I glared at her.
“It has,” she defended.
“Go away,” I called from the hall, purposely keeping my distance because the man truly looked like shit. His hair was tussled, he was in sweats that looked like he slept in them, and God, there was something hot about it.
“Just listen. Please,” he pleaded, glancing from me to Nora.
“Your call,” she added softly.
Taking a sharp inhale, I finally breathed out, “Two minutes.”
He let out a sigh of relief. As he stepped in, I noticed the tray of drinks he had in his hand. He handed Nora a cup. “I believe you like coffee black with a touch of cinnamon.”
She took it cautiously.
He handed a cup to me. “Latte.”
“Thanks.” I accepted it. I wanted to refuse it and leave it on the counter to prove a point, but let’s be honest, I freaking loved this place and the fact he went out of the way just added to it. Not that he could know that.
“Can I come in please?”
“No.”
He ran his hands violently through his soaked hair. “First, let me say, I’m sorry. And second, you’re already pissed off, so I’m not sure it can get worse.”
“Nice. Did you rehearse that on the way here?” I stated flatly.
He pinched the bridge of his nose before bringing his gaze up to mine. The way his eyes pinned me, like he saw right through all of me, had me holding my breath. I put my hand up to stop him from continuing. But he didn’t stop.
“Remember the night I begged you to fake it with me? I should have said it sooner, but to be honest, I liked you. Yougave me a chance to prove that I could be something, someone I wasn’t sure I could. And you can argue that it was because we had something to gain, but I gained more than you ever would have from us. I’ve liked you since long before that. And I never faked anything. Hasn’t it been clear?”
I thought about the calls, texts, and check-ins. Not to mention the ease of yesterday. He had been very clear and I had missed all of the signs. Guilt smacked me like a car wreck. I fiddled with my hands. “I guess, I didn’t realize.”
Josh let out a long sigh. “Guess I should up my game then, huh?”
I chuckled nervously to break the tension. “It’s not you. I just haven’t had anyone treat me as nice as you and I guess, I missed the signs.”
“That’s shitty. And worse, that I treated you just like them at the end, but I’m telling you now. I’m not going anywhere. And I may have screwed up, I’ll have to live with that regret, but I can’t lose you even if it means as just a friend.”
“A friend?”
“That’s what we were before.”
“That’s a stretch.” But then I swallowed hard, thinking back to all the late-night conversations long before our bet. He’d always come to see me before or after the game, the travel days—he was gone every one of the away games. Heck, he even told me the cities and suggested we meet up and I never wanted to because I thought he was kidding. How did I not fucking clue in?
“I’m sorry, April.”
“Me too.” Was all I could muster.
He stepped back, surprising me. “I’ll see you tomorrow and every day after that. But don’t freeze me out anymore.” His eyes cast down, before finding mine, and there was something in them, he was broken. “I can’t handle not having you.”
A lump formed in my throat. My words lost under it. He gave me a small smile and left.
It must have been five minutes before I could move from the spot I was standing in. His confession took me by surprise and yet, he just left. And now I was left trying to figure out what to do. WhatIwanted for once. And truly, I had no idea.
CHAPTER 38
JOSH
