Page 39 of Rise Above

Favorite song?” She leaned forward, a glint in her eyes.

“This is probably a little cliché but it’s ‘Before I

Forget.’ What’s yours?” I asked, taking a sip of my second cup of coffee.

“Of Slipknot’s? ‘The Devil and I.’ Of Avenged?

Either ‘Dancing Dead’ or ‘MIA.’”

“Yeah, ‘MIA’ is a fantastic song. I love the lyrics. I

can’t believe you broke your thumb though.” I smirked at her. Another blush lit her face as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ears.

Aife snorted as a laugh also bubbled out of her.

“Oh, it gets worse, TJ. Literally a month later, I broke my other thumb playing indoor soccer.”

“How?” I nearly spit my coffee out. “Are you

accident prone? I feel like based on these stories, you’re a little accident prone.” I placed a hand on the table near hers. It was like I needed to touch her, but I wouldn’t just yet, not without her okay.

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“I didn’t see the wall,” she said quietly. “And I’m

not really accident prone… well, maybe.” There was humor in her voice, but a hint of sadness. I didn’t do sad well so I decided to tease her instead.

More laughter spilled out of me. “How do you miss

a wall, Aife? Don’t feel bad, darling. I’ve broken quite a number of bones. My nose has been reset so many times; I don’t think it could take another break. And mine are usually for dumb reasons.” I took another sip of my wonderful caffeine. “I broke my nose one time falling on the ice, and it wasn’t even my first time on ice! Zeke still won’t let me live that one down.”

We spent the next hour talking about random

injuries we had received before heading out to walk in the park near the café. Despite it being October, the weather wasn’t too terrible, just a little chilly. Aife pulled her jacket a little tighter as we trekked through the park. Her cheeks were a little pink, and it only made her prettier. She was truly beautiful, especially on the inside. I was drawn to her and had to clench my hands to not pull her against me.

“Hey, TJ.”

I slowed down so her tiny legs could keep up with

me. “Yes?”

“Where are you from?”

“Humble—outside of Houston.”

My eyes tracked her fist pump, bringing a smile to

my face. She had these cute little quirks I’m sure she didn’t even know she did.

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“I knew you were a Texan!” She whooped. “How

does a Texan get into hockey over football?”