Page 45 of Game Plan

“Yeah. We’re good. And for what it’s worth, Paige and I haven’t talked in ages, but she loved you like crazy. I’m sure she’s been missing you every second of every day and night too.”

“I-I…I had to set her free.”

I eyed him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a long story. One I’m not ready to share. Maybe someday.”

I nodded. And just like in high school, I climbed into Mason’s car and let him drive me home, more tangled up than I’d been in a long time, but also feeling like I was right where I was supposed to be.

14

Not everyone sleeps around like it’s their full-time job

On Friday afternoon, I left my last class early to go on a run to get rid of the angst that had been swirling inside me since the previous night. Focusing had been a challenge all day, with last night’s date playing on repeat like a movie in my head. Dressed in black leggings and a mint-green fleece over a white tank top, I jogged toward the quad before turning left and heading into the small neighborhood located on the east side of campus. Unable to silence my ruminating thoughts, I pressed pause on the playlist I was listening to, and looking through my phone, I searched for a contact I hadn’t opened in months.

Me

Hey, I hope this is still your number. If so, I need your address.

Oh, it’s Mel in case you don’t have my number saved anymore. Not that I would blame you, btw. Anyway, if you could send me your address, that would be appreciated.

Thanks

My eyes were trained on the screen so I wouldn’t miss a notification. It took about five minutes before it came through.

Craig

1624-B, Starlight Circle

In case you’re wondering, he’s home for the next forty minutes or so. We have football practice at four. Studying now. Or he’s supposed to be. Upstairs, second door on your left. Make yourself at home.

I hated the fact that Craig could read my intentions, but to hell with that. There were things I needed to talk to Mason about, and they couldn’t wait because they had already been taking up too much space inside my head since last night. I wouldn’t be a coward and would deal with it once and for all.

In my mind, I imagined Paige giving me a thumbs-up. Yeah, she would be proud that I was standing my ground in front of Mason instead of shying away from confrontation like I used to.

I resumed my run, turned right on Silvester Avenue before cutting through Boreal Park, where Jett and I had stopped to admire the star after our first date.

I knew Mason’s neighborhood because Cassidy and I had attended a few parties on Sunset Row at the beginning of the semester.

I stopped in front of the townhouse, admiring it from the sidewalk for a beat. Charcoal siding, white shutters, it didn’t look at all like a place where college guys would live. It would fit much better on a street with young families instead.

From where I stood, I could tell it looked quite recent and seemed well-maintained. The lawn had been mowed, and the flowerbeds weren’t filled with weeds. I wondered if they had someone coming over to take care of the house or if Mason and his roommates were the ones tending to the property.

I shouldn’t care about flowerbeds and weeds and should focus on my mission instead. Shaking the thought away, I firmed my back and walked toward the front door with determined steps. My finger hovered over the doorbell, and I debated whether to press it or not. If I did, it would take away the surprise effect. Grabbing my phone, I reread Craig’s and my text exchange. Make yourself at home. He didn’t expect me to ring the doorbell or call ahead to announce my visit. Deciding to be brave, I sucked in a breath, tipped my chin up, and turned the knob without knocking first.

The house was oddly silent and smelled fresh, as if someone had just cleaned up the entire place, leaving an enjoyable scent of pine behind. It reminded me a bit of Mason’s aftershave.

I perused my surroundings, noting the small living room and the patch of grass through the patio door Mason had told me counted as a backyard, and smiled at the sight. The kitchen was on the left, the open floor plan and high ceilings making the house look bigger than it was. For a fraction of a second, I doubted whether I should be here, but then, last night’s events flashed back in my mind, and I decided giving Mason a piece of my mind was exactly what I should do.

Following his brother’s directions, I climbed the smoke-gray carpeted stairs and reached the second floor. The door I assumed was Mason’s was ajar, and I heard low music drifting through the opening.

It appeared nobody else was home except him.

Fishing every particle of courage from within me, I pushed the door open. Mason sat on his bed with his back to me, absorbed in the open textbook resting in his lap. He was tapping a rhythm on the mattress with a pencil, engrossed in his reading.

I cleared my throat and knocked on the doorframe with my knuckles. It took him an instant to register the distraction, pivot on the bed, and catch my gaze.

A slow grin traced his lips, and he blinked slowly. Once. Twice. Three times. As if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. Then, realizing I was real, his face lit up, and he jumped to his feet, tossing the textbook aside. “Mel.” He neared me in three strides.