AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought that was because his public image is so shitty,” Joshua returns.
I turn and scowl at the young player, but it falls when I see his shit-eating grin. “Ah,” he says. “There it is. The famous Corey Johnson glare. It’s not as scary as I thought it’d be.”
“Just wait until you stretch too soon when he throws a ball your way even though his shitty throw is the reason you didn’t get the runner out. Those are some of the best glares.”
“That was one time,” I tell Kendrick.
“Yeah, and Ricky was so scared of pissing you off again that he choked the next three games. We almost didn’t make it to the college tournament.”
“That wasn’t my fault,” I mutter, straightening in my seat when the stragglers putting away their bags finally move out of Carlee’s way.
“Sure man, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Kendrick slaps a hand on my shoulder before letting go and leaning back in his seat. “Nice to see you, Carlee.”
“Hey Kendrick,” she greets with a tiny wave, then slides into the seat next to me, wearing a rueful smile.
Kendrick and Joshua begin chatting about the latest superhero movie that’s hit theatres. Confident no one is listening, I ask, “What is that smile for?”
“They guys are messing with you.”
“Yeah, well. Just guys being guys, I guess.”
“I think they like you.”
I snort. “What’s not to like?”
“Your humility is charming.”
“Thank you.” I wink.
She shakes her head but still smiles. “So what’s the problem with the hashtags? Is the app not working?” She takes the phone from my hand and looks at the screen. The draft of the latest post sits on the screen. Carlee lifts a perfectly manicured brow when she notices the caption is typed and all the hashtags are hyperlinked just fine.
“Oh, look. I guess I figured it out.”
“Corey,” she says in a low voice, glancing around quickly to ensure we’re not overheard. The different conversations happening all around us provide the perfect background noise to mask our voices. “What are you doing?”
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“But here? Where anyone can see?”
“Everyone knows you’re helping me out.” And soon, they will learn we’re dating.
“Exactly. This is my job, Corey. I don’t want anyone to accuse me of being unprofessional.”
I hear what she’s saying, but anyone who knows her would never accuse her of being unprofessional just because we’re dating. And we are dating. No matter what she says.
That’s only true if you convince her to go on a second date…
“Fine. You’re right.” The last thing I want to do is spook her, making her she change her mind about giving us a real chance. “I just missed you. We haven’t had the chance to talk the past couple of days.”
Her expression softens. “You missed me?”
“I did.”
“That’s sweet.”
I wait a second for her to say something else. She doesn’t.
“This is the part where you say you missed me too.”
