Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SASHA

There is a giant smile on my face as I'm changing out of my Kerrington Koala costume. I was able to celebrate another win with the GSU soccer team, and the energy from the crowd tonight was electric. I'm so happy I was able to witness the win tonight, especially after the loss the team experienced on Friday. I'm glad they were able to turn it around. Not only did they win, but they played a killer game. I know everyone is proud of them and are excited about being back on track to compete for a potential championship.

"Can I talk with you for a minute?" Evangeline asks when I step out of the changing room.

"Of course, what's up?" I ask, leaning against the wall.

"I know when we hired you, I told you that you'd be a part of a lot of different sporting events, but Coach Rudder has requested a change," she tells me. My stomach drops.

"They hate me?" I question, feeling like an utter failure.

"Oh my God, no," she quickly corrects me. "They love you, so much so that the team has developed a superstition around you. They've asked that you attend all of their games. We don't normally have a mascot at every soccer game, but it's hard to convince athletes that superstitions aren't real. Logistically, it's probably going to be a nightmare to work it out, but with how well the team was playing up until their last game, there is a strong chance they are going to bring home the championship win. But they won't be able to do that if the team is stuck in their head thinking they'll only win if you are there."

I blink at her a couple of times. "So, I'm not fired?" I check and she laughs.

"No, but you are going to be a bit busier than we originally thought."

After my training was complete, I was supposed to go around and fill in for the other mascots, but apparently, that won't be happening anymore. Which isn't something I'm going to complain about. I'll get to be at every single one of Rio's games and get to ogle him from the sidelines. And if he ever decides to ask me out on that date, then things will be even better. We won't have to spend a ton of time apart while trying to build a relationship. Of course, that's all just wishful thinking at this point in time. It's not like he's texted me to say he wants to try something, and we haven't really seen each other since the night we almost kissed.

"I'm cool with being busy," I tell her with a smile. "I might have to talk to a couple of my professors though to make sure it's okay for me to miss a class here and there as I'm not sure the away games line up with my current schedule."

Evangeline nods. "How ‘bout we sit down with your schedule, and I'll email any professor you need me to. They tend to be more willing to be flexible if it comes from someone higher up than a student."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for being so understanding. Thankfully, we have the two mascot costumes, but a third would be really handy right about now."

"Maybe the school will find some random funding and gift it to you," I say, which makes her laugh.

"And maybe pigs will fly," she retorts.

"True, but weirder things have happened," I explain.

She shrugs. "True story, keep your fingers crossed. In the meantime, get ready for an away game Friday."

"I'm always ready," I tell her with a wink before making my way down the hall with an extra pep in my step.

Wednesday and Thursday pass by in a blur and before I know it Friday is here. I'm both excited and extremely nervous to be traveling with the soccer team for their away game.

On one hand, I'm excited to see Rio and the guys play, but on the other, I'm anxious that they'll lose and blame it on me. I'm supposed to be their good luck charm, and it will destroy me if I can't be that for them. The pressure is real.

"Want to be seat buddies?" Rio asks when I arrive at the bus, causing my brows to shoot up in shock.

He hasn't asked me out yet so I'm trying my hardest to pretend like last weekend didn't happen, but it's kind of hard.

"Umm, yeah, that would be cool," I somewhat stutter over my words.

"Awesome. I've been wanting to talk to you, but life has been busy. I'm glad you're our full-time mascot now," he tells me, and butterflies erupt in my stomach.

What could he possibly want to talk about? Is he finally going to ask me out? Is he going to thank me for acting like last weekend never happened?

A million possible scenarios run through my head as I follow Rio onto the bus.

"Hey, you're supposed to sit with me," BooBoo complains when Rio and I take our seats. "I thought we were bus besties."

"Just because we always sit together doesn't mean I'm only allowed to sit with you," Rio retorts.

BooBoo grumbles and takes the seat in front of us. "I feel like I'm being cheated on."

Rio chuckles. "You'll always be my favorite even if I don't sit with you," he assures him.

"Does that mean you're going to tell me how you got your nickname?" BooBoo asks, looking over the back of his chair at us.

Rio shakes his head with a shit-eating grin. "Absolutely not."

"I think we should choose a new nickname for you since apparently no one even knows how you got it anymore," BooBoo complains.

"If you can come up with something better, be my guest," Rio offers.

BooBoo glares at him for a moment before huffing and turning around again.

"No one knows how you got your nickname?" I check, and Rio shakes his head with a smirk.

