《The Player Next Door》10 | Put A Shirt On
Advertisement
When the sun doesn't shine on you. When the world forgets your name... then there should be some inspirational quote to lift you up.
Let me know if you find one. I still haven't gotten mine.
Yesterday seemed like a dream. A chance to glimpse into someone else's life; a life where everything always shines.
Luke was lucky.
He was born with attributes way off the charts. Handsome, smart and athletic. And, even though I hate to admit it, he had charm.
The only charm I had was in my cereal bowl. (Lucky Charms)
Here we were, standing in the baseball pitch in the middle of the day – Luke Dawson and me.
"Learn how to catch, Minnie," he said, with the ball he caught for me in his hand.
I stared up at him, at his teasing smile and his deep blue eyes. His tan skin glowed under the sun. He saw how I was lost for words and he gave me time, drawing his arm back to throw a powerful shot. He flicked his wrist to add a backspin, as the ball flew out of his hand. It went flying straight towards the other thrower.
The catcher took his cap off to admire the throw. A few compliments came his way.
"Why?" I finally asked.
"You'll let something good slip between your fingers."
What does that even mean? I let a lot of things slip.
"Why did you come here?" I asked.
"I'm going to need you to give me back those keys."
"I already did. Mr Woodhouse has them so he can pass them on to your new roommate."
"Yeah, give the new ones to me." He repeated and held out my old keys.
"I don't understand." Why did he have my old keys? Why would he give me my old keys? He must have just been at the admin cabin.
Advertisement
Does this mean...
"You're not moving cabins, Millie. I got comfortable around you."
...
...
I didn't react. I didn't even blink.
Luke Dawson had called off the exchange. He must have gone to Mr Woodhouse and said he wanted me. Well, probably not like that. He said he wanted to stay in the Apple Cabin with 'the weird girl'.
I think he saw the stars in my eyes. He ruffled my hair with his arrogant smirk.
"Don't go soft, Minnie. You'll be able to pay me back for my laptop now."
And there it was. Classic Luke back in play.
I slept in the same bed that night. I even unpacked now that I knew I wasn't going anywhere. It felt weird knowing Luke requested me to stay. No one had requested me for anything before... let alone Luke.
No skunk cabin for me.
I tried to sleep. It always takes me a while to get there. I replay everything that happens in the day and I think back to whatever chores I have left to do. Eventually, sleep comes.
In the morning, Tamara's voice echoed out of Luke's room. She had stayed overnight, her clothes discarded on the floor.
"Do it again, Luke," Tamara pleaded, naked in his bed. "I want to feel what I felt last night."
"Not now," he said and wrapped a towel around his waist, low enough so his V-cut abs showed.
The muscles on his body rippled as he moved. Luke walked out of his bedroom and walked through the cabin.
I was pouring myself another bowl of fruit loops in the kitchen.
"Hey," he greeted me, leaning his strong naked arms on the counter in front of me.
I was so not ready for this. Luke should come with a warning sign.
I covered my eyes with my hand, "Hi."
Advertisement
He chuckled in his deep, sexy voice, "You can't look at me?"
"Nope," I said, chewing on my loops. He was shirtless. "The campers will be up in twenty minutes, so you have time to cover that up."
"You not going to take a peek?"
It's hard to believe but I held on to my resolve. Luke uses his greek god-like body as power over the rest of us. I've seen how people melt in front of him.
I blushed. "Shoo. And you can take all your sins with you."
I'm not even 18 and I've retired to life as a spinster.
Then, a soft voice interrupted our conversation, "Who is he?"
I turned around to find Alicia standing in her pink pajamas, clutching her teddy bear. The door to the kid's room swung shut behind her. She was pointing and staring, open mouthed at Luke.
"Alicia, what are you doing up so early?"
Luke looked over at her, and said in a gentle voice, "Nice to meet you."
This was a semi sweet side to him that I hadn't seen before. I didn't think Alicia's mouth could open any wider, but it did.
"This is Luke," I quickly intervened, "He's the other Apple cabin counselor. He'll be looking after you this summer too."
She dropped her teddy bear.
I sighed, and said to Luke, "Will you just go put a shirt on?"
He was distracting everyone.
I was picking up all the kid-sized socks that were lying around in the cabin. The yellow bus had just picked them up for breakfast and Tamara had left (stealing one of Luke's shirts on her way out), so we had an hour before activities started.
"It's been a week and they don't even know who you are," I told Luke, "You should take some responsibility and meet them. Those kids are a handful but they're fun. They're going through their own stuff every day. The least you can do is be a friendly face."
Why did it feel like we were co-parenting?
I reached under the couch, stretching my arm as far as it could go to try to get the Disney princess sock lying under there. I scraped my elbow in the process but emerged victorious. I threw it into the basket of other mismatched socks.
"I'll make some effort," he shrugged, drinking coffee.
I had made a pot this morning for myself. Luke helped himself.
He picked up a sock from behind the toaster and tossed it into my basket as I passed by.
"You heard about the camping trip this weekend?"
I almost dropped my basket. He smirked and picked it out of my wobbly hands. "I'll take that as a no."
