Page 61 of Game Misconduct

Just as I reached to pull my shirt off, the doorbell rang. I checked my phone, but only six minutes passed. There was no way my food was already here. The tub was only a quarter full, but I turned off the water and hurried to the door.

I gasped when I opened it to see Parker waiting. He was in very well-fitting jeans and a tight t-shirt and smelled like men’s body wash. He was much better than the hot bath I’d been waiting for.

“You’re back?” Did I have my days mixed up? I could have sworn the team was coming back tomorrow.

“Yeah, we got back early.” He looked around, waiting.

Oh right. “Come in.” I opened the door wider, and he passed before I shut it.

“I probably should have called or at least texted first, but I wanted to talk to you in person.” He glanced at me before crossing to the living room and sitting down.

Something was wrong. The way he carried himself. The tone of his voice. I didn’t want to sit, so I leaned against the arm of the couch.

“What’s going on?” Maybe something happened to his family. I watched the games, and they’d lost two but won their most recent. That didn’t seem like something he would hold onto. No, this was something else.

“Mitch told me about your date.”

Those were the last words I expected to come from his mouth. That sweet, gorgeous mouth I’d been thinking about all week.

The flash of panic passed, and I nearly broke out laughing. I moved some pillows and sat facing him. “It was with his friend from his boxing gym. I swear, it was the worst experience I’ve ever had. It looked like a total dive from the outside, but inside it was pretty nice. He smelled like oil and sweat, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t bother showing before. He said he works on motorcycles in his off time which explains the oil smell, but he could have at least washed off. As if that wasn’t the worst part, he just wanted to watch the game after we ordered. Oh, and they didn’t have anything except fried bar food. I still don’t know why he picked that place. Anyway, he barely said two words to me before his attention was sucked into the game.” I chuckled.

He did not.

His focus was on his hands in his lap. “Why did you want to go out with him?”

I swallowed. Was he … mad? He was mad at me for going on a date? Since when was that a problem? None of my other friends cared.

“I wanted to see––”

“I just don't understand,” he cut me off. “When Mitch told me, I thought he was joking.”

He shook his head and sighed.

He was really upset. Over me going on a date.

My anger turned to confusion, then faded to understanding. He wasn’t mad. He was jealous. I trailed my eyes up and down his body. I could see it now. The sag in his shoulders. How he wouldn’t meet my eyes. His dejected tone. How long had he known? Was he like this for the whole trip?

Why didn’t Mitch warn me? He could have at least given me a heads up that he’d spilled the beans so I could prepare.

“Parker,” I started, but he lifted his head and the pained look in his eyes made me stop.

“The day I came to your office, I wanted to talk to you. I had a whole speech planned, but you were so busy and I didn’t want to take too much time or distract you.” He blew out a breath. “I still can’t decide if that was a blessing or not.”

“What do you mean?” My heart was racing. He’d come to talk to me? About what?

“At first I thought having to wait to tell you was just another roadblock. Some obstacle to overcome, but now I think it was a sign. A break to force me to rethink things.”

No. That sounded horrible. The opposite of what I wanted.

“Please, let me explain.”

His head shot up. “Explain? You don’t need to tell me anything. We’re just friends. You’re free to date anyone you want.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t want to.” I rushed out the words before he could stop me. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The date was so bad, and I turned to look at the screen and they were talking about you. I saw your picture and realized how dumb it was that I was even there, so I left.”

He blinked and met my eyes. “You left?”

“I was only there long enough to take a few sips of my Diet Coke.”