The night air was warm and carried a hint of exhaust from traffic on I-5, and the parking lot lights cast long shadows across the asphalt. CJ leaned against the waist-high barrier near the players’ exit and watched the door. Ten minutes passed, then the door opened. Evan stepped out and stopped so abruptly it almost looked like he’d run into an invisible wall. It would have been comical in any other scenario. For half a second, neither of them moved.
Evan exhaled slowly. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Hey.”
CJ pushed off the barrier and shoved his hands in his pockets before he moved to stand in front of Evan. Evan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the empty lot and CJ standing squarely between him and his quiet exit.
“You waited out here,” Evan said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah.”
“You planned this.”
CJ shrugged. “You’re hard to pin down.”
Evan let out a short laugh that held absolutely no amusement. “And your solution was to stage an ambush?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” CJ wasn’t as sure about that anymore.
Evan shifted his bag higher on his shoulder. “You could’ve just texted.”
CJ arched a brow. “Would you have answered?” Evan’s mouth pressed into a line, which was answer enough, and CJ folded his arms. “We need to talk.”
Evan shook his head immediately. “No.”
CJ blinked. “You didn’t even think about it.”
“I don’t need to.”
“Evan.”
“CJ.”
Evan stepped to the side like he intended to walk past him, and CJ moved half a step in the same direction. Not aggressively, but enough to block the path. Evan stopped again and shook his head as he lifted his eyes.
“Are you serious right now?”
“You’re not leaving,” CJ said.
Evan’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh? You planning to stop me?”
CJ set his jaw and held Evan’s gaze but didn’t say anything. He was being stubborn in a way that would look ridiculous from the outside but felt completely necessary right now. Evan shifted his bag again and tilted his head, and it was clear he was contemplating whether to test CJ’s resolve by simply walking past him anyway.
“Unbelievable.” Evan gripped the back of his neck and rolled his eyes. “You’ve had two weeks,” he said. “Whatever you needed to say could’ve been said already.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
Evan smirked. “Observant.”
“That’s not a denial.”
“It’s not meant to be.” Evan shrugged.
CJ stepped a little closer. “Why?”
Evan looked at him like the answer should be obvious. “There’s nothing to talk about. You made your feelings clear.”
“Did I?” CJ frowned. “Because nothing has been clear for me at all.”
