"He won't stop staring at you," Maggie whispers in my ear. We're getting pizza after the game. Crew and Zane are sitting across from Maggie and me. Barry is at the end of the table between us. Crew and I just so happen to be sitting on the end.
"Yeah," I agree with her. Every time Barry talks to me, Crew's eyes narrow. Like I said, it's thrilling. I need to see how far he's willing to take this.
Maggie giggles from beside me. She got the condensed version on the short drive over here, but it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.
"Barry." I touch his arm to get his attention. "You all did a great job!" I say excitedly. Maggie nudges my leg, and I can only assume that means Crew is not impressed. From the corner of my eye, I chance a look. He is laser focused where my hand rests on Barry's arm.
Crew clears his throat. When I look up at him, he's staring hard. Maggie giggles and I move my hand back to my lap. Visibly he relaxes, resting back into his chair. A few players come over and share a fist bump with Coach Davis, and we all settle into easy conversation. Barry manages to get Crew and Zane talking about the NFL and the current season. I'm thankful for the distraction.
An hour later, bellies full, it's time to head home. Standing from the table, I turn to Maggie. "I'm going." I motion my head toward Crew.
"What about Barry?" she asks.
"What about him?" Crew growls from behind us, and I jump.
"Not like that." Maggie rolls her eyes. "He doesn't know about. . . ." She points between us. "Are you keeping it a secret?"
I say "Yes" at the same time Crew says "No. Not from him." He turns, his eyes boring into mine. If he's expecting me to argue, he's not going to get it. I honestly don't care who knows. Sure, it's going to be hard to explain to my parents, but I can play it off as we're casually dating and leave it at that. They're pretty good about letting me make my own decisions. It's not like I'm a wild child; as long as they know this is good with me and what I want, they'll leave it alone. So yeah, I don't care who knows. I thought he wanted to keep it under wraps.
"I guess not," I tell Maggie.
"She won't be back tonight. I'll take good care of her," Crew smirks.
"I bet you will." Maggie winks at him. "I'll wait for you by the door," he whispers in my ear. Crew quickly says goodbye to everyone and walks away.
"We're heading out," Maggie says, knowing I want to slip away before the rest of our gang can see that I'm leaving with Crew. We say quick goodbyes and meet Crew by the door.
"Where are you parked?" he asks Maggie.
"Beside you." She points to her Honda.
"Perfect." He makes sure that she's inside and on her way before we pull out of the lot. "Come here." He pats the bench seat beside him.
I take off my belt and slide over. "Buckle up," he reminds me. I slide the lap belt into place and rest my hands on my thighs. I'm suddenly nervous. I want this, but it's actually happening and now I'm freaking out inside.
Crew grabs one of my hands and brings it to his lips, then places my hand on his leg. He slides his over my thigh and gives me a gentle squeeze. We ride the rest of the way to his place in silence, the radio playing softly in the background.
When we reach his house, I'm shocked. "You live here? By yourself?"
He chuckles. "Yeah, I bought it about a year ago."
"It's gorgeous."
"Come on, I'll show you around."
I take his offered hand and slide out of the truck, our fingers laced together as he leads me inside. When Crew hits the lights, I notice the house is just as amazing on the inside.
"I'll give you the tour," he says, taking off his jacket. "I just have to do this one thing first." He takes off his hoodie. "Arms up," he instructs. I do as I'm told and he pulls Barry's hoodie over my head. He drops it to the floor and replaces it with his. "Better." He kisses my temple.
"This way," he says, grabbing my hand. I follow behind him as he takes me room to room. After the tour of the basement, we end up in the living room. "Thirsty?" he asks.
"No."
"Want to watch TV?"
"No."
"Cards?" he tries again as he steps closer, his eyes locked on mine.
"No."
"What do you want, Berklee?"
"You. Just you." It's the only answer I can come up with. Fortunately, it's also the most honest. In more ways than one.
Crew steps in to me, his hands resting on my hips. "Where do you want me?" he asks huskily. He must see the confusion on my face. "You've had the tour now. Where do you want me?"
"I-I don't care." I just need his hands and his mouth on me.