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He smiles at me one more time before exiting the room and leaving me with so many thoughts swirling through my head.
“Hey, Charlie?” There’s a soft knock on the door and I spin around to see Smithy standing in the doorway.
“Yeah?” I squeak as I quickly swipe at my eyes. I'm not crying, but they’re filled with moisture and I don’t want it leaking out. I slip my sunglasses over my eyes before I lift my chin high enough for him to meet my eyes.
“Dang… what’s wrong, babe?” He’s standing in front of me a second later and pulling me to my feet.
Before I can respond, Smithy has his arms around me and he’s rubbing a hand up and down my back in soothing motions. Thisisn't a flirty hug and he isn't trying to make a move on me. This is a brotherly hug. A friend offering support and a shoulder to cry on.
“Nothing. It was just an emotional night.” I try to push away from him, but he tightens his hold on me.
“Stop, I'm trying to comfort you. I'm not good at this shit, but let me try. Damn, you already bruised my ego when you turned my ass down, at least let me comfort the pretty girl,” he grumbles into my hair.
“You’re such a flirt.” I chuckle and shake my head, but he’s like a big teddy bear and being in his arms is actually comforting.
I’ve gotten to know Smithy in the very short time I’ve known him and he just wants someone to love him. I can't blame him for that. I feel the same way, except I want one specific man to love me.
And honestly, he’s really sweet and hot. He’s easily six foot five inches, with a messy head of brown curls. He’s got the cutest smile and is constantly playful. Totally easy to be around.
“Do you feel better now?” He pulls back far enough to stare down at me.
“Yes. You’re a pretty good hugger. Those man boobs are nice to lay my head on.” I pat his firm chest and take a step back.
“Excuse me!” Smithy blinks at me in surprise. I duck out of the room and into the large therapy room before he can say anything else to me. I chuckle the entire way, knowing he’ll go on and on about this all day, but it’s a welcomed distraction today.
“Hey, I heardwhat happened last night.” Leo doesn’t even wait for me to answer. He wraps me in his arms and cradles my head against his chest. “I'm sorry, sweetheart.”
“It’s ok. I'm going to make it all better.” I grin up at him.
“Maybe you should take the shades off first. You look ridiculous.” Cord side eyes me as he takes a long swig of his water bottle.
“Hold up. Can we go back to how you just said I have man boobs? I'm still stuck on this.” Smithy scratches his head and stares at me. “These aren’t boobs, they’re pecs.” He cups his chest like a woman would cup her boobs.
“Eh, I'm not sure. They’re looking like a solid B cup. Sorry, man.” Cord shrugs like he’s upset to break the news to Smithy. But I’ve known him long enough to catch the smirk he’s working hard to hide.
“What!” Smithy shrieks like a little girl.
“Man! She has a headache!” Covey hisses as he enters the room.
“I'm sorry, babe, but I'm having a crisis over here.” He whips his shirt off and tosses it on the floor absentmindedly. “Covey! Do I have man tits?”
Covey glances around the room like ‘How the fuck did I get pulled into this?’.“Uh…” He trails off and grimaces at his teammate.
“Dang, Smithy, you better lay off the donuts. They’re going straight to your tits. If you keep going, Stubbs is going to start hitting on you instead of Charlie.” Wheeler walks into the roomwith a devilish grin. He winks my way as he takes a big bite out of his apple.
“I hate all of you,” Smithy grumbles as he snatches his shirt off the floor.
“Hey, I thought we were friends.” I stick my bottom lip out into a pout and blink innocently up at him.
“Shit, babe. You can't be pouting in my direction. That’s going to get you anything you want,” he groans and wraps me in his arms again.
“What the hell? Why are you allowed to touch her and yet Everson tried to crush my chest when I talked about her!” Stubbs stops inside the therapy room. He scowls and folds his arms over his chest.
A chill instantly runs up my arms and a knot forms in my stomach. I don’t know why he makes me feel uncomfortable, but Dad always taught me to follow my gut instincts. He says it will rarely lead me in the wrong direction. So, I’ve kept my distance from him and I plan to keep doing so.
“Back off, Stubbs,” Cord warns.
“No! Who the fuck does Everson think he is? He can't just stomp around here and dictate who she can and can't talk to.”
