Promise Me (RLU #1)

by Carlie Jean

You’re not good enough. You won’t make it.

“Aurora Vallacourt, you listen to me, and you listen well. You are the most talented player I have seen on the court. Your skills speak for themselves. As an athlete himself,

Brad knew what words would hurt you the most because he has the same fears. As for the whore part, are you kidding me? Guys at school screw different girls every day, and they are celebrated for it, but when you decide to do so, that’s a problem? To hell with that and anyone who looks at you differently for it. There’s nothing wrong with my choice to be a virgin, just like there’s nothing wrong with your choice to casually hook up with people.”

The man’s head snaps up, and cinnamon-tinted eyes take me in from behind his glasses. His dark brown eyebrows furrow as he stands and removes his glasses. Holy hell. My mouth dries out while another place gets a different memo. He’s tall, at least 6’4, and let’s just say he looks like he’s well-acquainted with the weights at the gym. His ball cap sits atop brown hair that curls slightly at the ends. I get the sudden urge to run my hands through it. No, dammit.

Forget men, crush the volleyball over the net. That’s my motto for the year.

“Do you ever stop being annoying? Is it curable?”

“Oh man, Cameron is in trouble. I can’t wait to watch him fall,” he muses as he shoves his arms into his jacket. “Fall?” I ask, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Finn’s body retreats. Turning around, his head twists over his shoulder, and he says, “In love with you.”

She’s slowly starting to become a code I want to crack. A series of numbers out of order that I want to put back in their proper place to function again.

And while I said I’d promise her anything, letting someone in is the one thing I can’t do.

My brain screams one word so clearly and dominantly that I can’t ignore it. Beautiful.

She’s fucking beautiful, and I can’t deny it, as much as I want to.

“Yup. Your arrogance is well-deserved, Fields. What a smart cookie you are.”

You know when you hear an old favorite song and it fills you with a warm, happy feeling at the familiar tune? Yeah, that’s what listening to her laugh did to me, and despite it being new, it feels like my heart knows its tune already. I’m in trouble.

I want to take care of Aurora Vallacourt, and once I start, there’s no stopping.

We may have just become friends, but it’s evident how much he cares about me, and that makes my goosebumps triple.

Because I can’t have him. No matter how much I may want to.

Her text makes my lips twitch, a near smile forming on my lips. My face seems to do that often when she teases me. I like it, that fiery mouth of hers.

No, no, no. This is not good. He can’t do this to my poor, secretly hopeless romantic heart. This man. This sweet, kind, caring man. He remembered my favorite food combination and got me a heated stuffed cupcake, which I told him is what my dad calls me.

What a goddamn sweetheart.

I’ve always had a sweet tooth, and he’s on his way to becomin...

“I do see her.”

Then, the sound of the door closing fills the room while my heart thuds louder than it ever has.

And Lexa with that kind of information? She’s going to become the biggest instigator I’ve ever seen.

I want to see her.

It only takes me a second to feel a wild and hot jealousy run rampant in my veins. Who is this guy? Why is he so close to her? I want to be that close to her.

He’s making my girl uncomfortable for whatever reason, and to hell if I’m going to let it continue.

That man is etching his way into my heart, and I don’t know if I want to even try to stop it.

I clearly didn’t think this through because seeing her in my hoodie does something weird to my heart. It makes it squeeze tightly, warmth seeping out at its pressure.

I want to make sure she’s okay, and I do my best to focus on doing exactly that.

I hate that she’s yet to be treated as she should, with so much love and kindness. It makes me want to give her that and more. To give her everything I can.

Little does she know I’ve imagined her as mine more times than I’d like to admit.

it. “I like it. Call me Rory, please.”

I like her. I really fucking like her. And not as a friend. It’s more than that. So. Much. More.

But she’s a distraction I’m starting to crave. To need.

The girls on the team are great. I get along well with all of them, but it doesn’t go beyond the court for us. I don’t go out of my way to hang out with them beyond practices, workouts, or games. Some may say I’m too focused, but I have goals to accomplish.

“Who did this to you?” he demands, the chords in his throat clenched tightly.

“Touch her again, and I’ll break more than just your nose,”

Right where I know she’s meant to be.

“No, there’s no buts, love. You mean too much to me. Please don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” he says, his voice rough and low.

“No. Keep going, please,” he breathes out.

With my heart leading, I lean in and press my lips lightly against his. And then my world lights up. The kiss starts gentle, but my hands cup his face, deepening the kiss. My lips move over his, learning how to meld with his full, soft ones. I pull back when I realize he’s not kissing me back.

I’m breathless and suddenly feel awkward, so I attempt to slide down his body, only for him to tighten his grip on me. We stay like that for a moment, me above him, wrapped in his arms, our lips nearly touching and our breaths mingling in the space between.

He kisses me like a man starved, pressing his smooth lips against mine, getting a feel of me just like I did. It’s unlike how I’ve ever kissed anyone before.

“I wanted to try and take this slow, but I don’t know if I can, love. Not after I’ve got my first taste. I want more.”

He nips at my lip, pulling back with a grin. “I want to learn how to please you. Think you can handle me?”

“You’re talking to Aurora Vallacourt, bub. I know I can.”

“I’m proud of you,” he whispers into my ear.

“For being you. For being so goddamn strong, confident, and an amazing person overall. It’s inspiring, and I’m proud of you. Not because you kick ass at volleyball, but because you add extra light to this world just being who you are.”

“Let me make it real for you,” I tell her.

I want to be yours, all and only yours.”