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I crouch down beside her, pushing away the dark blonde strand of hair that’s caught in her nose piercing before leaning closer. I brush my lashes against her warm cheek like she said her sister used to do.

This is the closest I’ll let myself come to kissing her.

After tonight, I need to keep my distance so I don’t drag her into my hectic life. I’m not going to be the man who forces her to change her priorities. It doesn’t matter how big or small her dreams are, the last thing I want is to hold her back.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” I whisper, stroking her hair. She shifts a little, but her eyes stay closed. “Don’t have sweet dreams. Have wild ones.”

16

NINA

“Nina,” Gwen shouts from down the hall. “Are you almost ready for the game?”

“Five minutes, Gwendolyn!”

“Well, hurry up, Philomena!”

It’s been over a week since I’ve seen Rhode, and there’s been zero communication since he left me in my bedroom. The distance between us isn’t melting away nearly as fast as the icicles in the March air.

The way he reacted at the event meant more to me than he’ll ever know. There was no fixing, just the acknowledgment and acceptance of a friend, which is exactly how he looks at me.

There’s no longer heat in his eyes. He might have said I looked breathtaking, but last week, I saw a photo posted of Rhode at some club with his arm draped around a woman, so I’m not going to overanalyze his compliment no matter how much it fills my heart.

There aren’t a lot of men like Rhode Tremblay on this planet. In fact, there’s only one, and every time I picture him at night with my hand dipping beneath the sheets, I try to remind myself that I don’t want to date someone when I’m leaving for Argentina.

Digging through my cabinet, I pull out an orange pill bottle. Twisting open the cap, I pop one into my mouth because I don’t want what happened at the event to happen during the game.

Sometimes I need them, sometimes I don’t, and today’s just one of those days.

I slip into Micah's blue and white Guardians jersey, gathering my hair into a high ponytail. I thought about wearing Rhode’s number, but based on how he’s cut off all communication other than one text to make sure I was feeling okay after the event, I opted for Micah’s.

It’s a big departure from my usual overalls, but the jersey makes me feel like a part of their inner circle, and I’ve never felt that way before. I keep my group of friends small so I can give more to the people who matter the most.

With a bounce in my step, I pull out my phone and snap a picture before sending it to Micah—who changed his name to Your Favorite in my phone.

Me

What do we think? How’s the jersey?

Your favorite

HOT DAMN PHIL

Your favorite

Fuqing hell you look good in my number

Your favorite

Hold on

There are dots, and then a text comes through. Except, this time, Rhode’s on the chain. Micah resends my picture to the group, so Rhode sees the image. My heart rate kicks up as I stare at the screen.

Your favorite

What do you think old man? She looks good with my number on her back, right? *angel face*

Rhode