Page 104 of Rookie Moves

But now two weeks have gone by, and I’m starting to wonder if the silence means something else.

I want to message him and tell him how much I miss him and how I still want us to be together, but what good would that do? It’ll only cause pain if he hasn’t found a solution to his problems yet.

As much as it hurts to be in this weird stage of unknown, I have to trust that Tyler will reach out when he’s ready, and until then, I have to be patient.

Callie parks her car, and we walk along the familiar sidewalk toward our favorite restaurant. We’ve been coming here since we were kids, and they do the best tacos I’ve ever tasted.

The moment I open the door, I’m hit with the smell of good food, and my stomach lets out a loud rumble.

With it being midafternoon, it’s not too busy, so we slide into a booth on the far side and take a look at the menu. Not that we need to because we order the same thing every time.

Two of everything in crispy taco shells and a side of avocado fries to share.

Callie looks up at me with a playful grin on her face. “Are we having our usual?”

“Obviously,” I reply with a soft chuckle.

Once she places our order and the server comes back with our drinks, I settle back in my seat. My gaze drifts around the restaurant, bouncing from the other guests and making note of their body language before spotting a pride flag hanging above the bar. It reminds me of the bar in Salem, with the bunting showing off different flags, and where Tyler played and I fell in love with him even more.

A deep ache bursts in my chest, spreading through me like it’s digging its roots into my body. I lift my hand, idly rubbing over my sternum, trying to ease away the pain.

Is he feeling the same as me?

Does he also struggle to remember what it felt like to live before I asked him to take my virginity?

Fuck, I know I should text him. To just let him know I miss him. But every time I type out those three words, I get this feeling in my gut that I’m overstepping.

He asked for time, so I need to respect that.

Like my sister can sense the war brewing in my brain, Callie rests her forearms on the table and inches forward.

“Will you tell me about him?” she asks, her voice quiet.

My pulse drums in my ears when my eyes meet hers.

“What do you want to know?”

She glances over her shoulder, subtly checking to see if anyone is listening in on our conversation before she asks, “What’s he like? Dad only mentioned how good he is on the ice, and Mom said he’s charming, but I want to hear about him from you.”

Focusing on a grain in the wood table, I find myself smiling as Tyler appears in my mind, with his easygoing grin and the way he would look at me like he adored me.

“He’s fun, and caring, and has the kindest heart I’ve ever known. He can sing too, and he plays the guitar. He’s really good. His voice is, like, sexy and husky, and the first time he sang to me, I thought I was going to die because it was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen, even though he was singing a sad song.” I bite on my cheek to stop myself grinning. “He’s also fiercely protective of me and almost got himself in trouble after the regionals because he got in a reporter’s face who tried to speak to me.”

“No way! Really?” Callie grins. “What did he do?”

I let out a quiet laugh under my breath, remembering that night as we walked back to the bus after we won.

How was it nearly two months ago already? I don’t know where the time’s gone.

“He called them out for harassing players and how it isn’t normal to follow people when they can get what they need through the team’s press office.”

My sister covers her mouth with her hand as she giggles, eyes glistening with amusement. “Stop! That’s hilarious.”

Smiling, I shake my head and look down at the table. I run my fingertip through the condensation forming on the glass of my soda.

There are so many more things I could say about Tyler, but none of them are things to talk about with your sister.

Like the way he encourages me to be open about my wants and desires when it comes to sex and how patient he is with me. He’s never once made me feel embarrassed about being a virgin or forced me to do something I wasn’t ready for, and that when we’re together, he makes me feel alive and like anything is possible.