The game raged, with Luis winning 24-4. Hannah smirked at herself and shook her head: yeah, the whole team won the game...but without her Luis... The world focused on the number emblazoned on his jersey. 42. A voice in the back of her mind whispered "did you just call him -your- Luis?" 42. Hannah shook her head again. Well yes. Her friend.
She waited outside the locker room for him afterward. In the middle of a conversation with Jimmy, one of the waterboys, she caught a whiff of something clean and damp. Then Luis caught her around the waist and spun her. "How 'bout that, eh, hon?"
Hannah smiled and swatted Luis's arm. "Yeah, you gave 'em heck. Now let me loose and let's go eat."
He set her on her feet, but didn't let her go. The waterboy--what was his name again?--had walked off to talk to one of the cheerleaders, she noticed. Which left her mostly alone with Luis...who still wouldn't let her go...the air got a little thicker. "What if I don't want to let you loose?"
Hannah's pulse tripped. There were worse proposals... "Then you can just carry me to the car. Either way, come on." She tapped halfheartedly at his arm as she hazarded a glance into those cocoa eyes.
He turned her to face him..."Yeah...I'm hungry." The look in his eyes was...positively smoldering. Hannah half hoped he'd move and half hoped he'd kiss her. Kiss her? What? Luis-who-she'd-known-forever kiss her? Still, those eyes...
Hannah realised she'd stopped breathing when a voice behind her made her gasp. It was Mick, a runningback. "Great game, Lou!" he said, pounding Luis's shoulder. Luis shifted his grip on Hannah to free a hand and return the hardy salute.
"You too, Mick. You too."
They watched Mick leave, a bright redhead on his arm. Then Luis shook his head and gave Hannah a one-armed hug that tucked her under his shoulder. "So. On your tab or mine?"
There. That was normal. "I think it's your turn, sport," Hannah answered as they walked out to his car.
************************
They sat in their usual corner booth at Brenda's and had their usual post-game dinner: Five chicken strips for him, and double-large chili cheese fries for her. As always, they ate each other's food as much as they ate their own. As always, they finished half of eachother's sentences. It was easy. It was companionable. It would've been just like sixth grade if she could look at him and not remember the look in his eyes just an hour or two earlier...
A chili bean dropped off her fry as she thought about it; his warm voice--baritone, her year in chorus told her--startled her out of reverie. "You know, those are usually better when you eat them instead of wear them."
She looked down at the bean on her jeans, blushed, speared it with her fork and popped it into her mouth. "Denim's better than salt," she said sheepishly.
"Umm hmm." he replied, one eyebrow up. "Sure." They grinned at eachother across the table, and she wondered what he was thinking.
"I'm thinking it's about time we head out. Your mom'll skin me if I get you home late again."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Hannah said, pushing out of her seat. "I think she likes you more than she likes me anyway."
"It's just 'cause I'm cu-u-u-u-te." Luis teased as he cleaned their table. "Come on."
She snuck glances at him all the way home. Yeah. He was cute. Good thing he was just her best friend; otherwise she'd be as stupid over him as any other girl with eyes should be...
****************
When they got to her house, Luis walked her to the door. "You know, doll, you don't have to do this," she'd said a few weeks ago.
"Yeah I do," he'd answered. "What if the porch monsters got you?"
"That's what the light's for. To keep them away."
"Or to let them see you better. Nah, I'd better walk you up."
She hadn't complained since then. Tonight, her mother had forgotten the porch light. "Uh oh," Luis said in his ooga-booga-boo voice. "Looks like they finally got the light."
"Good thing I've got you to save me from them, then," Hannah answered, feeling strangely flirty. He was her best friend; what was the harm?
"Yeah," he replied. "Good thing..." She could see his half-wild grin in the darkness and felt her pulse start tripping again. "Now who's going to save you from me?" His voice was just light enough, she could take his comment for teasing...but there was something rough around the edges...
"I didn't know I needed saving."
He didn't say anything right then, only pulled her into their usual goodbye hug. She heard him say something, but her ears were muffled in his chest and hand. Then she felt him shake his head, and he let her go. It wasn't till she was mostly asleep that her mind decoded what her ears had half-heard:
"You're right. So who's going to save me from you?"
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