AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah.”
“Skip the circus today, I’ll make your excuses.”
“Thanks.”
He nods and then flaps his hand, shooing us away.
We make our way back to the locker room and I shower. I stand under the hot water, letting it spray down on my head, down my shoulders, waiting for it to push some tension out of me. But it doesn’t. It only makes me think of the last time I stood under a showerhead like that for so long, one arm wrapped around Faye’s waist, my fingers delving between her wet, velvety folds, as her pants filled the bathroom and she moaned promises I can’t forget. My dick pulses at the memory and I shut off the shower before it gets any harder.
By the time I’m done, only Pasha’s left. I dress quietly, pulling on a hooded sweatshirt that I keep around in case I want to make a quick exit after a game.
I keep waiting for Pasha to speak, but he doesn’t. He waits me out as I pull on one sock, then another. Tie one sneaker, then the next. Palm my keys and stuff my wallet into my back pocket.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” he asks. His voice is soft and calm, and it’s pissing me off.
“That I fucked up. That I screwed the game for the whole team. Everyone hates me. I’m a fuck-up.”
“I don’t have to say it. You said it.”
“Nice.” I rake my fingers through my hair and pull the hood up over my head.
“What are you going to do about it?”
“About what?”
“You know what,” Pasha says. His eyes cut hard at me, as if to saycut the shit.
“I can’t force her to see me.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what?”
“If you want the girl, go get the girl.”
“I feel like we’re talking about the same thing and then we just fly past each other.”
“Fly? We’re not flying. We’re talking about the woman you love. Take it from me. When you know, you know, and you stop pussyfooting around.”
“Oh yeah? Is that what you’re doing with Lule?”
His face softens and he stands. “We will be married in February.”
“What?” I drop my jaw, staring at his hard face, splitting into a goofy grin.
“Her shop, it caught fire.”
“The Knitty Kitty?” I grab at my phone and dial Faye’s number again, listening to it ring.
“She’s okay. Faye wasn’t there,” Pasha says, pain seeping into his eyes as he watches me.
Faye’s voice mail picks up, a message I’m used to hearing now. I don’t know that I’ll ever hear that message again without feeling it in my ribs.
“Faye,” I say after the beep. “Pasha just told me about the Knitty Kitty. I’m so sorry. Are you okay? What’s going on? Please, call me back. Just… please…” I sigh and hang up. There’s nothing else to say.
“That’s not how it works, Coop.”
