Accidental Love (Accidental Crush #2) (12 page)

Casey looks at me and our eyes lock
. "You should start to compete again." He tosses his shirt at me playfully, hitting me in the face.

"
What do you care?" I say as I toss his sweaty shirt back at him.

"
I don't." He turns and starts to walk away with a smile. "But I bet you were good." He glances back as he waits for me to catch up.

Just as we
're walking out of the house, Todd and Ryan are walking in. I instantly read the look on Todd's face. He doesn't seem happy Casey and I have been paired together, but he's hiding it pretty well.

"
Hey, Casey. What's up? Hey, Ash," Ryan says as he passes us, his cheeks are really red from the searing sun. That's one thing we have in common: whenever we are hot, our cheeks turn bright red. However, as soon as we cool down, it disappears.

Todd doesn
't say anything; instead, his hand brushes against my shoulder. My skin instantly reacts to his touch with goose bumps.

"
Have fun out there." He gives me that crooked smile I love so much.

Casey notices our interaction and raises his eyebrows.
"Friends?" He gestures toward Todd with his head, causing his wavy hair to move along with the motion.

"
Something like that." I give him my best wicked smile as I climb the ladder back up to my chair.

After another couple of hours, it
's finally lunch, and luckily, Todd and I have the same break. Unfortunately, so does Casey. We all end up sitting at the same table, and the whole time, Todd keeps rubbing his leg against mine. Every time I feel it gently brush mine, there's an explosion of joy in my stomach. Above the table, we both try hard to seem as normal as possible, following the pool's strict no PDA rule. I keep having flashbacks of when we tried to keep our relationship a secret in the beginning. That didn't last very long, not to mention it was torture. Part of me is grateful Todd won't be here the entire summer; I don't think I'd make it. With just his smile, I want to lean over and kiss him.

***

On our next break,
Casey comes right over and sits next to me as I hibernate under the air vent. "Hey
,
partner." He
gives me
a slick grin.

We sit in uncomfortable silence for a while
before I finally feel the need to break it
. "So where did you lifeguard last year?" I ask, trying to make small talk since he's sitting right here.

"
At my parents' country club," he answers matter-of-factly, like everyone's parents belong to a country club.

"
That's cool. Is that how you know Ryan and the guys?"

"
Yeah, and from sports and stuff." I'm hopeful he'll bring up his sister, but he stops there, so I'm guessing she's the
'and stuff.'
I continue to pretend I know nothing, though.

"
Ashley Taylor," he says my name like it has deeper meaning as he gazes out the large window that faces the pools. Then he turns to have his eyes meet mine. "Do you have a boyfriend, Ashley Taylor?"

My heart skips a beat
, although I'm not sure why. I guess because the question is so unexpected yet so direct.

"
Do you have a girlfriend, Casey… What's your last name?"

"
Osterfield."

I can
't help laughing. "What? Really?"

"
Yes, really. Ouch." He tries to hide his smile as he pretends to be wounded. "How do you think I feel? I had to grow up with it. You can't choose your last name, Ashley Taylor." He puts extra emphasis on my full name once again.

"
Okay. Sorry. Do you have a girlfriend, Casey O.?" I smile up at him. "Sorry, I couldn't do it."

"
Wow, you are rough." He smiles back at me. He really does have a nice smile. "And no, I don't."

"
Times up. Back to your posts," George shouts into the house, and everyone starts to head back to the pools.

"
Guess that's our cue."

"
You still didn't answer my question," he says as he helps me up.

"
I know," I say with a smile as I turn to walk away.

I hear him laugh from behind me as he jogs to catch up. W
hen we pass by Todd as he heads into the house for his break, he winks at me and mouths,
'Meet you in the parking lot.'

I glance at Casey
. It's clear he caught that exchange. He gives me a raised eyebrow and I know he is aware that something is up.

***

"Finally,
" Todd says as we lean against his car. His arms are straddling me on either side
, his lips feel incredibly good
against mine.

"
I know
.
I missed you today
,
" I say through our kiss.

"
Not as much as I missed you. It sucks being on separate rotations."

"
Yeah
,
it's going to suck even more in a few weeks when you're away at camp."

"
I know." He drops his head down, his soft hair brushing against my forehead.

"
Hey, we'll just have to make the most of the time we have before you go." I smile up at him. I can tell he's really upset about leaving, and I don't want to make it worse.

