Tolliver nodded, and his father's lips twitched before he blew his whistle and proceeded to tell the others what was about to happen, the expectations, rules of play. Several players were only half-paying attention, glancing at us every few seconds. And yet, here Tolliver stood, frowning at me, looking like he had all the time in the world.
"What?" I asked.
"Were you planning to read ahead without me?" he said.
"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Of course, I do."
"Seriously?"
He gave a short nod.
"Why?"
"I thought you came here to watch me play."
I shrugged. "I can multitask."
He scoffed at that.
"It's my book," I said through gritted teeth.
Eli dropped into the seat next to me and said, "Hey, Tolliver."
"Hey, E." Looking at me, he said, "You're not reading that without me, Freya."
"Again, why?" I repeated.
"Because it would be rude."
My mouth opened to respond, but he cut me off.
"And because it's our thing."
I blinked.
"It's our thing, Kent," Tolliver said again, and though I shouldn't have understood what he meant, should've denied that we had a thing at all, I couldn't. "You and me. We read together. Eloise wouldn't leave the duke behind. I know you won't leave me either."
"No need to be so dramatic," I said.
He arched a brow, waiting.
"Fine, I won't read on without you," I said and made a show of closing the book. "Happy now?"
"Yep," he said, skating backwards. Pointing his stick at Eli, he said, "You tell me if she picks up that book again. I'm depending on you, E."
"You got it," Eli said.
"Traitor," I murmured which made them both laugh.
My plans were disrupted, but I still had the music.
Music was always there when I needed it most.
Hunkering down, trying to get lost in the melody, I hoped I wouldn't do anything to embarrass Tolliver—a fear from a past relationship—or get bored like I always did at sporting events. I knew it was a long shot. The only time I could remember having fun watching sports was last year when I got to see my Uncle Becks and his friend, Ash—both of whom were former professionals—play soccer against Viola, Charlotte, and Scarlett's boyfriends. A time was definitely had.
I frowned, suddenly realizing how very single I was.
