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“Seriously, man.” Ian’s smile dissolved, and a more serious face took its place. “If you like this girl, don’t pass up the chance to see what could happen. I think every single one of us can testify that girl only has eyes for you too. Right?”
They all nodded.
“Yep. She was looking at you andonlyyou while she was dancing on the bar,” Jake said.
I twisted my lips. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” they echoed.
“She’s sprung for you too, man,” Hayden said. “I think you should make a move and give it a shot. What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
“She slaps me and tells me to go to hell, and I never see her again.”
“That’s not what’s gonna happen,” Tim said with confidence.
I glanced over and caught Ivy looking at me, and the moment our eyes connected, she quickly looked away.
“So, what? I just go up to her and tell her I’m into her and see what happens?”
“You hit on girls all the time, man.” Matt laughed. “You’ve literally got more game than all of us combined. Are you trying to tell me you don’t know how to make a move on a girl?”
I scrubbed a hand down my face, remembering how easy it normally was for me to approach a woman. “Not one I really care about, I guess. If they turn me down, it’s no big deal. If Ivy turns me down, it’s gonna be like that time Evan tried to throw the ball to me at home base and hit me in the nuts.”
They all pulled a face.
“Oh, man.” Matt covered his crotch. “I still have nightmares about that, and it didn’t even happen to me.”
“Yeah. It freaking hurt. And it’s gonna hurt even worse if Ivy tells me no.”
Tim glanced over at her. “She won’t.”
“You don’t know that, Tim. None of us do. Trust me, if I thought it was a sure thing, I’d march over there right now, grab her by the face and kiss her so hard her toes would curl. But it’s not a sure thing. Not by a long shot.”
“Well, it’s about as sure as you can get without her wearing a big sign that says, ‘I’m into Ethan.’” Evan snorted.
“Okay, fine. But what if we’re wrong, and she tells me no and then leaves and goes back to Chicago, and I never see her again? Or what if you’re right, and we hook up tonight, and these feelings I have for her don’t go away? What if I somehow managed to catch feelings for a girl? Then what? We don’t live anywhere near each other, and she’s hellbent on being single for a while.”
Tim took a sip of his beer, then set it back on the bar. “I can tell by the way she looks at you that her answer isn’t going to be no. She looks at you the way Tami looks at me. You’ve got this, man. Just go for it, and you’ll figure out the rest as it comes. What’s the other thing Mom always says?”
I blew out a breath. “It’s better to act without thinking than think without acting.”
“Exactly.” Ian nodded along with Tim. “Listen to Mom. Stop overthinking this and go get that girl. I have never seen you like this, and to hell if you’re going to suddenly choose right now to be the guy who overthinks shit and misses great opportunities. You literally have created an entire existence of grabbing life by the balls and doing the most crazy, random shit. Don’t lose your game now. Just act like you did when you skied the black diamond in Vail when you probably should have been on the next step up from the bunny slope. Just go for it. You’ll never know what could happen between you two, or not happen between you two, unless you try.”
I glanced over at Ivy again, and when our eyes connected, all I could picture was that kiss. That mind-blowing, life-shattering kiss that had left me stunned in a way I hadn’t ever felt before. And they were right. My entire life goal was to go after the things I wanted without hesitation ... to conquer any and all challenges that life threw my way. And I wanted Ivy more than I could remember wanting anything else, and telling her I didn’t want to be just friends would be the biggest challenge of them all.
“Okay,” I finally spit out.
“What? You’re doing it?” Jake sat up straighter.
I lifted my shoulders and tried to summon all my inner confidence that seemed to evaporate every time Ivy looked at me. “Yeah. I’m doing it.”
The guys all cheered, and it caught the attention of the girls just across the bar.
“Would you guys stop? Jesus.” I palmed my face.
“Go get her, man!” Hayden clapped my back.
“You’ve got this, little bro,” Ian said.
“I just need a few minutes to figure out my move here. I’ll be back.”
They all silently whispered their cheers as I walked away and headed outside to get some fresh air and clear my head. I only had one shot at this, and I didn’t want to take any chances at blowing it.
