Fuck you heart and fuck you brain for not ringing the warning bells sooner.
He pulls away first, his cloudy blue eyes glazed over and hooded as they rove over my face.
I sigh, looking away because Ican’tsee the expression on his face when I say, “We’re friends. Nothing more—”
“Friend’s can’t kiss?”
His words are like a bucket of ice water dowsing me and bringing me back to reality. Of fucking course he’d say something like that.
This was a mistake, coming to talk to a cocky puck slapping dickhead was a mistake.
What does he mean by that?“Friends can’t kiss?”Does he kiss all his goddamned friends like he’s making love with their mouth?
What a jackass.
“Andthatis why we’rejustfriends. Grow up, Blake.” I stand, ignoring the sunken look on his face as I turn on my heels and walk out the door of the man that I may or may not like a littletoomuch.
thirty
Blake
The boys all stareat me wide eyed with dropped jaws as I chase the most beautiful woman in the world out of my room in a pair of cartoon boxers.
“Cleo! Wait, no—” I call after her only to stop in my tracks on the lawn as she drives off faster than an F1 cart.
This wasnothow that was supposed to go.
I was supposed to tell a little joke and she’d laugh and then spend the whole day naked in my bed running our hands through each other's hair because we finally got things right between us.
Instead, I have five grown men watching me stand on the lawn practically naked with shocked expressions on their faces, probably holding up a camera to capture this moment for the team.
“You’re in deep shit,” is all that I hear from Jace before he pushes past me and hops into his own car presumably driving after the girl of my dreams.
Fuck.
43 times.
I texted Cleo forty-fucking-three times since last week and she has yet to evenreada message. Neither she nor Denver have shown up to any of our lecturesand I’m pretty sure Georgia and Sienna are off the radar too because whenever I try to text any of them, none of my messages go through.
This would all be easier if I could talk to either Coach or Jace but that’s damn near impossible considering Jace hasn’t talked to me since last week and I can’t tell Coach that the girl I’m freaking out about is his own daughter.
When did life get so hard? When I was little rent was $500 and getting a girl to be my girlfriend only took me asking her out at the school dance. Now rent is $1.7k for astudio apartmentand the girl I want is more stubborn than a hangnail.
“Leave her the fuck alone, Wilder.” Jace’s cold voice spits at me in the locker room.
Tonight’s our first game of the season and my head is fucked, my girl hates me and my best friend has a shitty attitude too. And you know what?I’m fed up.I’m tired of all this shit.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I snap back, shooting daggers at him with my eyes.
Is thisreallyhow he wants to do this? Withmeof all people?
“Or what? You think you're big shit?You’re not.Leave her alone. I told you to fucking leave her alone before you even met her.” He’s seething.
I reel back at his words because what does that even mean? He’s never told me that and I don’t have to listen to anything this blonde motherfucker says. I’m a grown ass man. “She’s an adult, who can make her own decisions, and I am too.” I stand, stepping closer to my best friend as we look at each other eye to eye.
I really could go without fighting him tonight, his punches pack a bite to them.
“And shedecidednot to go with you, take a hint.” His eyes narrow, jaw clenching.
