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“True.”
“It should be, though. Make Nico adopt me.”
She laughs. “Can you adopt an almost twenty-year-old?’
“I don’t know, but I want him to.”
“Me too. Let me ask Jay.”
“Or maybe ask Nico first.”
She gives me a dry look. “He would die of happiness to adopt you.”
I grin. “Yeah, maybe we can look into that.”
“Fuck yeah, we can.”
We share a grin, and then she goes on. “I am surprised Evan doesn’t remember you, or that Owen hasn’t told him. Maybe he hasn’t told Owen about you?”
“I don’t know. But remember, my hair is very different.”
“Oh yeah,” she agrees. “That’s so funny he doesn’t realize who you are. Why haven’t you told him?”
“He’s super skittish.”
“Yeah, he’s a nice guy. Quiet.”
“He’s working for the squad, and everyone is trying to get with him, but he isn’t having it.”
“I doubt he would. As I said, he’d come over and talk to me instead of all the other girls, though I’m surprised he hasn’t put two and two together. There is a huge photo of you in a Bullies leotard in the living room.”
I shrug. “As I said, maybe he blocked all that out. A lot has happened for him.”
“You’re right. Bless him. How do you think he’s doing?”
“Good. He’s going to therapy here, and he seems good. He smiles at me a lot.”
“Well, you’re gorgeous.”
I laugh. “You’re silly, but I don’t know… We’re just getting to know each other.”
“He’s Nico good, Cal. Like a really good guy. Great, even.”
“I know,” I say, smiling. “I’m crushing hard but keeping things on the low. Coach actually asked if we were sleeping together today.”
She makes a face. “Um, that’s none of his business.”
“He only asked! He wasn’t being weird. He doesn’t want to lose Evan since he’s really good in the gym. Super supportive and smart.”
“Still, I don’t care for your coach.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s tough but respectful. Plus, not everyone is Amelia.”
Amelia Justice Moon was my club coach. She made me who I am, and I owe her so much. She actually shopped me to the Bullies because she’d gone here. To this day, I get a text weekly from Amelia, telling me how much she loves and misses me.
Aviva exhales hard. “I loved her, and I still love her. She is such a good coach.”
“Guy coaches are hard, but I like him.”
“Well, that’s all that matters,” she decides. “So, I’m excited to see how this plays out with Evan.”
“If it even does. We look at each other a lot, but I think I flirt and he kind of just takes it.”
She chuckles. “I bet you’re gonna have to tell him—or yell at him, ‘I like you. Be mine.’”
“Probably,” I say, shrugging. “But I’m in no rush. I want him to be comfortable, and he doesn’t seem to be. He gets followed around campus.”
“No way.”
“Yes, girl. It’s gross how these girls act around him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s gorgeous and I want to follow him sometimes, but it’s obvious he doesn’t like it.”
“Poor guy. I want to hug him.”
“Me too,” I groan, and she laughs. “We do that handshake Nico taught me.”
“Aw, how sweet!”
“Right? Well, we’ll see how this goes.”
“I’ve got my fingers crossed, but maybe you should tell him about Nico.”
“I will when he asks. We haven’t done the whole family conversation yet.”
“Oh, okay,” she says, and then my door opens and Cameron comes in very aggressively.
“Cal, tell them you aren’t sleeping with Smexy Evan!”
I notice a bunch of my teammates behind her, all gawking at me. On the phone, Aviva says, “Ew. I’ll let you go.”
I laugh. “Love you.”
She says it back, and I hang up as I look to my teammates. “No,” I say, rolling to my side. “We’re friends.”
“So, you tried, and he denied you?” Shantae asks, and I shake my head.
“No. I’m taking it slow.”
Everyone looks bored. “How slow? Like, can’t you ask if he wants to bang?” someone says, and I roll my eyes.
“Get out of my room,” I say, pulling the covers over my head and closing my eyes, much to their dismay. When the room clears out, I hear Cameron get on my bed before she smacks my butt.
“We’re going shopping tomorrow for something slutty. The hockey house is throwing a party since the RA will be out of town.”
I pull my head out from under the covers. “Huh? I’m running with Evan tomorrow.”
“Yeah, and then he’s leaving, I guess. So, be ready after your run, and don’t tell him about the party. He’s not supposed to know.”
“Oh, that’s gonna be awesome.”
“What? He’s not going to be there,” she says with a shrug.
I guess I could party. I wish Evan would be there, but it’s all good. I put in my AirPods and go under the blanket once more. I find myself on Evan’s Instagram, scrolling. He doesn’t post photos of himself unless he’s with someone. It’s usually like food or drinks or something that means something to him that day. Today, under a photo of his running shoes, the caption reads:
Got my ass handed to me on my run. I don’t mind, though. The view was nice.
I grin as I sigh. I want to think he likes me, but I’m not entirely sure. I guess I could ask, but that seems so silly. I shouldn’t have to ask; I should just feel it.
And I feel like he does.
Hmm, I wonder what my next move should be. This isn’t like my gymnastics routines that I know and can navigate just fine. He’s almost like the Jaeger I couldn’t catch today. Right there, ready for me, but I have to grab hold.
I wonder if he even wants to be held on to.
