And the fans’ cameras capture it all.
To the world, Avery’s my girlfriend.
And tonight, I’m starting to think I want that too.
After the concert,Arn rushes us over to security so we can get out of dodge before traffic turns into a nightmare.
We’re about three minutes along the highway when we get a text from Taylor. Avery reads it to me.
TAYLOR: You guys nailed it. Videos and pictures from people at the concert are everywhere already.
I keep focused on the road while Avery taps away on her phone. “Yup, I’m tagged in a zillion things. You too. Oh wait, Taylor just sent an article link to us.”
She clicks on it, and starts to read. “‘Their love on full display, Avery and Rawley showed why they are everyone’s favorite new sports couple.’” She turns to me, appearing near laughter. “This is on Social Scoops again. ‘Our love’? We’ve supposedly been dating for three weeks, that’s wild to say.”
I give her a smile. “Yeah.”
But I’m curious, and I don’t fight the instinct to ask.
“Have you ever loved someone? Like that?”
Oh shit, maybe that was too intense.
“Dang, Rawley. Change in tone much?”
I blink and turn back to the road. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize,” she says softer. “It’s a perfectly okay question, it just surprised me.”
“Okay.” I let out a puff of air.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Not even…” I want to say whoever hurt her enough that she made her rule, but I don’t know his name, or the full story.
It takes her a couple of seconds to understand what I mean, but then she shakes her head. “No. And at UConn, I had a friend who I had other ‘benefits’ with, but we never got serious. We stayed on the same page about that.”
“A friend—that you’re still in touch with?”
“Less and less, as the summer goes on. Either way, there’s never been anything there.”
We’re both quiet for a moment, and a sombr song comes on, adding to the angsty mood.
“What about you?” she asks.
I press my tongue against the top of my mouth. What is the real answer? I honestly am not sure anymore.
But I’ll tell Avery the truth, as much as I know it.
“There was this girl in high school, Stefani. She was…I was a little”—crap, I probably shouldn’t say this—“obsessed.”
“Obsessed?” Avery’s tone is doubtful, like she doesn’t know what to make of that word.
“Yeah. Looking back, I was naive.”
“How?”
“I thought if I just showed her everything I was willing to do for her, she would want me. I kept trying, and trying.”