"What camping trip?"
"The one you haven't heard about."
"I don't remember that from last year," I said defensively. This was my worst fear coming to life. "Is it compulsory?"
"You just made an emotional speech about supporting our campers. I think you should go."
I hate it when he listens to me.
"Well it's not safe to have me looking after them in that kind of environment. I don't even know how to take care of myself. I can't brave the elements. If it's a survival course, I'm not only failing myself but they'll all-"
"We don't need to go into this," he raised his hands to back off, moving away from my rambling.
But I was already worked up. "Camping?! All of us?! You've seen my reflexes. I barely survive a concrete jungle."
No wonder Luke doesn't care – he is made for outdoor sports. No way is this going to end well for me. It never does...
Advertisement
- In Serial240 Chapters
Completion
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Holly S Roberts likes to gloss over her exciting past as a homicide detective and make you think she sits at a computer all day writing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. You’ll find Holly in the mountains on a long hike or at the gym pounding barbells with the boys. She’s a health coach and nutritionist as well as being vegan and proving muscles come from hard work and plant-based foods. When the weather’s too cold for outdoor play, she sneaks into her dark cave and writes until her fingers ache. She’s also followed around by a hundred-pound Rottweiler with anxiety issues and constant need for affection. Each finished chapter gets a dog lick when Holly stays on course.
8 193 - In Serial20 Chapters
If We Could See Forever
You never know what you have until you lose it, and once you lost it, you can never get it back.Eric Cleese was like air or water to John Chapman. When Eric was there with John, John did not know how important Eric was to him. It was when Eric left him John started to regret what he had done to Eric.
8 153 - In Serial16 Chapters
Alpha Rogue
"I don't believe it." a low inhumane voice whispered. I have to look up to meet his gaze. Is he a new bully? Haven't seen him before."What is your name?" He's against the light but his eyes were like sapphires glowing in the night. Curious."Your name." I felt some weird tone emanating from his voice. Too demanding... too powerful."Uh..." my name? No one's interested with my name, except for the cafe's barista. "Don't make me repeat. State your name!""Nathalia Nicolai." I spilled flabbergasted by his yelling. For once, i saw... amusement then it quickly changed back to disgust."I, Alpha Chase Ashton Michael, rejects you Nathalia Nicolai as my mate and Luna of Bloodridge pack.""Huh?" Should i say 'nice to meet you'?"Now, repeat after me. I, Nathalia Nicolai, accepts your rejection, as your mate and luna of Bloodridge pack." He nod at me. Ok? i repeat the whole verse."Good." He remarked letting go of me and exiting."Wow." My only comment. That's really a new way to introduce yourself and rejecting people. I took a sip of my drink."But that's really uselss." I smiled leaving the room.If you are born missing something, will you ever stop looking for that something? Try to fill what is gone? Won't you continue on living?
8 226 - In Serial31 Chapters
Eternal Fire
Academy of The Gods, a school unlike any other. Students are chosen by one of the four gods to attend. Once chosen you are given a gift and assigned to one of the four houses. When Cleo Norse is chosen to be the first-ever female warrior, how will the world respond? Was it just dumb luck she was picked, or is there more than the Gods are telling them?
8 236 - In Serial109 Chapters
Unfortunately, I'm an Evil Villainess
I was Lady Valentina Avington, the beautiful, wicked, and narcissistic villainess of a novel. When I recalled memories of my past life, I decided I wanted everything the heroine had. Using my knowledge of the future, I became a fake saint, the successor to my house, the future queen, and won over the male leads. When the novel began, all I had to do was dispose of the female lead. Yet nothing was as it seemed, and before I knew it, my perfect facade fell to pieces. “You’re not who I thought you were.” “I despise you, Sister.” “It’s revolting to even look at you.” Call it ambition or greed, I would get what I wanted, by any means necessary. No matter the cost, I would definitely win. No need to like me, I have no excuses. Will you be cheering for my downfall, like the rest of them? *** Updates every Wednesday and Friday at 10:00 PM EST.Join my discord server to read one chapter ahead: https://discord.gg/WfQAjG3JQxBecome a patron and read a few more chapters ahead: https://ko-fi.com/lyharbour
8 419 - In Serial39 Chapters
Back To You (#3)
Aeryn Reynolds had a perfect day going on; her restaurant was bustling with customers and she couldn't be any happier about it until Everette Wilbrose walked in and Aeryn's daughter decided to play matchmaker for them.Some bad choice of words from Everette pissed her off, completely. And she doesn't want to see his face ever again.Throw in some money problem for Aeryn and a search for a bride for Everette and pressure from Aeryn's daughter for a father. Will she be able to tolerate being married to Everette, the self-made billionaire or her life's gonna crumble?And especially, it's not easy for an arranged marriage to work when both of them are waiting for their long-lost childhood love._______________________________________________"How can you be so sure about marrying me?", the little girl asked. "What if I am somewhere else and you are somewhere else?"The boy smiled softly. "No matter which part of the world I am in, I will always find my way back to you."(In case you are wondering why the hell there's a hashtag next to the title, numbering it...go read my bio.)
8 127

