s no need for what I had in mind.”
