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We’ve been friends for a little over a year—just friends. When we first met, he’d gotten out of a fairly serious relationship, not that I know much about it. In fact, I overheard his brother telling him not to jump into anything with me the night we met. I’d locked my keys in my car and was paying the guy from AAA when I heard the words that would confirm once and for all that he and I would only ever be friends.
“It’s not like that. Look at her,” Zeke had said, motioning toward me. “Obviously she’ll never be more than a friend.”
It hurt in the moment, because I thought I’d been feeling something with him. Apparently it was only friendship, something that has meant a lot to me. Over the past year, I’ve seen the girls who catch his attention, and his point stands clear: I’m not his type. They’re all leggy brunettes who look like they have yoga memberships and drink green smoothies instead of eating meals.
When he does hook up with women, I only ever catch wind of it from Pasha or Freddy. Or, occasionally, social media. The brunettes he dates have a thing for tagging him in their posts. Not that he doesn’t mention them. To be fair, I don’t talk about the guys I meet—which is not many—around him. It’s just not a topic I want his input on. Which is maybe healthy… but probably not.
Something buzzes, though I’m not sure if it’s my hands or my phone. When I look down, I see another text notification.
ZEKE: Take a breath, Faye
I grin and send him an emoji blowing out air. Then I put the phone away to take my beer from Caro as the team returns from the locker room to start the second period.
* * *
The girls and I finish more beer, Caro doing God’s work to keep Aly from finishing hers. The Ptarmigans win, a much-needed result for the team in the wake of Freddy’s sudden departure. I make a mental note to check in with him. I wouldn’t say I’m close with Freddy, but he’s injured and I know injuries. He’s Zeke’s best friend, in any case.
We stage-door it, flashing our passes to the guard at the entrance to the staff hall.
“This is so cool,” Aly gushes, her arm wrapped around Caro.
“You haven’t seen anything until you’ve been in the tunnels coming out of the national stadium in Mexico City,” Caro says with an air of worldliness. “Those fans areinsane.”
“More insane than Portland fans?” Aly asks, skeptical.
Caro nods sagely. “They throw bags of piss at the opposing team.”
Aly crinkles her nose. “Ew.”
I catch a glimpse of Zeke’s still wet hair, and when his blue eyes meet mine, he grins. He has a cut on the side of his face that’s held together with a butterfly bandage. He winds through the friends and family toward me, but he’s interrupted by a leggy brunette.
“You were amazing out there,” I hear her gush, pressing her hands against his chest.
I feel the air deflate from my lungs.
“Oh, no she didn’t,” Caro hisses. There’s just enough vitriol to her voice that Aly and I both put our arms in front of her. There’s a fine line between normal, spicy Caro, and drunk, aggressive Caro.
“I don’t know how she’s so drunk and I barely feel buzzed,” Aly says with a shrug.
Caro laughs at that, her head tilting back and bringing her center of balance with her. Fortunately, the wall is right behind her and she doesn’t fall far.
“Hey,babe,” Zeke says, wrapping his arms around my waist.
My heart flutters as I wind my arms around his neck and inhale his clean, spicy soap. Beyond him, the brunette who approached him stares daggers at me, her slender arms crossed beneath her perky breasts.
We’ve never actually discussed it, but we call each otherbabewhen one of us—usually Zeke—needs a rescue.
“You did great,babe,” I say, squeezing him.
Behind him, the brunette has moved on, and I break away, removing his hands from my waist. I feel their absence, but if I cross that line, I’m the one who’ll get hurt.
“You were so good out there, Zeke!” Aly says, giving him a side hug without letting go of Caro.
“Yeah, you really got thatD,” Caro says, louder than sober-Caro would.
“You have fun, Caro?” Zeke grins, crossing his arms over his beefy chest.
“I had enough ‘fun’ for two of us!” she says in a terrible stage whisper.