"Obviously, there are a few who do, but it's been so long that the majority have forgotten. Honestly, most people don't even ask about it anymore. They just accept that I go by Rio and leave it at that."

I nod but my mind starts racing at what the story could possibly be. It must be something crazy embarrassing if he won't tell anyone how he got the nickname. I wonder what I would have to do to get him to tell me the story. Gossip is an addiction for me, and this feels like something I would absolutely love to hear.

"I've been thinking about your text," Rio says once the bus starts moving and people are caught up in their own conversations.

"Really?" I check.

"Yeah, but I'll admit I was a little confused."

"What about? I thought I was pretty straightforward," I tell him.

"You were, but I'm just confused why you want to date me. You aren't the dating type. I've known you for what, three years? And I've never seen you date anyone. Sleep with people? Yes. But never date. Why the change in heart?"

I nibble on my lower lip as I think about my answer.

Rio isn't wrong. I don't date. Haven't since my last relationship that I literally ran away from after I almost died at the hands of the man who was supposed to love me. Dating anyone has been the last thing I've wanted to do. Well, until I got to know Rio. I realized that if I was to ever date again, I would want it to be with a man like him. He was always so kind, and he didn't fall for my overt flirting. I liked that I always had to try harder with him. Rio is different than any guy I've ever met, and even though it's been a long time since I've had a boyfriend, I know I could be a good one for him. And there's no doubt in my mind that he'll treat me better than my ex.

"I haven't had the best history with dating," I admit in a quiet voice. "The last relationship I was in was toxic, to say the least, and I've been terrified to share my heart with anyone ever since."

"My question still remains. Why the change?"

"When I met you, I thought you were so hot that I was afraid you were going to set me on fire," I admit, making Rio blush a little, and he shoves me with his shoulder. "But no matter how hard I flirted, you never took the bait."

"Because I'm demi," he reminds me, and I nod.

"But I didn't know that at the time. Eventually, I just figured you weren't interested, which was fine with me because it was just as much fun to tease you. As I got to know you more and spend time with you, I got to see what a great guy you are. You have this grumpy exterior at times, or maybe aloof is a better word, either way, you are tough on the outside but soft on the inside," I ramble, rushing the words out. "You don't let that side out all the time, but when you do, it's enough to make me melt every time."

"My crush on you started to grow and morph. I no longer wanted you to just fuck my brains out. I wanted to spend more time with you, to hold your hand and cuddle. For the first time since my breakup, I wanted a relationship. I just didn't think you wanted that with me. So, I stuck to teasing you and being your annoying friend."

"For a while, I didn't even know if we were friends," Rio admits. "I thought of you as more of an annoying acquaintance at the beginning."

Some might take offense to what Rio just told me, but in all honesty, I see where he's coming from. I do come across strong when I want someone. And even though with most people, I settle down quickly after rejection, I didn't with him because he was too much fun to tease. I enjoyed making him blush and getting him all flustered, and he never flat out told me to stop.

"But eventually, as I got to know you, I found out there was more to you than meets the eye," he tells me. "You can be sweet and caring, and your flirting is just a facade. There are layers to you, and I've enjoyed seeing every side of you that you've shown to me."

I'm not one to blush easily, but my cheeks heat at his sweet words.

"I'd like to see even more of you," he whispers, and his confession almost makes it hard to breathe.

"Are you saying you want to date me?" I check, and he presses his lips together before nodding.

"I want to be honest that I'll need to take things slow, but I want to see where this can go."

"I'm not known for going slow," I remind him. "But I can take this as slow as you need me to. I'm just excited that you're actually willing to try this."

"I'll admit that I'm a little terrified, but I've been told that sometimes we have to push our fears aside to let in the happiness we deserve."

I smile, and I'm itching to grab his hand, but I want him to make the first move. Moving at a glacier pace isn't my usual way, so for the time being, I need Rio to take the lead. If he's in charge, I won't be tempted to push things too far.

"Thank you for taking a chance on me. I'll try not to let you down." A hint of insecurity creeps up as I let the words out.

What if my last relationship was a failure because of me? I know my therapist told me that no matter what I did it would never warrant the way Lux treated me, but it's hard to believe that sometimes. Maybe I'm only good for sex, and I'm doomed to never be loved the way I've always desired. I know Rio will never do the things Lux did, but what if he decides I'm not a good enough boyfriend for him? He said he wants to see more of me, but what if I show him the sides of myself that I keep hidden from everyone, then decides he wants someone else?

