“What?! You’re supposed to be on my side!”
He draws an imaginary heart with his index fingers complete with long, pointy yellow nails. “Suga, I’m on the side of love. Did you give the man fourteen dates?”
“Yes, we’ve gone on tons of dates over the last eight years.”
He shakes his finger at me. “Nuh-uh. Did you agree to fourteen dates before you were a couple?”
I glare at my friend. “Yes, but…”
“But nothing, honey child, if you promised Mr. Football Star fourteen dates and didn’t deliver, you still owe the man his dates.”
“We’re divorced for Christ’s sake!”
Leslie purses his lips in displeasure at my volume. “And a deal is a deal. I’ve never known you to go back on your word.”
My blood pressure is steadily rising. My dad always taught me that a person’s word should mean something. And you should never go back on your word if it’s in your control. “You know what? Fine! I’ll go on eleven dates, fourteen minus the three I went on when we were dating, but it won’t change anything.”
Bryant smirks at me and rubs his hands together. “Be ready, baby. I’m coming for you. I’ll make you fall head over heels for me again.”
This will show him he needs to move on once and for all.
— 14 —
Now
I DON’T SEE OR hear from Bryant for a few days, but he’s waiting for me in my office Monday morning. “Good morning, Coach.”
“Shouldn’t you be working out?”
“I wanted to tell you good morning, you know, start my day off right. And I also wanted to ask you out on a date.”
I roll my eyes. He’s already at this again. But I decide to play his game. I’ll play it right until the end when he’s sorely disappointed I’m still not taking his ass back. “Sure. Where are we going?”
“You could sound happier.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I shoot him an eat shit look.
“I’ll pick you up Friday at seven.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Fucking perfect.”
Coach Jed Jones walks in and rambles on about another player’s hamstring injury when he suddenly realizes Bryant is in my office. “Oh, hey, man! How’s it going so far?”
“Good, man. Thanks.”
It takes Jed a minute to read the room. “I’ll see you in the weight room, Zhanna. We’ll talk there.”
Bryant watches him leave. “He has a thing for you.”
“He’s happily married.”
He grunts.
