Allyson Reed shapes her life to make her parents proud, but whenever she's with Daxson Winters, the star wide receiver with a troubled past, her perfectly-crafted existence crumbles at the seams.
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After a few final loud spins, I poured the strawberry smoothie into a tall glass and rinsed out the blender, setting it beside the other fresh fruits on the counter. I cut another strawberry down the middle and set it on the edge of the glass for an added effect. Daxson went out of his way to take me to the farmer's market for all the fresh produce, so I figured I should show my appreciation by making it look nice.
I returned to the living room with the smoothie and laughed when I realized Daxson hadn't moved from his favorite spot on the couch, his feet were propped on the coffee table and his arms were folded across his chest. He stared intently at the television.
My eyes flickered from him to the movie on the screen. "I love the Lion King. That movie was basically my childhood." I smiled and dropped beside him on the couch.
He looked over at me. "We had it on the good ole VHS tape. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen this movie." His eyes moved back to the screen. "But I relate to it on a much deeper level since I lost my father."
"I bet." I wrapped my fingers around the cold smoothie and set it in my lap.
When the silence descended on us, my heart beat against my ribs a little faster. I knew it was hard for Daxson to fight the guilt, and I didn't want it to take him down a familiar road. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, it surprised me to see his lips tug into a smile.
"Hakuna Matata."
I giggled. "Timon and Pumba are some of my favorite side characters ever."
Daxson chuckled. "There are a lot of good side kicks in Disney history. I thought the Caterpillar from A Bug's Life was a pretty good one."
"That's another classic." I held the smoothie out to him with a satisfied smile.
He sat up and dropped his feet to the floor, grabbing the glass from me. "Is this my prize for impressing you with my Disney knowledge?"
"No. It'd take a lot more than that to impress me." I winked and watched him take a long drink from the glass.
He wiped his mouth. "Well, thanks for taking care of me."
"It's easy to take care of you when you're willing to take care of yourself."
"What do you mean?" He set the glass on the table and leaned to adjust the colorful socks around his ankles.
"Well, instead of living at the training center like you have been for the past two weeks, you're at home resting." I pulled my legs beneath me on the couch.
"And spending time with you." He glanced at me and his lips turned up into a sly smile.
"What're you trying to say?"
"Maybe you're a distraction."
I laughed and let my jaw fall slack. "Your socks are a distraction."