"
See you tomorrow
,
Ashley Taylor." I hear Casey's voice and feel Todd's arms immediately stiffen on either side of me.

"
See ya
,
Casey
,
" Todd says before I can say anything
,
his eyes still locked on mine.

"
Bye
, Casey O," I shout sarcastically as I peek around Todd to see him getting into his deep blue Range Rover.

With that
, Todd gives me a look and pushes off his car. "Let's go, Ash."

He
's already starting the car by the time I slide into the passenger seat. "Hey, are you okay?" I touch his leg.
God, I love touching him.

He turns to look at me with his piercing blue eyes
. "I'm fine." But his tone tells me he's not.

I stare out the front window as we drive in silence. This is the first time silence has ever felt awkward with
Todd. When I glance over at him a few times, his eyes remain glued to the road. I've never seen him concentrate this hard on driving. I keep thinking of a million different things I could say, but all of them involve football camp or the pool, and I know those are topics I should probably avoid.

"
I don't like him," Todd finally breaks the silence. As usual, he's direct and to the point, no beating around the bush, thankfully.

"
Why?" I instantly decide I'm going to continue to pretend I don't know who his sister is.

"
I just don't, Ash. I saw the way he was looking at you today."

I practically choke on the water I
'm drinking, "What? That is insane."

"
Is it?" He turns to look at me then shifts his gaze back to the road.

I quickly run through the day
, instantly recalling the
'do you have a boyfriend'
question, but I honestly think Todd is overreacting. I've never seen him jealous, so it's strange. I don't like it. I keep reminding myself who Casey's sister is and why Todd is overly sensitive. I just wish he'd tell me.

"
Listen, I just don't like him, Ash. I don't trust him." He shakes his head and hits his steering wheel. "I hate that I'm leaving, and you are going to be here with him as your partner."

I rub his arm
. "Todd, you're forgetting something."

"
What?" he asks, his eyes still fixed on the road.

I run my fingers over his tone arm
. "That I love
you
." With that, I feel his tension soften as he turns to lock his eyes with mine. I hate that he feels this way while part of me is angry he thinks I would ever do anything.

He gives me a soft smile
. "I'm sorry, Ash. It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't trust him. He's rich and spoiled. He's one of those guys who will do anything to get what he wants. He acts like he's your friend, and then he stabs you in the back."

"
What happened between the two of you?"

He turns to look back out at the road
. How convenient for him to have driving as an excuse to avoid looking at me.

There
's a long silence again before he shakes his head. "Nothing, it's no big deal." He says it so low I almost don't hear him. There's more silence, then he turns and gives me his crooked smile as he places his hand on my knee. "Just be careful with him when I'm at camp," he says squeezing my knee.

"
Anyway, enough about him. I'm glad I get to drive you home," he adds as he turns into the parking lot of our favorite field. "Pit stop?" He gives me a smile I can't resist, a smile that makes me forget everything.
Almost.

Chapter
13: Goodbye

The best part about every day is my ride home with Todd. We usually stop off somewhere to be alone, really alone. We've discovered a lot of empty parking lots around town, and luckily, his car seats go all the way back, if you know what I mean. We also spend almost every late afternoon at our special place. It's become our routine.

The month flies
by, and this is our last Friday together. I'm trying really hard not to think about it as we lie on our usual wool blanket, in our usual spot. I run my toes through the cool blades of grass; it's the only thing even close to being cool. I see beads of sweat forming on Todd's nose. Even though we went for a swim before we left the pool, we are both already sweating again; that's how hot and humid it is today.

"
Are you excited to go to Penn State tomorrow?" I ask.

His instant smile answers my question
, but he hangs his head down and his damp hair brushes my arm. "I'm going to miss you."

"
Well, that's a given." I rise up on my elbows to kiss him, twirling my tongue around his to let him know just how much I'll miss him.

The sky is golden with streaks of orange and pink as the sun
starts to set. I know it's getting late, yet I also know, when we separate, this is it. I won't see him again for four long weeks.

The boys are leaving first thing tomorrow
after meeting at Brian's house since he's driving. Brian got a brand new BMW because his was totaled in the accident, so they'll be riding in style at least.

"
Yeah, I'm going to miss you so much, but I am getting kind of excited. I'm glad Ry and Bri will be there."

"
It's pretty cool that it worked out that way." I run my fingers through his hair. "You're going to live on a college campus for two weeks. I'm so jealous."

"
Whatever. It's going to be a lot of hard work. It's not like we're going to be partying."

