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Colin nods. “When a friend has a dilemma, who am I not to help out?”
“It’s not a dilemma,” I say, still laughing. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Sometimes, they listen when I say I’m not interested in anything other than casual sex.”
“Those are the gems,” Colin says, nodding. “A woman who wants nothing in return? Few and far between.”
“What are you talking about?” I laugh. “You and Cass have been together for almost three years.”
Colin shrugs. “It’s hypothetical. I mean, I love her. You know? Sometimes I just wonder how we got here.”
“Where?”
“So far into a serious relationship. It’s not that I’m not happy. It’s just that I don’t know if it’s what I would have wanted. You know, if I got to choose.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You didn’t choose this?”
“God, it’s a good thing she’s not here to hear what I’m saying. It’s all fucked up coming out of my mouth. I did choose it. I just…miss the old days sometimes. You know, when I could fuck around and no one cared so much.”
I nod. “Maybe we all miss what we don’t have. You miss being single because you’re dating. But if you weren’t dating…you’d miss it?”
“Do you miss it?” Colin asks.
I shake my head. “No, I can’t say that I do. Women are full of shit.”
Colin laughs. “You’re full of shit. Preaching to me when you’re happy as fuck alone.”
I chuckle, and we shower and get dressed. Before I head to the hotel, I head home to collect the bags I packed. Marc asked me to check into the hotel so the wedding planner Stacey got can keep an eye on everything.
Who the fuck does she think she is, making me live there when I’ve got a house here? It's private, it’s on the beach, and it’s my haven when I need to breathe.
But it’s fine. I’m not paying for my room, and what Marc wants, he gets. I can just imagine his future mother-in-law is giving him shit with the wedding being such a big event. With the world watching, fucking up isn’t an option.
That’s something I had to learn when I became famous. It’s so easy to screw up, and then someone’s on the sidelines, pointing fingers. The story always gets bigger in the retelling; no one wants to know my side…it’s better just not to fuck up in the first place.
So, I give Marc what he wants so that he can give his future wife what she wants, and then everything works out for the better.
Happy wife, happy life. It’s a motto most men live by, and I get it.
Why they would want to be in a relationship where they need to live by that rule isn’t something I’ll ever understand, but luckily, I don’t have to.
I don’t date, I’m sure as shit never getting married, and the rest doesn’t matter.
There was a time, long ago, when I thought I wanted more from relationships. I wanted to settle down, find the woman that would change my world. But it never worked out for me. The one I did care about—someone who’d already been taken—got away before I even got a chance. And the rest of them…
It’s not like I haven’t tried dating. I’ve been with women. I’ve dated, sticking it out, eating all the bullshit they threw at me. Until I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I was the one that walked away.
Eventually, I gave up. It’s easier to do things this way. When I got the position on the team, I left the relationship that wasn’t working—the last one I was willing to try—and came here.
And I never looked back. There’s no reason to look back when all the good shit is in front of me.
When I’ve loaded all my bags into my car, I drive to the hotel. The Daimana Hotel is one of the fanciest hotels on the island. They host world leaders there, kings, queens, presidents, and celebrities who are deemed socially royal.
The place is spectacular. It's some kind of heritage site and staying at it is already half the treat when anyone comes to Hawaii. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to stay here for a week or two.
Marc finds me in my room just after checking in.
“Hey, man,” he says, coming to me, and we hug it out, clapping each other on the back. “It’s so fucking good to see you!”
It's been months since Marc and I really saw each other. We get up in each other's grills when we play, but it's not the same as hanging out, and it's been a tough season all around. It must have been almost a year since we last got to hang out as friends and not rivals.
