AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t you miss it?” Jamie asks Miles, still in disbelief that Miles could walk away from ball.
Miles shrugs and lets out a deep laugh. “Baseball didn’t disappear. I just stopped playing it. It was always fun, but it wasn’t ingrained in me like it is you or Aaron. It’s actually been a lot of fun watching A and Joel this year and seeing it from the outside. No pressure, just enjoying watching two people I love have a blast doing something they love. Plus, I can still play in my spare time whenever I want to. One day we’re gonna be in our thirties kicking ass at some local men’s baseball league.”
Joel laughs too and peeks at Jamie through the rearview mirror. “Not Jamie. He’ll be too busy with his millions of dollars and his harem of hot girls.”
I turn to look at Jamie. “Speaking of hot girls… what’s the deal with you and Mands?”
Jamie audibly gulps and his cheeks redden. Oh, I’ve pushed a button. For all the shit he’s given me over the years about Rae, it’s fair game.
“Nothing,” he chokes out.
Miles’s deep laugh resonates through the car again. “Yeah, right. You two eye-fuck each other whenever you’re in the same vicinity.”
Jamie runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay, I’m totally into her. But I can’t get caught up in that right now. I have to focus on baseball. I can’t jump into a relationship with her. Which means I can’t sleep with her, because if I do, I will want nothing but her. Instead, I go home with blue balls every time I see her.”
Silence washes through the car.
“Oh boy,” Jamie finally says. “You guys always have big fucking opinions. Let’s hear it.”
Miles and Joel exchange a brief glance, then Miles looks back at me. Guess I’ve been volunteered.
“Look, I get it,” I say to Jamie. “But you can’t sideline the rest of your life or you’ll end up alone and unhappy. If you really like her—and correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s new for you—don’t run from it.”
Jamie looks at me for a moment, then his eyes narrow. “Coming from you.”
“Ooh,” Miles says.
“Solid burn,” Joel says, slipping his fist up behind him for Jamie to bump.
“Yeah, yeah, judge all you want. You know nothing about this.”
“Did you figure anything out?” Jamie asks, continuing to throw me under the bus.
Joel’s eyes meet mine in the mirror. “What’s he talking about?”
Miles spins around in his seat and sizes me up. Then he says, “Oh, shit.”
I groan and then mutter, “Yeah, I think I’m ready to be with Rae again, okay?”
“Have you told her?” Joel asks in shock.
“We should’ve had this conversation when you weren’t driving,” Miles grumps. “I’d rather not die because you need to have some girl talk with A.”
Joel shoves his arm. “Fuck off.”
“Seriously, pull off at the next rest stop. I’m driving the rest of the way.”
“Paranoid,” Joel mutters in a cough.
“Yeah, yeah, call it what you want, but I’ve kept us all alive thus far.”
The next rest stop comes up fast. While Miles and Joel argue about who’s driving, I take a piss and grab a soda from the machine. Jamie strolls up as I pull it out. “Sorry about the Rae thing. I thought they knew. I know we give each other shit, but I don’t want to betray your confidence.”
I wave my hand. “It’s fine. I’d have told them eventually.”
“Why haven’t you? Why haven’t you toldher?It’s been a month.”
Sighing, I say, “I’m just feeling defeated. Hanging out on our anniversary didn’t go the way I wanted it to. She told me she wanted to be with me, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell hermaybe. So, I told her I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready.” I chuckle wryly. “You should’ve seen her. She locked up and pulled away. Makes it a hell of a lot harder to want to dive back into things with her.”
