These Butterflies
Tender Kiss.
He always looks good, but he looks especially good in his football uniform.
I bite my lip to contain my grin as he approaches the bleachers with one of his own. Chris and Matt, my oldest brothers, stand to greet him. They each give him a firm handshake and a hard pat on the back. “I’m so glad you guys could make it,” Alex gushes. Ever since our brothers went off to college, the family hasn’t seen them as much as we’d like to. Chris left California to study in Oregon. He moved to Los Angeles for an internship about a year ago, and is currently living there. Matt left a few years later to Texas. He's a junior right now. Like Chris was, he's being aided with an athletic scholarship. We can’t have them for dinner every night, but they try their best to come out during all the major holidays and big games like tonight’s. If we win tonight’s game, we will win first place in our league and our school will go to the state championship. Scouts from all over have come to see Alex and a win will guarantee him a football scholarship somewhere.
“Anything for our little bro,” Matt says with a warm smile.
“I don’t think you guys understand how nervous I am,” Alex admits.
“No where near as nervous as Mom,” Chris laughs.
We all turn to face our mother with unsure smiles for a reaction. “Very funny,” is all she says as the corners of her lips rise slightly. We all know the main reason she comes to every one of Alex’s games is in case he gets hurt. He’s the smallest one on the team and even though it’s close to impossible not to worry, Mom is sure to cause a scene if anything was to happen.
I turn back to meet Alex’s gaze. The way his eyes are glowing mesmerizes me. “Cheer for me Lani, okay?”
I sigh, sliding my hands into my back pockets. “You have cheerleaders for that.”
“But none of them are as awesome as you.” He gives me a half smile, and I can’t refrain from mirroring his expression.
He steps towards me and embraces me tightly before saying, “Alright everyone, I have to go. Coach said to meet in the team room at six-thirty. Wish me luck.”
Behind me I hear an overlapping of “break a leg,” “you’ll do great,” and a “be careful,” but all I can concentrate on is that irresistible dimpled grin.
“Good luck,” I say.
His eyes flicker towards me and I feel my heart skip a beat. “Thank you.” He leans in and places a soft kiss right on the corner of my mouth, so close to my lips…
He gives a single wave before heading towards the distant building. I sit down and try to focus my attention on the junior varsity game, but the tingling of that tender kiss lingers on my skin, stealing my interest.
“He’s really cute,” the unfamiliar girl on my left tells me. I can barely hear her, and that’s when I realize how abnormally loud the audience is.
“Everyone seems to think so,” I say with a smile, and then I start to wonder how it was that his voice cut so clearly through the noise.
“You two make an adorable couple.”
I gulp at her mistake. “Uh, it's not like that.” The next words are so hard for me to say because they remind me of my laughable dreams. “He’s my brother...”
I bite my lip to contain my grin as he approaches the bleachers with one of his own. Chris and Matt, my oldest brothers, stand to greet him. They each give him a firm handshake and a hard pat on the back. “I’m so glad you guys could make it,” Alex gushes. Ever since our brothers went off to college, the family hasn’t seen them as much as we’d like to. Chris left California to study in Oregon. He moved to Los Angeles for an internship about a year ago, and is currently living there. Matt left a few years later to Texas. He's a junior right now. Like Chris was, he's being aided with an athletic scholarship. We can’t have them for dinner every night, but they try their best to come out during all the major holidays and big games like tonight’s. If we win tonight’s game, we will win first place in our league and our school will go to the state championship. Scouts from all over have come to see Alex and a win will guarantee him a football scholarship somewhere.
“Anything for our little bro,” Matt says with a warm smile.
“I don’t think you guys understand how nervous I am,” Alex admits.
“No where near as nervous as Mom,” Chris laughs.
We all turn to face our mother with unsure smiles for a reaction. “Very funny,” is all she says as the corners of her lips rise slightly. We all know the main reason she comes to every one of Alex’s games is in case he gets hurt. He’s the smallest one on the team and even though it’s close to impossible not to worry, Mom is sure to cause a scene if anything was to happen.
I turn back to meet Alex’s gaze. The way his eyes are glowing mesmerizes me. “Cheer for me Lani, okay?”
I sigh, sliding my hands into my back pockets. “You have cheerleaders for that.”
“But none of them are as awesome as you.” He gives me a half smile, and I can’t refrain from mirroring his expression.
He steps towards me and embraces me tightly before saying, “Alright everyone, I have to go. Coach said to meet in the team room at six-thirty. Wish me luck.”
Behind me I hear an overlapping of “break a leg,” “you’ll do great,” and a “be careful,” but all I can concentrate on is that irresistible dimpled grin.
“Good luck,” I say.
His eyes flicker towards me and I feel my heart skip a beat. “Thank you.” He leans in and places a soft kiss right on the corner of my mouth, so close to my lips…
He gives a single wave before heading towards the distant building. I sit down and try to focus my attention on the junior varsity game, but the tingling of that tender kiss lingers on my skin, stealing my interest.
“He’s really cute,” the unfamiliar girl on my left tells me. I can barely hear her, and that’s when I realize how abnormally loud the audience is.
“Everyone seems to think so,” I say with a smile, and then I start to wonder how it was that his voice cut so clearly through the noise.
“You two make an adorable couple.”
I gulp at her mistake. “Uh, it's not like that.” The next words are so hard for me to say because they remind me of my laughable dreams. “He’s my brother...”
♠ ♠ ♠
This filler was just so you could understand the characters a little bit more. In about three chapters, things will start to get interesting! I am very excited. Haha. I know nothing about football, so... Next chapter will definitely be AFTER the game. Hahaha. Please comment! It would mean so much!! =)