Coach's Daughter

11.

Chapter 11.

For a long moment, the world stopped, and I was completely caught up in the magic of this kiss. It was sweet, gentle, passionate, full of promise. I melted into Evan's embrace, and his hand caressing my back made my entire body feel electrified. This, this is how a man should treat a woman he likes. Why had I ever wanted a guy like Luke, who saw me as a child, when I could have a guy like Evan, who saw me as an equal?

Before tonight, I hadn't ever considered Evan romantically. I'd had eyes only for Luke. But now, I was willing to consider the possibility that Evan and I could have something real, something meaningful.

Too soon, the kiss was over, and Evan straightened up, giving me a shy smile. I smiled back and looked down at the bracelet on my wrist, fiddling with it because I wasn't quite sure what to say.

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

"What?" I asked, looking up.

"You're playing with your bracelet. You always do that when you're nervous."

I was surprised. He noticed that I play with my bracelet when I'm nervous? My stomach began to feel uneasy again.

"You noticed that?"

A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "I noticed a lot of things. Don't worry, it's cute though."

My whole stomach did a backflip and I could feel my cheeks heat up. "I- uhmm... I--" It took everything in my not to look at the small charm bracelet on my wrist.

"I really like you, Lilly," Evan said. "I've liked you since that first night you went into the boy's locker room to find your dad before the game. You were so cute and nervous, but not scared to do something that most girls wouldn't have dared to do. I've wanted to get to know you better ever since, but Coach was very clear that you were off limits."

I sighed. My dad was never going to approve of me being in a relationship, especially not with someone from his team.

"You know, your dad would probably bench me if he ever found out about tonight," Evan said, "and I'd be lying if I said I'm okay with that, but I just had to know Lilly. I had to know if you like me too."

That was the question, wasn't it? Obviously, I liked Evan. He was super nice. But did I like like Evan, or did I just like him as a friend? He was sweet, handsome, and a really good kisser. Did I want him to be more than a friend? Yes, I realized. Maybe I did. I definitely wanted to get to know him better and at least explore the possibility.

"I like you, Evan," I said. "I'd really like to get to know you better. I can't make any promises, but I'd like to spend more time with you."

The tenderness in his gaze made me feel warm all over, almost giddy. "This isn't going to be easy," Evan warned. "Your dad isn't going to like this at all."

I nodded. "I think we need to be up front with him about this," I said thoughtfully. "I tried to hide the whole cheer thing, and it turned into a much bigger deal than it should have been. Maybe we should just tell him about it, so he doesn't think you're sneaking around behind his back."

Evan paled. "I just don't want him to bench me. He made it clear that you were off limits, and if we tried anything, we'd get benched."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry, I won't let him bench you. If he says anything, I'll tell him that Luke ditched me for Madison at the party and you came to my rescue. He doesn't need to know about the kiss. We'll just say that we like each other, but you wanted to ask permission before you asked me out."

Evan exhaled hard. "That could work," he agreed. "I'd hate to throw Luke under the bus like that though."

I shrugged. "Luke was a jerk tonight. He broke a promise to me, and to my father. If he gets in trouble, that's his own fault."

Evan looked at the clock and sighed. "I'd better get you home. If we're going to ask your father for permission to date, we'd better stay on his good side.

We drove to my house with his hand in mine, and I hoped that somehow, I would find a way to convince my father to agree to the relationship. I wasn't a child anymore, and I needed him to see that. If he said no, I vowed, I would get Mom involved. He wasn't my only parent. He didn't get to play dictator in my life. If I got her on my side, he couldn't possibly say no.

Evan pulled into my driveway and put the car in park. "Well, I guess I'll see you Monday then," he said. "Unless you think it would be better if we talked to your dad together this weekend?"

I shook my head. "It's probably best if you're not there," I said. "At least not at first. I don't want him to do anything impulsive. He needs time to think about it, stew it over. I think he'll come around."

Evan's face was only inches from my own. His eyes searched mine, waiting for me to say something else or be the one to pull away.

My mind went blank, and all I could think about was the kiss in the school parking lot. What would it be like to be with him? What would it feel like to be in a relationship?

Before I could process what I was doing, I leaned in closer to him so that our lips were so close I could feel his breath on my own. He cupped my face with his hands and pulled me in for another short, sweet kiss, and I knew that unlike Luke, Evan chose me and only me.

Too soon, Evan pulled away. "You'd better go," he murmured. "You're already late. And I don't want your dad to catch us before we've talked to him about our relationship."

Reluctantly, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached for the door. "You're probably right," I agreed. Impulsively, I leaned over and gave him one last kiss, more chaste than our earlier ones. "Thank you. For everything. For cheering me up and being there when I needed you. And for making tonight magical when it started off as a train wreck."

Evan squeezed my hand, and said, "It was my pleasure, Lilly."

Before I opened the front door, and I turned and watched Evan drive away, softly touching my lips where he had kissed them earlier. This entire night had gone so much differently than I planned, but it had turned out better than I had thought possible. I just hoped I could make my dad understand how sweet and sensitive Evan was, and convince him to let us have a relationship for real. Otherwise, I worried that my magical night would be just that: a fantasy that could never become reality. 

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