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“Okay, fine then.” I heaved out a breath. “The truth is… I was putting a bra in your sock.”
Which didn’t seem to clear matters up for him at all. He squinted. “You did…what?”
“In your gym bag,” I prompted, motioning toward it. “I snuck in here while you were showering so I could stash a bra in there.”
His face crinkled with so much confusion, I wasn’t sure if I could ever fully explain it all to him. “But why would you put a bra in my s
ock? Is that some kind of good-luck ritual?”
Oh Lord, I sucked. I sucked so hard. “If only my motives were so pure,” I mumbled shamefully. “But no. I just wanted Topher to see you with it. So he’d think we—you and I—were…you know.”
He just stared at me, shaking his head as if utterly bewildered.
“You see,” I started. “This was how it was supposed to happen. You would take the socks out of your bag and put them on…in the locker room, before the game, right?”
“Right,” he said slowly.
“Well, I pictured the whole scene. You’d be there, in the locker room, all your teammates around, talking and joking, and whatever you guys do while getting dressed. And Topher. He’d be…well, wherever his locker is across the room from you. And then boom, you’d unwrap your socks to put them on, and what do you know, the bra would fall out, totally catching you by surprise. So you’d pick it up and stare at it a moment, totally bewildered, wondering where in the world it had come from. Then, realizing it had to be your roommate’s, you’d quickly start to hide it away, totally respectful of my privacy, because you’re awesome like that, but then…then maybe one of your pals would catch sight of it, that J.J. McCannon guy maybe. He’d grab it out of your hand and wave it around the room, showing it off, where it’d finally get Topher’s attention. He’d recognize it, and think that you and I had…you know, done stuff together, which would get into his head, until bam, it’d ruin his game completely and teach him to never mess with me again.”
Wick took a moment to soak my story in before he frowned and shook his head. “But why do you think he’d recognize it as yours?”
I took a deep breath and confessed, “Because he gave it to me. That specific bra. I know he’d remember it.”
Wick’s eyes flashed with fury, and the skin tightened over his jaw, telling me just how strongly he was clenching his teeth. Reaching out, he grabbed the gym bag and nudged it toward me. “Take it out.”
I jumped at his stern tone, but then scrambled to comply. “Okay. I’m sorry. Okay.”
Feeling like slime, I fumbled with the zipper, gushing, “I really am sorry, Wick. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just… I was so desperate. I wanted to make him pay. I wanted to hurt him as much as he’d hurt me. He doesn’t deserve to get away with what he did. I just… I couldn’t think about anything else. Not how it would affect you or…or cause drama on the football team. I just… I had to get back at him. And I knew this would work.”
He said nothing. He didn’t even rage or scream at me, even though I could tell he was pissed. He just nodded and stared at me with a betrayed kind of disgust. “Well… Thank you for changing your mind,” he allowed.
With a gulp, I bowed my head and concentrated on the floor as I clutched the stupid bra to my chest.
Silence spanned between us. I closed my eyes and tried not to cry. But I knew I’d messed up bad. The tears really wanted to fall.
After a minute of saying nothing, Wick blew out a long breath. “A couple of weeks ago,” he started. “You made some kind of comment about being okay with the idea of letting him think you and I had been together in order to get back at him.”
I glanced up, not certain where he was going with this. So I just meekly nodded, remembering what he was talking about.
“I never did respond,” he said. “But I think I should have.” After wiping a hand over his mouth, he added, “I’m not your revenge plan, Haven. Don’t ever use me like that again.”
I nodded immediately and choked out in a raspy voice, “Okay. I’m sorry. I—”
He held up a hand, looking regretful. “You don’t have to apologize. I get where you’re coming from. In fact, if I thought your plan would do for you what you actually want it to, I’d be all in. I’d risk strife with my football team and anything Nicholl had to dish out to me afterward. I don’t like him. And I would applaud anyone who could finally put him in his place, but that fucker doesn’t play fair. He will go to any length and cross any line, lines you wouldn’t even dare to consider. He’s not afraid of collateral damage or hurting innocent people, just as long as he gets what he wants. Going up against him is dangerous. And if you’re determined to take him on, regardless of all that, then I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to be involved. Rebound sex, I would be okay with, to help you move on, but any kind of sex, even the illusion of it, that revolves around him… I’m out. I fully believe it would only hurt you.”
I bobbed my head, still feeling like a stupid, immature idiot. “Okay,” I rushed to say, fighting back even more tears. “I totally understand. And I… I shouldn’t have tried to make you a part of it unknowingly against your will. I… It’ll never happen again. I swear.”
When I glanced at him, he sent me a regretful smile as if he were actually trying to apologize for not jumping all over my idea and going along with it.
“I better get going,” he murmured with a heavy sigh as he pushed to his feet.
I didn’t say anything as he gathered his bag and slung it over his shoulder. When he reached the doorway, however, I straightened.
“Hey.”
He glanced back, arching a single eyebrow.
I offered him a tentative smile. “Good luck on your game today.”
