Chapter 429 - Twenty Minutes

Chapter 429: Chapter 429 - Twenty Minutes

"No. I’m still deciding which one wanted you more."

Zac stopped and looked at her. "They were helping me."

"I saw how helpful they were."

"They’re cheerleaders. You wanted information about cheer, so I asked people who actually know what they’re talking about."

"I understand how asking questions works."

"Apparently you don’t."

Roxie frowned and followed him toward the bench. "Don’t start."

"I’m starting? You walked over looking like you wanted to fight two girls because they were talking to me."

"I said sorry, but they were flirting with you openly."

"They weren’t."

Roxie stopped beside the bench and stared at him. "Don’t fuck with me, Zac. You knew they were flirting."

Zac dragged both hands over his face and sighed. "Fine. You’re right. They were flirting. I hated it too, but if you get into cheer, they’re probably gonna be your seniors. I wasn’t gonna make it weird when I was asking them stuff for you."

That took some of the anger out of her.

Roxie looked at him properly this time. Up close, the dark circles under his eyes looked worse, and the bruise across his right hand from training was still visible. He looked completely exhausted, and suddenly fighting with him over two girls felt like the dumbest possible way to spend the little time they had.

"I have maybe twenty minutes with you."

His expression changed.

Roxie looked away because admitting that made the whole thing feel more embarrassing than the jealousy.

"I came here because you said you had a break. This is probably the only time I’m gonna see you today while you’re actually awake, and when I got here you were busy laughing with two girls."

Zac stared at her for a second before a small smile pulled at his mouth. "I kinda like you jealous, but I don’t want us wasting our break fighting."

Roxie rubbed her forehead. The anger was already disappearing now that she had said what actually bothered her.

"Alright. You’re lucky I love you."

His smile widened. "I love you more."

Roxie leaned in for a quick kiss before sitting beside him. Zac dropped onto the bench next to her and opened the container.

"You packed a lot."

"You barely eat."

"I eat."

"Protein bars don’t count."

Zac immediately started eating, and Roxie watched him for a moment before glancing around.

"Where’s Dylan?"

She had packed enough for him too, just in case.

Zac barely looked up. "He went home."

Roxie nodded. HE’s been trying to put space between them and she understand. It’s a bit awkward for now.

She looked toward the athletic building while Zac ate, but Miss Anytime’s face still kept appearing in her head. It was ridiculous how similar mean girls were everywhere. Roxie actually wondered where the hell Kendall was right now and whether she was terrorizing some poor college cheer team too.

Zac glanced at her after a few bites. "You’re still thinking about them."

"No."

"You are."

Roxie sighed. "Fine. They annoyed me."

"Why?"

She turned toward him. "You look very happy for someone being harassed by cheerleaders."

"Harassed?" Zac chuckled.

Roxie’s mouth fell open. "Wow."

That made him laugh properly, and when she tried to shove him, Zac caught her wrist before she could.

"Come here."

"No."

"Roxie."

"Go call Miss Anytime."

He pulled her closer anyway until her shoulder bumped against his. "You’re annoying."

"You’re jealous."

"A little."

"A lot."

Roxie pinched his side hard enough to make him jerk.

"Jesus."

"Eat."

Zac laughed and went back to his food while keeping one arm around her waist. Roxie stayed stiff for maybe ten seconds before giving up and leaning against him.

"I just wanted time with you."

His arm tightened around her.

"I know."

Roxie looked up at him. "I wasn’t trying to start another whole thing."

"I figured."

She narrowed her eyes.

Zac smiled and kissed the side of her head. "I was asking because you were nervous about cheer. They said the coaches pay attention to tumbling consistency, conditioning and how fast you pick up their style."

Her irritation disappeared almost immediately.

"What else?"

Zac gave her a smug look.

"Don’t."

"Now you want their information."

"Tell me before I take your lunch back."

He laughed and started explaining what the girls had told him. Roxie listened while stealing a piece of chicken from his container, then another when he complained about the first one.

"You packed your own."

"Yours tastes better."

"It came from the same pan."

"Still."

Zac shook his head but moved the container between them anyway.

Roxie started telling him about practice while they ate. She told him how badly she wanted to turn around when she first walked in, how rusty she felt during the first drills and how good it felt once she stopped worrying about everybody watching her and just started moving again.

Zac kept asking questions whenever she tried shortening the story, and somewhere in the middle Roxie forgot that he only had a few minutes.

"You liked it," he said when she finished.

"Yeah. More than I thought I would."