I just smile
. "We'll see."

"
Trust me, Ash. The coaches already warned us. Up at five a.m. for drills and practice all day until six at night, at least. We're going to be too tired to do anything else."

"
Will you guys be on the field together?"

"
For some of it, but they separate positions for a lot of it. I'm just glad we're all rooming together, so I'll see them at night before we pass out from exhaustion." He laughs.

"
Hey," I say, pulling his face toward mine to capture his full attention. "I was just kidding. I do hope you get to have fun. You need to take advantage of being on a college campus with no parents. Plus, it's important for you to get the full experience to see if you like it since you could be spending four years there."

"
Yeah, it's so strange to think about that—full freedom. It's unfathomable."

"
Wow, a big word. You must be going to college."

He gives me that smile that melts my insides and
then leans down to kiss me. "I'll tell you one thing, I'm going to miss this. Our afternoons. They are perfect."

"
I agree." I return his kiss, our lips crashing together as we roll over on the blanket. His kisses are deep, and I can feel the urgency in them. We know this is it.

"
Ashley, Todd?" I hear a voice, but it sounds far away, too far to be real. In this moment, it is just me and Todd. I could swear I hear it again, though. Todd's the first to pull back; he must hear the voice, too. We both look over to see Todd's mom standing above us.

"
Hi, Mrs. H." My cheeks instantly flush red—bright red, I'm sure, because they feel like they are on fire.

"
Hi, Mom. What are you doing here?" he questions more harshly than I think he intended.

She looks stunned by both his tone and the fact that we are sprawled out on a blanket on top of each other
. "I was driving by and saw your car. I wanted to make sure everything was okay since it's pretty late."

"
Everything is good, Mom," he says through clenched teeth.

"
Oh, okay, I'll see you at home, then. Soon." She uses her don't-forget-who-you-are-talking-to tone, definitely getting her point across. "Bye, Ashley. Nice seeing you," she says with sweet sarcasm.

"
Bye, Mrs. H. Nice seeing you, too." I'm dying inside as I mentally try to will the red away from my cheeks.

After she
's out of earshot, Todd mimics me in a voice two octaves too high for him. "Bye, Mrs. H. It was nice seeing you, too."

"
Shut up." I smack him in the arm. "What was I supposed to say?"

He
grins and shakes his head. "I guess we better go." He intertwines his fingers with mine as he starts to stand up.

I instinctively pull him back
. "Just a second," I whisper as I press my lips into his, reveling in the feeling of his soft lips against mine and the energy soaring through my body from his touch. I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss him.

***

I feel myself getting choked up as he drops me off in front of my house, but I swallow back the lump in my throat. "Remember to have fun. Work hard but have fun. And most of all, remember I love you."

"
I'll call you every night." He tickles my ear with wisps of his breath as his lips explore my neck. "I love you like crazy, Ash."

"
I love you like crazy, too," I say softly into his ear as I run my fingers over his back and grab a fistful of his shirt. He's getting me incredibly worked up.

N
either of us wants to be the first to let go, so we both keep going further and further. I know we need to stop; especially when my front porch light turns on and blares into Todd's car. This is my parents' way of giving us a warning, but I'm sure they'll be out soon. It's just the force we needed to separate. One embarrassing parental encounter is enough for today.

As I watch him drive away
, I feel so many different emotions. I'm excited for him because this is such an incredible opportunity, but selfishly, I wish he could just stay here forever and never leave home. These past few weeks of summer have been perfect, and I don't want them to end. But they will, they are, they just did.

I quickly wipe my eyes before I walk into the house. Ryan is sitting on the couch with a smirk written all over his face.

"You're lucky. Mom and dad were seconds from the front door. You're welcome for the warning."

I
'm not even in the mood to argue with my brother. I must be depressed. "Thanks, Ryan." I continue walking without even turning back.

"
That's it. That's all I get?" he shouts after me from the couch. I can hear the smile filling his voice as he chucks a throw pillow at me, barely missing.

"
Yup," I say, walking upstairs like a zombie.

"
Aren't you going to miss
me
?" he continues to shout sarcastically up the stairs, but I don't even acknowledge him. I can't think about anyone else leaving.

As soon as I make it to my room
, I throw myself on my bed. I just want to cry myself to sleep until the four weeks are up. I feel my phone buzz from underneath me with a text from Todd.

Miss you already.

Seeing his name makes me smile, but his words make the tears start to pour out of my eyes again.