Fallen again, when the woman in question made it clear she didn’t want more.
Fallen again, when all it leads to is “friendship.”
Fallen again, when I’m not good enough to win her heart.
My mind clicks through the worst possible question—why am I not good enough?
I fuckingacheas I turn into my driveway.
Nothing fake at all about my pain.
I wish I’d never exposed myself to this. I knew better.
But it’s too late. Because, as is so fucking clear right now, I’ve fallen hard for the woman.
Obviously, dinner is off tonight. And I’m supposed to go to her game tomorrow night with Connor as a “public” appearance. How am I going to do that?
Although I guess if we’re on the path to ending our relationship, I can bail on that too.
Once I get to our house, I go straight to Connor’s bedroom and knock.
“Hey, bro, you here?”
“Yeah?” His voice is muffled through the door.
“Can you talk?”
His door opens. “Yeah.” His eyes pick up something on my face. “Didn’t go well?”
“Not at fucking all.”
“C’mon,” he says, leading us out to the living room, where we crash onto one of the big couches.
I break everything down for him, what Avery said and how I feel. Admitting the truth, because Connor probably knows it already.
“I liked her. For real.”
“I know, Rawls.”
He brings his hand to my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. Maybe it’s a good thing she wants to start wrapping things up in the press, if she doesn’t reciprocate.”
The hardest part is that I think shedoesreciprocate my feelings, on some level.
But there’s nothing I can do about it if she won’t admit it. I can’t force her to break that fucking rule either.
We’re quiet for a minute, and then he checks his phone.
“I’m about to go to Tolliver again to work with Del one last time before I leave for New Jersey. Do you want to come with?”
I can’t resist finally pushing his buttons about what I observed last time.
“Will his daughter be there?”
And the damnedest thing happens.
Connorblushes.
Hell, I can’t remember a time when that’s happened. Mr. Stoic has red cheeks.
