Page 40 of Never Pucking Ending

The what-ifs.

The love.

I sniffle back tears, hoping to contain them before he thinks I’m having a mental breakdown. And I whisper the most honest thing I can. “I wish things were different.”

His body tenses, but only for a microsecond. And I swear I can hear his heartbeat drumming hard even from where I stand with my head pressed inches below its cage.

Then, after what feels like forever, he repeats, “I know.” Except this time, it feels pained.

Because he really does get it.

What he’s really saying is, I wish that too.

I breathe him in, feeling only slightly comforted by the familiar scents that make me think of him even when he’s gone. They soak into me and wrap around my heart, patting it gently until I find the strength to let go.

I back up, biting the inside of my cheek. This time when I say I’m going to shower, I actually walk away. Because there’s nothing else left to be said that hasn’t already.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jesse

The man sitting in a button-down shirt with the first two buttons undone, no tie, and slacks that look a little too long on his shorter frame stands when I walk into the restaurant that he’d asked to meet me at. His hand comes out when I approach, and a large grin spreads across his face that’s a little too cocky for my liking.

Isaac Andrews hasn’t changed that much from when he briefly dated Belle. He’s got stubble on his jaw that he never did before, and there’s a confidence in his firm handshake that definitely didn’t exist in the few times we’ve interacted years ago.

“Hey, man,” he greets, squeezing my hand once before letting go. “I’m glad you decided to meet with me and talk about the offer. Our marketing team has been putting together different ideas for this drink, and we all agree you’d be the perfect face for it.”

It’s been weeks since my agent brought this up to me, and I know Isaac and his team have reached out once or twice more following up. Part of me wanted to turn them down for their impatience and not think about them again. I’m in the middle of a busy season, so new marketing deals aren’t exactly a top priority of mine.

Amber is the one who told me to meet with Isaac and see what he wanted to propose. I never brought this up to Belle because…well, I don’t know why. Seeing him doesn’t make me feel one way or another. The pretty-boy charm he exudes is thick, but more cringey than believable. I doubt Belle would fall for it if I did bring him up and warrant any interest in seeing how he’s doing.

Do I think I have anything to worry about between them? No. The only man I’m keeping a close eye on is Dane, and I hate that I’m focused on him as it is. Their mothers are friends. He’s helping her with the store. It doesn’t have to mean anything. Deep down, though, I know that it’s always a possibility that more could happen. Would I really prevent Belle from having something with somebody just because I’m a jealous prick? I’d like to think I’m better than that.

I have to break myself out of the thought before I start getting tense. Men like Isaac get off on knowing they can get a reaction from people, and I have no intention of making him feel bigger than he already thinks of himself.

“Core Charge is doing a soft launch this summer and is projected to be a key competitor against drinks like Celsius,” he begins pitching as soon as we sit down. “With the budget we got from our parent company, we’ve got a lot of great campaigns and commercials lined up. What we need is a face to go with the name, and an athlete would be the perfect place to start since it’s targeting a healthier market with a need for an energy boost.”

I see where the logic is. “Why me?” I question.

I’ll give the guy credit; he isn’t as much of a bullshitter as I pinned him to be. “I remember Belle talking about how strict of a regimen you’re on during your seasons. She said you don’t put anything in your body that isn’t healthy or packed with protein, and a lot of canned energy sources are usually full of chemicals and other shit that nobody wants to ingest. Especially somebody like you.”

All true things.

“I know Belle and I aren’t…close,” he says carefully. “We haven’t spoken in a while, so this is probably a big ask. But I really did think about you and other athletes with this product in mind. The more my team started brainstorming idea of who we could get and how to promote, the more I began thinking about Belle and all the games she’d take me to.”

My jaw tics knowing she’s still in his mind at all, even if this is solely to benefit him. She did bring him to a couple of my games during their short stint together and he always had decent things to say when I’d meet them afterwards, but I could tell it wasn’t where he wanted to be.

“I’d have to try the product,” I say, taking the water our waiter poured us and sipping it. “I don’t promote anything I wouldn’t use.”

He dips his head. “That’s fine. I can send you a few different flavors. I can reach out to Belle too and see what flavors she’d like.”

“No,” I say a little too quickly. I rein in it. “It isn’t necessary. Just send a value pack to my address. Belle lives with me. We’ll share them. I’ll have my agent send you the information.”

There’s a flicker of something in his eyes at the news that Belle lives with me. A twinkle that I can’t quite discern, and that I don’t like. “Huh. You don’t say.”

I don’t bother with a reply. When they dated, she’d had her own apartment. It wasn’t until after the fire we started living together, and that was a while after they ended things. I doubt he even reached out to make sure she was okay when that happened.

He tries wiping away the smile but fails when he says, “I guess it’s more common than ever to live with family these days, isn’t it?”