Page 36 of Operation: Ogre

I nodded. “Carter and I did help.”

“Oh, I’m sure she put you both to work.”

“Also,” I said, “an older woman named Babs helped. She’s apparently a friend of Sam’s.”

Chris nodded like that made sense, and I supposed it did.

“Is that Teagan Dae?”

“Carter made sure to invite him,” I replied. “He had to pressure Sam for his phone number. It was a whole thing.”

Chris hopped down and pulled on my hand. “Come on. I need to meet him. I can’t let Sam hog him.”

I followed Chris without hesitation.

He wasted no time introducing himself to Teagan, who was quite nice. I made sure to keep my fingers entwined with Chris’s so Teagan wouldn’t get any ideas, not that he seemed interested. Chris didn’t notice my firm hold, but Sam caught my gaze, then rolled her eyes. I just frowned at her.

Chris, however. couldn’t get many words in, as the conversation was soon dominated by Evander, who instantly began to talk sports. Whether it was football or soccer or some other sport entirely, I didn’t get it. I swore the words entered one ear, swirled around a bit, then flew out the other. When Sam joined the conversation, Teagan bowed out with no one but me the wiser.

After several minutes, I managed to drag Chris away from the sports talk and toward the table so he could get something to eat. He snagged a plate with one hand and gripped my fingers with the other. “Ooh bulgogi. I love bulgogi. And jeon. Ooh, and pickled radish.”

I smiled at his enthusiasm. “Is there anything that you don’t like?”

“On this table? Nope. I want it all, Carter,” he demanded.

His older brother rolled his eyes. “Sure. You and everyone else.”

While Carter dished up Chris’s plate, he told his companion, “Only vegan options for Jaxon.”

I gave Carter a warm smile, thankful I hadn’t been forced to say something. Chris was far too distracted by the food to speak for me, and I didn’t mind. His joy was a tangible thing. It radiated off him, warming up the fall evening. As we moved to one of the tables, I couldn’t help but stare at his smile, his bright expression, at him being him.

People took the seats next to us and conversation flowed. But all of it might as well have been white noise for the amount I paid attention to. No, all I could see or hear was Chris. He seemed to consume every ounce of my focus. All night, I watched him talk with people, laugh, eat, drink, and just be happy. Every movement, laugh, and word filled my soul to the brim and drew me in. I couldn’t look away from him. Chris was all I saw. He was all I wanted to see for the rest of my life.

Chapter Sixteen

Christopher

Iwas still riding the high of Jaxon planning a Chuseok celebration for me through the end of September and the beginning of October. Fall finally seemed to be settling in at the school. The air was growing cooler, especially for my Californian self. People were fully settled into classes. Our Hamlet paper was going as well as it could, as were my other classes. I was still working hard, trying to improve my game. Jaxon, though, had expressed his worries about me working out too much, but I was sure I was fine.

Well, not right at this second. I was in the health center. Dr. Lee was frowning at me. He was a silver daddy if I’d ever seen one. He was in his fifties, but oh, daddy, he was hot. I didn’t normally go for older guys, but I definitely saw the appeal when I looked at him. Not that I was interested in Doctor Maverick Lee. Unfortunately, my crush, which I was refusing to acknowledge, on Jaxon was still burning strong.

“Did you seriously go for a run after your team workout?” he asked—more like demanded.

“I usually do,” I confessed.

He frowned, and I sat up taller. Dr. Lee gently flexed my ankle, and I flinched. I’d stepped funny towards the end of my run and had fallen. Besides some scrapes and bruises, I was mostly fine. It was my ankle. It wasn’t happy. At all. I was really hoping I hadn’t done something serious to it.

What if I had? What if I couldn’t play? Gods, what was I doing with my future?

Cold, harsh panic swamped me. My pulse skyrocketed, and sweat gathered on my palms. I brushed my hands over my thighs as I tried to breathe through the sensation, to push it away, but it didn’t want to go. All I could think about was what my life would look like after college. No soccer. No classes. No career, because what the fuck did I want to do anyway. No Jaxon. No. No. NO! I couldn’t have that.

A sudden clap on the back of my neck made me groan. The hand forced my head between my knees. “Breathe, Chris. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

My lungs flailed in my chest.

“Come on,” he said in a kind, yet stern voice. “In through your nose, and out through your mouth. Nice and slow.”

I followed his direction, focusing on his calming hand and deep voice. Once the world stopped spinning and the white noise left my ears, I gently sat up. I looked up at Dr. Lee, fighting a blush. I couldn’t believe I had freaked out in front of him. Seriously, I needed to stop thinking about the future.