Page 98 of Play For Me

Cade scoffs. “If I ever even whispered the phrase bros before hoes you would castrate me.”

“Damn right,” I tell him, kissing Sol’s cheek before standing up to follow Vega across the patio.

“CeCe!” the girls shout when we get close.

“Hey, I’m the one who brought the drinks,” Vega complains, setting the margarita pitcher on the table. “No one is excited to see me?”

Her sister Santana pats her arm. “That’s because you’re not dating a new boy that we all want to grill you over.”

“Jesus,” I mutter, turning right on my heel to walk away, but Vega’s sisters surround me, tugging me into a chair.

“Tell us everything,” Santana says.

“There’s not much to tell,” I hedge.

“Don’t listen to her,” Vega says. “She’s head-over-heels.” I glare at her and she rolls her eyes. “Don’t even try to deny it.”

“Fine. I like him.”

The girls all laugh. “From anyone else that would sound depressingly timid,” Lyric says. “But from you it’s practically effusive.”

Under much more prodding, and a margarita or two, I tell my cousins more about Sol. Vega and Vi add their impressions, and it makes me ridiculously happy to hear how much they like him.

Lyric studies me. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she says. “But it does seem like a strange match.” I immediately get defensive and she must see it in my face because she hurries tocontinue. “I just mean, because he’s so quiet. And he seems kind of shy. And you…”

“Are not either of those things,” Violet cuts in, making the others laugh.

“But that’s okay,” Santana says quickly, reaching for my hands. “Sometimes opposites attract.”

I chew on my lip, thinking about that. “Honestly, he doesn’t really feel like my opposite,” I tell them. “I mean, yes, he’s way more quiet and reserved than I usually am. But when it comes to the important stuff…” I think of the way Solomon seems to understand me, how he noticed that I was playing scared when no one else did. How he pushes me in my workouts and during our training session—never babying me, because he knows how much soccer means to me and wants me to be my best.

Then I think about how comfortable I always feel around him, how calm and settled he makes me. How he makes me laugh, and always looks at me like he’s just won a prize when I do.

“Oh, wow,” Santana murmurs. “Look at her face.”

“Told you,” Vega says triumphantly. “Head. Over. Heels.”

Normally, I would argue with her, but I look across the patio and see Solomon laughing at something. Silas has joined the group, and seeing Sol with my brother makes my chest feel a little warmer. While I’m watching them, Sol looks up and meets my eyes, his grin turning soft.

“He makes me happy,” I murmur, not caring that they’re definitely going to tease me for my sappiness later. “He makes me feel like…I can let down all my walls, you know?” Even the ones I didn’t even realize I had.

“That’s awesome, Ceece,” Lyric says, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.

“He doesn’t take any shit from her, either,” Vi says, sounding delighted. “He kicked her ass at poker and she sat there smiling like she liked it.”

I shrug. “It’s kind of hot that doesn’t get all scared of me like most of the boys.”

They all laugh.

I manage to shift the conversation to Vega’s older sister Presley and our cousin Lyric, and what the tour for Ruby Roads has been like for them. They complain about living on the road with Nix and Silas, but I can tell they’re loving their life. It makes me happy—this is what they’ve been dreaming of since they were kids.

After my second margarita, I get up to use the bathroom. I figure I should probably check on Solomon, too, and make sure Silas hasn’t been telling him embarrassing childhood stories about me or something. There’s an awful lot of what sounds like giggling coming from their table.

But when I come out of the bathroom, I run into Emery.

“Oh,” she says, stopping in her tracks to stare at me. “Hi.”

“Hey.” I force a smile on my face. Whatever Solomon says, it’s pretty obvious this girl does not like me, but I’m not going to just accept that. He’s been making a huge effort with my family, and I need to do the same with his friends. “Are you having a good time?”