I have no idea where this episode is headed. Let's see what happens.
The winter was mild, by Midwestern standards. Not too much snow, not too cold.
Kim led the girls basketball team to the conference championship, and to the state tournament. She was busy and absorbed. I tried my best to be there for her β she was feeling a lot of pressure as the team leader, and was afraid of letting her teammates and the school down.
The boys team fared less well. I had an OK senior year. A good rebounder, but frankly, not much else. I sure didn't scare anyone on offense, although I got my share of put-backs. Needless to say, our season was over before Kim's.
Our social life suffered as the season went on. We were both committed to being good teammates, and so sacrificed a lot of time together for the sake of our teams. That made it really hard, and we tried to make the most of the time we had, which wasn't much, or as often as we wanted. We saw each other daily in school, and usually ate lunch together. She made me feel proud taking my arm in hers as we walked to classes, but that was long before really public displays of affection were tolerated, so there wasn't much beyond squeezing my arm or holding my hand. Occasionally, we'd steal a minute and slip backstage in the auditorium for a brief, torrid kiss and hug. But that was far from enough. After daily, grueling practices and homework, there was little time left to spend with each other.
"I miss you!" Kim wailed one night over the phone. "I want to hug you until blood squirts out your ears!"
"Yuk! Gross!" I said.
"Well, just kidding. But I do want to hug you so bad it hurts!"
"Me, too." I said. "But the season will be over soon, and we can celebrate the state championship!"
"Oh, Dave, do you think we have a chance?" She was anxious about the forthcoming tournament.
"As good a chance as anyone else, especially with you on the floor." Kim had had a spectacular season, and was a shoo-in for All-State again. Some were saying All-American.
"Thank you, Dave, I love you for saying that."
"It's true. You can eat any other player in the state alive," I said confidently, hoping that she would feel that way, too. I saw part of my role to keep her confident in herself, so that self-doubt wasn't a distraction. Basketball is as much in the head as it is in athletic ability. The mental game is more complex than most people understand, especially playing at the level Kim was now approaching.
"There's only one person I want to eat," she said wistfully.
"Don't say that," I groaned. It had been a long time since we had spent any quality time alone. The thought of Kim sliding her lips up and down my erection was vivid, and painful. It wouldn't happen any time soon.
"Sorry, but it's true," she said. "I just want to gobble you up."
"Please stop that, I can't take it."
"Sorry."
"No apologies, but you'll just have to make it up to me when we can."
"I'll take that as a challenge," she said. Uh oh. Kim taking on a challenge could be scary.
"Dave?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me that you love me."
The "L" word. In my shyness, I still was unable to muster the courage to say what we both knew I felt.
"You know how I feel," I stammered.
"I do. But I want to hear you say it."
"Uh, I...uh, well..." I couldn't do it. Shyness covered me like a blanket.
She laughed, but not without a little hurt showing through. "It's okay, Dave, I'll let you off the hook, this time."
"What have you thought about college?" I asked. She was flooded with scholarship offers and was protected by her parents from hordes of well-meaning, but pesky college recruiters.
"I'm thinking Duke. Good school, full ride, better climate," she said thoughtfully. "But I haven't signed on the dotted line yet."
"Playing hard to get, huh?" I said, teasing.
"For everyone but you," she said softly. Wow. That cut straight to my heart, for some reason, and my throat tightened. I thought about how lucky I was to have this woman. I thought about how beautiful she was. I thought about how deeply I was falling for her. All in the blink of an eye. Love welled up. There was a long silence. "Are you OK?" she finally asked.
"Yeah," I choked out. "I'm fine. Really."
"What did I do wrong?" she asked, full of concern.
"You didn't do anything wrong," I replied. "It's what you did right."
"What was that?" She was genuinely curious.
"For all you have to juggle, for all the pressure you're under, for everything that's going on in your life, you can still find exactly the right thing to say to lift my heart."
"Oh," now she was quiet. "I see, I think. You, sir, are the sweetest man on the planet. I do love you, David, with every bit of my heart."
I choked up again. I had to change the subject. "Is the team ready for the tournament?"
"As ready as we can be, I think. It feels like we're peaking. It would be so cool to hold the championship trophy!" Her voice carried excitement.