Rio grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze and pulling me from my internal downward spiral. "There is nothing you could do to let me down," he tells me with a certainty in his voice. "I can't see the future to know if this relationship will work out, but if something happens, it won't be because you did anything wrong. It will be because we weren't meant to be, but we'll never know if we don't try."

I take a shaky breath and plaster on a smile. "Have you always been this wise?" I joke, and he chuckles.

"Not really, but I met someone recently who has opened my eyes to a lot of things."

Rio fiddles with something in his free hand and my eyes go wide when I see that it's a clear quartz.

"Since when are you a crystal kind of guy?" I question.

"Since I started having weird dreams, BooBoo's mom insisted that I carry this around with me. Are you into rocks too?"

I chuckle, trying not to take offense that he just called them rocks, and nod as I hold up the necklace I never take off. "This is amethyst," I tell him, and he grabs onto the amulet to study it more. "Amethyst is known for its ability to protect and provide stress relief. I wear it to repel negative energy. My mom was all about crystals and taught me a lot about them."

"That's cool. I bet your mom and BooBoo's mom would have gotten along well."

"Are you talking about my mom?" BooBoo asks, turning around in his seat, clearly hearing the last of what Rio said.

"Sasha's mom was into rocks too," Rio tells him.

"That's cool," he says with a smile. "Want to introduce the two? My mom loves meeting like-minded people."

Rio clears his throat and when I turn to him, he's glaring at his friend.

"What?" BooBoo questions with furrowed brows.

"My mom passed away," I tell him, and his face immediately falls.

"Shit. I'm so sorry. I heard it was, but it didn't click. I'm such a dick."

I wave him off. "It's fine. My mom might not be able to meet yours, but I can. I'd love to see her crystal collection."

"Oh, she's totally going to love you," BooBoo says, his smile finally returning. "If you want, I can give her your number and she can set up something with you. But just know I'm not sticking around this time. I don't need to get roped into more chores. I moved out so I wouldn't have to do them anymore."

Rio snickers. "I went over for a tarot reading, and BooBoo's dad made him chop firewood," he informs me.

"My arms were like Jell-O the next day," BooBoo complains.

"You weren't even there that long," Rio states. "You're just being a baby."

BooBoo sticks his tongue out at Rio, and I laugh, but my thoughts are stuck on what Rio said a moment ago.

"You got a tarot reading?" I ask. Rio does not seem like the type to be open to things like that. But I guess he is carrying around a crystal.

"I did," he says with a dip of his chin. "I'll admit I'm still skeptical about it, but the cards were interesting and insightful."

"Now I totally have to meet your mom," I tell BooBoo. "I haven't had my cards read in forever. I used to have my own deck, but I lost it when I broke up with my ex and haven't bought a new one."

I lost some faith in my spirit guides after everything that went down with Lux, so I didn't feel like replacing a lot of my stuff, which is silly, I know.

It's been years since he's been out of my life, and even though I vowed he wouldn't have control over me anymore, he clearly still does, which is the last thing I want.

"Now I'm nervous about introducing you to my mom. She's probably going to love you more than me," BooBoo jokes.

"I am very loveable. I mean, your team loves me so much that I'm stuck being your personal mascot," I reply with a toothy grin.

BooBoo laughs. "Touché. Here, put your number in, and I'll send it to my mom. Expect a text from her soon," he says, handing me his phone.

I do as I'm told, then give him his phone back, and he sits properly in his seat again.

"Does it scare you that I'm into crystals, essential oils, and tarot cards?" I check with Rio, and he shakes his head.

"Not at all. I'm honestly not surprised you're into that kind of stuff."

"Want to tell me what your reading was like?" I check, more than a little intrigued when Rio blushes at the question.

"Not yet," he replies quietly.

"You know they aren't like wishes. Telling someone won't affect whether they come true or not," I tell him, and he shrugs.

"I guess I just want to wait a little longer," he says.

"I can respect that. I remember sometimes needing time to process what the cards were telling me. But if you ever want to talk about it, or anything, I'm here."

He smiles and I almost swoon at just how gorgeous he is when his face lights up like that.

"I think there is going to be lots of talking about a bunch of different things in our future. That's what dating is all about, isn't it?"

Butterflies flutter in my stomach at the mention of dating, and I nod.

I can't believe I'm dating Rio. It's like my dreams are finally coming true. Let's just hope I don't do anything to mess things up.