He met me again the following night in the same black Ute. I kissed him hello and clicked on my seatbelt. "I could get used to this car. Look out, old truck."

Adam laughed as he joined the traffic. "It is nice to drive."

"Why have you picked me up tonight, and you can't say it's because you missed me?"

"Why can't it be? Don't you miss me at least once in the space of a day?"

I screwed up my face and said, "To be honest we're always so busy I don't have time to miss you."

"Great..." Adam laughed. "That's nice to know, makes me feel loved."

"Poor, baby." I ran my hand down the back of his head. "So why are you picking me up?"

He glanced at me. "You know I don't want you working there, especially at night. You're my most valuable possession. I'm making sure you get home safe."

I stretched the belt, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. But don't come tomorrow night because I don't work Wednesday nights. That's my squash night."

"Can I come and watch you play?"

"Are you serious? I'm not very good. We've started a new round."

Adam rubbed the top of my head. "I don't care how good you are. I don't even know how to play the game."

"Maybe I'll teach you one day. I play in Altona on Diller's Road."

Adam grinned and asked, "What time do you start?"

"Around seven. Depending on how we go, it might be eleven o'clock before we finish."

Adam stopped but didn't turn the car off.

I grimaced. "You're not staying tonight?"

He shook his head. "Not tonight."

I undid my seatbelt and climbed over the console so I could sit on his lap.

He laughed as I squeezed myself between his chest and the steering wheel. "What are you doing, silly woman?"

"Kissing you goodnight and saying thanks for looking out for me." I put my mouth on his.

Adam pecked my lips.

I pouted at him.

He flipped my lip and grinned. "You're going to give me an erection. I won't be able to concentrate on what I've gotta do."

I ignored him and attempted to kiss him again. He laughed and steered my face away, then kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, honey."

Adam opened the door, so I climbed out. He passed me my bag.

"I haven't felt this rejected in my whole life," I said.

He laughed. "I'll make it up to you when you finish your period. Promise." He kissed me once more. "I gotta go. Hurry up and get inside so I can drive away."

I waved goodbye from the balcony and worried about what he was going to do, then told myself to stop being stupid. Nothing would happen.

At squash on Wednesday night, I retrieved the ball from the floor near the front wall to serve and saw Adam sitting on the viewing platform, smiling at me. I'd assumed he wasn't coming because it was after nine. I grinned at him, nervous because he was watching me. I had already lost the first game and was on my way to losing the second. I took a deep breath and served as hard and fast as I could. I was amazed that my opponent missed it.

The game continued, and the umpire called, long or short. I chose long because I was receiving the ball, but I missed the serve, and then the next one, putting me two games down. I'm sure Adam didn't know whether I had won or lost.

I gulped some water. My teammate Leone patted me on the back and said, "There's a hot guy upstairs watching your game."

I choked on my water.

She grinned. "Even if the bitch beats you, I reckon you could steal him from her."

"Leone." I laughed and pinched her cheek. "He's my...boyfriend."

Her mouth gaped. "You're kidding, aren't you?"

I shook my head. "Why don't you do me a favour and go introduce yourself? His name is Adam. He doesn't know a thing about squash. Explain to him that I'm losing."

She stared wide-eyed and laughed as she said, "You're not kidding."

I shook my head and grinned again. "And yeah...he's hot."

Leone laughed and made her way to the stairs as I entered the court. I saw Adam nod at something Leone said to him, then concentrated on the game because I didn't want to let the team down. Even if I lost in three games, every point counted.

I don't know whether Adam being there helped or not, but I won the third game. I was ecstatic and beaming at the girls when I left the court.

I had my back to the stairs and jerked forward when a hand touched my hip.

"Hey." He kissed me on the cheek. "You won that one?"

"Yes. Two more to go if I want to win the match," I gushed and tilted my head in question. "I didn't think you were coming."

Adam tweaked the side of his mouth and lifted his shoulder. "Sorry, got held up."