"Then go back."

"I probably will."

"That means you will."

Roxie smiled. "Maybe."

Zac looked ready to argue, but instead he blinked slowly and rubbed one eye with the heel of his hand.

Roxie watched him.

"You slept last night, right?"

"Some."

"At Dylan’s?"

"A few hours."

"That means barely."

"I’m fine."

He took another bite before she could argue.

Roxie looked at the dark circles under his eyes and felt whatever irritation remained disappear. He looked like he could put his head on her shoulder and be unconscious within minutes.

She leaned into him again.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You suddenly stopped being mad."

"Enjoy it while it lasts."

Zac smiled and rested his cheek against the top of her head. For a while they ate quietly, with Roxie stealing from his container whenever she felt like it, until his phone vibrated beside him.

She felt him sigh before he even checked.

"Coach?"

"Yeah."

Roxie glanced at the time.

Their twenty minutes were already gone.

Zac closed the container but stayed beside her. "I can probably stay another five."

Roxie looked at his face and shook her head.

"No."

His eyebrows pulled together. "I said I can."

"And I’m saying go."

"Rox."

"You look exhausted."

"I’m fine. My girlfriend came all the way here to bring me lunch. I can bench press another man. I think I can survive five more minutes."

Roxie giggled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

"I’ll try to come home early." Zac brushed his fingers over her cheek.

Roxie hesitated before shaking her head. "You don’t have to."

He looked at her.

"I mean it. If practice ends and you’re exhausted, come home and sleep. Stop trying to stay awake on the couch because you think I’m gonna get pissed if you fall asleep."

"That’s not why I stay awake."

"Liar."

"I want to spend time with you."

The answer made her chest tighten.

She looked at him for a moment before reaching up to fix the collar of his shirt. "I get that, but you’re gonna kill yourself trying to do everything."

Zac went quiet.

"I’d rather have you asleep beside me than sitting on the couch pretending you’re watching a movie when you’ve been unconscious for twenty minutes."

"That’s romantic."

"I’m very loving."

"Could’ve fooled me ten minutes ago."

Roxie’s mouth dropped open. "You want Miss Anytime to pack your lunch tomorrow?"

Zac immediately laughed and wrapped an arm around her waist when she tried moving away.

"I’m kidding."

"Let go."

"No."

"Maybe she’ll bring dessert too."

"Stop."

"She said anytime, Zac. Very convenient."

He buried his face against the side of her head while laughing, and Roxie tried pushing him away even though she was already laughing too.

"You’re going to be late."

"Then stop fighting me."

"You grabbed me."

"You started threatening to replace yourself with a cheerleader."

"That’s your problem."

Zac finally loosened his hold enough for Roxie to turn around, but she stayed close instead of moving away.

The smile on his face faded a little.

"I’m trying, babe."

Roxie looked at him.

The tiredness in his voice hit harder than anything else he had said.

"I can see that."

"I’m sorry everything’s been crazy."

"You don’t have to apologize every time football takes you somewhere."

"I still feel bad."

Roxie rested her hands against his sides. "Then make it up when things calm down."

"They will."

"Eventually."

"Eventually."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him.

Zac hugged her back immediately, and Roxie rested her cheek against his chest, letting herself have the thing she had walked across campus for.

Her twenty minutes.

Maybe a little more.

"Go," she finally murmured. "Before Coach comes outside and starts yelling."

Zac kissed the top of her head. "Love you."

"Love you too."

He pulled away, grabbed the lunch bag and started toward the athletic building.

One of the cheer girls from earlier was standing near the entrance talking to somebody else. She noticed Zac, then looked past him toward Roxie and waved.

Roxie stared at her for half a second before lifting her hand with the sweetest smile she could manage.

"Anytime," she muttered.

Zac heard her.

He nearly choked laughing.

Roxie flipped him off, which only made him laugh harder before he disappeared inside.

She stayed on the bench for another minute after he was gone. Her irritation over the girls had mostly disappeared, but the thing underneath it was still there.

Zac was trying. She could see it every time he came home exhausted and still sat beside her, every time he tried keeping his eyes open long enough to ask about her day and every time he looked guilty because football or Dylan needed him again.

Roxie couldn’t stay angry at somebody who was clearly running himself into the ground trying to keep everybody happy.

She picked up her phone and opened the cheer schedule instead.

Maybe getting something of her own here would help.

Roxie saved the next open practice to her calendar and started walking back across campus while students moved around her in every direction.

School hadn’t even started yet, and everything was already getting busier.