Playing Offsides: Chapter 12

“Are you sure all of this makes sense?” I ask Cam as he sits next to me, his eyes lifting to meet mine.

He nods eagerly, showing me the notes he took while I was explaining all of the material to him. “The way you broke it down makes so much more sense than how Professor McDavid was explaining it in class. You want to try some of the practice questions if you don’t believe me?”

A smile touches my lips and I shake my head at him, feeling a sense of pride. We’ve been having these tutoring sessions for a few weeks now, and even though we had a minor hiccup with where we stood at the beginning, things have been going really well. Cameron isn’t stupid and is actually fairly smart. His brain just works a little differently when it comes to understanding the material that we’re learning.

And I think that the one-on-one sessions have really been helping him.

“Do you think you’re ready for the exam tomorrow morning?” I question him, flipping the page in my notebook to a fresh one.

Cameron’s eyes bounce back and forth between mine. “Do you think I am?”

“Of course,” I tell him honestly, nodding eagerly at him. “You seem to have all of this practically memorized, which is amazing. I’m beginning to wonder if this was all just a ploy to get me to hang out with you when you already know all of the material. Are you sure you even need me?”

His eyes widen slightly, his throat bobbing as he swallows hard. His expression is unreadable for a moment, but he quickly recovers as a smirk plays on his lips. “Shit, Rossi. You’re onto me, aren’t you?” He pauses for a second, a soft laugh falling from his lips before he stares directly at me. “I’m kidding. There is literally no way I would be able to pass this shit without you. You’ve literally been a godsend, Aspen. Seriously… I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you for this.”

Cameron’s voice is like silk, sliding across my eardrums as I get lost in the storm that brews in his irises. There’s something about him that has me captivated. In his presence, it’s like nothing else around us even matters. I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame and as much as I hate it, I love it.

I know that he’s mainly all talk and I accept it as that because this will never go any further than friendship. But I would be lying if I said he didn’t make me feel good… because he does.

“You don’t have to repay me, Cam,” I tell him, my voice soft as I search his eyes. “Like I said, I can put it on my résumé. And when you make it to the NHL, just get me some amazing seats to a game and we can call this even.”

Lifting his arm onto the table, he rests his elbow on the wooden surface and props his chin on his hand as he tilts his head to the side. “You like hockey?”

“I’ve never really watched it, to be honest. But it would be pretty cool to go to a game and be able to say that my friend is playing on that team.”

Cameron stares at me for a moment. “Would you want to come to one of my games sometime?” His voice is soft, his words strained for a moment, but he covers it up with a nervous chuckle. “I mean, I know it isn’t a professional game, but it’s still a hockey game.”

A smile creeps onto my lips and I nod at him, watching the anxiety drain from his face as he visibly relaxes. “I would love to.”

His smile touches his eyes and they shine brightly at me. No words fall from his lips, but instead we fall into a silence as he stares at me for a moment. I’m lost in the depths of his stormy green eyes. Even when he isn’t in a bad mood, there’s still a darkness lurking in them, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

But it’s a darkness that I want to explore.

I don’t want to get involved with him, but I want to know his secrets. There’s an air of mystery to him, mainly because he isn’t as much of an open book like people think. He keeps everything superficial and at face value. He’s charming and he knows how to use it to his advantage without letting anyone get close to him.

The more time we spend together, I can’t help but feel like I’m inching closer to the pieces of him that he keeps hidden from the rest of the world.

Cameron’s eyes fall down to my lips and linger there for a moment. My heart pounds erratically in my chest as he inches closer to me, his hand reaching out as he brushes a stray hair away from my face. His fingertips are soft on my skin, a shiver climbing up my spine from his touch. I hate the effect he has on me, but I allow myself to feel it—to revel in it.

If only just for a moment…

He tucks the hair behind my ear, slowly trailing his fingers down the side of my face as he inches closer to me. Just as I think he’s about to kiss me, he pauses. He’s so fucking close, his breath is warm against my lips, but he doesn’t dare to bring his mouth to mine.

“I’m starving,” he murmurs, trailing his fingertips down the side of my neck. “Do you want to go get dinner with me?”

My throat bobs as I swallow hard, my breath caught in my throat as I stare up at him. His breath smells like cotton candy and I want to taste it on his tongue. Drawing my bottom lip between my teeth, I bite down and nod, not fully trusting my voice.

“There’s an Italian restaurant that I heard is really good. Let me take you out, as a way to say thank you?”

“Okay,” I whisper, my heart rattling in its cage as my breathing grows shallow. Cam slowly pulls his hand away from me before leaning back.

I expect his typical playful smirk, but it isn’t there. Instead, he stares at me with a heated gaze—one that is almost identical to the one he had the night that he told me I was breathtaking.

This is a line that we cannot cross, regardless of how tempting it might be.

Cameron Sawyer is the biggest temptation in my life and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to fight against these feelings.

Perhaps if I just allow myself a small taste, I can get him out of my system.

And with the way he’s looking at me right now, I’m beginning to wonder if food is really what he’s hungry for…