It didn't matter, because he was here. I kissed him and turned to the girls. "This is Adam," I said, "This is Nadine, Emma and Jacqui, and you've met Leone."

Adam raised his hand in hello. "How are you going?"

Jacqui took the question literally and answered, "Not great but okay, I lost in three, Nadine won in three, Emma won in five, Jazz is still going, and Leone hasn't played yet."

Leone laughed and whispered, "Adam, if you flirt with Jasmine's opponent, you might put her off her game, and Jazz will have a chance of winning."

He laughed and raised his eyebrows at me. "I'll see what I can do."

"No, you don't." I elbowed him and said, "She'll know because she's watching you talk to us right now, and I'm not a cheat."

Leone gave me a shove. "How's it cheating? It'd be her fault if she gets distracted."

Adam grinned and went back up the stairs. I made my way onto the court. I served first because I had won the last game. My opponent missed. I noticed her glance up as she took her position to receive the ball, and couldn't help but smile because Adam hadn't done anything other than watch the game.

This time, she returned the ball, and we had a good rally. I lost, so she served, and once again, she glanced up as she was walking across the court. As the game went on, she continued to do this. For some reason, my blood boiled. She was making a play for Adam even though he hadn't done anything. Anger filled me with adrenaline. It set me on fire, and I won the fourth game to the cheers of my team.

After a small break, we walked back onto the court for the fifth game. I noticed Adam's eyes follow her. She glanced up and blushed. I glared at him. He grinned and winked at me. I burst into laughter and had to take deep breaths before I served. He was flirting with her, and all it took was for him to look at her.

I remembered him looking at me on the train and felt sorry for her. Before I knew it, I was four points down and had to pull myself together. I managed to make it to a long game but lost. My opponent shook my hand.

As we walked from the court, Adam came down the stairs. He laughed and cocked his head. "Sorry, honey, I tried. Probably not her type."

"Yeah, you were. She blushed every time you looked at her. You got me two more games by sitting here because she would have beaten me in three."

Nadine patted me on the back. "You played great, don't underestimate yourself. We've lost two and won two. Now it's up to Leone."

Adam walked away while we prattled. When Leone got onto the court, I stood beside him. "I hope you don't mind, but we always stay to support each other. If you have to go, Emma gives me a lift home."

He put his arm around me and kissed me. "You're hot in your little skirt."

I kissed him in return and noticed my opponent staring at us, so I stuck my tongue in his mouth and gave him a big pash.

Adam laughed when we drew apart and said, "What was that about?"

"Just wanted to let the bitch who beat me know that you were watching me not her." I swiped my finger down his cheek to his lip and added, "She's checking you out."

He laughed some more and meowed at me. "Come on, let's go upstairs to watch your friend play."

He had his arm around me as we sat, and then his phone rang. Rob Thomas singing, "All That I am."

I laughed as he pulled it out of his pocket and said, "You changed it to my favourite song."

Adam smirked. "Maybe you won't hate my phone so much now." He walked away to answer the call. "Yeah?" he said, "I thought we weren't moving until two."

There was a loud cheer from one of the other teams.

"Down the pub," Adam said. "Someone hit a jackpot on the pokies."

I figured that was his explanation for the noise. He listened and answered, "Yes. As soon as I get there." He ended the call and, with concern on his face, said, "I'm sorry, honey, I have to go."

I let out a sigh. "Okay. Will you be picking me up from work tomorrow night?"

Adam wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. "Sorry. I won't be around for a few days, but I'm gonna try hard to get to your sister's engagement. Where do your parents live?"

I was devastated but tried to smile. "Four Kenaugh Avenue, Nobel Park. Can you remember, or should I write it down?"

"I can remember it." Adam kissed me. "I'm so sorry I have to go. I wish I didn't."

I touched his face and smiled. "I'll see you when I see you," I whispered. "I love you."

Adam kissed me again, then put me down. He said, "I love you, too."

Adam is certainly showing dedication.  Let's hope it continues.

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