“I was twenty. Not a teenager. Don’t worry.”
I buried my face in my hands. “Oh god.”
She scooted closer, patting my shoulder. “I was fully legal. Well…technically, I couldn’t buy my own drinks, but you did that for me.”
“Ahhh!” I yelled into my hands. “Mazzy Belle! I corrupted you.”
Her giggle was far too light and airy, but I couldn’t be mad at her for it—not when she’d seemed so weighed down a couple days ago. Even if she was laughing at me while I was going through it, I liked hearing it.
“Ben, I promise that wasn’t the first time I got drunkorhad sex.”
I grasped around blindly. “Give me a pillow to scream into so I don’t wake up our kid.”
She gave my arm a shove. “Has anyone told you you’re dramatic?”
“Never.” I raised my head to peer at her. “I don’t think you’re taking this seriously enough. You seem to be laughing at me.”
“That’s because you’re being silly. We got drunk, we had fun, we hooked up. Age didn’t really come into the equation. It wasn’t like I was in high school.”
I groaned, burying my face in a cushion. “Don’t say that.”
She giggled again, close to my ear this time, her warm breath brushing my cheek. “At least neither of us is on the verge of tears anymore.”
“Speak for yourself.”
She was right, though. I may have been making a bigger deal out of our age gap than strictly necessary. What was done wasdone, and the woman sitting before me was unquestionably a mature adult with her shit all the way together.
She patted my cheek. “Are you done freaking out? I really do have studying to do.”
When I raised my head again, she was closer than I thought. Her breath stuttered, and so did mine. I could count the freckles on the bridge of her nose, see the flecks of gold in her irises. Her shampoo smelled citrusy and fresh. Neither of us moved. We barely breathed.
Then she blinked, her lashes brushing her cheeks as she looked down. “So we’ll see you when you get back from your trip?”
“Right. Yes, you will,” I said, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. “I have a community event Sunday with the team. Would you guys want to come? It’s family friendly.”
“You want us to?”
“More than anything, yes.”
She nodded. “Send me the details. We can probably make it. I can’t promise Katty will be interested in rugby, but you never know.”
It was days away, but at least we had concrete plans—something to look forward to while I was away.
“I’ll call while I’m gone. And you can text or call me anytime. Anything you need.”
“Thank you.” She unfolded her legs, pushing up to her feet.
Taking the hint, I stood too. “I’ll see myself out. Don’t want to distract you from your studies.”
Her mouth twitched. “You already did.”
I huffed a laugh as I headed for the door. “Then I’d better go before I get blamed for bad grades.”
“See you soon, Ben.” She leaned against the open door, her head tilted to the side. “Good luck at your match.”
“Appreciate it, Mazz.” I gave her hair a tug. “We’ll talk soon.”
In the cool night air, I blew out a breath, peering up at Mazzy’s glowing windows. Walking away didn’t feel good or right, but it was the only thing I could do.
