The Line Drive

thirty-nine

Dane

I say everything. I word vomit and she's quiet. She's fucking quiet and she just looks at me. I need her to speak. I desperately hope that she'll forgive me. I hope that I haven't crossed some insane boundary by kissing her. I pray that I haven't fucked this all up. 

The smile that spreads across her face is slow, as if she's gradually processing everything that I said. I forget how to breathe until she speaks. 

"Of course I forgive you, Dane." 

"Are you sure?" What the fuck is my mouth thinking?

She laughs and the sound warms my heart. I know that we're okay. I don't know what we are, but I know that it's going to be alright, because I can still make her laugh. "Dead sure." 

I suddenly feel really awkward, because we've now both admitted that we like each other, and then Mackenzie pulled away. I'm not sure how to continue. I don't know what she wanted from this. I've emptied my heart out to her. I've never been in this situation before, and I find that it makes me extremely uncomfortable.

"What are we?" I sound like a god damn teenager. What the fuck is my problem? I want to strangle myself as soon as the words come out. 

"What do you want to be?" I can tell she's being coy, and I see the way her eyes drop to my lips. If I didn't have one arm in a sling, I'd grab her and fuck her brains out. I'm surprised by the sudden crassness of my thoughts. 

"Mackenzie, I want all of you." I say. Am I in a fucking romance movie? Maybe I actually did get a concussion and it's just hitting a week and a half late. 

"So dating would be a good arrangement?" She asks, a small smile on her lips. 

"That would be an excellent arrangement." I agree, moving so that I'm on my knees in front of her. "As long as you're up for it."

"As long as I'm up for it?" She lets out a loud laugh. 

"What's so funny?"

"I've liked you for--" She blinks rapidly. "A while." 

"Only a while?" I tease. 

She narrows her eyes at me. "Don't get cocky." 

"I'm not cocky." I lie. I lean forward, putting my hand on the wall behind her, giving her plenty of time to think about what I'm doing. She doesn't move, and instead just gazes up at me, her stare locked with mine. "I'm just-- self-confident." She laughs, shutting her eyes, and her breath fans my face. 

I close the distance between us again and brush my lips against hers. I feel like I could melt into her and I would be happy. This moment, on my bed, is the second best thing that's happened to me this semester. The first one was meeting Mackenzie Brooks. 

"Dane?" She pulls away ever so slightly as she says my name, and then leans back in and gently sucks on my lower lip.

"Hmm?" I try to redirect my attention, but it's nearly impossible with her lips on mine. 

"Someone is knocking on your door." I pull away and realize that she's right. Someone is pounding on my door and I've just been totally ignoring it, entranced by my moment with Mackenzie. 

"Dane!" I hear Noah's voice, he sounds panicked. "Dane! Open up!" 

I reluctantly get off the bed, trying to ignore the way that Mackenzie's stare is making my stomach flip flop. I'm going to kill Noah for interrupting this. 

"What?" I fling open the door to a slightly panicked looking Noah. 

"Hannah is freaking out because--" Noah's voice trails off as he peers around me. I try to shut my door ever so slightly so he can't see the pants-less Mackenzie. I'm too slow apparently because a huge smile spreads across his face. 

"Don't." I warn him.

"Is a half-naked Mackenzie Brooks in your bed?" He whispers in the most non-discretionary whisper I've ever heard.

"I can hear you, asshole." Mackenzie says loudly. 

"What do you want?" I ask before Noah can reply to her.

"Well, Mack's roommates are freaking out because they can't find her and she's not picking up her phone. But I'll tell Hannah that she's safe and sound." Noah gives me a wink. "Morning, Mack!" He calls past me in a sing-song voice. He's going to wake up the whole fucking house at this volume.

"Hi, Noah." Mackenzie replies patiently. 

"Mack!" Hannah comes hurtling out of Noah's room, and slams herself into Noah. Noah wraps his arm around her as Hannah peers past me to look at Mackenzie. "Everything good?" Hannah asks Mackenzie, completely ignoring me. 

"Everything's great." Mackenzie says, still not moving from the bed. I realize that her pants are probably on my floor and that she'd have to give Noah a show if she were to stand up and join this conversation. 

"You're not making her cry again, are you?" Hannah looks at me accusingly. I hear Mackenzie snicker behind me. 

"They were definitely smooching." Noah tells her before I can say anything. 

"How the fuck could you tell?" I ask. 

"I'm a good guesser." Noah chuckles. "Hannah-banana, we better leave these two to do whatever it is that they're going to do." He pulls her away, and Hannah winks at me. 

"I want a double date." Hannah tells us before Noah closes his door behind them. I can hear them arguing vehemently, but I close my door and turn back to Mackenzie. She's wearing a huge smile, and looks a weird combination of amused and confused. 

"What?" I ask. 

"Just--" She shrugs. "Trying to catch up." 

I guess I was right when I was worried about giving her whiplash. 

"Do you want to get breakfast and then do homework together?" I'm nervous asking her, thinking there's a possibility that she'll just tell me no. I don't know what I'm thinking, since she was the one who just suggested dating. 

"Sure. I need to shower first though." 

"You can shower here." I tell her, with the small hope that I'll get to see her fully naked.

"I'd like to change clothes." She smiles at me. 

"You could wear mine." I say hopefully. This actually causes her to laugh. 

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going to have to pass. I like my clothes."

"Will you wait for me while I shower?" She nods and I step into the bathroom, my mind reeling. Am I really thinking about trying to seduce Mackenzie when she just admitted that she likes me? Having sex isn't even on the top of my priority list of things to do with Mackenzie. Mostly, I just want to spend time with her again, but now with the added benefit of getting to touch her and not worry about it being deemed inappropriate tutor-student behavior. 

I remove my shirt and sling, careful to keep holding my arm at the proper angle. As I shower, my mind keeps drifting back to how Mackenzie had felt pressed against me, how she had held me, how she had smiled as I kissed her. I'm a lost cause. Mackenzie Brooks has me under her spell, and I couldn't be happier.